MedEm29

This sounds horrible. Kill them with kindness, learn to cover your ass like a pro and get out of there. This is not all nursing careers. I was lucky to land on a floor where the staff is like family. Hanging out on our off days, being extremely helpful when I have questions(and I ask a lot of them). You will always run into people who, for whatever reason, will find anything and everything to complain about, roll their eyes at you right infront of them and talk trash about you while you're standing two feet from them. The good thing is nursing is very versatile and you have so many options for movement and growth. The fact that you are in a hospital and on a medsurg floor is HUGE! Try to fill you time with certifications like MedSurg certs and ACLS, build you resume and something better will come your way for sure! Good luck and don't give up!

Hi all! I am somewhat of a new nurse and while I feel like I am learning so much on my floor, I feel like I am also missing making the connections between my tasks and the reason why I am doing them. Don't get me wrong I ask a lot of questions and make sure I know I am doing things correctly and the general reason but I guess I am having a hard time always seeing the bigger picture. I know it is impossible for me to have the knowledge base of a 20-year veteran nurse anytime soon but it's so frustrating. There is always that moment in report where the oncoming nurse asks "Well, why?" and I say to myself "Crap.... I have no idea. Why didn't I think of that?". I recently went to a 2 day education seminar for MedSurg nurses and the things we talked about in person versus the things that are written down in the powerpoint slides, and policies, and textbooks are so different. I guess my question is is there some place that I can look to for information that might help me connect the dots such as a nursing journal or other resources that I can utilize? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. -Emily

Hi! I am a single mom of 2. Im 31 and my kids are 12 and 8. It took me 9 years to get through school, doing gen ed classes one at a time then going full time through the actual nursing school portion. My kids father has been absent throughout their lives and I have no siblings locally to help. I went to school while they went to school and then my parents helped watch them while I worked a few evening shifts as a nureses aid a week. Once I gradutated I luckily got into a New Grad program where I was a nurses aid. I currently work 7p-7a 3 nights a week on a cardiac/tele floor. I am someone who needs a good night sleep and I won't lie it was very hard to get used to overnights at first. I still feel like I'm adjusting and there are nights were I struggle to stay awake (thats when I start doing laps down the hallways). All in all doing nights allows me to see my kids more often than the day shift. If I worked 12 hr days I would not see them before or after work because I would be gone by 5:45am and home after 8:30. It also allows me to see them on holidays such as Easter and Christmas. If i group my days together I can see them for a few hours on the days I'm working and then I have a stretch of 4 days off where I can fully enjoy them. It allows me to volunteer at their schools now and then which they love. Yes it can be hard but loving the people I work with and caring for patients makes me look forward to going to work. It's not forever and it pays very well. I don't have the biggest support network but we make it work. They stay with my parents overnight while I work. My parents put them on the bus and get them off the bus so I can sleep. I stop by and have dinner and say "Hi" before I head back to work again. I try to get a 2 hour nap in before work and then try to get 5-6 hours sleep in between shifts (which is not really enough for me but thats what coffee and chugging water is for). I hope this glimpse into a single mom's life with limited support helps! I would say its worth it and I do get to see my kids a lot for working 36hrs a week and being able to afford a place and to pay my bills is a big plus. Good Luck! -Emily