dlgrn715

It's simple: scripted phrases = better ratings = higher reimbursement. Or so they say. I just can't do it. I have to be myself and friendly. To me, that means a lot more and shows that you really do care about patients.

I have worked at a smaller hospital for almost 20 years. I have not worked anywhere else. But I imagine that at a bigger hosp you would never have the same atmosphere or experience as in a smaller one. First of all, we are like family. Especially living in a small town, everyone knows everyone. Fewer patients often equals fewer nurses and direct patient care staff. That means we all work together more often and get to know each other better. I believe this means better care for our patients in the end because we really come together to help our patients. Also, you may be getting more experience as far as variety of patients since it's a small hosp. So, no, I would never say that you or I are less of a nurse because we work at smaller hospitals! No job, no person is more important than another. Even doctors and surgeons. They may have the authority and skills, but they depend on the nurses and staff to be able to accomplish the end goal. Don't ever question your own importance. And don't let comments from others bring you down. They only do that because they think it makes them look better. But it doesn't.

I agree! I worked almost 20 years as a floor nurse, loved my job and had hoped to retire there... Until I became so stressed out due to anything that was added to patient care was added to the primary nurse's responsibilities. If course that wasn't the only reason it was stressful. But I found a great position which I enjoy, but still hear the word "productivity" much more than I care to!!

No, I would say it is not your obligation to stay. I had to learn to say the word no, took me a long time. If you had just finished a shift, how is it safe for you to stay overnight? And then get very little or no sleep for another job?? That is not safe either. Maybe they need an on call person for each night shift like the unit I worked on has done for years and years. Only that became one of the many reasons I ended up leaving. Our whole hosp changed things around and we ended up being on call for the whole hosp, including the units who refused to start taking call. Sometimes it's a no win situation...

The MET or CAT or whatever team that you called (it's RRT - rapid response- at my hosp) should have been the ones to check a blood glucose if it had not been done already and the MD could also have ordered that. Sometimes in the heat of the moment you don't always think of everything. But that is how we nurses learn things over the years... though we should not be scolded for it like you were! You will probably never forget to check a glucose after your supv's actions. However, I don't think a low glucose would have caused the elevated BP and low HR. Your instincts were right to call for help no matter what anyone else says! Your patients and your license are what you have to protect! My advice next time a patient is deteriorating and definitely when symptomatic like that, call the CAT. Don't call the MD first, nor your supv. As someone else also mentioned, ACLS is a great way to be more comfortable with emergent situations. And that definitely was emergent. In fact, if your patient had gotten any worse at all, it would have probably ended up being a code situation. I'm curious as to what may have "brought her back"? Usually with low heart rate, you'll see a low BP. Anyway, you probably saved her life. No nurse should be treated the way you were treated. Don't listen to anyone who would scold you over not thinking of everything when you did the most important thing... You recognized a critical situation and YOU called for help and probably saved her life. Also, I agree that you should write an account of what you did and what was said at the time by the MD and the supv. and what was said in the meeting and give to the higher-ups.

I work with a nurse who went to the same school I did, only I believe she graduated about the same time I was born - the early 70s. She still wears the same white cap that she earned and even wears some if the actual clothing that she wore when she started off her nursing career back in those days. She does not wear skirts now though, but wears all white. She leaves her cap in her locker and puts it on before she gets report. Every patient thinks she's the charge nurse, of course. She is one of the best nurses I have ever worked with and deserves that respect from patients and nurses alike. I like to see other people's responses when they see her.

I just came across this question. I hope there is a better understanding of the answer to this question by now! Who else would we want to set up our admission assessment questions and anything we would have to document in a computer?!? I wouldn't want someone who was never a nurse to guess at this. It only makes sense that an experienced nurse have this kind of job. This is what nursing is all about: different types of nursing in different settings and specialties with support of experienced nurses. Unfortunately, it seems the ones who are best at supporting are the ones the higher-ups don't keep because for them it's all about money, not what's best for the patients and certainly not the ones actually doing the bedside nursing.

I have both of my stethoscopes engraved with my name on the bells. I also have a "tile" on it. See the description and my pictures below. I have my tile secured on it in a manner that no doctor will want to try to remove it because they don't have time... unless they are a surgeon and would like the challenge of removing it. But surgeons don't use stethoscopes, they just consult the medical doc!! 😜🙂. My husband and I have tiles on many of our most commonly "used and losed" items such as keys, my ID badge, his wallet (yes, it fits) and can be put on just about anything like luggage, etc. We love em! Good luck on your next stethoscope! [h=2]Lose less of everything, including your valuable time.[/h] Tile is a tiny Bluetooth tracker and easy-to-use app that finds everyday items in seconds—like your phone, keys, and wallet.

If you decide to go into nursing, I think going back to school before kids is by far the best choice. Nursing school is very tough! I've seen many struggle to be able to handle nursing school and family life. Some of the girls I have worked with are younger and able to do both, and are even working while getting their BSN and/or MSN and have children. But I see how stressed out they are and how little time they have left for their children in the most important years of their kids' lives. I got my associates and worked a few years before having kids, so by the time I had my second, I was able to go part-time and be there a lot more for my boys. Now, over eighteen years later, I'm working in the same hospital I started in. I still have only my associates, I'm still part-time, and I make almost $40/hr in a small town. I know every situation is different, but once I was a mom, that became the most important thing in my life. I'm so glad I went to school first!!

I'm thinking that asking your patient not to swear was very effective (even while he/she was still coming off of anesthesia) as evidenced by the fact that he stopped! I've had quite a number of patients to swear (but usually it wasn't due to pain) while I was in the room working with them and I have asked them to clean up their language - politely. Most of the time they did, and they seemed to respect me more for having stood up for my right to not have to listen to it. They have plenty of time to do it when I'm not in the room! For me, if the patient was drugged up and still coming off anesthesia, I would probably try to remind him that I prefer not to hear those words. However, once I felt he was alert and oriented enough, I would probably push a little more to get him to stop. No, he doesn't HAVE to stop, but it sure would make me feel a lot more comfortable while trying to do my job. I do my best to treat patients with respect and am professional when at work and I even consider each patient's room as their own bedroom. But for them to use language like this, they are not being respectful to those of us trying to care for them, especially any man who would do it in a woman's presence. Many people (men and women) use this language as part of their normal conversations. This is yet another problem with our society: the increase in tolerance of abberant and deviant behavior. People give in and let others do whatever they want. The small things lead to bigger things. I can just see the title of the next new nurse asking "is it OK that I told my alert & oriented patient to stop hitting me?" I'm tired of patients and family members doing and saying whatever they want and then if we don't get the first IV stick because their vein blew, or we accidently forgot to bring them their custom-ordered coffee and snack, or are extremely rude when you don't respond immediately because you are in another room with a more critically ill patient, they make a scene and want to speak to the CEO. So, no, I don't think there is anything wrong with asking your patient to be a little more respectful and stop using such language. YOU deserve that courtesy. And don't just "get over it" like many say. That's a way of saying "be tolerant of every one, no matter how they act or treat you". Keep standing up for your upstanding morals.