peachypurple

I've been a nurse for 2 years now, all of that time has been in the ICU. I recently got a new job at a new facility, because I was unhappy with my old facility (bad management and supervision). I'm almost a month into my new job, and I've realized that ICU is not for me. I thought I was burnt out just because of my facility, but it's not, it's the environment itself. But I don't know what other specialty I'd like to work in. I don't want to be that nurse who changes jobs like crazy, but our profession is so broad that there has to be a niche for everyone and staying in a job that makes you unhappy is pointless. I can internally transfer jobs after 6 months. So I'm going to stick out the next 5 months and look into transferring If I am still feeling this way. How did other people out there find their niche?

A big one I've leaned that sometimes dying is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. On the other hand, if a seemingly stable patient tells you something like I just don't feel right, I don't feel like I'm gonna make it out of the hospital...”. It's about to hit the fan. And it will always be that super sweet patient that you genuinely enjoy taking care of.

I requested Christmas off, it was denied and I was scheduled anyway. I didn't request thanksgiving or New Years, so I'm not upset about working those. I'm mainly upset that the one holiday I requested off I get scheduled, making it 3 holidays in a row that I've worked.

Just wondering what everyone's experience is about working the holidays as a full time staff nurse. I worked Thanksgiving this year and am also scheduled for Christmas, New Years Eve and New Years Day. I believe this is excessive. I understand working holidays and I know we all have to, and I don't usually mind, but 3 major holidays in a row is a bit much. I've been at my job almost 2 years now, so I'm not even the "youngest" so to speak on my shift. I also worked Christmas Eve and New Years last year. My hospital doesn't have a specific policy about full time employee holiday requirements, just one on per diem employees. So that's why I'm asking for a little bit of advice on here, to see what others are expected to work and if I am justified in thinking that expecting a person to work 3 holidays in a row is excessive.

for me it depends on 1. the status of the patient and 2. the offgoing nurse and what they're doing at shift change. If they're still trying to get caught up on a patient I'll go in the room with them and ask if there's a way I can help. That way you lay eyes on the patient and can see if they are in any sort of distress or if the nurse is just tidying up things. If the offgoing nurse is someone who I know I can trust and he/she says "I just checked on the patient, no needs at this time, resting quietly" I'll scan over the chart before I go in to see the patient. If it's a nurse who is known to leave you a mess (and we all know it happens unfortunately) I'll head in the room right after report. We don't do bedside report so I'm gonna really try to get in the habit of having the offgoing shift help me turn and resposition the patient before they leave, that way I can glance at the patient/drips/vent settings and clarify anything if need be.

I was hired for nights as a new grad, but did 6 months orientation on day shift. I thought I was a day person until I finally got to nights. I could never get myself in bed early when I was on days. I would stay up until 12-1am and have to be awake by 5am. On nights, I always get atleast 7 hours of sleep between shifts. I eat healither for the most part on nights-our cafeteria is closed at night, so most of the time I cook my own food to take with me. You really get to know your coworkers and they are your best resource on nights. My night shift coworkers all work together and as a team, together I feel like we can handle anything lol. The one bad thing for me is that when working nights, your first "day off" isn't even really a day off. You sleep most of the day away, and if you don't and make yourself get up after only a couple hours of sleep you feel like garbage. I find it easier to block my nights together,

I'm a new grad working in the ICU on days. I love it. I'm learning so much and my coworkers are great. However, I'm about to be pulled off orientation and I'm scared. I'm not scared because I think I'm not ready-im sure nobody ever feels "ready" but I feel okay about coming off orientation in a month. I'll have about a month of night orientation then I'll be on my own working nights. And this is what scares me-staffing. It's mainly travel nurses and new grads. There's maybe 2 full time regular staff that work nights. I just don't really feel comfortable with this, paired with 3 patient assignments bc we are still short staffed. I see my experienced coworkers struggling with these assignments, and I just can't help but worry about how it's gonna be on nights with new grads and travelers. I don't want to compromise patient safety along with my newly acquired nursing license. So I'm considering finding a new job. I know staffing is not great anywhere-but it has to be better than this. I know it looks bad also to leave a job with less than a year experience. But will potential new employers understand my concerns? Just looking for some feedback to see if anyone else has been in a similar situation

I have a preceptor who changes my charting every single time.... a lot of the patients on my unit use bipap at night or while they are sleeping, and switch over to nasal cannula when they're awake. We usually keep it on the patient until breakfast time. So at 7am when I go in to assess my patients, they're usually still on the bipap, so I chart that on their respiratory section with the settings and how they're tolerating it, etc. On orientation our preceptors look over our assessments and every single time this preceptor will change my respiratory section. This preceptor changes it over to document that the patient is on however many lifers NC. And every time I say "but they were on bipap at 7am" and the answer I get is "well now they're on 4L NC" I feel like this is a bad practice. I'm going to document what I see at 7am when I do my first assessment. Then, I can make a note at 8:15 or whatever time they switch over..."patient switched from bipap to 4L NC, tolerating well, will continue to monitor blah blah blah"

In my opinion, UWorld was way harder than my second nclex. I finished all questions and my score wasn't great, I can't remember exactly but it was between 50-60%. Studying the rationales is the important thing I got out of UWorld. There were several questions on my nclex that I was like "this is what they are asking me to determine if I'm a competent nurse!?" lol. It took me about 40 mins to finish in 75. I'm not sure if my first nclex was a lot harder or if I just wasn't prepared

UWorld and a calm attitude will change your life. First time I took nclex, I used Kaplan. It confused the crap out of me but I didn't try any other study material. I was extremelyyyyyy nervous going into it. Had a panic attack in the middle of my exam. Took all 265 and failed. Second time, I used UWorld. I didn't have the best end score when I finished but I studied the rationales hard and retook the questions I missed several times. And I didn't panic. I kept a calm, cool attitude. Took 40 mins and 75 questions...and honestly the test seemed easy. I know it wasn't "easy" but UWorld is harder in my opinion and prepared me well.

You are right, I've not worked the floor. And I can't imagine having 6 or so patients to keep up with. I didn't mean it to sound like they have it easy-because I know they don't. But also...if the patient is hospitalized for sepsis and COPD exacerbation, I just kinda think that's a more important history than 'substance abuse'. Maybe they don't use SBARs on their floor, but we do and that's one of the first things listed,reason for hospitalization. Our pulmonologist was up on the floor, he's the one who sent the patient to ICU. I assumed that he would relay to the floor nurse "hey patient went into ARDS, that's why we're transferring to ICU" but maybe he didn't, and maybe that's why she didn't relay it to me. I wasn't even flustered honestly until she shook the chart in my face while I was trying to move the patient to our bed and get the venti mask on her, I was just thinking I don't care where you set the chart as long as I can keep this pt breathing I'm happy lol.

I don't mind taking report on the phone but please tell me things that are relevant. I got report today from a floor nurse who was transferring her pt. up to ICU...all I got on the phone was "shortness of breath, can't keep her sats above 80, history of drug use and anemia"...come to find out she was in ARDS from sepsis, on top of having a COPD exacerbation. I'm a new grad so I admit I probably should've asked her a few more questions as to why she was getting sent to ICU for SOB but it was our 3rd patient and I was a bit flustered lol but I also felt like those were pretty big "no brainers". Also when the patient got up to the unit, we were trying to get her situated and the floor nurse had the chart in her hand and was talking to me but I didn't quite hear her so I said "What is it?" (as in "what did you say?") and she shook the chart in my face and said "this is the patients chart!" yikes lol

Ahh that must be so nice! I might need to upgrade crock pots because mine doesn't have a timer

For everyone using crock pots, does it not burn even on low setting? If I put stuff in the crock pot before work, that's 0600 and i don't get home until 1930 (on a good day lol). It just seems that over 13 hours to cook is a long time to me, even on low setting.

Me too! I have good hand hygiene while I'm working, but I know people out in public don't wash their hands like I do. I can't eat at buffets for this very reason. Grosses me out lol. I shower before work and that's it, unless of course I had an extra gross day or a body fluid got on me. When I get fluids on my body at work, I've been known to take a bleach wipe to my arm lol.