jlizz69

I graduated in 1990 with my ADN and have been in bedside nursing since. My experience is mostly cardiac stepdown. I have no desire to be in management. I don't want to be a NP. I don't think I would want to be an educator. Personally, I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, just that I am getting physically and emotionally tired sometimes. At 42 years old, I have , I hope a good 20 more years of working in front of me. I am planning on going back for my BSN, although I really disliked school and it is expensive. My hope is to work in PACU when they have an opening. I am going back simply because I don't know what the future holds. It may take me years to complete as I am going to take only a few classes at first. I have toyed with the idea of getting a different degree. Maybe business. It may be that I spend time and money on a BSN and stay where I am with no financial gain from it. I am trying to look at this as an adventure and a challenge instead of a burden to my pocketbook and time. Not sure how I am going to pay for it, but will find a way. Anyone else in a similar situation? Getting your BSN just to have it, just in case you may need it? I am a little apprehensive as the last time I took a college course was 1994. I've developed somewhat thick skin from being a bedside nurse for 20 years, but I still would appreciate constructive comments rather that some negative threads I've seen from some people on different subjects on this site. We nurses are not always very supportive of each other and I appreciate a forum like this where we can be a community. Give a struggling old nurse a break here! LOL:) Okay, okay. I know. I just need to get over my fears and laziness and go back and get my BSN. No discussion necessary. SIGH!

I too had to laugh when I saw AA. When I first started going to AA, I was afraid I would accidently say when I walked in the patients' room, "Good morning! My name is *** and I am an alcoholic" instead of "I will be your nurse today". There would probably be some patients who would not appreciate that! I work in Alabama and we do have both racist white and black patients at times and depending on who the staff is that day we can't honor their request. It is hard on the nurse or tech whether they are black or white. I am white and hate taking care of racist white people. I pray for them and myself as I take care of them that day. Fortunately it does not happen often. It is funny to me also that when I walk in the room with a male nurse, patients often think he is the doctor simply because he is male. People are funny. I try not to let little things like that bother me.

Our multicare techs do fingerstick accuchecks. They scan the armband and scan their namebadge. The results are immediately downloaded into the computer when the machine is placed in the holder. We do have a board that the techs write the accucheck on, but I always check the computer. Fortunately we do have good techs who relate any abnormals to us. I did not realize other places do not allow it. Our techs also draw blood and do EKG's. The EKG's do concern me sometimes depending on who does it, but I have seen nurses not place the stickers in the proper place also. I am not sure what the right answer is, but I do know that I am responsible for the patient, bottom line. Long ago we had lab techs who drew all blood, then it was designated to the nurses and then we had MCT's. RN's must draw all type and screens for blood. If the blood is drawn from a line, than of course, the nurse must do it. If the tech has gone through competency training, I do not see why they cannot do fingersticks or POC heme testing of stool. I just have to be looking for the results.

yep...consequences of our actions sometimes bite. But she did call the Board of Nursing and her employer and now has a list of things she has to do but she feels better knowing what she needs to do about it. I have learned over the years it is much easier to tell the truth than to lie and try to remember what the lie was!

I figured that was the answer. It really is a question about a friend. I know that sounds funny. I actually have been a registered nurse for 18 years and sober for 12 years. I did not know the new rules. It really stinks to have to go through all that treatment stuff and urine tests when one has been sober awhile, but the BON has no way of knowing that is the truth, so I can see their point. My friend decided she had to tell the truth although some people told her not to. The consequences of our actions while drinking can come bite us in the butt even years later!

What happens when a new grad LPN applies for NCLEX and answers yes to have abused ETOH in past 5 yrs. Has been sober and going to AA for 2 years now. Will this affect her employment at a nursing home? Is a scholarship student and already has a job promised to her. Should she tell her employer about her past?

The cardiologists at the hospital trust my judgement and respect me. I just got a $2 dollar pay raise and our shift diff for evenings was increased to $3 and hour. The hospital pays 50 cents to the dollar on contributions up to 7% of your check in our 403B plan. We have new equipment--monitors, computers. I got to help pick out the supplies for our new unit and decide where things went. Our new call system uses phones for the nurses to carry. I was able to use the phone to call from the patient's room and talk to the doc about getting some pain meds stat. We had pulled an eight french femoral sheath on a very large lady who had a very low tolerance for pain and she was arching her back and hollering and the tech who was holding pressure lost control over the artery. I got the demerol and inapsine in and took over holding pressure and thank God had goggles on because it spurted blood on the side of my face and hair in the process but I got control over the artery and the guy I was orienting took over holding when it was safe and we mashed the hematoma out. My coworkers cleaned my face and hair and arms with cavicide wipes while I held pressure until it was safe to switch. Her groin was fine. She was grateful. She went home the next day. Good learning experience for new guy. Thankful for those phones we carry and a doc quick to call back. I enjoy working with most of my coworkers. We laugh a lot and work together to get admissions in, start IV's, whatever. Good teamwork on our floor.

:monkeydance: I understand the frustration and anger. I have felt it too at times, but ultimately I do love being a nurse. I am fortunate that most of the doctors where I work are fairly easy to get along with and treat nurses with respect. There are those who don't, of course. As for eating our young and backstabbing each other, that is a problem sometimes. I know it helps when I can make sure my attitude towards new employees/nurses is one of openness and helpfulness. I try to be a mentor. I hate orienting new employees. I just don't like doing it, but since we have so few nurses with experience who can or will, I do it. And I do it with a good attitude for the most part, knowing that this nurse will be working with me on their own soon and I want them to know what to do or at least where to go for the information. It is frustrating. I have had times over my 16 years as a registered nurse that I have been burned out and needed a break. And some counseling and maybe even a little medication...we joke that working on our floor should come with a prozac prescription. I have faith that things will get better. I cannot think of any other job I want to do, especially when I make almost twice as much now as I did 16 years ago. I make a good living. More than twice what my carpenter husband does. In the end, I try to remember it is just a job. Not my life. I work so I can make money for dog and cat and people chow. And I get to do something that challenges me. But I need to leave work at work when I go home and just try and take my job like I do my life. One day at a time.

I understand the frustration and anger. I have felt it too at times, but ultimately I do love being a nurse. I am fortunate that most of the doctors where I work are fairly easy to get along with and treat nurses with respect. There are those who don't, of course. As for eating our young and backstabbing each other, that is a problem sometimes. I know it helps when I can make sure my attitude towards new employees/nurses is one of openness and helpfulness. I try to be a mentor. I hate orienting new employees. I just don't like doing it, but since we have so few nurses with experience who can or will, I do it. And I do it with a good attitude for the most part, knowing that this nurse will be working with me on their own soon and I want them to know what to do or at least where to go for the information. It is frustrating. I have had times over my 16 years as a registered nurse that I have been burned out and needed a break. And some counseling and maybe even a little medication...we joke that working on our floor should come with a prozac prescription. I have faith that things will get better. I cannot think of any other job I want to do, especially when I make almost twice as much now as I did 16 years ago. I make a good living. More than twice what my carpenter husband does. In the end, I try to remember it is just a job. Not my life. I work so I can make money for dog and cat and people chow. And I get to do something that challenges me. But I need to leave work at work when I go home and just try and take my job like I do my life. One day at a time.

I absolutely agree! When I do have the time to give a bedbath or wash someone's hair, it is a luxury. I actually do enjoy that part of the job, but I have little time for it and only help the aide when needed. It is hard to balance all of the paperwork, meds, assessments, discharges, admissions, etc with the actually hands on care of the patient. Sometimes I feel like I spend so much time on the phone with doctor's, offices, pharmacies, pharmacist, family members that I hate to hear the phone ring at home. I was a nurse aide, then a medical service specialist in an aeromedical evactuation unit in the AF Reserves before I was a nurse. I can see both sides of the issue. It seems to me to be a matter of balance and attitude. I want the NA to know that I am not asking them to do anything I myself would not do if I had the time. If I am asking them to do it, then it is because I don't have the time to do it. Some NA's understand this and some don't. If you don't like your job and you are miserable enough to moan and groan and complain, then leave. Find a job you like. No one is making you stay. That is my attitude. I get really frustrated with NA's and nurses who don't want to do their jobs.

Thank you for that reply. I get frustrated with the student nurses and their instructors who think there is "nurse work" and "aide work" and seem to get offended if asked to do a "menial task" such as helping a patient to the bathroom. They need to learn that these are often excellant opportunities to assess a patient's skin, function, mobility and mental status, in addition to getting to know the patient better and discovering some of their concerns or needs that might have gone unnoticed. Nursing is a subtle art. I too get irritated when a nurse will go out of her way to find the NA to get them to do something that would take less than 5 minutes. This is one reason that some NA's sometimes get the attitude that nurses are lazy and bossy instead of being leaders and teammembers with the same primary purporse--to take care of the patients. Often times when the doctor asks if the pt has been out of bed or walked, how much they have eaten, etc, I have to ask the NA. No one LIKES to wipe butts, but...it is part of our job and I don't consider myself too good or too educated to do anything that I would ask a nursing assistant to do.

What do you think about having the night shift charge make assignments for days and the day shift charge nurse make assignments for nights? I am just tossing ideas out there. My floor would hate it since there is the constant night shift didn't do this or day shift did this, etc. Nurses are quick to stab one another in the back. Quick with criticism. If you work in teams or groups, then do you hear report on all of your group patients as the ICU nurse says they do. Getting report on 8 ICU patients seems like it would take some time. How do you know which nurse had which patient the day before if you as the charge nurse were not there? Is there a special place it is written down or do you just find out when getting the overview report by looking in the computer or on the nurses notes from the day before?

[Anyhow what do your charge nurses think of coming in early? And in what format are the individual nurses going to get report? typed? separate tapes? Isn't it somewhat helpful for all the nurses to at least have an idea of what the basic scenario is for all the patients, like who's having surgery, who's post procedure, who's got chest tubes, etc?[/quote There are two day shift "patient care coordinators" who work opposite days--12 hours shifts. So there will be days when there is not a PCC to get to work early and make assignments. I am not sure how that will work. Our individual nurses are supposed to get report using the computer and the kardex which will eventually be obsolete and just use the computer. They want us to get rid of our sticky notes and personal report sheets and just use the computer. Dayshift nurse and nightshift nurse would sit down together and look at the computer charts and computerized MAR and make sure all meds are given and tasks are charted. I am having trouble with the concept of not having my report sheet with a synopsis of all 15 patients on it. I like being able to pull it out of my pocket and know a little about the patient. We presently tape report but the previous shift cannot leave until we are out of report which is bad when nurses are late to work and report does not start on time.

Our 15 bed cardiac step down unit currently uses taped report. The hospital is going to all computerized charting eventually and wants us to begin walking rounds. Now four nurses listen to report on 15 patients then divide according to acuity, discharges, who had who the day before, etc. Now they want the charge nurse to come in 15 minutes early to get a brief report on all patients and then have assignments ready when the others come in. Then they can receive report on only their 4 patients from the nurse/nurses on nights. They also want us to have teams of 2 nurses and 2 techs per patient group. We are not really excited about this considering there are certain nurses that you really don't want as a team member as you will be alone. What works for everyone else? Do you think this new system will work? Of course, there is a lot of resistence to overcome from the staff.

the ivory billed woodpecker and thanking the gods above that..