NobleLeo

Quitting during orientation is definitely not the way to make a good impression. I worked as a nurse extern on a med-surg floor with high acuity and a typical patient load of 12 patients if not the entire floor. After I was oriented and the staff felt comfortable with my skills I was allowed to work on certain nursing skills (inserting foleys, trach care, etc) with supervision. It was the best experience I had. If you had given it more time, perhaps you would have had the same opportunity. As some pointed out, you missed on a great way to learn time management, organizational skills, and prioritizing. All these skills are necessary as a nurse and are not easy to learn as a student nurse when you only have 1-2 patients. Also you were hired as a tech and should have learned in school about practicing within your scope of practice which as a tech is limited in what you deem "nursing skills." Also most hospitals make you sign a waiver of job duties and responsibilities so how this was a surprise for you I'll never know.

What exactly are you looking for? If you are interested in furthering your career and going for NP in women's health, I think you should start in mother/ baby. However med-surg would be the best start to get the most skills overall in basic nursing. I'm currently a med-surg nurse and I've had experience with ob/ gyn/ patients ( my least favorite and good bless the good nurses who do women's health). My co-worker however just transferred to our OB unit and she has commented that many of the nurses don't know any skill outside of what they learn on the unit regarding L&D, nursery, and post-partum. Have you thought about a per diem position on a med-surg floor? I know you'll be a new grad so the idea of per diem might be scary but eventually you could pick up some extra time on med-surg depending on your hours. It's a lot to consider but good luck.

This is so funny. Our Ativan was always in a locked drawer in the refrigerated which was such a pain. My friend even forgot to put the key back into the locked Pyxis drawer which was even funnier to get back in since it was a 1x dose but I digress. When they exchanged our old Pyxis for a new one suddenly the Ativan was no longer in the fridge. We always assumed it was because pharmacy was tired of the hassle of getting to it in the fridge.

I come across this frequently. If it wasn't charted, it didn't happen. As I tell some of the new nurses I work with, you need to cover yourself. Even if the doctor does not order anything new, chart that they were notified, and document well that if you ever had to go back, you would know exactly what happened.

I think you need to take some time and relax before you move forward. If you are looking to avoid wiping butts then you won't like being an RN. It will take plenty of butt cleaning before you reach a level where that is minimal. Also you will need to get your lack of self confidence under control before moving forward because you will need some level of confidence just to get through nursing school. You may want to look into health administration or some sort of paperwork job, which in healthcare there are plenty. I hope this helps and that you are able to find something you enjoy!

Is it acceptable? No, however it is the reality. I work in a small hospital with our only doctor being in the ED overnight and we often get patients who should be monitored but aren't. I know that I just keep that extra eye on a patient I'm concerned about even if it means doing my charting near the room. If I notice a patient starting to decline, I call right away.

I would have given it and encouraged at least some juice. You can always test them if you end up being concerned that the patient is dropping to a concerning level. But always listen to people who are aware of how they react to insulin. Some people can drop dramatically and others it might not even touch.

I drink Dunkin Donuts all night, every night. I also do squats and lunges down the hallways.

We get patients like these all the time on my med-surg floor. I would have just called the doctor and gotten some K+ bumps and calcium ordered and had an increase in IV fluids. As long as the vital signs remain stable, I would just wait for lab work in the morning. I've spent many nights correcting people's electrolyte balance either because it wasn't done in the ED or was never addressed by the physician.

Start applying for jobs now. It's great that you know which area of care you'd like to go in (I was geriatric/ med-surg myself) but don't limit yourself to that one type of job. Look at telemetry or ER as well. Many places require experience and it would be a shame to turn down an opportunity because you have your heart set on one area. If you get another job use that time to really focus on your skills, assessment, and building up to apply for your dream job by getting a certification or ACLS. That way when you apply you can really push yourself as the best candidate for the job! Good Luck!

I know how you feel. When I started on orientation I was amazed at how little compliance there was with standard practices or things I felt had been emphasized in nursing school such as PPE and medication issues. My best advice for you is to practice how you were taught and to stop focusing on what other coworkers are doing. I do my best to follow policies and procedures and my coworkers always make fun of me because I know them so well which is why they always come to me for an answer. I encourage my coworkers to do things properly but even the most dedicated nurse (myself included) will have moments where you can't be perfect. As long as you can go home at the end of each day and say I did my best, you'll be fine. P.S. I would wait to see what are singular incidents and what ends up being a pattern before saying anything to someone. You never know who might be falling out of bed or vomiting that caused someone to not follow "the right way."

So I would like everyone's opinion on this topic since it is becoming much more prevalent in the healthcare field to see hospitals with non-hiring policies of nicotine products. A little personal opinion is that I understand this policy because how can we as professionals educate our patients on the health risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting when we turn around and do it. However, quitting smoking is challenging and easier said than done. I recently quit so I could apply to my dream job which has a 90 day smoke free before hiring. Which at this point I am past 90 days so I applied and recently interviewed and am currently waiting for a response. Most if not all of my friends are smokers and many of the places we go out to are smoking bars, smoke in the car, etc. I had not thought much about the effects of inhaling secondhand smoke but now that I am waiting to hear back I have been considering the effects of being in such enclosed spaces and have been making myself paranoid that the levels of nicotine/cotinine will have increased (since I was a former smoker). What are your opinions on being tested, my internet results have not been too helpful and I'm looking for some personal experience?