choughlesRN

There are obviously exceptions, but I really think that cases like yours are the exception, rather than the rule. ED is a little bit of a unique animal, in a lot of ways, compared to inpatient specialties, as well. I also think that the post-COVID new grad is in a different position than you or I were when we started.

I think all new grads should start in med-surg, any specialty. You learn so many valuable skills that will take you anywhere. I'm not sure how a Level II NICU stacks up in terms of "normal" vs abnormal babies, but I know of a number of new grads who really struggled starting out in specialties like ICU, L&D, etc.

Holy cow do they crump fast. I'm in stepdown, rather than critical care, but the patients that we upgrade, we upgrade FAST. To the point where we have standing protocols to notify the COVID/ID team immediately with any changes in respiratory requirements. Have you all noticed the young (40s) guys being hit pretty hard, too? We've sent 2 to the unit in a week. Our COVID team is calling it the real man flu ?

My hospital has issued some guidelines and recommendations for high-risk staff who may work with COVID/PUIs, basically saying that supervisors/managers have been given some leeway or guidance in terms of possibly reassigning those staff. The staff just need to be very clear with the supervisors as far as why they're high risk.

Give it a year. You'll feel so much better. Some of our new nurses have started to pick up shifts occasionally. Those may help you feel more comfortable, however it can also make you feel overwhelmed, if you need the time off work. Play it by ear.

I'm planning to get a tattoo on my ring finger when I get married. That way, I can keep my ring at home, but still have something on me.

Shame on you. The system is designed to make it incredibly difficult for trans* individuals to transition. People like you who consider being trans* "fake" or "a phase" are a huge part of the problem. Trans* individuals have more than enough barriers to begin with. They don't need you making it any worse. I just pray you have the good sense to keep these thoughts to yourself, especially around children.

I'm an ENFJ, on the border between E and I, and J and P. Definitely a borderline human.

As tolerated is a magical phrase. I'm on stroke/tele, so we don't do a ton of surgery, but generally, I follow the surgeon's lead. If the surgeon thinks it's safe to ambulate the patient on POD 0, so do I. PT at our hospital may wait until POD 1 to see patients after a craniotomy or other surgery, but unless I have bedrest orders or my patient's unable, they're UP.

Not an NP yet, but I have left jobs before. I can imagine a response going something like, "I feel that my role has expanded far beyond my contract, and I haven't been able to modify my contract to fit the expanded role. So I have had to look for another position where I will be able to better conform my contract to my role." Or something along those lines that makes it clear that the reason for leaving is due to work conditions.

Frankly, it depends on a patient's mental status. If I'm doing neuro checks or have questions about the patient's orientation, I do it just about every time. Easy way to get A&O x1 out of the way. If anyone gives me guff or questions, I explain that it's a legal safety issue.

THAT I can understand. Same idea as not using the bathroom in a patient's room.

45 minutes on a bad day, 35 on a good one. I find it rough, but I've been doing it, in variations, for 3 years. I plan my drive to 1) avoid the worst traffic and 2) get to work in time to take a 5-10 minute catnap.

Our hospital has volunteers who can assist patients down to the front door, however hospital policy requires that they use a wheelchair. If a patient wants to walk, though, I'll walk downstairs with them. My only requirement personally is that he or she has a staff member or volunteer with them. I also try to chart pretty thoroughly on my patients' ambulatory capability: they walked 300 ft twice during the morning. This way, it's pretty clear what they are capable of doing.

We can only request 1 weekend/year. But we don't have a ton of other restrictions on PTO use