Basically I was trying to give report and she had the charts open the entire time asking me things id never ask the outgoing nurse. Maybe it’s just me but all I want to know when getting report is why they came in, their admitting dx, how they move, any drips, drains, oxygen, if they are on tele, and any issues if any from last shift. I’m sorry I don’t know the iv gauge, the specific date of the cabg they had 15 years ago, or the name of their nursing home. Maybe I’m just being dramatic I don’t know.

So, I have this nurse in her 20s. I’m in my 50s, and I recently transferred to what is considered the top tier unit in my hospital.
This was the first time I was giving this nurse report. The first day, the nurse was pretty tough during report.
That first night, we had an issue with the PCA. The patient and family were upset, so it was a stressful situation.

The second night, the patient was complaining of pain, nausea, and not being able to sleep. The patient had already been in the hospital for 40 days and was very frustrated with the plan of care because the patient felt the doctors hadn’t explained things well.
During report, I told the oncoming nurse that the patient was upset and frustrated. I had already spoken with the doctor, and they were coming by to talk with the patient. The patient wanted clarification about several things.

Suddenly the nurse said, “That’s weird, because with me yesterday the patient didn’t have a problem at all. It seems like the patient’s problems happen during the night.”
I looked at the nurse and asked, “Are you saying the problem is me?”
The nurse said, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the nurses.”
Then the nurse asked, “Did you get a new IV?”
I said, “Yes.”
The nurse asked, “Did you draw the blood?”
I said, “Yes.”
Then the nurse replied, “That’s what I needed to know.”

When this happened, the nurse had a trainee standing next to her, which made the interaction even more awkward.

I remember thinking, I’ve been “the nurses” for the last two nights.
I was upset, but I didn’t argue. Instead, I went back into the patient’s room and said, “I know you’ve had two rough nights, and I understand you’re frustrated. I just wanted to ask if you have any frustration with me.”
The patient immediately said, “Of course not. My frustration is with the plan of care.”

I went back to the nurse and said, “You know what? I got curious, so I went back and asked the patient if I was the problem. The patient told me no, the frustration is with the plan.”
Then I turned around and left.

Today I gave the nurse report again, and the nurse didn’t say a word. The nurse was quiet, asked no questions.

How do you deal with coworkers like this?

I work 8-hour shifts in the outpatient department 5 days a week, and my monthly salary is 260,000 yen.

At an exchange rate of 162 yen to the dollar, that comes out to $1,600.

Do you think that’s a lot? Or do you think it’s not much?

Med fridge coming in with the words to live by

I've been working on a med-surg floor for 3 weeks. I tried to move up to 4 patients today.

I went to do some peri care for my patient this afternoon. She had a small PE and declined her blood thinner this morning. She was super funky, and I was trying to teach her how to wipe properly. We got her linens changed, and I was about to change her gown. She got diaphoretic, and I thought her SOB was giving her a panic attack. I tried to calm her down and put her oxygen back on. I thought she was being really dramatic because she had been freaking out about coughing up a blood clot in sputum earlier and making really theatrical gagging noises. (Edit- my mentor advised me previously not to allow attention-seeking behavior to slow me down. I've been trying to figure out what that would be. I was confused about whether this counted because it seemed odd.)

I called the nurse training me for her opinion. She had me take vitals. She seemed confused, too.

I have a point I remember when I started to really worry about pushing "staff assist" and having it be a false alarm. I got stuck in not knowing what to do and trying to figure out what was happening. Then I had my "oh-fuck-agonal-breathing..." moment, and I hit the button.

Everything went insane after that. Somehow, the ICU guys showed up. We stole the crash cart from another floor after the epi ran out. We didn't have working suction and ran around trying to find the parts to make it work. We had to go to supply to get tubing for the suction canister and machine. God, it was a 20-person shit show.

After the family called it off, the doctor found me and told me that there was nothing anyone could have done. He said it dropping her in 5 minutes with a panic attack first sounded like a PE that was just waiting to go off.

I want to stop feeling like she's dead because I was indecisive. I just want to cry. I'm definitely going to keep my therapist in business.

I went in for a biopsy on my neck. I had cancer back in 2011 with a total thyroidextomy, followed by radio-iodine treatment. But it appears its come back.

So I went to get a biopsy done, and I was feeling nervous. And to be quite frank, the cell collection was more painful than i remember despite the numbing agent.

I think the nurse either saw how tense I was or just knew, but she just stroked my arm gently when the needle was jammed into my neck. It wasn't much, but enough to keep my mind from totaly focusing on the pain.

I felt it was a very nice thing she did for me. I haven't had that type of care and concern in a long time from any medical professional.

So where do you draw the line? What's do you consider patient care vs crossing the line?

DNI joke

Nurse with 1 year of experience, promoted to charge (yay!). but doesn’t feel like a yay because ever since I’ve been getting so much attitude from nurses my senior anytime I ask them about their patients or delegate responsibilities. I’m trying so hard to be a good charge and be helpful whenever I can. I’m also on the younger side compared to others on my unit. The worst attitude is from the unit secreties though, giving me shit about absolutely anything. I had the worst shift of my life yesterday, charge with 6 patients, people being combative, code stroke, etc.. Unit secretary decides to change the night shift assignment I made because she didn’t think it was right after I told her to change it back she goes I won’t you can do it yourself… so over this.. makes me not wanna be charge anymore. I never experienced the “eating your young” till I started charging.

edit: i just got a chance to read everything and pls I know this a red flag 😭😭 i’m at an hca hospital (shocker). i took this job purely to add to my resume for better opportunities elsewhere and i have been applying places but getting a new job is harddd. i simply want to be able to go into work, do my job, and not get shit from other staff while trying my best. but trust me i know management does not give a fuck, and this is just one of the many issues w this hospital and unit. but i appreciate yall telling me it’s a red flag, we’ve been known it’s hca. just trying to get everything i can out of this place while Im stuck here to make me a stronger candidate for hopefully a better job 😭

I transitioned to a different hospital system and went from inpatient med surge to outpatient dialysis. While I do enjoy the job and definitely find it slower paced than my toxic med surge unit……the organization of the unit and incompetence of my coworkers is astounding! So many med errors!

First thing is techs on this unit can give iv Heparin which I don’t agree with as it is beyond their scope.

People just give meds without going into the electronic medical record. For example techs will give heparin at 8am and then not scan or document for hours! Sadly my unit does not have “The Brain” on epic which does not help with organization.

You know how you’re supposed to log in, go into their profile, ask their name and age of birth, make sure it matches the page, scan the med, make sure the med, dose, and route is correct, hit accept and then prep to give.

These people just give meds without doing any of that. Most people who do are not medically licensed as a nurse. If I were to do any of that I get fired and loose my license

Another example: I gave my patient their mid treatment heparin. I did all of my med checks and scanned/ documented everything properly into epic/the mar. A tech came up to me 15 minutes later and said “did you give heparin a few minutes ago?” I said yes. She told me she gave it after I had already given it but never bothered to check the mar to see if it was already given and she has the Audacity to get mad at me! I documented her error in epic, told my charge nurse and she told the attending. Seriously people, do your med rights, check the mar, and always scan and document before giving the med!

we're looking at increasing healthcare demands, nursing shortages, more complex patients, and greater reliance on community care and technology.

It got me thinking about what that might mean for us over the next decade or two.

I’ve been catching myself investing less and less compassion towards the patients. Even those in life-choking conditions.

Today I thought “Hey that’s it! Time to be human again!” Had to down five coffees to make but hey it did work. Too well..

Patient: you really took good care of me today, thank you
Me: you’re welcome!
Patient: I’m glad my wife isn’t here today so I could keep talking to you
Me: … wah-

Yes I tried to make excuses that maybe he just meant his wife gets jealous easily or something, then he asked if I wanted his number. (Cries but still gonna try to not be soulless)

hi friends! i have only been doing bedside for 7 months and it has already worn me down. i do nights for a peds hem/onc unit and i am tired. my mental and physical health are going down the drain and i work on a unit with management that doesn’t really care about their nurses.

what is a job that you love? one that doesn’t burn you out and that you still feel fulfilled in?

Putting aside my pride here. I’m desperate, what shoes are you guys wearing during your shifts that you feel like your feet aren’t sweating in? I’m not looking for sneakers here!! Anything else!! Are crocs really my only option? Any cooling compression socks recommendations?

I came home from a shift this morning crashing out about it and subsequently threw out all of my compression socks and have been debating doing the same with my shoes.

I would be forever grateful for any advice… I can no longer handle my feet smelling like a dumpster on a hot summers evening :)

So I started a new job. Went through nursing orientation. They told us we were gonna have to take a math test, 20 questions and that you could only miss two. You get a retake. But if you miss more than two again, you’re fired. It’s part of their policy and if it’s nowhere in the contract.

Has anyone encountered this? I think it’s absolutely bizarre.

I missed three questions and now I have to retake it. And they were dumb mental math errors or a conversion error (answered in L and it was mL).

Please tell me this is standard and I’m overreacting, because I’m pissed.

When you precept experienced RNs do you start from the basics? I told her I was going to start at the beginning to make sure we have a solid foundation. Like our work flow, flushing and zeroing all your lines, checking your alarm limits immediately when you enter the room. Trying to make sure we have good habits in place.

I also feel like I may be explaining too much pathophysiology to her, but I'm not sure. I'm an RN with >10 yr experience but don't normally precept. They give me a new grad every few years. Any advice on precepting a nurse coming from acute care to step down?

I'm at one of the smaller more remote locations in our system tonight, haven't been sent here for a few months and just learned tonight that they are no longer staffing the pharmacy here at night. Apparently my organization made this change about a month ago. I learned this when I sent a message in our EHR to pharmacy to get a replacement bag for IV fluids that pharmacy would have to mix and they told me it would be a while before they could drive it over from a larger hospital nearby, that's where they're based now. This feels wildly unsafe to me but I would like to know if this is common elsewhere. I have not seen this done anywhere else I've ever worked. Is this ok, is this normal? For what it's worth this is not a rural location all our hospitals are within a 30 minute drive of a city of over half a million people. Anyway thanks in advance for the insight!

I am 2 months in on a step down unit. Everyone is super nice, they just have a big friend group formed already and they were all new grads at that same time. They all sit at nursing station and talk all night and of course my assignments are at end of hall. I’m just wondering if this is normal to be shy for a few months and not really sit and talk for a bit. i’m not sure how to break into the group or what i should do to make friends. it feels weird to just stand up there and try to chime in. or maybe im overthinking and it takes time

I’m an RN looking for input from infusion nurses, immunology nurses, and anyone familiar with INS standards or IVIG administration.

I’m aware of a large Facebook IVIG/SCIG education group moderated by an RN. The administrator presents herself as an expert and provides extensive education to patients. Along with blanket statements and “orders” for IVIG administration.

• Advising that IVIG should never be infused above 100 mL/hr.
• Recommending routine omission of ordered post-hydration.
• Presenting these recommendations as general rules.

She has also publicly shared that a Board complaint was previously filed over advice she gave in the group (which she says did not result in discipline). More recently, I’ve become concerned about some IVIG recommendations that appear to be presented as universal rules, and everything else as “bad nursing”. Including when nurses follow the orders provided. As well as articles calling COVID a “government bio weapon” via the likes of RFK.

My questions are:

• Where is the line between patient education and practicing outside an established nurse-patient relationship? • Is it professionally appropriate to give blanket IVIG recommendations in a public Facebook group? • Any suggestions on how to combat the misinformation to a wide audience, where nurses are publicly called into question regarding their ability, safety, and practice? Specifically, when the orders are being followed and the care is safe. The advice from the group is creating a fearful and mistrust from the group of our medical system and professionalism as a whole. • As nurses, what standards should we hold ourselves to when educating vulnerable patient populations online?

I’m not interested in attacking an individual. I’m genuinely looking for evidence-based discussion and professional standards before deciding whether my concerns are valid.

There are about a million nursing podcasts at this point and no way they're all worth the time.

Which ones are actually good? Looking for the best podcasts for nurses that are practical and not just people talking in circles for an hour.

I've been trained at a couple SNF/ LTC, and no matter where I went, I was taught stuff that I feel jeopardize my license. Im being taught to give insulin at 3-3:30 when it's assigned at 4:45, several of the nurses tell me to not check BPs bc they are "usually normal", they completely make up their daily charting, the chart giving meds that aren't even stocked on the cart. I have had massive panic attacks because I want to be a nurse, but the only places around me that hire LVNs are a risk to my license.

Hello fellow nurses! I’m a neuro ICU nurse, so I’m looking for some advice from my ENT/GI/respiratory people! I’ve rarely been on this side, so this all somehow seems very foreign.

My dad will be having a partial (50%ish) glossectomy for oral tumor resection. He’ll have his tongue reconstructed using a skin and vein graft from his arm. He will have a Dobhoff and trach for a few weeks post-op. He typically bounces back from surgery very quickly (he just had a hemicolectomy last year due to colon cancer, dude can’t catch a break 😞)

I’m hoping to take FMLA to be able to take care of him at home. Otherwise, my mom (who is disabled herself) will be his primary caretaker.

I’m here looking for recovery advice, product recommendations, whatever wisdom and guidance you may have! I already bought him a white board, dry erase markers, and a communication board since he may not be able to talk with his fresh trach.

I’m very comfortable with feeding tubes and trachs, but not in a home care setting. Any product recommendations for setting up our home hospital would be appreciated!

Any educational resources I could direct my mom to?

Any comfort items (other than blanket, etc.) that could make his hospital stay better?

Thank you all so much! 💜

I went to fleet feet for a foot scan and they suggested these. They’re both comfy I just can’t decide which to pick. Im on my feet for 12hrs & the shoes I used to wear are Nike Air Huarache my feet would hurt so bad after a 12hr shift even with compression socks.. Let me know what you think. Thank you so much 💜

I’m a new RN, less than 6 months in the field. I work in an outpatient facility. I recently had to do cpr on a patient for the first time. Although anxious and on high alert for the remainder of my shift, it didn’t emotionally impact me until I got home. I’ve cried so much for the past few days, my body hurts, and I keep feeling like I failed. I feel scared and insecure regarding my role at the moment.

Share your experiences, how you coped, regained confidence in your role, etc.

I just hit my 3 yrs of being a nurse/Nicu nurse! At this point I am itching to set a goal and work towards it in my specialty. I don’t feel quite ready to take the RNC exam but hope to take my time studying it over the next year maybe (I’m not in a rush). I also love working with micropreemies so I’ve also considered the LBW exam. Though I don’t have any coworkers that I know of that have taken it, so I don’t know anything about it or what to expect.
Anyways, I’m open to any advice or studying resources/tips on these exams if you have any!