MyAimIsTrue

At my hospital most patient deaths are "RN pronounce," which means you don't need a doc to call/confirm it. I appreciate that. But is there a specific methodology to confirming death? I had a comfort care patient die last week and it was my first RN pronounce (and yes, you do need a second nurse there). I felt for carotid pulse, observed no respirations and the other nurse listened for heartbeat with her stethoscope. But is there more to it? Do you need to listen for a specific amount of time? I will admit I got a little paranoid later and thought, "What if we sent him to the morgue and he wasn't dead!" Obviously I should have asked at the time, but I didn't, and it seems terrible to ask after the fact. I'm still a newish RN BTW.

You will learn more on days, especially time management. I started on days, and now am on nights at a different hospital. My learning has slowed way down, so I'm grateful for that first year on days.

You might like night shift on med/surg. It's definitely a slower pace and you're not having to deal with families, doctors, etc.

Nor Cal is hard, hard, hard for new grads. Most people I know didn't have connections at the hospitals where they were hired. They were just lucky (and interviewed well, I guess). Be prepared for a difficult job search and be open to working in the Central Valley for experience.

My heels slide right out of Dansko's. I have a pair of Softwalk that I love, but I just ordered another pair in the same size and they don't fit at all. Sooo disappointed! How do Sanitas fit? I like the look of them.

You will be fine. Five weeks is nothing. I've been a nurse for over a year and forgot to give 6 am meds to one of my patients just a couple weeks ago. It's a new job for me and I just plain forgot. It was written down on my brain and everything. The day shift nurse called me as I was driving home to ask if I had given them, but forgotten to scan them. I had to say no, I forgot entirely. I was embarrassed and it will not happen again (had never happened before either). Your first year will be hard, then you turn a corner and realize how far you've come. Your first day off orientation will be terrifying and you will still be asking a million questions, but you can do it!

We use Hospira Plum. I'm not a fan. I'm very comfortable with Alaris, but was disappointed that my new (and better) employer uses Hospira. They seem overly complicated to me, and what a pain trying to find the programmed meds.

Night shift is hard for me, but I'm doing it. You have a few days to gradually shift your sleep schedule, so take advantage of that. Be prepared to be exhausted for your first shift, and then just tired for all your shifts after that. Daytime sleeping means you need blackout curtains, maybe a white noise machine, and a means to keep your room cool/cold. Also try to eat before you sleep. Good luck. Some people love NOC shift. I do not.

I'm a second-career RN, not a millennial. First job: county hospital, one year. Left because bad commute, low pay, difficult working conditions Second job: much nicer hospital, two months so far. Much better commute, big pay increase, night shift, very boring compared to county. I wish I loved my new job, but maybe with time I will.

I thought tap water for the programmed Q4H free water flush was fine, because the GI tract is hardly sterile! So why did the order say to use sterile water for the flush? It was ordered by the dietician, not the MD, if that makes a difference.

I had never heard of this until last week, when I cared for a sickle cell pt with h/o moyamoya.

Are you speaking specifically of Kaiser, or just generally? I absolutely agree that money isn't everything...

I just started nights and it is not for me. I hate leaving for work when my family is heading to bed and then sleeping through all the beautiful sunshine. And night shift at my hospital is S L O W. I am bored. I worked day shift at a different hospital and it was crazy busy and mentally and physically exhausting, but I was never bored. I am wishing for a compromise between the two! Maybe PM shift... But if you want to try days you may as well apply. At my hospital it goes by seniority, if a day or PM position ever opens up. Which is rare.

I might have an offer at Kaiser, but am worried about burning a bridge at my current hospital, where I've been working for only one month. It seems like Kaiser nurses are, in general, a little disgruntled, but stay for the high wages and benefits. My current hospital has happy nurses, good support in terms of CNAs, lines team, lift team, etc, but I am stuck on night shift and have already figured out that night shift is not for me. Pay is a tiny bit lower than Kaiser, but I don't really care about that. Kaiser nurses want to weigh in? This is Nor Cal, BTW.

What if there are no fluids ordered? Is it okay to hang a bag of NS as primary? What if they are on fluid restriction?