lhall92

In my ER, we see mental health patients just about daily and a fair amount of them smoke cigarettes. At some point during their stay, the question of stepping outside to smoke comes up. As a non-smoking campus, we do not allow for patients to step outside let along patients with SI. We inform them that we can give nicotine gum or patches but a good amount refuse them and threaten to walk out. Should they do so, we call the local PD to bring them back and they become EE'd (involuntary committed). Does anyone have any tricks as to meds to help get them through a craving?

I did not go back to ask. I was given a letter saying that I had a hard time making a difference between EMS and RN. I discussed these challenges with my new boss and she was very acceptive of my struggles and how I planned to go about resolving them. The staff at the place where I work are very helpful. They check in with me and I mention if I don't feel comfortable and if there is something I have a question on. Very close group of nurses working together between LNA, RN, and PA's. Love it!!

Lessons and experiences have been learned from all of this. I can understand 15-16 weeks for a new grad going onto the med/surg floor but for ICU? I personally feel like I was shorted. I felt like I just got my feet underneath me when they let me go. Oh well, moving on

The director wanted to increase my hours for the last month to 80 ppp from 72 because I had not taken care of a patient with drips or something requiring very close attention to as the patient census in the ICU wasn't so. Got moved to the PCU and had diltiazem gtt + amino gtt (same pt), insulin gtt, heparin gtt, and gave a unit of blood in that month. Some places do 6 months of orientation for a new grad and with the ICU being what it is, some facilities where I'm from do up to a year. 3-4 months would be expected for a floor nurse. This was why I was kind of taken aback.

Previous evaluations were very good. Each preceptor had their own take on what I could improve on and what my strengths were but each on (except for the last one) saw improvement and progression every shift. I was notified in a progress meeting a week before I was let go that the director would not hire me if she had to make a decision. I tried to prove her wrong but it did not work. For that last week, my preceptor floated around helping others and let me do my own thing. That week went smooth and then I get the ball dropped on me

You are correct in that being an AEMT in nothing like being in a ICU. My challenges were getting medications in on time, documenting assessments in the computer faster, discharging patients in a timely manner. This is all stuff that came up on the day shift when I was with one preceptor. From the documentation from all the rest of my preceptors, I was progressing well. With suggestions like starting med pass at 8:15am for 9am non-critical meds worked well. As far as the director, she only heard what this one preceptor had to say. She did not look back on what the others had said about me. I personally feel she did not fully grasp what I had done in the time I've been working there. Decisions were made and now I have to move on. No use crying over spilled milk

I just graduated with my BSN in May and was able to get a job at the local hospital in the ICU. I was beyond stoked since very few, if any, new grads get into that right off. With 5 years of EMS work as an AEMT, I figured I could handle what got thrown my direction. Most of my preceptors were awesome in helping me work through difficulties. At a meeting, the director wanted to go to 80 hours for the last month of orientation. Keep in mind that she is only allowing 15-16 weeks for a new grad to orient. For the last week, I was told by the director that the ICU was not my nitch and that she would let me go. A week later after busting my butt and not having my preceptor hover over me, I was told that I was no longer an employee for that unit and for the hospital. So here I am now with no job and cannot really go anywhere because of working for just 3 months...Fortunately, another place I went to prior to accepting this job has a FT opening in the ED. Hoping for a better outcome.