Lou7

Ok, thank you so much I'm have a look! Appreciate your reply! Lou

Hello, I was just wondering if anyone knows of any good material to study to learn scrub nursing. I am working in the UK and everything Is just practice based but I am wondering whether their are books or textbooks I can study that are perhaps used in the US or Canada to train their scrub technicians. If you are a scrub tech what have you used to study from? Did you have an exam? In the UK, we either qualify as a nurse and then if we want to scrub we get a job in a theatre, no extra study just a practical learning on the job type thing. No reading material or surgical instrument textbooks. If you want to work in theatres and scrub but don't want to be a nurse you can qualify as an ODP, but this also does not give you any help regarding the operations, instruments, scrub knowledge etc. Looking to move to Canada/US in couple years, not sure how their scrub staff are taught so if their were any exams or tests or textbooks they had to read to become qualified I would be so appreciative if you could share this. I don't want to be really ill prepared when I try looking for a job, im imagining Canadian/American nurses have more exams for example they have the NCLEX for nursing, im worried I wont know enough. Can anyone help me? Thank you Lou

Hello, firstly I love your username. It certainly is the answer! Haha! I work in the OR, orthopaedics. I have done a year in orthopaedic trauma and done a few months in hands and feet and now I'm in hip and knee arthroplasty. I can say from my experience that the ******** doesn't get better. I'm also a similar type of person to you. I hate the ********. I've no interest in talking behind others backs. I think when you hear someone bad mouthing someone else it shows a negative side of their character. It is hard to work around people that maybe don't treat you well to begin with. The main thing is to hold your own, know when to stand up for yourself and when to let things go. You don't come to work to. Be spoken to badly. However, there is always some form of disagreement and cold atmosphere sometimes when you work with certain people. Unfortunately we don't all think the same. When I started it was a steep learning curve and I was extremely intimidated by the OR. The people I work with are really nice, however there are some people I have had trouble with. I find the best thing is to try and get to know them as best you can, show an interest in getting to know them. Sometimes if you show others kindness and friendliness it rubs off If not keep your head down and eventually I would hope they will see how dedicated to the job and how much you love your job and will respect you. If not, they suck. Lol. But please do not leave your job because of a few good-for-nothing's. This is YOUR job. Don't let them ruin it for you. I often have days when I wish I wasn't doing this job but hey we all have bad days. I live the OR because I love learning about anatomy, I love learning the operations, I like organising my table and using different instruments and systems. It suits me. Plus I know I'm looking after my patient by making sure the surgeon is doing well and is supported. I find the hardest challenge. Maybe two. One - the surgeons attitude. Not every one but a good amount of them are very abnoxious and arrogant and speak to you like dirt. They loose their manners and when you have a nice conversation with them in the coffee room suddenly they bite your head off for little reason. That is a big challenge. Not beating yourself up for being shouted at. And secondly - the team your working with. You know when you have a good team when everyone is switched on forward thinking and efficient. But then you get the people that are too busy making jokes and messing around that it makes your job stressful. That maybe answers number 4. But I generally find, as long as you do your best, keep learning and showing enthusiasm most people will have your back and support you. And lastly, I used to work in the wards and comparison, the OR is far better with team working!! I found so many people were lazy on the wards, constant complaining about how the nurse is not an octopus balancing everything at once! The doctors not taking you seriously, the frustration of waiting for referrals and assessments, the huge lack of staff, lack of support etc. I hated the wards. Theatre - albeit hard at times - is the best place! í ½í¸ Keep at it! I bet your awesome at your job. Don't let anyone put you down. Rise above the small stuff but stick up for yourself when things go too far. You deserve to be happy in your work. Good luck with things, hope things get better for you! Sorry for my massive reply. Lol Lou

So I've been a nurse for 9 months now, working on a renal ward. I've struggled with issues of stress and not coping on the ward. I can't just leave my work at work, I come home and im panicking about everything that I haven't and have done. I feel emotionally exhausted on my days off that I don't feel like doing any of the things I used to enjoy. I am usually a really happy and positive person, but since doing my nursing I feel I have become sad and depressed. Ive been off work before for stress and I had CBT, I went back to work and the same issues crept up on me. Im now in the same position I was then, wondering if I have gone into the right career. My reasons for becoming a nurse: e.g. to make a difference, to be in a position where I could make sure patients get great care, to further my professional development from being a healthcare assistant. But I feel nursing comes with so many drawbacks e.g. spending the majority of your time doing documentation, medications and written assessments. I have no time to give personal care to my patients which means I am heavily reliant on the healthcare staff. I have no time to spend getting to know my patients, or listen to their worries. I am constantly panicking I will make a mistake. I am an anxious person, with low self esteem issues and working on this ward has made things worse. I wonder if any other areas of nursing would be different compared to a ward setting. I have been applying for practice nursing positions, however have had no luck. I don't have the experience they are looking for. But how do I start off in that career if no one will take me to train me. I don't know how to persuade employers to give me a chance. I have spent many an evening crying my eyes out to my parents and my partner about how stressed I am and how I wish I could have a job where I could leave work and look forward to being with my family, spending my time doing things I enjoy...things I used to enjoy. I'm at a point where I am considering leaving nursing altogether. But nursing is all I know, its all ive ever done. I was a carer in a care home (bad experience) then in a hospital, and now a nurse. I cant think of anything else I could do. Has anyone got any advice? Im so unbelievably stuck! xxx

Hi Klone, I can completely understand how you are feeling! Its awful when you nearly make a drug error, worse If you actually follow through with administration. You sound like a very conscientious nurse and were very honest and open to your patient which is exactly what is asked of every nurse from the NMC. So well done. I think the word here is 'almost'. It was almost a mistake but instead it will just serve as a little reminder for you in future to make sure you know of the patients allergies before preparation of the medication. Its so easily done so don't worry. I wouldn't class this as an error or even an incident but if you feel very worried about it speak to someone in charge who might know what the policy is. If it makes you feel any better, I had a situation one evening when I went to a patient who was self medicating and checked with him that he had had all of his night time medication. He said yes, but that he hadn't taken his antibiotics. I said I would get this form him and I came back with his medication. I did my checks and he took the tablet. He then told me straight after, that he had had the tablet! I was mortified! There was a few things wrong with this incident. The patient was clearly not competent to be self medicating and the drug kardex did not match his medication regime that he had. I told him what had happened and he said 'Oh that's my fault, im sorry' I said I would need to fill an incident report in because he now had been given too much medication. The patient said 'Oh don't be silly its only one tablet, im not going to say anything. Itl be our secret'. I told him I had a responsibility to look after him and be honest in my profession and I would report the incident. My fellow staff nurses didn't feel I needed to write an incident report and I wasn't told off, but it was a lesson for me that its so important to make sure patients understand their medication regimens and that the kardexs match. Also, properly assessing patients to whether they can self administer their own medications. I've met nurses that have made worse mistakes than you. Trouble is we are only human, and we will make mistakes. The important thing is that we learn from them and use our experience to guide our future :) You sound like an amazing nurse, so let this pass and smile :) Louise xxx

Hello, So I am a newly qualified nurse, qualified in January and have started work on a renal ward. I have found it extremely difficult to pick up things and learn all about these types of patients. I study at home every day on my day off but I'm still struggling to remember anything. I feel so anxious at work, my doctor started me on a Betablocker for anxiety which is helping relieve the panic but I still feel so inadequate. When in an emergency situation I just panic and I don't know what to do. I had a patient with shortness of breath who was really struggling to get his breath and I couldn't think what oxygen mask to put on or at what flow, I just panicked. I asked for help but was disappointed in myself that I didn't know how to manage the situation myself. I panic about speaking to doctors and families for fear of looking or coming across as an idiot. I will often avoid certain doctors I feel scared of but I know this probably isn't the best thing to avoid people. To add to the diffilculty im facing personally, my manager has rejected my holiday forms and not spoken to me about what days I could have instead. I have left notices on her desk to ask her what I can do but the letters keep getting moved aside. When I speak to her she is very avoidant and doesn't stick around to discuss issues. Since I have started, she hasn't asked how I am doing on the ward, never mind as a new nurse. If she asked she may have known I am struggling and am in the process of finding myself a new job. I don't feel comfortable speaking with her about my worries, I had a problem with a member of staff during the first month and she made excuses for the staff members rudeness. I know other members of staff are having problems with the ward too. I just wish I could do something. I often feel like I cant do this. That I've come into a stressful and exhausting career where theres no appreciation for hard work and effort. I love looking after patients but I feel so inadequate. University in the UK did not prepare me for this. US students do the NCLEX, something I think UK students should do. I had one lesson on each system of anatomy in health and one each on illness in that system. I feel like I don't know enough of the basics because it hasn't been taught. Universities in the UK just teach you how to pass university, not how to be competent as a nurse. My whole first year was about care and compassion in nursing and how to be those things, but I've not met one student nurse who didn't come in to University with those qualities. Its not something that needs teaching, If you are not caring and compassionate already - your on the wrong course! I would have spent another 2 years in my nursing course if it meant I would feel competent and knowledgable that I could care for my patients to the best of my ability. Instead I'm in the deep end and have to learn on the job. Its just too much. Sorry for my rant. I would so greatly appreciate any advice or hear how anybody else is doing. Lou xxx