nnm519

I work home health so only have one patient but we have been super short staffed as well. I have been working 6 days a week for nearly 3 months now and that still leaves like 2 or 3 shifts NOT covered and the family is responsible for coming in and covering those hours. We just have not been having any one apply.

You really are not alone. I have not had the best experiences as a nurse so far. Not the patients. They love me and I love them. I constantly have people tell me I am their favorite (who knows they could tell them all this! LOL). The whole nurses eating their young and backstabbing all the while pretending to be your friend just has me burned out. Then the never ending paperwork and making sure you have the requirements to meet insurance really gets old (really who needs the normal oxygen level documented in 4 different place....at least with my company it is always documenting the same thing in so many different places. Then seeing the patients suffer due to insurance not paying or not having insurance... It is heartbreaking work! HOWEVER there is SO much to nursing besides bedside care. Before giving up assess what you are wanting out of your career and focus on finding a place that suits you. Not every place will be the same. You could just as easily have these frustrations in any career path. Also focus on the good! Why did you start? Have you had any touching experiences that really made you say, "this is why I do it"? Too much negativity will get your mind in the wrong place. Currently I do home health. One patient / one nurse. I don't have co-workers and I don't see the bosses too often. I am making a difference in my patients life because other wise they could not stay at home and possibly would have to re-locate for care. I was able to go back and complete my BSN and this job was ideal because I had down time where I could read or study. I am now applying to graduate schools to get my FNP. Don't be defeated! Be the change you want to see. Make the change. :)

When I first got out of school I had several people tell me do Med/Surg for a couple of years. I really didn't know what they meant until I started in Med/Surg. You see so much and there are so many opportunities to work on skills like IV's and catheters. Also it is a great place to really learn about disease process and sharpens the skills needed to identify things early. I have seen the light bulb go off when a new nurse has been doing med/surg 6 months to a year and things just start clicking. But you also hear of the nurses that started out in their specialty and really excelled at it and have done that job for 20 years. Several hospitals in my area have gone to a internship like program. A new grad goes through a lot of training and rotates through areas and it isn't until the end of like a 6 month period that they get to go into one specific area. I think a program like that could be good too.

Instead of completely switching why not pick up a PRN position? If your hospital lets nurses float maybe they would be willing to cross train you in another area. I am a big on always improving one self. If you feel comfortable enough maybe you can talk to your manager about maybe training in one of the other areas you are interested in. It really can be a positive thing and help improve your skills.

The situation is a little confusing but going of the info given it appears you are in the wrong. If the order was on the MAR why was it not given? Stating the previous nurse did not ensure it was in stock is not a good enough reason. If it was on the MAR then you were responsible for ensuring it was given or if not in stock the appropriate steps were taken to ensure your patient was ok. I have gone on shift many times with new orders and the medicine is not there. If it had been me and I was preparing meds I would have stopped what I was doing and verified the order, called my charge nurse, the doctor, and assessed my patient for signs of seizure activity. Those are appropriate actions to take in the case of missed doses or out of stock medication. You can not help what happened the day or night before but if you were in charge of 0800 meds and it was placed on the MAR as stated then you are in the wrong. You will always run into nurses that don't follow through, miss things, or give a poor report. Without knowing the details or being there I probably would have written a nurse up in a similar situation if I were charge nurse. However I do agree that your charge nurse should look at the situation as a whole to see areas that could use improvement. If the order was written the day before at 1300 did the doctor order a stat dose or did the intend for it to be started the next morning? Why did the nurse not ensure it was in stock (sometimes you have those nurses that are lazy they think if it doesn't effect them or their shift then they don't have to do it)? Hopefully you can look at the situation and find ways to improve yourself. I would also work hard to keep a good relationship with your charge nurse. They are in that position for a reason and can make you or break you. Good Luck!

If they keep questioning you even after you try to deflect the questions you could always blame it on management.... LOL that is usually my go to when either avoiding something with a patient or trying to get them to do something they don't want to do. That way they understand that it isn't you being shady it is just a policy or something.... I know in psych it is a little different. I used to work geri psych and the patients just loved to talk. Also psych is all about talking...."how are YOU feeling??" lol. I worked with a lot of Alzheimer's and dementia so they usually would not remember who I even was so sometimes I would just make stuff up. It didn't really matter and it made them happy to talk to someone. Usually just deflecting back to them will work. People love to talk about themselves.

What is your advice for developing and maintaining a professional network? I have had a few jobs as a RN and once I left the company I never remained in contact with anyone I worked with. I also did not remain in contact with anyone from my 2 colleges. The BSN program I went to was local but all online. So keeping in contact with them really would be difficult as I never met my professors except for a couple at graduation. Now that I am looking into applying to graduate school I need references and I don't have a professional network and am scraping the bottom of the barrel for references. All this got me to thinking how important a network can be not only in the case of school but for career advancement. I know that I can not go back and undo what has been done. So what is your best advice for developing and maintaining a professional network? Is your network all co-workers or do you keep in contact with former bosses, teachers, any potential future reference? I know some people become friends with co-workers and keep in contact for that reason but what about when you leave a job where you didn't have friendships outside of work? Do you contact these people prior to leaving a job or school and ask them if they would be willing to be a future reference? I want to grow in my field and develop an excellent professional reputation as I advance my education and career. So any tips or advice on what you do would be great!

I just completed the application process and now waiting to hear about acceptance. I am REALLY nervous about being accepted but the admission counselor told me she like to be about 99% sure when she submits the file for review. Still I'm nervous. I am expecting to start in October. So far I have nothing but positive feelings. The counselor stays in frequent contact with me and has very helpful. Every time I call or email I get a very quick response. I have been reading through some old thread on experiences at MU to see what others are saying. So far I am pleased and excited to get this started! To all you who are a few semesters in how is it going?

I am really sorry. I did not mean to offend. Bedside nursing is crucial to the day to day lives of patients. I actually meant I felt I could make a difference on a larger scale to the nursing profession. For example during my time as an assistant director I implemented new procedures and policies, started activities and groups for patients, and designed programs that boosted employee moral. I took pride in making a difference not only in the lives of the patients at that time but in the patients of the future. I ended up leaving that job because management changed and I no longer felt like I had a place in the future of the company. It seemed the focus moved to making money even at the expense of quality of care. That job was unique and really have not found one like it yet.

I really appreciate the kind words. I have not really had anyone to share all this with. The patients is what is holding me back. I have had great patient experiences. I am a private duty nurse right now and have been with my patient several years. They tell me all the time they do not know what they would do if I wasn't there. They constantly tell me that I am the only nurse they trust. It has been the co-workers and work environments that have pushed me this far. Plus I have found that I don't enjoy bedside care as much. I like making the difference on a larger scale if that makes sense. However the one time I held a position as a manager I just could not get into the role. Either I was too friendly with staff or the staff that I was a B --- for a boss. It didn't help that I had no clear boss to give me guidance as a new manager. This isn't all inclusive just a few examples. I have thought about other types of nursing like case management and things a long that line.... Just I am not sure if I have the right experience and those jobs are sought after around here and go quick.

I am considering leaving the healthcare field all together. I have a BSN and looking into graduate school. I had thought about advancing to a FNP, maybe even DNP eventually, thinking that I may find more satisfaction if I could make a larger impact in the nursing field. However, I have had thoughts of finding a new career all together. I have not had a great experience as a nurse. I know all too well the phrase, "nurses eat their young". The field is just nothing like I thought. So to get to the point: I am looking for suggestions or thoughts on leaving the nursing field. What else is my BSN good for? I have looked into a few things but really I would like thoughts from others. Thank you.