txmurse69

Be your own nurse, do it the rigjt way becausr your patients deserve it. When the time comes that you are precepting new grads teach them to do it right. Wear your stethoscope and realize that you listening matters

I don't think it has anything to do with age. I have had a living will since 25. By then after 5 years as a paramedic I had seen enough to k ow there were certain situations I wouldn't want to survive My living will gives parameters like how long on the vent if I can't breath on my own, no tube feedings if not going to regain consciousness, etc. Also need an MPOA that you know will unplug you, I have 2, my wife who may struggle with it and my sister who would do it with no issues.

Now that was DAMN funny!

It's sad but true that many nurses claim moral superiority when they stay at the bedside, I'm not one of them, lol. A good GBP is a great bridge between the world of nursing and MD's, but your still not a doctor. Half of the new grads I have seen in the last 3 years that are chomping at the bit to get to PAN or GBP programs were pre-med before going the nursing route and try to match wits and argue with our hospitals residents. Some of the best providers I've worked with were NP's with many years of nursing before going back to school. They diagnose and prescribe based on the whole patient and not just the acute problem. Just my opinion.

I hear these same comments and complaints from most new nurses. While Med-Surg isn't for everyone it is a great place to start, I did and love it, 7 years in I still enjoy my job. Some our best nurses talked about nightmares and sleepless nights before shifts when they 1st started, now 2-3 years later they come in and roll thru a shift like a pro.

It's kinda sad, nursing has created this problem for itself. Nursing as a whole seems to want elevate itself compared to MD's. It seems as though leaders in nursing are always comparing themselves to MD's. I tell our new grad employees that our professions are different, MD's diagnose and prescribe treatment, nurses implement that treatment and care for patients. We need more nurses that want to care for patients and less that want to compare themselves to MD's.

Shaving cream works wonders especially with tube feed poo! Watch and learn from the career CA's during your clinical's. They are the experts at fast, efficient and effective clean up.

You did exactly what your supposed to do! Good job advocating for your patient and hopefully educating a resident.

Like you, I roll my eyes at many nursing articles and posts. I dont "like" them unless i actually like them, lol. I work Med-Surg and if my nurse friends/coworkers post something akin to "another shift of saving lives" I un-friend them, no patience for the drama. I love what I do including the butt wiping, repositioning, educating non-compliant patients and annoying students that think nursing is about saving the world, LMAO. My motto is "keeping them alive, until 7:45" Just my own dark humor, lol

Professional beach bum, lol

Now that was DAMN funny!

Yes you should tell your boss. It's sad that in nursing it often feels like your being punished if you excel at your job. I orient new nurses and charge on the floor for pennies, lol. New staff see that as a compliment to your ability, that you are trusted and looked up to. Sometimes it feels like your just being used and abused, lol. I think most tenured nurses feel that way at times, I'm very efficient so many days I get the heaviest assignment and I'm almost always 1st to admit another patient to the floor. Some days it feels trying, if your a strong nurse, your unit will rely on you heavily, more is expected of you yet you make the same money as a coworker that always gets the easier assignment because there not as strong. Ask for a breather from precepting and remember why you do the job, whatever your personal reasons are.

I always laugh when I see students posting in non-student forums because I know your about to get slammed. Stick to the student forums until your done with school. There is a reason Nursing loses 30% of new nurses within 3 years. The real every day is not like TV, it's not "Nurse Jackie" or "Greys". The real world of nursing, especially on a Med-Surg unit is much more down and dirty than the made up Florence Nightingale world school talks about or that the public perceives it to be. Where I work we are outwardly harsh to each other at times (if you don't know us), reality is it's all in jest, it's blowing off steam. I'm 1 of 3 males on my unit and one of the most senior staff. My coworkers joke that while I seem mean it's just my gruff exterior and tell nubies and students to not be scared, lol. I'm just blunt and to the point, I don't sugar coat things with my coworkers. As I've told coworkers and management I save the smiles and support for my patients who actually need it. I'm not there to make nurses, cna' s or MD's feel good about themselves, that's their responsibility to themselves. So put on your big girl pants and suck it up.

I have a shirt that says "Be nice to me I'm a Nurse, I keep Doctors from killing you"

We are a Neurosurgery/Oncology/Med-Surg unit. On days we are 5:1 and nights 6:1, if we are staffed. We are the only level 1 Trauma facility though for 100 miles in any direction and the Safety Net hospital for our region. Most days you can expect a minimum of 2 discharges and 2 new admissions during a 12 HR shift. Our CA ratio is great though we are a 38 bed unit and on days we have 5 techs, nights 3. As a previous poster said good CA's can make or break a shift