mickeyrose912

I bet you will rock it! In My opinion a good nurse is honest with his or herself regarding what they know and don't know. You aren't expected to know everything. I worked M/S for a year and came to the ER. I was terrfied, hell sometimes there are still things that i have never heard of, but i always ask. I always go on the side of caution, question things and luckily I have been able to prevent negative outcomes for my patients. I fear the nurse that thinks they know it all. Just know who is your priority. Who will die first? Constantly prioritize and ask questions to keep learning. You got this!

I envy your current situation! I graduated with my BSN in 2014 from Boston, but there were barely any jobs at the time, so i relocated to Florida. I have been working as a nurse about 2.5 year with 1.5 of that being in the ER and I make $28 an hour... You'd be shocked how poorly most of the south pays. New England pays the best, but you also need to calcuate in the cost of living.

Awesome! I am going to take TNCC and then read over Sheehy's mannual and watch some youtube videos. Any other suggestions? Is there a recommended site or book to do practice questions? for those of you that took the CEN what did you do to prepare/think of the test?

Hello everyone! I am currently working in a local 28-bed ER and I plan on traveling after i get two years in the ER under my belt (currently 1 telemetry and 1 ER). I want to make myself more marketable and am preparing to have my TNCC and CEN by the end of the year. I take my TNCC at the end of May and just received my course manual in the mail. What are your thoughts on taking TNCC and then preparing for CEN? Will TNCC help with the CEN? How long should i prepare? Tips? Suggestions? I understand that preparation is individualized, but i'd love some insight from others regarding their experiences.

Thanks for the great tips so far!

Thank you! I am really concerned about going from a local ER to a level 1 or 2 trauma center. I wonder if the acuity is higher or how things are different. I know a nurse that works at the Trauma Center up the street (as a 'regular' Er nurse) and he is always coming home with stories. He has patients die on him daily.

I am looking into taking my first Er travel assignment and would love some insight on what it is like to transition from ER to ER (as a traveler, or job change). I have been a nurse for 3 years (1 cardiac and 2 in ER) in a 28 bed local Er. The facility i work at isn't a trauma center I am concerned about going to a level 2 or level 1 trauma center for travel. Is there a drastic difference in acuity and expectations? How is the transition? What was your experience like going from one ER to another? I worry that I'll get an assignment at a big Er and not be able to handle it. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks

I am looking into travel ER nurse assignments and would love some insight from not Only ER nurses that have traveled, but general information about getting the first assignment and the transition process. I have been a nurse for 3 years (1 cardiac and 2 in ER) in a 28 bed local Er. The facility i work at isn't a trauma center I am concerned about going to a level 2 or level 1 trauma center for travel. Is there a drastic difference in acuity and expectations(i am clearly not a trauma nurse)? How is the transition? What was your experience like going from one ER to another? I worry that I'll get an assignment at a big Er and not be able to handle it. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks

Thank you very much! I really appreciate your honesty. That made me feel much better. I am just going to continue keeping to myself and offering help to everyone else anytime that I can:) even if I am busy, if another nurse has a critical patient then I am one of the first people in the room.

Hello :) I have been a nurse for about 15 months and worked in various departments (OR, Med-Surg and telemetry). I finally worked my way into the ER! I Just finished a 6 week orientation and have been on my own a few weeks. I have not felt stressed out about the pace or workflow, but i sense tension between myself and some of the senior staff. There is one particular nurse who is young, like myself, and anytime she works it seems that people who normally friendly to me will ignore me and/or give me the cold shoulder. I am trying not to take things personally. I have always considered myself an approachable person and I wish i knew what i was doing 'wrong". Has anyone had a similar experience? How was your transition into the ER?

Thank you everyone for your advice!

Hello :) I have been a nurse for about 10 months. I was working med-surg night shift and i fairly recently put in my transfer and started working telemetry days because it was run by the ER and i wanted to work my way up and get tele experience. I was hired as assistant charge on days and am cross training for ER. Ever since i put in my transfer the med-surge unit has been really rude to me. I have left and began my day job on another unit and i keep hearing about how "I will never make it on days, am too stupid, the boss hates me and won't want me back if i screw up"...Etc.I keep trying to ignore it, but i feel like it is constantly thrown my face. I have never had problems with coworkers..EVER.. I am always wanting to learn and offering to help start Ivs, etc. I really don't get it. Is this 'normal' for nursing" I am not sure how to approach the situation Thanks for your help in advance! :)

Hello, I am in desperate need of advice from my fellow nurses. I need to freely talk about my thoughts and feelings with those that would be able to understand or relate. I am not seeking attention, i just really need help. I am a 24 year old nurse that has been working the night shift on a medical Surgical unit in Florida for about 5 months. I love nursing and have had few struggles with learning to be a new nurse compared to my peers, but where i really suffer is with the 7p-7a shift 3 times a week. I am naturally a 5-7am kinda gal. All through college i would be up and at the gym first thing in the morning. I am that friend that falls asleep around midnight. The past 6 months i have been struggling to sleep during the day and even at night when i have a few nights off. I have no problem staying awake while at work, just sleeping in general.I am lucky if i am able to sleep 6 hrs, and that is often with waking up a few times and with melatonin, etc. Some of the chronic things that i have been experiencing over the last 6 months: -nausea and GI issues -short of breath,chest pain -chronic fatigue...i could fall asleep while talking to someone at points or be up all night -constant migraines and blurry vision -inability to focus/poor memory/attention span -lack of interest in being around others (even my supportive boyfriend that likes to visit) -picking fights/moody -constant unprovoked crying and panic attacks that i feel unable to control -random bouts of suicidal thoughts -severe PMS mood swings and psychosis (I have been on birth control 5 years with no problems) I started having the more mild symptoms at first, but thing are only progressing and it is scarring the crap out of me. I feel like i am developing some sort of psychosis/depression/constant panic attacks from lack of sleep. I have no medical history other than some mild anxiety before a test in nursing school,which is normal, but never full blown panic attacks/mental breakdowns. Here is what i have been doing to help myself over the last 6 months: -reading up on how to cope with shift work and journaling thoughts -talking to other nurses -exercising regularly (but not too close to bed) - eating very well and taking vitamins -developing a strict sleep schedule: - black out curtains with ducktape to seal off all light, AC to 60 degrees, eye mask, shades driving home, snacks and water at the bedside, hot bath before bed, no being on the computer, texting, etc before bed, getting herbal sleeping mix from whole foods with melatonin, valerian root, hops. -Not allowing my boyfriend to spend the night after a few shifts or the night before - experimenting with my schedule to see what works best (3 in a row, every other, two and one,etc) -not drinking any alcohol or caffeine at all for months -scheduling myself around these new PMS swings - i have been seeing a dr: been taking 10mg of prozac for a little over a month, xananx .5 rarely and i have 10mg of ambien that i took a twice. I really dont like taking medication. despite all of my efforts i still feel like mess. Last night i had a mental breakdown. I went into work and was smiling, yet crying during shift report. It was an easy night (only 5 pts vs my usual 8) but i had 9 full out crying panic attacks in the bathroom before midnight. I was a mess and so embarrassed. I tried so hard to hide them. A few coworkers saw me and unfortunately the nursing supervisor did as well. He called me in the office for a big meeting at 3 am and we talked about going to day shift. I even spoke with the charge nurse and director of nursing the next morning. They all agree that i need days, but nothing is open right now. What can i do? I am contracted to the hospital for 2 more years. I am a mess. Sometimes i feel like my life depends on it. I never told anyone this ( id be Baker acted) but i get crazy suicidal thoughts and it scares the crap out me (yes, these were before the low dose of Prozac). WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME? I was never moody, depressed or anxious before. I really think lack of sleep is making me mentally insane giving me acute psychosis at times. PLEASE HELP! I am worried about my sanity and the safety of my patients!

I am a new nurse working in outpatient surgery. I am in a 6 month orientation from January to July. I am being cross trained in Preop, Postop, Blood Transfusions and possibly endoscopy. I have completed pre and post. Been doing transfusions for 2 weeks. I am months ahead of schedule. I hate to say it, but i am bored. I get up and drag myself into work in the morning. Because of this, i keep questioning nursing/the area i am in. I thrive in a fast paced environment and love to learn. The nurses on my unit are very knowledgeable, and love to have me, but they are all about to retire. I just feel like i don't belong there. I have always wanted to work in the Emergency Room/trauma center. I worry that working on this unit is hindering my skills and making me lazy. In the preoperative setting most of my patients are stable. Many of my blood patients are seconds from being in the ICU (4th stage cancer, WBC of 2, wbc of 150, rbc of 2 etc.) but still stable enough to get there on their own. I am thinking of continuing to get my nursing basics down and transferring to the ER after a year. How do you think the transition into the ER would be? Thoughts? Should i go to Med Surg? ( i would rather not) Also, how do you know when you find your niche? My gut just tells me the ER. Thanks in advance for any advice or constructive criticism!

i am still trying to understand how things work. I was told that my unit is an out patient unit, but yet on the tour i was told that we prep patients for surgery and can take them after as inpatient if there is an overload. My unit takes care of fairly stable patients that come in for day procedures such as Chemo, blood transfusions, hernia repair and circumcision for children. As i said, we do day procedures and prep patients for surgery, send them to the OR and then the patients go to the PACU and a med surge floor or us if they can go home that day. This is at least my understanding of the process.