Butterflyxx0621

I'm not sure how your facility is but when I worked in LTC we scanned meds and I don't recall having to give heparin. In the hospital we scan meds, and we use different syringes for insulin and heparin. It's very odd to me that they would use insulin needles for both, that seems like setting someone up for a mistake.

I would only ever leave a position if something else is lined up first, and I'm only willing to leave for the *right* job. I have applied a few places that are of actual interest rather than taking whatever I can get. I don't think they are trying to get rid of me. My reviews have always been good and I've never been in any sort of trouble, so I don't think that's it. We have recently had quite a few nurses leave or go to standby, about 10 in less than 6 months. I don't know if maybe they are trying to keep the nurses who have been there 5+ years happy by letting them schedule however they please, but several of the nurses who have been on the unit for a while said that it seems like certain people get away with certain things (not working their holidays or weekends). If that's the way it is, fine. But that doesn't explain the fact that the people just coming off orientation aren't scheduling their weekends either, unless they are trying to keep them happy until they get dumped on in a few months.

I have tried searching high and low! I live in a very small area (there's 2 hospitals in our whole county). I've tried looking into insurance companies, the biggest in our area is high mark blue cross blue shield and they are not hiring in this part of the state unfortunately

Yes I work on PCU. We did call the supervisor to let her know, she was actually on the floor with us at that point. Mandatory staff to respond is the NS, hospitalist, ICU charge nurse, and respiratory. Sometimes I think we as a facility underutilize the ability to call an RR, to be honest. The hospitalist said last night, sooo you called this for hypotension? I felt like saying, YES just the hypotension (let's forget everything else and the fact that we have way no way to quickly Medicate). He was not paying attention at all, he's like okay let's give her a 500 cc bolus. First off, no. At that point I swear the whole room said in unison for what felt like the 10th time, SHE HAS NO IV ACCESS! At this point, the ICU charge nurse took control and called the MD and said were taking her to ICU so you're gonna have to come in for a line whether you want to or not. I was so glad she took control of the situation. Some of the nurses on my floor who used to work in ICU said they have seen this happen before, but I have never experienced that. Once the hospitalist listened to what I was saying, he said wow this is really sad and he is notoriously known for being the laziest doctor in the hospital... Though at least he did his job!

I'll try to make this as brief as possible. I had a frequent flyer who was in with CHF exacerbation and a fib with RVR, who had just been discharged the day before for a GI bleed. Was taken off cardizem gtt because her BP couldn't tolerate it before she even came to the floor. Fast forward to day 2. HR sustaining in 130's, BP is 70/40's after receiving albumin twice, she had labored breathing due to large pleural effusions (was going to be tapped next shift) and was third spacing significantly. We lost IV access, which is no surprise not only due to the third spacing but also because she ends up needing a central line every admission. Many, many attempts to get an IV with no success. So I call her MD, gave updates, and requested someone to put in a central line. 2 doctors on call refused to come in to put in a line and didn't want to do anything for her. So myself/the charge nurse called an RR because no one would listen to us/address this issue! And then we were treated like the stupid ones! Myself and 3 other nurses, including the charge, do a manual BP to confirm because the patient was twitching so it was very difficult to get a BP on her. In the end the MD who put the line in also did nothing for BP/HR and put in their note that the BP readings were due to an improperly fitted BP cuff because the machine reading was 130's systolic,. Since when do we go by a dynamap over manual, especially when it had been taken that many times? Would you have called an RR in this situation? We felt like our hands were tied and everyone was blowing off the situation. Personally, If it was my family member she would be s DNR/DNI because she is at that point but they wanted all measures. I just got irritated that the doc tried to blame their laziness for not wanting to come in on a nurse error that wasn't even true.

What do you do ? It seems like the only non bedside positions available in my area are case management and I do not have the 5 years RN experience they require

I thought I'd like 12's but I rarely get to work 3 on 4 off as I would like. The draw for me to the office is that I'd have the same schedule as my husband whereas right now we are not off together often.

The only thing open is CDU and ED, which I considered CDU but they close often/are put on call and I wouldn't want to have to constantly use my PTO just to have a paycheck. I do keep looking though!

Those of you who have worked both acute care and office nursing, which do you prefer and why ? I am currently working on a cardiac step down unit but have an interview for a cardiologists office this week.I'm just not sure what I want to do! I don't feel like I've found my niche (I've done acute care and hospice). Looking for some direction, thanks!

It is the nurse manager, who I spoke to. That's the one who said they print out a report to look at the shifts and they would take another look, which is how I ended up getting off the Sunday after thanksgiving. I have asked to swap shifts but of course No one wants to pick up a weekend shift, even if they were one of the ones who did not sign up for their weekends.

The thing is we get a print out of our schedule along with everyone else's on it.... So we can see first hand who is and isn't doing their required shifts. There are very few (probably 5) out of 30 nurses doing their required weekends, and other than nurse who only works weekends because that's what she likes, I have the most.

I just wanted some helpful advice. I have been a nurse for 4 years, I've been working at my current job at the hospital for about a little less than a year. I Don't like all the weekends and holidays(does anyone ?) but I REALLY HATE that I in particular get stuck working them more often then anyone else on my floor! We do self scheduling and are required to do 6 weekend shifts in 6 weeks. I always sign up for my weekends but somehow my schedule is always moved. This schedule, I was moved to work every single weekend for 9 weeks straight. And I don't mean 9 shifts, there's at least one but often 2. Meanwhile, we have new grads that just came off orientation who have just 3 total weekend shifts. I brought this to the attention of my boss and she said well I print a report to make sure it's even but I'll check again. I did end up luckily being switched off the Sunday after thanksgiving because I had requested off, but had been scheduled thanksgiving, Black Friday and Sunday. I should work thanksgiving it is my holiday after all, but I had specifically requested off the weekend after because my family is doing thanksgiving with our extended family out of town that weekend. And it's not just that, my entire schedule is constantly moved while others are not. Since I was given off that Sunday I then come back to work on Wednesday on one, off one, on 3, off one, on 2 aka 6 out of 8 days in a row. I know some people can do their schedule like that, however I am not one of those people which I have said before. I prefer to do 3 in a row or on 2 off 1 on 1 and then actually have a few days off. I do have some health issues, nothing that's considered a disability, so I need to give myself some time to recoup. I feel very guilty for wanting to leave because our floor is a revolving door and I was very grateful for this opportunity. But at the same time, I see why people do leave. Everyone hates our floor and no one ever wants to be pulled there. It's a handful (but that's nursing) but the scheduling is my biggest issue. I'm a newly wed, TTC, and I only have 3 days off with my husband in 2 months (he has an M-F 8-4 job)? That's ridiculous! I just don't want to feel guilty or like a failure if I explore other options

I have never heard of a program requiring over night shifts, though I suppose it's possible. When I was in clinical, the latest we finished was around 5. On the floor I work on, the latest we have ever had students is 9. I agree with the other poster I would research and find out if this is even part of their curriculum first

Little old Delaware!

People say cost of living determines wage but where I live this is sooo not true. I live in this weird cross between farmland and the beach. So because we are rural and also a resort town our cost of living is pretty high. 2 years as an RN and 2 years as an LPN I make $24.60 an hour, 8% extra for nights and 20% for a weekend night. I live in a 2 story condo, nothing fancy, and the payment is half of my monthly income. I personally think that's nuts. BUT, because part of the area is farm land we are considered to have a low cost of living which is completely crap. Nurses in another part of the state make double what I make and it's cheaper to live there.

We had a hospitalist ask an ED MD to come to the floor to confirm a patient was actually dead, after wanting us to give said patient atropine 😒

You said this is your first ever job correct? I don't mean this in a rude way, but maybe you should sit down with someone to explain how things work in the workforce because your concerns seem to come from more of a lack of understanding. In any job, nursing or non nursing, you have to submit PTO in advance before the schedule comes out. Otherwise people would be taking off any day they didn't feel like being there leaving the floor constantly short staffed.

The beauty of PRN work is that for the most part you get to set your schedule. Why should another employee have to change their plans at the drop of a hat because another employee needs a day off? How is that fair? Also, any PRN I know does not receive benefits (health insurance, PTO, vacation etc) where as full time employees do. This is their "benefit" so to speak. As to why work in the first place? Some like the extra money, some Need some income but not as much as a full time position, or maybe they just want to keep up on their skills. If your facility needs more nurses that's understandable but that is not the PRN nurses fault.

It doesn't mean you will be a bad nurse but I hope you know you will still be doing some CNA duties on top of your nursing roles. As nurses, we still bathe, toilet, answer call bells, and get things for people on top of our other responsibilities.

I didn't read every post (but I did read many), so I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but I personally feel like many nurses are going for advanced degrees not just because they want to but because they feel like they have to. Take LPN's for example. Not one hospital where I live employs LPN's. I'll never forget a few years ago my grandmother who has been an LPN for 45 years decided to retire, and 2 months later the hospital she worked at announced in the paper all LPN's had been let go. It's hard now for ADN's to find a job. There is a constant push for more and more education. That is one of many reasons I am working on my BSN and then going on to MSN. I think the patient population and work conditions have to do with it as well for several reasons. In my experience, thanks to google and webmd, there are more and more patients that constantly try to tell nurses and doctors how to do their jobs. Like we, the healthcare professionals, didn't go to school and get a degree for this. And personally, this focus on patient satisfaction is making working conditions even more difficult than they already are (at least at my hospital).I agree we want patients to have a good experience, but sometimes being unsatisfied is what's best for them. Where I work, we aren't even allowed to keep the hallway lights on at ALL at night so that it's darker and patients can sleep better. We just have the exit lights to see by... That is unsafe for both the staff and patient in so many ways! The list of reasons nurses are seeking higher education are endless and differ from one person to the next, but those are a few of mine!

If it doesn't help with acceptance into the program, it will definitely help once you are done and looking for your first nursing job. The school I graduated from just started requiring all students to obtain their CNA before they can be admitted to the nursing program, so a lot of the techs on our floor are in nursing school . I think this is great!! It helps students get a realistic view of what the field is really like and I personally think these people are more prepared when they do start working as a nurse.

Thank you!!! That's interesting about the effects on hormones. I already have a lot of issues with mine so I don't need anything else stacked against me.... I already have a very difficult time when it comes to sleep because we rotate shifts within the same week so I just sleep whenever I am able to. I'm constantly exhausted!

Just as the title says, I'm wondering how you nurses who found your niche really knew it was right for you? I've been a nurse for 4 years. I have done LTC, home hospice, and for about a year I've been working on a cardiac PCU.. I LIKE my job most times, but I don't love it. The hardest part for me is the schedule/hours. I just recently got married and want to start planning a family. My husband works a M-F 8-4 job. I switch between days and nights and live an hour from the hospital. That 3 days a week feels like a lot more usually. With all my personal changes I just want to look toward the future and I can't help but think I cannot see myself doing this schedule with a family long term. I have a call about an interview for a cardiologists office but I just feel so conflicted, mostly because I love the people I work with. Our floor is the only floor that is a constant revolving door, do I really want to add to the statistic? Every job has downsides, but how did you know personally that they balanced out? Do you ever truly feel like you have found your place? I would appreciate any helpful advice or suggestions. Thank you.

Grades in nursing school are not an indication of how you will perform as a nurse.... Pencil and paper are just that... If waiting is an issue, maybe this is the wrong career, but only you can decide. After my prereqs I was on the waiting list for 2 Years because at that time everyone was put on the waiting list in whatever order they finished and your placement had nothing to do with GPA or grades. I graduated with an ADN in more time then it would've taken to get a BSN because of the wait... Only you can know if you want to be a nurse, but persistence and hard work are key. Yes, it will only get harder from here but will also at some point get easier..... To end on (and this is something I must remind myself constantly) there is a quote that says a flower does not concern itself with other flowers, it just simply blooms.

The only LPN programs in Delaware that I have heard of are either at adult ed technical schools or through Delaware Technical and Community College, though I'm sure there is more. I am an RN and went to DelTech. The good thing about their program is you can bridge from the the LPN to RN program. Something to consider though for after graduation, if you obtain licensure in PA, you are only licensed to work in PA. If you obtain licensure in Delaware, you can work in any of the 24 compact states.