MissyWrite

In "the jumble" (and it's not a jumble at all) of what I've written, it is VERY CLEAR what my position is.

Not one person who was against the quarantine responded. I asked the question in several posts, for weeks, and no one answered. Sometimes, silence is loud. Very loud. What disappointed me most is that nurses were acting like uneducated lay persons. Many people in favor of the quarantine said, "Where are you getting your information? Show me where you heard these things!" To me, that said they obviously didn't know the facts and were basing their 'opinions' on what they'd heard or read from the same sources that whipped the unknowing public into hysteria, and it said they had no idea where to find facts (or that they didn't even want to). Since when did nurses get their education from junk media? It doesn't take much to find information based on facts, but again and again, these people claiming to be nurses wanted to know 'what evidence there was.' But no matter what links to that evidence I (and others) posted, it made no difference. I'm sure they never even read any of it, because their 'minds' were already made up for them. May God help the patients and colleagues of these so-called nurses, and I pray that I am never one of them. I think it speaks volumes about the schools that have been pumping out nurses by the truckload for the last several years. Nurses are supposed to be health professionals. What happened???

The company you work for should have nurses who only do admissions. They are VERY time consuming and there's a TON of paperwork, and the family is usually in crisis mode, understandably. I can't understand how anyone with other responsibilities could fit this into their workday on a regular basis. It can take several hours to do an admission from start to finish. But if admissions are your only responsibility and you'll just do one per day, it can be a very nice job. I hope your manager will agree with your request. Good luck to you.

Congratulations on landing your hospice job! Hospice inpatient units typically have patients who are already part of the program and are receiving intermittent care in their homes, but are suffering from worsening symptoms (such as pain, nausea and vomiting, or respiratory distress) and need close monitoring and around the clock care to bring them under control. Often, you'll have patients who are actively dying and you will keep them comfortable during the process and interact with their family members. There is usually a social worker and chaplain to help with psychosocial needs (unless you work nights). Other patients come straight from the hospital -- usually these patients are in very bad shape and hospice was involved at the last minute, unfortunately. You may also see some patients there for 'respite' care, which is to give their caregivers a break for a few days. Some inpatient hospice units have longer-term patients, but I didn't work in a facility like that so I don't know much about it. As an RN, you'll do all the things a nurse would usually do on any type of inpatient unit -- assessments, meds, admissions, discharges, communicate with doctors and other members of the team; whatever patient care needs to be done. You'll probably work with a nursing assistant. I can't say how many patients you'll have -- that varies per facility. There's a lot of documentation, but I wouldn't say it's worse than anywhere else. I hope you'll get a decent orientation. Hospice truly is a specialty, and many things are done differently than they would be on a med/surg unit or in home health. Some meds are used in unusual ways, so be alert for that (for example, you may see atropine eye drops given sublingually, to dry secretions, or you might administer morphine via nebulizer). Hospice doctors were some of the nicest and best I ever worked with -- I hope it's the same for you. Ditto for the nurses. Best of luck to you -- please let us know how you do.

There's a lot of horizontal violence in nursing, and in health care in general. BUT the atmosphere vairies a lot depending on the unit or facility you work in. It's hard to make an informed choice as a new nurse, since you don't know what to look for. Try this approach: "As nurses purposefully implement the strategies described in this article, they will become skilled communicators. The bottom line is that a healthy work environment begins with each individual nurse, i.e., it begins with you!" A Healthy Work Environment: It Begins With You

I'll address the workplace bullying you're experiencing. That's what it is, plain and simple. These older, more experienced nurses are doing nothing to help you become a more competent, confident nurse. In fact, they're doing the opposite. The eye rolls, the knowing glances, the sarcasm, the whispering, etc. are meant to induce one thing: Shame. Shame does not make us feel bad about what we do -- it makes us feel bad about what we ARE. Shame is a feeling of deep humiliation. It damages self-confidence and self-worth. You're there as a brand new nurse, so everything you don't know is exposed. And instead of experiencing empathy from these nurses -- who should know how you feel since they were once in your shoes -- you're experiencing judgement and rejection. I'm very sorry you're experiencing this. You don't deserve it. When you need guidance and instruction, they should provide it without their condescending and belittling attitudes. You shouldn't be left wondering where you stand. I think an honest meeting with your nurse manager is in order. You shouldn't have to be subject to this kind of abuse. Yes, it's rampant in nursing, but that doesn't make it right. Best of luck to you. Some facts about nurses and bullying: Bullying decreases job satisfaction and morale and increases absenteeism Almost 21% of nursing turnover can be related to bullying 60% of new RNs who quit their first job in nursing within 6 months report that it is because of being bullied Replacing one nurse can cost up to $88,000 USD In a study on workplace bullying, most of the respondents reported being bullied by the charge nurse, manager, or director One in six nurses (13%) reported being bullied in the past six months Bullying of nurses leads to erosion of professional competence as well as increased sickness, absence, and employee attrition Bullying victims may suffer stress-related health problems, such as nausea, headache, insomnia, anxiety, depression, weight changes, and alcohol and drug abuse Nurses who survive bullying early in their careers tend to carry their learned behaviors with them. They accept the bully culture as part of the job and eventually may choose to bully other nurses The Joint Commission (2008) acknowledges that unresolved conflict and disruptive behavior can adversely affect safety and quality of care

LOL

Get out now. Seriously. There are plenty of careers where you can help people and not be run into the ground. Nursing is great...except for the workload, the stress, the exploitation, the shift work, and the hazards involved, including violence, bullying and humiliation by your own peers. They do this because they feel powerless, exploited and miserable, just like you will. Consider things like speech pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, pharmacist. Or if you must be a nurse, go straight on for your MSN and go into administration, or quality assurance, or become a nurse practitioner. Chose anything where you will be respected as a professional AND as a human being. Choose anything that doesn't count on a complete lack of personal boundaries to be able to tolerate the job. Anything.

I've had a few people say things like "I've got this symptom and that symptom, and I've been to four doctors, three were specialists and one was at the Mayo Clinic, but they don't know what it is. What is it?" And when I don't know, they're shocked. But then when I DO know what something is, no one believes me! For example, I had a friend complain of how she had a headache every single weekend. I asked her about her caffeine intake, and it turns out she drank a 32-ounce coke before work monday through friday, but never on saturday or sunday. I had to practically force her to drink a cup of coffee at dinner one night before she would believe it was caffeine withdrawal. Her headache was gone within 10 minutes. Another friend asked me why she always had big red zits on the right side of her chin. I told her telephones were the culprit, and that she needed to start cleaning any phone she used with alcohol on a regular basis. She suffered more red big zits for a year before she tried my suggestion, and then after a few zit-free months, she thanked me. LOL

"“I agreed to whatever,” he said. “They didn’t show any leadership or support to me and they had an opportunity, as a nursing school, to act like a medical community, and they didn’t...They instead decided to pander to fear and hysteria,” Wilbur said." Kaci Hickox, boyfriend leaving Maine after Ebola quarantine fight - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram I don't blame them for leaving. They were shunned and treated like outcasts, for no reason. It amazes me how easy it was to be rejected from a community they used to belong to, one that they were valuable members of. It's an important lesson about the power of the reptilian brain -- it shows us just how easy it is for 'intelligent humans' to devolve to their basest element when fear takes control. Scary stuff. Mob mentality at work. The neocortex is on thin ice. When the going gets tough, the amygdala takes over.

I know you said you were going to accept the offer, but just in case you haven't yet, I think you should reconsider. Unless you're destitute, don't do it. The VA will still be there in a couple of years. Night shifts + sleep deprivation + 2 children + BSN school + not enough support + husband who isn't completely agreeable = ??? If you do go ahead with it, I wish you all the best.

True, there must be damages in order to win a suit. Mental anguish, perhaps?

The conditions you were expected to perform your job in were deplorable and unacceptable, and it put patients at risk of serious harm. You are set up to fail in deplorable conditions like this. The fact that YOU are being blamed is inexcusable. If I were a patient on that unit that day -- or the loved one of a patient -- I would make damned sure the right people knew about the PERIL me or my loved one was subjected to. Absolutely inexcusable. As long as nurses put up with this sh*t it's gonna keep happening, because management sure isn't going to be the one to stop it. What the heck is your union saying about this? What are you paying them for? STOP blaming yourself right now. Everyone on this earth has a limit as to how much they can do. You were way beyond yours, through no fault of your own. Anger would serve you a lot better than fear and sadness.

ljrn135, How about... BE AWARE….and Care Bullying: is the purposeful attempt to control another person through verbal abuse - which can be in tone of voice or in content such as teasing or threats, exclusion, or physical violence. Bullying is the most common type of violence in contemporary US society and can exist at any level of an organization. Bullies can be superiors, subordinates, and colleagues. Exists: in the home, the school, and the workplace. If an environment does not uphold high standards for the way people treat each other, then bullying may be more likely and/or prevalent. Bullying is a real problem in nursing and can become a major issue if it’s ignored or unchecked. It can lead to a loss of valuable human capital and medical errors. Acknowledge: that bullying may be a problem in your organization. Nurse leaders should talk about bullying and encourage staff to speak up and be heard if it does happen. The more it’s acknowledged, the more you can do about it. Leaders that minimize its impact or deny its existence create a culture of silence that impedes solutions to this problem. Watch: for the signs of the bullying throughout the workplace. Be sure supervisors and managers know how to recognize the signs of bullying. Don’t wait for it to be brought to your attention. Act: when you notice signs of bullying by directly intervening, and /or getting help. Bullies lose their power when people stop passively accepting their behavior. Refuse to be a silent bystander. It is everyone’s responsibility to have the courage to play a key role to prevent and stop bullying. Get involved and take a stand against this issue. Reflect: on the incident and your action. Reflect on what was perceived to go wrong and start to reflect on what worked well, and why. Analyzing the incident may help you to:  “reflect-on-action” (past experience),  “reflect-in-action” (as an incident happens), and  “reflect-for-action” (actions you may wish to take in future experiences). Empower: staff to collectively and safely respond to bullying they see and hear. Create a mechanism for staff to confidentially report bullying issues in the workplace without fear of retaliation. … and Care You might find some more help with your project where I found the info above (scroll down to the bottom, and on the right you'll see Truth, Wisdom, Courage, etc. Each contains fact sheets, assessments, etc. Civility Tool-kit: Resources to Empower Nurse Leaders to Identify, Intervene, and Prevent Workplace Bullying Home - Stop Bullying Tool-Kit Some statistics related to bullying in nursing:  Bullying decreases job satisfaction and morale and increases absenteeism (Chipps & McRury, 2012)  Almost 21% of nursing turnover can be related to bullying (Johnson & Rea, 2009)  60% of new RNs who quit their first job in nursing within 6 months report that it is because of being bullied  Replacing one nurse can cost up to $88,000 USD (Jones, CB, 2012)  According to a study by the US Bureau of National Affairs, there is a loss of productivity of $5-6 billion/year in the US due to bullying in the workplace  In a study on workplace bullying, most of the respondents reported being bullied by the charge nurse, manager, or director (Johnson & Rea 2009)  One in six nurses (13%) reported being bullied in the past six months (Sa & Fleming 2008)  Bullying of nurses leads to erosion of professional competence as well as increased sickness, absence, and employee attrition (Hutchinson et al., 2010; Johnson, 2009)  Bullying victims may suffer stress-related health problems, such as nausea, headache, insomnia, anxiety, depression, weight changes, and alcohol and drug abuse (Townsend, 2012)  Nurses who survive bullying early in their careers tend to carry their learned behaviors with them. They accept the bully culture as part of the job and eventually may choose to bully other nurses (Townsend, 2012)  The Joint Commission (2008) acknowledges that unresolved conflict and disruptive behavior can adversely affect safety and quality of care

That's all Prissy does now, too. If she ever turns down my bed, I will run screaming out the door. Another thing she did during that time: My mom said the worst time for her was in the middle of the night, when she was alone and couldn't sleep. Unbeknownst to me, Prissy would leave my bed at those times and go sit with my mom, gaze into her eyes, and lick her tears away. My mom said Prissy was more helpful than anyone else had been; she found her quiet, attentive presence more of a comfort than any human was during that time. Perhaps that was my dad too, but it could have just been Prissy, because that's the way she's always been. I'm all out of ghost stories, unless something new comes up. I'm looking forward to everyone else's stories -- Love this thread!

Several years ago, my dad passed away after a battle with prostate cancer. Since I was a hospice nurse, I took care of him and then stayed for a while to help my mom through a period of disabling grief. Two nights after he died, my mom walked into her bedroom and then came out abruptly, walking backward, screaming "Dad's here! Dad's here!" The cog wheels in my brain froze up for a moment as I tried to comprehend what she was saying. I went into her bedroom and I didn't see my dad -- all I saw was my dog sitting on the bed. My mom came in and pointed out the way the linens were turned down into a fancy W-shape. She told me that she and my dad had gone on a cruise several years earlier, and that each night when they were at dinner an attendant would turn down their linens JUST LIKE THEY WERE RIGHT NOW and leave chocolates on their pillows. And she said that every single night since then, my dad turned down their bed just like it was done on the cruise, to show her that every day with her was special to him. I thought that my mom, in her semi-delirious mental state, had done the turn-down herself and just forgot that she had, but she vehemently denied it. What was curious is that my dog was sitting on the bed......and her footprints were all over it......as if she had done some real maneuvering...... My mom said, "Prissy did it! Now all she needs to do is fluff the pillows." My dog looked my mom in the eye for a few seconds......and then she turned and fluffed my mother's pillow. So you know I am not lying, I somehow had the presence of mind to take photographs, and here is one taken just as Prissy did her pillow-fluffing stuff: (Prissy, seen here apparently possessed by my dad's spirit, putting the finishing touches on her fancy turn-down. Admittedly, this turn-down does not meet Royal Caribbean standards, but it's pretty darn good for a poodle.) When Prissy began fluffing the pillow, my mom lost it and went into hysterics. I looked at Prissy and said, "Dad, please tone it down because you're going to give mom a heart attack!" Well, dad did tone it down. Every single night for the next six weeks, 'Prissy' only turned down my MOM's side of the bed. No more fancy-shmancy, all-out, luxury cruise ship turn-downs...just simple, modest little turn-downs. Every night, like clockwork. Now I will say that my dog is no slouch. She's much smarter than the average dog. She can shake hands and she can do a double rollover. But she does NOT do fancy cruise-ship turn-downs, or even less fancy ones. Those are simply not in her repertoire. One day after 6 weeks of this bed-turn-down phenomena, Prissy suddenly stopped doing it. It was as if a switch had been flipped to "off," and that was that. A friend of my mom's came from out of town to visit, and my mom told her the turn-down story. The woman gasped and said, "Don't you know? The Tibetan Book of the Dead says that after death, a person's spirit stays in an "in-between place" for approximately 42 days before departing for the next realm." That's exactly how long my dog turned down the bed -- 6 weeks, or 42 days. What else can explain what happened, except that my father's spirit was acting through my dog, Prissy, to tell my mother how special he thought she was? Prissy has never turned down another bed since that time. But I guess that's because she doesn't have a clue how to do turn-downs. But my dad did. ©2014 All rights reserved. Please don't publish this story or photo, as I am planning to at some point. Thank you.

Once upon a time, way back in 1987, I was a travel nurse with a cushy job on a telemetry unit in Hawaii. I worked night shift, and this particular hospital allowed nurses to sleep for two hours (with pay!) during our shift. The unit I worked on had one room that was closed and kept empty, come hell or high water, as it had been for two years prior. The reason? Over a period of a few months, several patients in that room (it was a private room) experienced terror as they saw a large, shadowy black figure at the foot of their bed, looming over them and filling them with a feeling of impending doom. Each of them described the same menacing presence, and they had no doubt this apparition was evil and meant to harm them. What's worse is that each of those patients died during their hospital stay, even though they were expected to recover. At first, I didn't believe the nurses when they told me this -- I figured that maybe the room was closed due to a plumbing problem, and they were just trying to scare me. But when I saw how they took their two-hour paid naps, I realized they weren't kidding around... Instead of sleeping in that nice, empty room on an actual bed, they slept on a rusty old gurney that was placed outside on a balcony.

She fell off the radar completely, it seems. But while digging, I found an interesting article by journalist Susan Gordon about how Brianna and other health care workers who speak out about problems and dangers in the workplace should be rewarded, not be called 'whistleblowers' and fear retribution. Here are some excerpts: Could you even imagine complaining and getting on an "honors" list instead of the **** List I wonder if we'll get an update about Brianna. The Dallas hospital did say they were not going to fire her, and I think if they did they'd be in some serious hot water after all the media attention. If it weren't for that, I think they'd fire her without a second thought. I also wonder if she is proceeding with her lawsuit.

Amazingly powerful words. Thank you.

I HAVE THIS VERY SAME NIGHTMARE!!! and I, too, am retired. It doesn't happen often, but when it does I am shaken. Sometimes in this re-occurring dream, I haven't even seen *any* of my patients at all. Waking up is such a tremendous relief, as is the relief that I don't have to work as a nurse any more. There's a reason we have PTSD, I say. I had a friend who watered plants in offices for a living. She told me that her job was just as stressful as mine, because 'sometimes a leaf begins to turn brown.' Yeah, well, that's nothing compared to a 'Code Brown.'

*** Sine no one else has answered this question after numerous posts over 2 weeks, I will answer it myself: 1. I never even thought about it. Like, it never even crossed my mind. 2. It hits too close to home. After all, it could be ME who cares for an Ebola patient and is then quarantined. Who would take care of my kids? My dog? Where the heck would they put me, in a tent with a stinky porta-potty? No way! Even if they locked me up in my own home, my name would be all over the media so I probably couldn't even get a pizza delivered! I have rights, you know? 3. Dr. Spencer's nurses are here in America, not Africa. We have the best and most modern health system in the world, so his nurses won't spread it because they won't catch it. Those two nurses in Dallas? They were just a fluke. Yes, yes, I know PPE is only as good as the technique in removing it, but I'm sure they're doing a fine job. Let's talk about something else, OK? Let's talk about the selfish, arrogant health workers who don't give a crumb about anyone but themselves -- Kaci Hickox and Craig Spencer! That's the real issue! 4. Govs. Christie and Coumo haven't yet given me the opinion I should have. In fact when they were asked this very question, they were 'dumbfounded' and could not give any meaningful answer. 5. Yeah, yeah, I know Ebola is Ebola is Ebola, but this is just......different. ***If anyone in favor of the quarantine does not fall within one of the categories above, let us know what YOUR answer is. Thank you.

I have a question for those here who favor quarantine, that has so far gone unanswered: Dr. Craig Spencer is hospitalized with Ebola in NYC. The nurses and doctors caring for him are not quarantined. At the end of their workday, they go out into the general public. They ride the subway, go to restaurants, go bowling, and live normal lives. They've been doing this for weeks. Many people are clamoring for the mandatory quarantine of any health worker who has had contact with an Ebola patient, but no one is clamoring for the quarantine of these particular health workers. Why is that?

EXCELLENT! I hope they're successful.

A cold hospital of SNF can be a serious problem for the elderly, because they can develop hypothermia at a temperature of 65 degrees.

Night Terrors on 9 NorthWest I was a brand new nurse working graveyard shift on an oncology unit. We also sometimes got sick inmates from the prison; they were placed on our unit on the 9th floor, which was the highest floor in the hospital, so that if they tried to escape it would take them longer to make it out the door. On this particular night we had no inmates as patients, and all was quiet at 11 PM as we took over for the evening shift. We anticipated a bad night, though, because a full moon shined brightly in the clear, dark November sky. At 1 AM everything was still calm and quiet. Me and Mary, an older, gray-haired nurse who still proudly wore her white cap, were at the nurse's station doing our charting. A call light went on. It was one of Mary's patients, a very elderly gentleman in the room at the far end of the hall. Mary rose immediately and went to answer the light. A few minutes later my heart constricted in fear as I heard a man's savage, gurgling yells coming from the room down the hall, the room where Mary had gone. I jumped up and ran halfway down hall when Mary came stumbling out of the room, gasping, with her hands around her neck and her eyes watering. She ran to the nurse's station and calmed herself, and then told me that as she bent over his bed to ask him what he needed, he reached up and grabbed the ends of the stethoscope hanging from her neck, wrapped them around, and began choking her. She managed to break away, but she was shaken. I called security and they came right up. The patient was sound asleep when they entered his room, and he said he had no recollection of the incident. Mary said that he was not confused on rounds, and that she was surprised at his strength for being so frail. He was discharged back to the nursing home the next day. What had happened was unsettling, and the unease stuck with us. One night about a week later I was at the nurse's station with Nancy, a competent nurse with a lilting British accent. It was 1 AM and the unit was quiet...that is, until we heard a man's constricted screams coming from the room at the far end of the hall. The patient was a man around 80 years old, and his wife was spending the nights at his bedside in a recliner. They had been married for 55 years and couldn't stand spending a moment apart. So imagine our surprise as we ran into the room and saw her bent over her husband's bed, her hands around his neck, attempting to strangle him. It was not easy for the two of us to stop her -- it was as if she was absolutely determined to choke him to death. In the dim light I could see her fierce expression, her browns knit together tightly and her lips pulled back revealing her teeth. Our CNA ran and called security. The moment her grip was released from his neck, she looked dazed and perplexed and asked what was going on. The patient was gasping and he looked at his wife with abject terror. First thing in the morning, Nancy and I met with our head nurse, a big-boned, no-nonsense woman who was the type that wasn't afraid to roll up her sleeves and get things done. She decided that the patient would be transferred immediately, and that the room would be kept empty for the time being. She called the chaplain assigned to our unit and asked him to come up. She wanted to talk to him about blessing the room. She told him this: Two weeks earlier, a prison inmate had been a patient in the room where both choking incidents occurred. The prisoner died. At 1 AM. He had been convicted 25 years earlier of strangling three people to death. .