PICUGuy

40 bed PICU - 2 charge nurses (one for cardiac side, one for neuro/trauma side) both without assignment. We also have two resource nurses for day shift and one resource nurse for night shift.

Well, maybe nurses should make that a deciding factor, and then administrators might actually have to show us more respect. I have to say, while it's nothing personal, this sort of thinking really gets to me. As long as nurses berate each other for wanting something they're entitled to, or insinuate that nurses have no power in their workplace, administrators will continue to take advantage of us. In most other fields, if you're an hourly employee, you get your breaks. Companies that don't give their hourly employees breaks often face class action lawsuits or fines. (The hospital I work for fixed that by making us "salaried professionals". No break? No problem! And I'm part of the problem because I put up with it to have their name on my resume. ) But it really shouldn't be seen as unreasonable for someone to want to leave a job because they aren't getting the paid / unpaid breaks they are entitled to. Unfortunately, nursing culture currently dictates otherwise... In any case, that job sounds awful for a variety of reasons, and I know I wouldn't want to stick around.

I also have an MSN Ed. I second what Juan stated. Check with your facility to see if they have openings. If they don't, you might consider looking for Nursing Fundamentals clinical instructor positions. Those clinicals often take place in LTC facilities, which would make you an ideal candidate, and it would give you some experience in hands on education similar to an in house clinical nurse educator. Once you have formal experience as an educator, a lot of new doors will open. Good luck to you!

We always use "My kid" or more commonly "My friend". I think it's nice. :)

That's exactly what I thought too. And sadly I feel that it says a lot about us as nurses. Just comply, because there's nothing you can do about it... (Perhaps working in hospitals where many of us feel powerless has left us drained of the will to fight? :-/ ) My advice: don't comply if you know it's wrong! Stand up for yourself. Make the points you made here regarding the student handbook. If you have documents that clearly state that you would receive your AOG the next business day, bring those up. Ask why students weren't made aware of this change earlier. Demand answers and keep the school accountable. (And keep written records!) Do this all in a friendly, matter-of-fact manner, and take it from there. No need to jump to lawyers if they say you're right. We as nurses tend to be great for advocating for our patients, but often forget to look out for ourselves. Nurses must start standing up for ourselves more often...so why not start now? :) Good luck to you!

As a Hopkins hospital nurse, I would like to set the record straight: there is no singular technique for wiping. That's amatuer hour. A thorough assessment should take place before even thinking about wiping. Each patient's perennial area is like a flower, uniquely different, and should be treated as such. Additionally, dimethicone wipes are the only choice. You can imagine my embarrassment when, due to lack of proper training at my No Name nursing School, I asked where the baby wipes were on my first day of orientation. Oh, the egg on my face that day! Clearly, Hopkins Hospital will have to think twice before hiring another low breed nurse like myself. ;-)

I guess I just don't see the point necessarily. I went to a no name school for undergrad and ended up getting a job at the Hopkins PICU. So if your end game is to work at one of the top hospitals, a degree from a prestige school isn't necessary. I finished my MSN Ed from a no name school, and decided to look into NP programs due to a lack of educational jobs in my area. I was accepted to the two programs I applied to (Hopkins and Georgetown). I got in because of my grades at the no name schools, and because of the clinical experience I got at Hopkins. So if your end game is to go to one of the top schools for a graduate degree, going to a prestige school isn't necessary. Then life happened and I had to defer going back to school for the moment. However, I talked to the NPs working on my unit and found that only one of them went to a high end school (Vanderbilt), and all of them told me not to waste money on a prestigious school because in the end employers don't really care all that much. So apparently, if your end game is to be a provider for a top institution, you still don't need to go to a prestigious school! Still don't know what I will do personally when I do go back...but it makes me want to rethink dropping $1600/credit! I suppose for someone like me who would be happy teaching or eventually working as a provider at a private practice, it just doesn't seem necessary. Especially when it's my clinical experience that has been opening doors.

Some NP programs specifically want bedside experience, some do not. Your choice to move into management instead of building more clinical skill might limit the programs that you can be accepted into; but I don't believe it will completely exclude you from being able to move forward into an FNP program. Just check out programs you are interested in and see what their requirements are. I'm sure you'll be fine. :)

Just seeing this thread. I'm a guy who landed a job in the PICU (level 1, regional trauma and burn) as a new grad and absolutely love my choice. Is it hard? Yes. Very. It's a lot to ask of a new grad, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. The care we provide is just as intense as what is provided on an adult unit, but I feel like the emotional baggage is a bit heavier. Mind you, I haven't worked in adult crital care, so I can't truly compare the two; but losing a child is really difficult, and it doesn't get easier , you just learn to cope with it more efficiently. I work at a 40 bed PICU with high acuity. Right now we have 4 patients on ECMO who are fighting every moment of every day...but we also have plenty of little ones who are post op and just need a little extra care. But that's part of what makes it great. There is such a range and you never know what your day/night is going to be like. I hope by now you feel good about your choice! Let us know how it's going if you have a minute to update. Good luck to you!