lorichka6

I think let the past be in the past. Have hubs work nights and weekends and get some good differentials and benefits and ride his coattails for a while now :)

Peds float pool RN. Always shower before work. Its 5:45 AM and dark - I need it to wake up - and tame the crazy curly-hair bed head. Days I work in the NICU (unless it is a rare isolation babe) - no shower after work. Days I'm in general peds and especially PICU I always shower after work. I'm pregnant now and much more compulsive about it than I was - pre-preggo if I didn't have isolation kids I wouldn't always shower but now I'm cray-cray.

I was going to suggest peds ? I know it isn't for everyone but I work in NICU, PICU, general peds and think it is so rewarding. Sure there are days with unappreciative families, but they are the exception in my hospital. I find families are usually quite open and receptive to teaching. Personally, I think I would find myself in your shoes working with adults (based on what my friends in adult med surg say). But with kids... you are just happy most days. I think that the peds nurses I work with are the happiest group of nurses in general that I know and while all of us complain at work (because like the other poster said - we wouldn't be paid if there were no downsides!) its about management, patient load, etc - never really about the patients or the actual *nursing* that we do. It's the bull$hit that comes along with hospital nursing these days. Anyway, good luck!

I know that most people would love for this to be their problem and I apologize if this offends people... I work 3 12s a week. My husband and I are trying for kids but aren't having any luck so far. So besides shuttling myself off to the fertility clinic quite frequently I don't have a whole lot to do on my 4 days off. And I feel like I'm spiraling into a bit of a depression with so much time on my hands. Most of my friends work "normal" jobs so are not around during the week (and I work 12s every other weekend). I think my down in the dumps mindset lately is because I am basically devoid of human contact 4 days a week. My nursing friends are often on the days I'm off (we are on the same unit). So those of you without family responsibilities... what do you do with your 4 days off each week? I really don't want another job (because when the weather is good I do like to get out and hike/ski and I don't want to be tied down). First world problems, huh ?

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm most interested in float pool experiences for "cross ICU" staffing - i.e. you've trained MICU but are sent to SICU having never been on that unit, or you've oriented PICU but never NICU but are sent there. If staffing circumstances are preventing appropriate orientations to ICU settings as a float pool nurse is one type of ICU orientation enough to "cover" you so that you can realistically take assignments in other ICUs?

Just wondering... 1) Do you ever float to a unit you have never oriented to? 2) What supports are there for you if you do? 3) Float pool specific nurses - have you ever floated to an ICU you hadn't oriented to if you have oriented in and worked in a different type of ICU? Thanks!

Oops. I somehow totally skipped that sentence. Sorry!

I got one on Etsy and like it.

How about neonatal nurse practitioner? Not MSN per se, but an advanced degree that would have you working at the bedside.

Thanks for the CNL option - hadn't realized that even existed. Today I'm leaning towards getting a BSN :) Over 4 years, potentially for free with tuition reimbursement...

My MIL has done that shift for years (35!). She comes home and sleeps for 4ish hours. Gets up, lives her life (when her kids were young she would get them from the bus, go to soccer games, etc) and eats dinner with her family and then goes back to bed around 7 or 8 PM for 2-3 hrs. She loves it because she is awake from noon until 7 PM most days which means she can have a somewhat "normal" life while still working nights. And like others have said - if you can make the essence of it work (meaning you can sleep during the day - which some struggle with) then it is only temporary. You don't have to do it for 35 years too :)

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'm hesitant to bother with a BSN and then stop. If I'm going to do anything a bridge program to an MSN seems like the best path but I don't (yet) have the interest in "being" any of the things an MSN will prepare me for. Which MSN would provide the most open-ended opportunity? I guess maybe that is my question... :)

I'm a career changer due to a job loss (teaching). I have a BA and two MS degrees (one in an applied science field and the other in secondary education). I'm 37. I graduated last May (with a 3.8 I believe) and have been employed since graduation at one of the top local hospitals in a department I enjoy. BUT everyone says I need to go on... the problem is... I don't really want any of the jobs that seem to be available to me. I don't want to be a manager, do informatics or be a nurse educator. I also don't want to be a nurse practitioner (I'm ok with being told what to do - I don't want the responsibility of being a provider). So what do I do? Since I came to nursing a little older I can see that down the not-too-distant road I might not want to be on my feet 12 hrs a day. I'd like options when that time comes but right now, when I have to make a decision, I have no burning desire for any of the end points for my post ADN schooling... Any tips? Thanks!

I don't have much more experience than you but I was in the same exact position (in peds too :) ). Here is what has changed and helped (though I'm still the one who never sits down...). Some of these may seem really stupid, I had no clinical experience prior to my job and had a preceptor with tons of experience who didn't need brain sheets, etc to make it through her day! Brain sheet - used well. For example, when I had hourly I/Os I'd always be checking to see which hours I had charted. It took me 4 months to realize that if just crossed that hour off of my brain sheet I wouldn't have to go back into the electronic chart to check. Duh. So now as I chart I "x" out that hour on my sheet. I'll still glance at the end of a shift to make sure I didn't skip an hour by mistake but not double and triple checking all that charting helps. Same thing for all the other random charting - I have 4 letters (Q, A, P, N) for the hospital specific charting that is required each shift - pt classification, assessment, nursing note, nutrition assessment. I cross them off as I do them - again, I spent a lot of time checking "did I actually write the assessment for this kiddo...?". Getting better at chunking care. I used to always forget to bring the 10AM meds in with the 9 AM meds... I was so "in the moment" I didn't look ahead. Got a baby who has PO meds? Try to give them with feeds - 10ml of formula in a bottle with the meds and then the rest of the feed. If its something like a vitamin and the admin time is flexible don't go in twice - chart it as not on time because it was given with meal/feed. Do you have computers in the rooms? Sometimes doing a daily assessment while you are in the pt room helps because then when you realize they looked like they had increased WOB with subcostal retractions and accessory muscle use but you can't remember if they actually had nasal flaring you don't need to walk back in to check. Delegate. Its ok. Don't sit on your ass looking at FB on your phone and delegate - but if you need to chart or see another pt - delegate - its ok. When you get better and have some free time help the assistant staff out - offer to do vitals, get equipment, etc - do so. Don't double chart. If you put in a long note mid shift about something, don't say the whole story again for an end of shift note. Say "see previous nursing note" for the details. Eventually you will just get faster at things too. You'll begin to learn meds and their appropriate doses and infusion times and what IV fluids are compatible with what meds and you won't need to check all the time. Just keep plugging away!

Just be honest. Being an actress requires skills valuable to an RN - interpersonal skills, commitment, ability to take "feedback"... spin it however you want - I don't see it as a "flaw" (but I'm not management ). Be honest about your clinical skills. 6 mo in PICU probably has given you some clinical expertise that most general peds 1 year nurses still might not have - so I would certainly apply to the 1 year jobs. I bet managers decide all the time that new employees are worth training if they seem like a good fit - regardless of if the job posting was for 6 mo, 1 year, etc. Worst case - you send out a few extra resumes - you'll never know unless you try!

You could always ask to shadow for a day and get a better feel for the atmosphere on the unit. Pay close attention to the talk in the break room :)

I love the Bio (Bring it On) scrubs. I'm short (5'2" on a good day ) and their 29" inseam (petite) fits perfectly with Danskos. The 28" length for Koi and some others gets too short after a few trips through the wash. I'm borderline chubby I guess and carry all the weight in my thighs and think these are pretty flattering. I wear an 8 in normal clothes and get a medium in these. The mediums are loose but the smalls are a little too snug around my thighs. I get the cargo style because I carry my pens, sheets, etc in that cargo pocket. I have about 6 pairs and the ones I've had for close to a year are still fine - not worn out at all. BIO Scrubs Petite Cargo Pant, Petite Scrubs & Short Scrub Pants

I'm a peds float pool nurse. New grad (last May - wow, I'm not really new anymore... ). I have been working gen peds since graduation but just started orientation in the NICU. Now take this with a grain of salt because change is always hard so I'm a little nostalgic for patients who can talk to me... go with gen peds. You will learn a lot of acute care skills in NICU. But they will be soooo specialized. NICU babies usually have one of just a few diagnoses - they need to grow, they have bad lungs b/c of prematurity, they have a bad heart b/c of prematurity. That probably gets you 80% of the NICU population. The skills you will learn will help on a gen peds floor but when you are faced with a patient you can't hold in one hand it is A LOT different. However, on a gen peds floors you will get days-old kiddos from time to time and you'll get 18 year olds. You'll see ortho, pulmonary, infectious disease, neuro, psych (maybe?), surgical, GI, oncology... you may never be an expert in all of these things but you'll gain exposure. If you get the 4 day old who was admitted for bili lights and you just love dealing with that little peanut... in a year or two get yourself a NICU job. Or PICU. Because after peds you can do either - but playing with the big kids after NICU... I'm not sure how applicable your skill set will be. Your critical care skill set will certainly be very marketable but you will have had very little experience with the age groups and variety of problems they are hospitalized for. And the other thing I've noticed is that NICU nurses LOVE babies. Like love love love love babies. They are crazy for babies in a way I don't really think I've seen peds nurses crazy for kids... so if you aren't pushing mom's out of the way to baby talk to their little ones on the street... go peds :)

Did you orient on this unit? Did your preceptor get through comparable assignments without getting really far behind? If so, ask her/him for feedback on how you are doing now on your own - maybe they'll be able to pinpoint what is tripping you up. At my hospital there is a huge education and development office that is always available for help. I have no idea if this is total BS (I've haven't yet had the need to contact them) but it is a resource that is always mentioned to new nurses - maybe see if your hospital offers something similar. As a new grad I have a Nurse Residency program and have met a lot of the education nurses and many have 20 years of experience on the floors so they seem like they would be good resources :) Oncology nursing can be crazy. I work on a floor that is half hem/onc. Since I'm not chemo certified I don't get the chemo kids but I watch the most experienced nurses on the floor run around like crazy some days with tough assignments... As another poster pointed out hem/onc might not be the *best* fit for you but it may be too soon to leave. Sticking it out might be necessary - but that will also mean more time on the unit = more time to find your groove which may mean things eventually fall into place. Good luck!

Careful with this. This is a HIPAA violation at many institutions - you are looking at medical information of patients that aren't "yours". Unless you've swiped in already and your hospital pays you to swipe in early... which must be nice

I would definitely also suggest shadowing for a few days if possible if you are thinking inpatient vs clinic. Hem/onc nursing can be VERY busy - with lots of prioritization, problem solving, quick thinking, etc. When the kiddos come in with fevers/neutropenia they can get very sick, very quick and the pace of caring for them as they start spiraling is very stressful. You are timing blood products, IV abx, fluids, labs, etc. Just like anything with time and experience the care needed for these kiddos will become routine for you but when you first start the "routine" of hanging blood products, accessing ports, drawing lysis labs, monitoring pre-hydration fluid changes, chemo, etc is pretty overwhelming. Just a warning that it will be closer to an ICU step down than an outpatient office setting :) So make sure that is what you want!

I'm biased (b/c I'm a peds RN). Take the peds job :)

As an UPSNYer it isn't too bad here

I agree - nursing school for me was a bit of a joke. If I had to do it again at least I'd know what to look for in a program! I didn't go through a hospital affiliated program - in case you couldn't tell

I'm a little surprised at how many RNs have posted about an expectation that new RNs don't need real, on the job training. I'm in my late 30s and this was a career change for me. I graduated in May. I got hired to a general peds floor. 4-5 pts. I had 12 weeks orientation. I struggled. I wasn't confident. Instead of pointing out my flaws (of which I'm sure there were many) my preceptor(s), ANM, NM, STAT nurses, CNS ALL supported me. To be the best I could be. There was never an expectation that I "knew" how to be a nurse. Who knows how to be a nurse right out of school? I never had more than 2 pts in school. No capstone, no internship, nada. 4 hrs of clinical 2x a week in Nursing 4. 4 hrs of clinical 1x a week for Nursing 1-3. When I was a teacher I spent a FULL YEAR in a classroom as a student teacher. And that wasn't a job about *literally* saving lives. To those posters who made it sink or swim when they first started... is that the nurse you want coming in to work with your child? mom? spouse? Not me. I'd want the nurse who was given the support he/she needed when he was new to the profession. Who was given time to develop his skills because 2 years of classroom time and 75 stupid NCLEX questions didn't truly make him a nurse.