BoyNamedSue

When I started out on skilled, I would pick up every now and then on another skilled unit in the facility. I would go around doing my assessments, and the patients would look at me all crazy (even though they weren't crazy). One patient asked me what...

Thanks, everyone. When I wrote the op, I was kind of feeling down on myself. Lately, I've been reading the charts when I don't have to, studying info on my iPad. It really gets me thinking again, and that's the one thing I really felt bad about. I fe...

My spark of energy is very dim right now. I started working LTC a couple months ago, and I was feeling a little down recently. I feel like I don't have the time to dive into a resident's history, their meds, or do much assessments. The other nurses t...

Yeah, I've shadowed my preceptor during my final year of nursing school in the PACU where I'm applying. They do mostly routine surgeries, but when I was shadowing, we did get the occasional shock patient/emergency patient.

I have 10 months experience in a sub-acute rehab facility. I like it, but it's starting to feel too predictable. A PACU position opened up. I really want to apply, but I keep psyching myself out before I open the application because I wonder if I can...

It becomes necessary at times to break away from the bureaucratic structure of the nursing facility in which you work in order to fully exercise your duties as a nurse; duties which transcend the the physical workplace, but, reside instead in the sh...

I'm sorry, but I started laughing after I read your post. I've dealt with similar situations and just have to laugh it off. What you really want to say is, "crocheting, I'm sure, is difficult; but, it's not rocket science. I'm sure you can figure it....

I've been in sub-acute for over six months. It's not for everyone, and it seems a common thread for nurses to leave simply because of issues with the facility itself. This is my first nursing position, but I get the feeling that nurses in other field...

Generally, there is a protocol in place for emergent vs. non-emergent issues. Generally at night, when you are more than likely going to get the on-call doc., you have to ask yourself: what is the doc. Going to do? Ask yourself, is the patient sympto...

It's during times like this in which the partition which normally separates one person from another is removed, and, for a solemn moment - a brief moment - people come to the realization that we are not that different from one another.

I've got my own troubles and worries, just as anybody else. I struggle with anxiety and depression. I'm afraid of making a wrong decision, or not doing a good job. My goals: be of value to my team, and stand up for what is right. I'm not perfect. I'm...

Honestly, after a few months of working as a nurse, being a "male" nurse does not even enter into my mind. It's similar to asking a woman physician, "what's it like being a female Dr.?" Or, a woman firefighter, "what's it like being a fire-woman?" I...

Once I was walking to the side of an older gentleman who was being wheeled down a quiet hallway. The resident was wearing a gown with a blanket spread out over his legs. There were a couple people walking towards us, and several other nurses at the n...

I though that, too.... Then I saw the bell-bottoms in a full length mirror and realized that it wasn't going for a vintage look.

I had to read my own post again. No, sorry, to specify its when I wrote, "when she stands up," meaning when she stands up in her room, apply the cream. Then, take her to supper. :)

Some nights I feel like a ping pong ball bouncing from one patient to the next

Meds usually pop at the same time, so you migh try to "plan" your day around this. For example, meds may pop at 1600 and 1900. That means you've got about an hour before and after each med pass to give your meds. Depending on the treatment, you could...

Psalm 59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me. Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; ...

A female coworker asked me this once, about how I feel about being a "male nurse." I replied, "I'm just a simple man trying to make it in a woman's world." She rolled her eyes, and I couldn't stop grinning.

"Nurse Ratchet, the narc counts were off ... we're going to need an oil sample from you."

Male administrator: "I thought replacing the nursing staff with robots would be a good way to stop all the complaints of long hours and outlandish nurse-to-patient ratios, but even they won't accept 100 patients!" Female administrator: "Didn't you al...

I started working in rehab several months ago, and now notice that I have emotionally been changed. I'm past the honeymoon phase of starting my career, and sincerely believe that once you start hating you're job, that's when you're a real nurse. I've...

Every time I think about gossiping I have to stop and think about what the other nurses are saying behind my back. Then I feel a little less gossipy.

I once had a family member ask me if her mother was close to dying. 90 years old, frail, yet, full code.... I said, "I'm not in a position to determine if someone is close to death." She said, "I know - it's up to God to decide when someone should di...

There have been several situations where I stayed late to help out because it was so crazy. I've helped out with other nurses' patients without second thought. I think this builds teamwork, and hopefully, a reciprocal relationship.