Serhilda

Yeah I absolutely couldn't care less when patients threaten to make complaints. Roll your eyes at this idiocy and move on. You should be angry at them for their disrespect, not the other way around.

When the doc sees the patient and tells them they're going to be discharged today, they're no longer NPO, etc... But haven't and won't put orders in for hours.

Interesting. Any other race would be urged to file a complaint of racial discrimination and decry racism in this situation. But instead, you're expected to walk on eggshells in various ways or leave. The choice is yours. Personally, I've dealt with people like this, and grew up with people with her mindset, and you'll never discourage their behavior by trying to reason with them. Some people are just hateful, racist, and nasty and they won't shut up until they're held accountable, I.e. by management in this situation. I'd report it, anticipate the report to go nowhere sadly, and line up another job. It shouldn't be that way but it is in modern times.

Absolutely NOT. The recidivism rate is extremely high for pedophiles and a profession such as nursing wouldn't be tolerant of that.

Just move on. I know some Florence Nightingales will roll in to encourage you to snitch on yourself, but literally, nothing good will come of it. It'll only make you look suspicious that you waited two weeks to come forward.

I was a "frequent flyer" in elementary school and there was certainly more going on. I went without help for years because of nurses with this attitude. Sometimes these kids have absolutely no idea how to ask for help, no matter what the issue is. Sometimes they're overwhelmed with shame and hide what the actual problem/pain really is. Try to get a little bit more information each day about the child and trust that something is indeed wrong. It's really heartbreaking to see school nurses dismiss these kids as attention-seeking or dramatic though. You don't know them or their motivations.

Doesn't really take a seasoned nurse to answer this honestly, but most nurses I've known have gotten their BSN ASAP after graduating and that's with full time work and full time school. If you have any doubts about your time management between school and work, or even if you just want more of a social life, give yourself a few months then enroll in school, at least part time. It's very doable.

I don't think they're going to have higher expectations just because you were a tech in another SICU. Being a nurse and being a nursing assistant are very, very different and they'll understand that. You have a nice plan so far with learning more about pressors, sedatives, and vents. Understanding why you're doing what you're doing and what the signs and symptoms of complications are is the only thing I'd add to your list. You say you'll be learning about balloon pumps, for example. Do you know the indications for that procedure? How does it work? What about the nursing care after it's inserted? How will you know if the IABP is doing what it should be doing? What will you do if it's not? These are the types of questions you should be going over. I wouldn't go crazy with studying though because you'll learn a lot on orientation.

I've worked both (though my time in the ER was significantly less than ICU) and I'd have to go with ICU. There are so many patients that just don't need to be in the ER that half the time, I wasn't learning much. I've gotten to use much more of my knowledge of pharm and patho because ICU patients have a lot more going on than some 22 year old with chest pain or a 1 year old with a runny nose.

Reusing N95's is unfortunately still occurring around the country although from what I've heard, using them for multiple weeks at a time is less common now. I haven't heard of units staffing tele floors quite that poorly but likely, California (like Massachusetts, where I am currently) passed a law to exempt employers from abiding by staffing laws due to the pandemic. Can't say for sure. My non-union hospital has been upstaffing due to the pandemic actually. Given all the nurses that have been laid off/furloughed, there's no excuse for not cross-training them to adequately staff other floors. Just my two cents.

Telling someone they shouldn't have even bothered to become a nurse is grossly inappropriate. I'm sorry that happened. A lot of times, the unit's culture can be a big influencing factor on a person's success during orientation. It drives the expectations, the norms, and the standards. Some are more understanding than others if you make a mistake while others attribute every action as a reflection of your critical thinking/competence. Going into a level 1 trauma ICU isn't a good idea for any new grad, but I have no doubt you'd do perfectly fine elsewhere with a more typical acuity.

I'm sure we've all heard this before, but why not go ahead and define power in this sense. Who and what does it look like, specifically, and how is this something exclusive for white people?

Shove it all in the breakroom, problem solved. When leftist opinions aren't allowed to be front and center in any aspect of life though, outcry ensues. Mind you, I'm saying this as someone who typically votes democrat but I can't help acknowledging the obvious. If you treat "black lives matter" posts as you would every other post and categorize them appropriately, you're racist and not acknowledging a "public health crisis." Politics/biases affect nursing, be it misogyny, homophobia, etc. None are more deserving of attention. Honestly, it's just another way to twist people's arms into broadcasting certain views and certain views only.

I switched from a union hospital to a non-union hospital here in Massachusetts. Guess which one had better PPE and pay? Needless to say, I'll never work for a union hospital again if I can avoid it. All the MNA did was write a ~strongly worded~ letter to the hospital I previously worked for. They were shaking in their boots at the union's power, I'm sure. So afraid they proceeded to cut 401k contributions a couple weeks later. Man, just wait until they read the next letter. That'll show 'em!

I'm assuming you're in an accelerated BSN program with a previous bachelor's degree? If so, yes I would take this position for the reasons stated above. It's incredibly difficult for new graduates to find a job right now and many that did land jobs, are being let go during orientation. It's less costly to fire the new grad than to lay off the nurse with 2 years of experience. If you have your ADN and a current job though, wait for the ideal location. I will say though, there's never "one chance" to work in any specialty. Just keep that in mind.