Birdwatcher1

Have routine bloodwork including thyroid done. Just like in people, many behavioral problems or changes are related to health issues. A good 'rule-out' to be sure your work schedule changes are the reason for behavioral changes, at very least. (I am a dog show person, with 25 yrs experience breeding/showing...and with a sister who is a veterinarian...I support all dog lovers, including those rescue and those of us who breed responsibly).

Thanks TraumaRUs and bsnanat2 for your thoughts and support! Much appreciated! :-) I was in a sizeable practice, but I was their first NP and had no opportunity to work with, or shadow PAs in the other areas of the practice, which were different specialty than my own. Despite other MDs feeling like I was doing well, the ones in question did not want to spend more time training me, or so I was told (and I never was given my own desk or phone--was that a sign?). Thinking if I had a photographic memory and nerves of pure steel it might have worked, but oh well, at this point no sense looking back! For now working as RN at agency for about the same $. Hope to find my niche eventually, whatever that will be!

I have only 6 yrs of RN experience (non-traditional student in 2nd career). Graduated with honors & passed Boards for FNP in Dec, was really excited & felt ready to start learning & being a provider in the specialty practice I was hired by this spring. Alas I have been forced (literally) to resign just recently as my "progress" was less than "they" thought it should be. Apparently I was expected to see the same complex problems as the docs and be able to deal with them without questioning despite my newby status. Was told "by now" (3 months after hire) I should demonstrate complete understanding of each of the disease processes in question down to changes that occur at the cellular level, and should be able to describe those processes verbally when questioned by the MD on the spot at any time. Same with each med down to dose & each side effect, plus the tx options and their dosages and side effects - yes this is a specialty practice not primary care. (Repeatedly told - in front of staff- that "questions indicate weakness and insecurity, why are you asking this?"). Never mind that the patients I saw stated they liked seeing an NP, and told me-and check-out staff- they felt I actually understood them better and they wanted to see me for their next visit. Now, a couple of weeks after getting out of there, still feel shell-shocked, waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with heart pounding. Right now I feel like I'm only qualified to work at a fast-food restaurant. Will take a little time to recover (hopefully only a little time). Now to find a new job, which is hard in my area even if one has tons of NP experience & confidence. Can't imagine I'm the only one out there like this, but maybe so?

Our employer (outpatient offices/clinic) didn't do anything for Nurses Week; we heard that nurses were included with Administrative Staff Day (Secretary's day) a few weeks ago even though no one told us directly. Admin considers employees at the facility (support staff, receptionists, MA's, LPNs, RNs) as interchangeable machine parts, each capable of taking on equal tasks unless and until they are elevated in status as "Providers." If one is a Provider they are entitled to a special catered lunch every month plus multiple perks including interesting annual production bonuses, increased leave time and nice base salaries that allow for a sizeable mortgage and a couple of new cars. 4ZBirds Going back to school because my BSN & experience does not provide me enough $$ to live decently in my area.

Hi All, Have the BSN & am ready to apply to a particular online MSN program, and like everyone else they require a stats course. I've asked, they're not picky about it, just that it's an undergrad and accredited. Do you have any ideas for a suitable one that will work for the 'math phobics' like myself? Many Thanks in advance, and Happy Holidays! 4ZBirds gearing up for school once again....

As a show dog breeder I use silver nitrate sticks to cauterize puppy dewclaws after removal (the use of silver nitrate is common practice in veterinary medicine--and the ENT on our med/surg unit uses it for human nosebleeds too)...the silver nitrate 'rusts' on human hands but disappears within a few days. After having 'spotted hands' once or twice a year for >20 yrs my feeling is it 'wears' off human skin without a problem . 4ZBrds

Not close to the 'biggest' pet peeve category but still annoying: Nurses in the breakroom before start of shift, eating their breakfast, who totally ignore a 'good morning' greeting directed to them. A polite response, acknowledging the presence of a coworker, takes little to no effort, is normal in other work settings outside of hospitals....makes me wonder, didn't their mothers teach them proper manners??? Another pet peeve: Why is it nurses in meetings (nurse practice council etc) always have FOOD in front of them?? Chips, cookies, candy and other junk food seems to prevail. Crunch, crackle, chomp. How unprofessional can one get? Professionals in other settings I've experienced have at most a beverage, what gives with nursing? 4ZBrds still wondering after all these years

It doesn't matter to me why anyone calls in. IMHO that's one of the big problems with nursing, everyone is in everyone else's business (management excluded, I've been there and you have to deal with those who abuse the system). If someone needs time off for kids, mental heath, whatever, that's their business. BUT what bugs the you-know-what out of me is when I, as a result of call-ins, have to float to some other floor to which I haven't been oriented. That is unsafe for everyone, and is one of the things that stresses me out the most--I absolutely hate it. Sometimes, especially after it snows (a mega call-in time) AND our unit census is low, it's really tempting to call in to avoid being floated. But I've not done that... yet!

Is there a way to find out if any other new nurses work there? Support within the recent grad population can be very helpful on a stressful unit, especially after a difficult event. If you are the only new grad, some 'old' nurses may 'eat you alive,' sometimes in a rather insidious manner which can damage your confidence. Helps to have emotional backup when that happens. 4ZBirds

The patient population makes oncology rewarding for me. They truly know how important and fragile life is. We get to know the families as well as the patients, and I think the familiarity helps our unit teamwork. I never thought about going into oncology before working here but have found it very rewarding. :)

Thanks for the replies! The port manufacturer literature says portacath KVO rate is part of the physician's order, thus our unit has no official policy. We have one physician who, when told this, said that KVO is 20, and all his patients are to be run that way. Another physician when asked said, whatever you guys want do is fine, 20 or 50. Okee dokee then!

What does your unit consider kvo for a portacath (adult)? Had trouble finding it in the literature, a fellow nurse had a pt on 20 mL/hr as per order but at that rate infuses ok but lost blood return--so we're interested in what everybody else does. Happy Holidays, 4ZBirds

Perfume or lingering cigarette smoke odor (which for some reason the smokers don't think can be detected ) makes my sinuses go crazy....also makes me wonder how how sensitive patients can stand it -and how their nurses apparently think they can! 4ZBirds

Dude, what a day...you were awesome!!!! :) (and making me very thankful to be in my quiet little oncology unit!) 4ZBirds

Nurses in 2010 or 2020 might not have to worry about finding a job but unless things change they WILL have to worry about paying bills; our DON says (and I agree) the best way to end the nursing shortage is pay a decent wage! You know one that supports a family on one income AND allows savings for retirement! It's amazing how little pay nurses earn even with a post grad education- and how much we're expected to sacrifice for little or no compensation other than personal and altruistic satisfaction. Management and the insurance industry loves this employee population- so many workers willing to work 'for the love of it,' and those who complain 'love ain't enough' are often berated by their own co-workers! 4ZBirds not retiring any time soon because I can't afford to!