Control Issues

It is an effort for any nurse to be able to do what is needed for a patient, while keeping in mind that the patient has a need and a want to be in charge of their own care. I fondly call this "patient directed care".

To say that nurses are undeniably busy to the point of almost overworked is a huge understatement. We have a great deal of pressure to chart on time, give meds on time, assess, give prn's, and the list goes on and on. Most often, with that little voice in one's head continuing to repeat "smile, introduce, as about pain, what can I do for you...." and the numerous other "key questions" that are supposed to make a patient feel as if they are well cared for.

To put another thought process out there, is it ever feasible to let a patient lead their care, within some guidelines that are subtly put forth by the nurse? For example, "Today, our goal is to get you walking. I KNOW, sounds scary, right? What I would like to try first is to get you into the chair. Would you like to do that now, or after breakfast?" Or, "We need to get you into a shower. CNA Xyz is here today, and she is AWESOME, will be just like a spa!! Think about what time you would like to do that, she is here until 3, so I will send her in to discuss this with you". Read More

Poll: Thank You Notes to Patients?

Do any of you hand write thank you notes? If you do, what do you say? My facility sends pre-printed notes that all of us sign, but for the last month or so I've started sending a relatively generic hand-written note to all of my patients who are discharged home... I work on an oncology unit, so many of our families receive sympathy cards instead. With that said, what is or is not appropriate to say in a thank you note? Read More

Me time. Do not enter!

A nursing career can be stressful. If you don't plan accordingly it can lead to burnout. Do you have a 'relaxation time'? A time scheduled just for you where you can take a nap, enjoy a glass of vintage wine, or just take a nice warm bubbly bath. Share details about your 'me time' below. Read More

What do you do about doctors who don't write scripts for narcotics/sleeping pills etc?

We sometimes have doctors who say they are going to send in new scripts right away. The problem is that they say they are going to do it and then they don't. Of course, the resident and the family members are upset because so and so is in pain and the doctor didn't write the scripts. What do you do to get your doctors to write scripts? Read More

Will it ever feel better?

When will I start feeling better at the end of each shift? Right now I often leave feeling yucky about myself. I leave feeling like I "didn't do the best job I could". I hate that feeling. I hate leaving feeling like maybe I could have done more during my 12 hours. I also hate feeling like maybe the next shift's nurse thinks poorly of me. Does my confidence just need to grow? This morning I left feeling awful about myself and want to leave feeling good! Various things kept running through my brain wondering if I forgot to do something. Will this just improve with time? I am starting to feel defeated and while still new, not too new at this! Read More

Getting Re-acquainted with Cardiac Step-down and the Darn Computer System Called EPIC

Just had open house orientation this week and will be taking tele course soon. Then ACLS and on the floor for the hands on orientation.

I know that the hands on clinical will come with a little bit of time. However - the computer system called EPIC.....well - that is a different story! And I am someone that is well acquainted with computers..........Just not this software program.

We went through some of the EPIC orientation this week, but still feel lost. Even, just getting started assigning patients to yourself seems to be a bit of a task. If I can get past this, well - then I think the rest will come a bit easier. This appears to be a better program than the facility I came from had - but geez!

Does anyone have any recommendations for someone like me coming back to the bedside and experiencing EPIC for the first time? I really would like to self study at home.

Any web sites out there for tutorials? I know that the software can be somewhat hospital specific - but I would like to think the basics are fairly similar. Read More

Are You An Innie or An Outie? Personality Testing And You

Personality testing provides a lot of information about a person's character. For example, are you an introvert or an extrovert? The writer found this helpful and revealing many years ago, and applied it to her own life, in her career and in her relationships. Nowadays, however, it is common for employers to use these assessments to help screen potential candidates for open positions. This article explains personality testing and its application. Read More

Cry for help: I don't think I can do this.

I'm amazed at the minimal authority nurses seem to wield over of their own work environment and their status as first sacrificial lamb up for the slaughter from a legal perspective if something goes awry. I don't see how new nurses ever make the cut as most of them appear to lack support. I have heard so many horror stories from experienced nurses who were humble and transparent enough to be honest with me about what they encountered when they first entered into the field. Obviously they went on to overcome the difficulties they faced, but...

... holy crap! Is this field as terrible as I think it is? How does anyone ever manage to do this? Do the chest-rending anxiety and terror eventually go away, do things begin to fall into place one you get out of school, get your license and find a job - you know, when you have to slog through all the things you've come to hate for even more hours every week - or am I going to be Googling "I hate nursing", "non-nursing jobs with BSN degree" and "getting out of nursing" until 3am every night through all of it?

I know that no one can answer these questions for me - they are, in essence, rhetorical. But I wonder - is what I'm experiencing normal? Am I going to pieces for no reason, or am I just not cut out to do this? Read More

The "Q" Word and Other Mysteries

Found this on Facebook and it made me laugh, I am always shushing people who start to stay the "Q" word (quiet), because usually when someone remarks on how quiet it is, suddenly, it's not.

What are some other things that you say/think? Myths, superstitions, "sure signs" that you know of as a nurse? And yes, this is what is called a "fun thread" so let's not make it all serious and junk lol. Read More!

10 camp lessons

I have learnt many lessons about camp nursing. It is a specialty with a steep learning curb, and a distinct lack of information. allNurses is one of the premiere sources of guidance for camp nurses, I hope this article helps build upon an already good foundation.

First, there are no experts! The truth is that very few camps have full-time nurses and a lot of camps don't have many returning staff. Even those who do generally only continue camping until their life circumstances prevent them from returning. The result is that most nurses don't log enough time to really consider themselves... Read More...

I'm curious do you experience this too?

The more nurses I speak to about this the more I hear about how long it takes to find stuff. Stuff like equipment, items from the store/stock room, finding information, keys, codes and the list goes on.

On one shift it took 35 minutes to find the bladder scanner because another ward didn't tell anyone that they took it to use on their ward. Drove me nuts! Is this happening to you too? Would you spend 10 minutes everyday or a shift just trying finding stuff? Read More

I think I might be a scary nurse

Does having confidence (with a small amount of anxiety) mean I will be a scary nurse if I ever find a job? It scares me to actually find that I have some confidence in my abilities when I often hear that a nurse without fear/anxiety is a scary nurse...Where is the line drawn exactly? Read More