susummers1

Don't be insulted. I have worked in hospitals that have them and they never really were perceived as a big issue. It helped remind us and visitors to be quiet. Most facilities are probably doing it because quiet environment is an HCAHPS question. I would think that you can't be the only unit in your facility that got one, if you are then be insulted.

I'm sorry that this is all making you feel this way. Nursing is wonderful. School is tough and so is working in the nursing field. But like any job people complain and vent. It makes it much easier to deal with some of the hard stuff that is going on on a daily basis. I've learned that no matter where you go those are the things people complain about everywhere (boss, hours, not getting paid enough, customers being rude, etc). But there are wonderful patients that you think about and say this is why your doing it, for the amazing co-workers you have and make the job fun, and for all the marvelous opportunities you have to increase your knowledge, see things no one else gets to see, help develop new techniques to assist others getting better, working different populations of people. Nursing may be a job for some but I truly love it, even if I complain about it at the same time. I couldn't imagine and don't want to about not being a nurse.

Recently this topic has come up at my facility. Our providers are not required to keep their BLS, it's not even a requirement for the job. Our specialists (hospitalist, trauma surgeons, mostly inpatient) are required to have ACLS, ATLS etc. But our clinic doc aren't required to have anything. So my question is what is required at your facilities? Doesn't this seem unsafe. Do the clinic doctors panic and call their nursing staff who are required to have BLS?

I agree with most everything I have read! 1. Managers who are so out of touch 2. short staffing 3. rude patients and families 4. double charting 5.the constant audits that show areas for improvement but no one is held accountable so it stays the same forever and people continue pointless audits. Probably could go on and on! To end on a positive note though one thing I love is nursing sense of humor!!

It honestly depends, will you be staying on the west coast? If so the salaries out there are much higher than most other states. I moved from a relatively large community in Illinois to a smaller one in North Dakota and the salary for nursing is about the same. Now for some reason the cost of living in North Dakota is about double what it was back in Illinois. So that's not fun, but it's overall a better community and super family friendly place so that's better. I moved out here for my husband as well, because like you said nursing is a job you can do anywhere. Best of luck.

They usually just like for you to schedule that much time for them in case it does go over. They may have a peer interview portion, a tour, or even have you meet with HR to go over benefits prior. Congrats

Definitely let your supervisor know. Did you talk with the patient to see if they did in fact receive their medication early that one day? The person did own up to the mistakes to you but if she did not inform the supervisor or "write up" the mistakes as they mentioned they would, I would worry about medication diverting. Some of the things you said "quick to anger, impatient" make me question if this could be a reason. It's always best to remember it's your license and you want to protect it, you worked hard for it.

If you like patient care but not the huge patient load have you thought about and ICU setting or maybe a clinic job? If you are good at what you do but intimidated by the large ratios maybe look into the specialized care a bit more where the patient loads are smaller, the patients are a bit more challenging. I know people who like being OR circulators, or pre-op scrub nurses, or even PACU nurses. Those might be good fits. Try looking into those, see if you can shadow before you accept your next position to make sure you have a feel for the position. Once in, I would say give it at least a year if you can. I would just suggest if already in at a facility and you think it won't work let them know and see if they can work with you to give you something you want. After all they put time and effort into recruiting you, they should want to do everything to keep you at their organization. Best of luck, you'll find something you like I promise!

In one of my jobs I encountered horizontal violence. At the time I was not aware of what was happening but I knew I was unhappy, would cry all the time and dread my job. I ended up leaving that job shy of a year because I was ready to quit nursing. The next job I went to had a class that was mandatory on horizontal violence and it made everything click with how I was feeling and what had been happening. At the previous facility no one got reprimanded for their behavior or how they treated others. It was a horrible situation. I am very glad I left it.

If you want to get nursing skills I would go to a medical/surgical unit, or even a rehab. Those types of units would help with basic nursing skills, intuition, and confidence building. I would suggest maybe a facility with a residency program that has you do classes and continually builds upon your knowledge and skills. I would also recommend pairing up with a mentor/preceptor that you feel comfortable talking to and asking questions. It can be challenging in the beginning but once you do find your niche it gets better.

I spent my first check on a new car. Mine was falling apart and I had had it since high school.