Transferred in From Another Unit

"Oh God, she's here now! What a..." I said to myself, groaning underneath my breath. My colleague passed over to me that this lady had been crying for one whole day when she was transferred to my unit. What has been passed over to me sounds nothing different from what she was known as in the other unit:FUSSY. What a "fantastic" beginning for the night.

It is our routine that we check our patient's vital signs in the beginning of every shift, when I went to her, she told me that she is scared. Happen to be new to my unit, she feels lonely. She claimed to be closed to the nurses in the unit where she came from because she has been staying there for more than a month. Suddenly I feel sorry for her. I feel guilty for labeling her as "fussy" without really trying to know what happened in her. Read More

Could Obamacare cause a shortage in nursing again?

I would really like to know how you believe Obama care will affect the medical field and be honest. I would expect that it would create more jobs but the work would be very tiring. There would be no 3/12 but 4/12 or 3/15 with rooming/bedding at hospital. Read More

Why do you visit allnurses.com?

We have over 743,000 members. Our members come from all over the world. Some members sign up to interact with other nurses, others sign up for entertainment, than there are those who sign up because they want to learn from other nurses. Why did you sign up with allnurses? Why do you visit allnurses? Read More

What do you think about dialysis nurses?

I am a dialysis nurse that does acute inpatient treatments in hospitals and ICUs. I also used to work in the chronic outpatient clinic. Other nurses- what do you love/hate about the dialysis nurses that you run into? What could we change to be better and more accommodating? I want to know what other nurses really think about us dialysis nurses! Don't be shy! Read More

Cover Letters. Necessary or waste of time?

I just applied to several NP jobs and bypassed the cover letter segment. Wondering if I did myself a disservice. Do you always attach one when applying online for positions? To me it seems like a bunch of repeated goobely gook that they can see for themselves on my resume. Read More

Man = muscle, being taken advantage of

How many guys have felt taken advantage of being the man on staff? I'm a cna and nursing student and I'm always being called to do the heavy lifting and a lot of times even left alone to do certain heavy tasks alone simply because I'm a "strong young man". Half of my shift is helping other staff and I don't mind helping and being a team member but sometimes it does feel like I'm the go-to guy and when I need the help no one is there. Read More

Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap

We never seem to be paid correctly for what we do, or what we perceive others do. Being in patient care, we are in the business of seeing people at their not so best and brightest. Patients need assistance. They may be fiercely independent but need a good shower. Bodies bleed, they smell, everyone poops, pees, and bodily fluids always seem to be in abundance. Elderly people need to go to the bathroom. A lot. People in pain need to be medicated. A lot. The expectation is that there is documentation--A lot. A lazy worker is a lazy worker, no matter what the title, no matter what the job at hand is. Grateful is the team that works seamlessly. Read More

Why do nurses clean off their shoes at work?

I work with a nurse that wipes off her shoes with cavi wipes at the beginning and end of shift. Ive seen other nurses do this as well at other facilities I have worked at. I just do not understand it. You are cleaning your shoes only to walk on the same dirty floor again? Then you clean your shoes after work to walk on the street with the same shoes you just cleaned??? If you are that paranoid about germs then how about wearing shoe covers at work or changing your shoes before getting in your car. Idk. This whole concept just seems ludacris to me. Read More

Socialization in NICU grads

We have a family who refuses to take their former 30 weeks twins outside of the house or let anyone visit. We are concerned about their babies socialization, they are now 5 months old, as well as the mother's mental health. Does anyone have any research in the socialization of NICU grads or can you direct me to articles on this topic? Read More!

You Don't Know You're . . . Beautiful?

I just completed my first week of nursing school. I have learned so many things about nurses that I didn't know before starting school. People out there in the non-nursing world don't really know what nurses do, and, the truth is, they can't know. Only a nurse knows how important her or his job is. Only a nurse knows how much time and planning and sweat and tears are put into her or his work. Beyond the skills, the charting, and the medications is a vast amount of knowledge, critical thinking, dedication, and experience. Nurses are beautiful. Read More

[Poll] Was your NP Program Good?

Looking or NP programs...finding it difficult due to the huge inconsistency with nursing. I want to go somewhere that gives me a really good foundation. I want to work hard and feel like I learned a ton. Who here went to a program they think was really top notch? I mean, you graduated with a really good skill set, your base knowledge is high, you had good clinicals and lots of hands on tab time, you are confident in your role, etc. What's the name of the program? Read More

Did being unattractive hurt your career?

I sometimes feel that for me, that may be true. It's not my weight, it's my face mostly. I have had coworkers and pts complain about my face, saying I looked mean. One just told me I was ugly. I don't purposely look mean, it's just the way my face is.

I'm thinking I have a neutral face, but apparently it looks mean to others. One time, I had an interview at a ltc facility and the nursing supervisor came out, looked at me, and went back into his office. No hello, nothing. Read More