the DOC is not our DOC, she's interim. No we don't have admin or an ED either.

Having a chronic illness this seems... extreme? Yea we're short staffed and getting mandated every shift every day (hello burnout), but this is not the answer.

I’ve been a nurse for less than 6 months and i really hate my current nursing job. I was so excited to become a nurse, after my preceptorship I just hate going to work now. I feel inadequate as a nurse, i don’t feel supported as a new nurse and going to work makes me feel anxious and sad because I don’t feel like I know what i’m doing, and when I ask for help from more experienced nurses they treat me as if i’m a bother, or if i should know all of these things even though i’ve been a nurse for a couple of months. My last day of preceptorship, i asked my preceptor to go in the patients room with me just to make sure i was performing a skill correctly and she refused and stated i need to be more independent. I just feel stressed and find myself wanting to escape whenever i’m not at work. Is there easier during jobs than being bedside for new nurses?

I typically don't do things like this, and I don't know what I was thinking. I am very sorry for what I’ve done. Please be gentle. I am pretty shaken up by this whole experience.

A few weeks ago, I accessed my deceased relatives chart. They have been gone for 6 years. After one particularly bad shift, I stayed after work (still clocked in) and was finishing up some leftover charting. Basically, (maybe due to unresolved grief and stupidity), I went into my deceased relatives chart. And printed out progress notes to keep, but I discarded it.

A few weeks later, I get notified by two compliance officers, the HR director, and my nursing director that there will be a meeting. I attend the meeting. I told the truth (mostly) about what I did. I did not tell the truth about what I did with the papers. There was a second meeting the next day, and they told me they couldn’t find the papers. I came clean and let them know I ripped them up and threw them away in the trash cans near the nursing desk (bad move, I know).

The HR director is throwing the book at me. They want me to write a statement for the CNO. I am suspended to work until they are done investigating. They let me know I need to come back in later and talk to the CNO, where they most likely will report me to my state’s nursing board.

I have been a nurse for 7 years and have never gotten in trouble to this extent before in my life. I’ve never hurt a patient. I’ve never messed with any patient’s scheduled or controlled meds. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to deal with this hospital any longer. Not because of this incident, because they’ve been treating us nurses like garbage lately unless you’re one of the director’s favorites.

I understand what I’ve done wrong and I have been honest with the investigating administrators. I will never do this again. I have been placed on suspension, and they want a statement from me to go to the CNO and another meeting. I haven’t gotten to that point yet.I am considering contacting an attorney before I go any further.

Please help me. Should I quit? Should I cooperate? Should I get an attorney? I don’t know what to do. I am terrified. Please send advice. I am using a throwaway account, and I am typing on my phone. So apologies for the grammatical errors.

TLDR Got caught accessing my deceased family members chart. Violated HIPPA and need advice.

I’ve been seeing a lot of people asking if they can be a nurse at 40 and up. I was wondering why the career switch now? Did the job you had before not make much money, or do you think nursing will be easier? Just curious what people did before

I have quite a few sickle cell patients who have insisted their 4mg IV Dilaudid be a rapid push (the other nurses do it). I understand that they have a crazy high tolerance, but it honestly scares me considering they get this amount every 2 hours. I just don't want to be on the business end of a malpractice lawsuit. Any words of wisdom?

To start with, I work on a med surg floor that takes progressive care patients. I was assigned 3 fairly sick and busy progressive and one general care patient. From 7:30-10 AM today, the wife of my general care patient called the nurses station twice asking for an update from the nurse. I was obviously busy doing meds/assessments and my coworker related such and told her I would call back. She was rude to my coworker about it but I literally had my hands full and could not come to the phone.

Around 10, I’m all caught up and get to sit down, the phone rings and I pick up, it’s the patients daughter now. I give her the update and while I’m speaking to her, the wife calls AGAIN. When I’m done talking about patient, I ask her if she can pass along this update to the wife who has called multiple times, and in the future if just one of them could call because I’m busy working with my patients during my shift.

Manager comes up to me later and tells me the daughter reported me for this to the “patient advocacy line” and said I was “rude”. I was kind and professional, I say the same thing every time multiple family members are calling. My manager didn’t care, I’m just stressed and annoyed now about who else hears about this.

So I work at a hospital as a PNA ( psychiatric nurse assistant. I was on direct observation with a client . The patient was unscrewing a screw from the door and I did my best to verbally de escalate her into giving me the screw . I honestly didn’t know that in this case I could grab her hand / initiate contact to get the screw from the patient . I hit my badge but my badge was in my pocket and I found out later that’s why it didn’t go off . I called for help and the nurse came over to assist , she still refused to give up the screw . Other staff also came to assist me with getting the screw from her When security came and asked for the screw that’s when she swallowed it unfortunately . I had an interview with APS & patient relations about my mistake , I explained truthfully what happened. I also explained that I didn’t call for help when a staff walked by because I didn’t want to escalate her further , I wrote everything that happened on the investigation form as it happened

I made a huge mistake , I honestly didn’t mean to neglect a patient . I’ve been there for 10 months and I’ve never had any type of interaction or complaint . I explained that I didn’t call my best to talk her into giving me the screw.

This is my fault %100

They also stated that the final decision is made by the CEO

I just hope I get another chance but I’m probably fired aren’t I ?

Patient last night was in psychosis. Could not redirect to save my life. They were convinced I was holding them hostage in my apartment and I was a murderer who ate babies. (All the nurses taking care of this person held this role.) Meds barely touched them. Dex drip, Q4hr dropirodol, zyprexa. Near the start of shift I noticed HR in low 100s and RR at 28. Went to check and the IV tubing looks like this. They had bitten clean through it. Luckily it was just the primary infusion and not the actual IV. Pt was restrained and it was going into a midline in the upper arm. Honestly, I was pretty impressed. Had to take a picture because it was just too much.

Later they managed to get a restraint off with their teeth. Legit impressed, even though it was a very tiring and frustrating shift.

i like hanging IV meds, priming the line and flushing everything and setting up the pump is a fantastic way to just go on autopilot for a minute :>

I’m not a nurse, merely a now-former inpatient hospital oncology unit volunteer. Back in February, I overdosed on my own blood pressure pills due to a mental health crisis, then, stupidly, came into my shift — hoping to still have a good day and connect with my coworkers, which I really needed that day. Within minutes into my shift, I felt something was seriously wrong, not just mild side effects as expected, and told my PCT coworker than I was dizzy. They took my blood pressure. My blood pressure had tanked to 55/29.

That was the last time I ever saw most of my coworkers (except the ones who visited me in the ICU), who I loved and who loved me. I was, understandably and unfortunately, fired from the volunteer position after the incident. I regret my actions every day, and there’s nobody to blame but myself. I had worked there for a year and a few months. My coworkers (nurses, PCTs, unit clerks) and bosses (nurse managers) on the unit would frequently tell my volunteer coordinator how much they loved me, even stopping her in the hallway several times to “rave about me” (as per the way my volunteer coordinator described their interactions).

I learned from my mistakes, radically accepted that it happened & I can’t change the past, attended 6 weeks of intensive outpatient therapy (which focused on crisis prevention & management, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, depression, and various other things) & it helped immensely.

I know it’s my fault and nobody else is to blame. I made a stupid decision that day, and now, I may never get to see my former coworkers again. One of them said I should visit them at the hospital, but I’m wondering if that’s allowed or if you can only visit if you’re visiting a patient? Many expressed that they’re really disappointed I won’t be returning as a volunteer on the unit, as they vouched for me and supported my return. The position gave me the purpose and connection I desperately needed after having moved 2,000 miles across the country away from all my family and friends. It breaks my heart to think I’ll never see the people who mean so much to me, even though it’s my fault.

I’d love to thank my coworkers for one of the most meaningful and memorable years of my life, tell them how much they meant to me, and have them see me now that I’m in better condition physically and psychologically.

Is there any way I could visit my former coworkers on the unit? Who should I ask about it? My former volunteer coordinator no longer works there; she quit a few months after this incident. And the new volunteer coordinator is the one who delivered the news to me that I was fired, and they were very stern about it. So I don’t know if I could ask them for anything.

I recently switched to a clinic role where I am on my feet for most of a 10-hour shift. By the time I get home, my arches and heels feel wrecked, but I also have almost no energy left to do anything complicated. I tried foot soaks a few times, but carrying warm water around and cleaning up afterward was enough friction that I stopped.

A coworker suggested rolling my feet on a frozen bottle or keeping a small heated foot massager near the couch, but I am mainly looking for habits that are easy enough to actually repeat. If you work long shifts on hard floors, what is your realistic evening routine for tired feet?

I’m currently an LPN and I’m in school working toward my RN. Lately, balancing work and school has been really overwhelming. I truly enjoy being an LPN, and I know becoming an RN will open more doors for me, but I’ve been struggling with self-doubt and have even thought about taking a break from school.
I guess I’m looking for some motivation from those of you who have already made it through. Was it worth pushing through the hard days?
If you’re comfortable sharing, about how much do you take home each month after taxes as an RN (and what state/specialty do you work in)? I’m not becoming an RN just for the money! I genuinely love nursing …but I’d be lying if I said financial stability wasn’t a motivator too. I’m a single mom, and it helps to picture how my life could improve once I reach that goal.
I’d really appreciate any advice, encouragement, or stories from your own journey. Thank you!

After two years of working as an inpatient wound care nurse, I started in the ICU two weeks ago. Orienting as a new ICU nurse is challenging under the best of circumstances and I certainly didn’t do myself any favors by starting after two years away from traditional bedside nursing. Not only am I learning a bunch of new critical care stuff, I’m also having to remember how to do basic clinical skills, which after two years of disuse are rusty as hell. Here are some fun things that have happened over the last two weeks:

Forgot all about “blue to the shoe” when priming plum pump tubing and went through multiple sets trying to figure out why it kept telling me cassette test failure.

Was mixing effervescent potassium in a sample cup and for some stupid reason I put the lid on and shook it and it exploded and sprayed potassium water all over me and the floor.

Was spiking a saline bag to prime the Belmont infuser and sprayed saline all over myself and the floor (this was in a learning environment so fortunately no one was bleeding out while I took a saline shower)

Got blood return doing my first IV start in two years then promptly blew the vein.

Pushed RSI meds and got yelled at by the intensivist who was convinced I was pushing the meds wrong (I wasn’t- the patient was large and required a large dose of etomidate which had been drawn up into two 10 ml syringes. So with the roc I had a total of three syringes and he was expecting two. Can’t really hold this against him🤷‍♀️)

Patient was crashing and I spiked a bag of saline to put in a pressure bag for a bolus. While priming the tubing I somehow managed to get it tangled up in a ridiculous knot which I had to rapidly untangle so we could get the fluids in the patient. (patient got the fluids and ended up stabilizing)

I’m sure there’s more lol. Bless my preceptor, he’s been so incredibly patient and supportive. Literally everyone on the unit has been so welcoming and supportive and has sought me out whenever there’s a procedure or intubation so I can help out and learn. I feel so grateful to have been hired into a place with good people and a good culture. Yeah I’ve made some dumb mistakes which fortunately haven’t hurt anyone (ok maybe they hurt my pride a little) but not a single person has said or done anything to make me feel stupid (or stupider than I already feel on my own). I knew this was going to be a challenge and I knew there would be a long chunk of time where I felt dumb and like I know nothing. But I also know I won’t always feel this way. I knew my last job just wasn’t right for me. I was craving more stimulation and critical thinking and god knows I’m getting it. I know two weeks in is early to say this, but I strongly feel I made the right choice and that this is where I belong. All this is to say, if you’ve been feeling stuck and considering a career change I think you should go for it. One of the great things about this profession is the fact that there are so many different paths to choose from. You’re never as stuck as you think you are.

Okay so I’m working for a company of which I will not name. I have been getting paid 75% of my per visit rate because that is their training policy. Plus it’s being paid hourly until the “training period” is over. Okay, FINE. However, this training doesn’t feel like training. I’ve been seeing patients alone for about 3 weeks now. It started off mild about 2-4 patients a day. Now I have a full patient load BY MYSELF. Im managing my own patients and charting independently. How does this mean I’m still training? Of course I still have questions every now and then, but that’s nursing. Is this normal?

I just need someone tell me how they would feel if this happened to them or if I’m just being dramatic lol. For context, I (23 f) am a new grad nurse working in the ED, and my longtime friend (23 f) is in PA school (about to graduate). The other night, while at work, I was on my phone during a mere moment of downtime and saw she had sent me a tiktok. I opened it and it was basically a (supposed to be) funny tiktok about nurses just clean up poop and that’s the hardest part of our job. When I saw she sent me this, as a joke, i honestly got offended. I know we as nurses often make similar jokes like that to each other and ourselves, but when someone outside the profession does it it often feels more derogatory than anything (to me anyway). And I also can’t believe that she, as my good friend, would send me something like that thinking I’d think it was funny. Her sense of humor has always been a little questionable, but cmon. I think i also took it more personally than i normally would bc that night I was particularly having a bad shift and managing a young girl who was around my age who came in as a trauma, and an assault victim. It was just a bad night for me. And then to open a tiktok that basically says I only clean up shit…like gee thanks. Nurses deal with enough disrespect as is, I don’t need my FRIEND sending me crap like that. Especially a friend I know is also going into the medical field. It bothers me thinking that when she’s finally a PA, that’s how she’ll view nurses. Anyway, am I being dramatic?

“Physicians…we’re the brains and the doers. Nurses, you’re the feelers and the supporters.”

-Some VP medical director of whatever, trying to express how great and caring nurses are. Missed the mark just a little. 🤦🏼‍♀️

When you get home when do you wake up when do you eat I feel like what I really need to improve my schedule. what is your routine when you get home from your shift. Trying to do back to back night shifts absolutely drain me

I’m in the last semester of my ADN program and for clinicals we have the opportunity to go down to the ED. The ED at this hospital is the only level 1 trauma center for 90 miles, so we get to see some pretty cool stuff. Before this semester, I have only been on med-surg units where there weren’t a lot of opportunities to practice skills besides catheters and med pass. First day in the ED, I put in 2 IVs, an OG, foley, and got to see a couple level 1 traumas.

I’ve been 4 times now and today I messed up a lot. The nurse had to practically guide me into the vein for my only IV insertion. I didn’t push the vial of Zosyn in all the way and when I shook it, it exploded all over my face and in the pts bed. Had to be babysat through an in and out cath. Pushed an (empty) stretcher forcefully through the trauma bay doors because I couldn’t find the button to open the doors.

I feel stupid after today and kind of scared to start my nursing job once I graduate. Are these mistakes and this feeling of stupidity normal for new grads/senior nursing students?

I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve been applying to so many jobs trying to find something outside of bedside, but I’m not having much luck. I feel trapped because I can’t just quit without having another job lined up and I need the income. I’ve been applying for months even had someone look over my resume .

I look around and see so many nurses thriving in the ICU and loving critical care, but something in me just doesn’t click. I feel like I’m constantly struggling while everyone else makes it look so easy. I’m miserable, my anxiety keeps getting worse, and every shift feels like I’m forcing myself through something that is becoming unbearable.

What makes it even harder is that I’m already on anxiety medications and still struggling. I feel like I’ve tried everything, but I wake up dreading work and feeling like I’m losing myself.

Has anyone else been in this position? Did you eventually find a nursing job that worked for you? I really need to hear that there is something better on the other side because right now I feel completely stuck.

hi! I’m in my second year of my MPH program and 6 months interning. I have had some bedside experience volunteering at nursing homes throughout college and high school — i would say just enough to barely understand work flows and barriers. Im interning at a large trauma hospital have a group of 4 IPs on the team, including a manager. I have shadowed and trained with a great IP that has an extensive nursing background, and shadowed nurses during my internship.

I really try to develop a great relationship, and I really like this job and career so moving forward i want to know what else I can do to be a better IP?

what I do currently to reduce barriers and build relationships:

- frequently check sanitizers, soap, and towels and let EVS know when they are out

- restock isolation carts with all necessary supplies

- if there is no isolation sign, I place one and let the nurse know instead of telling them to this

- when doing device rounding, I always make sure to compliment complaint work (if I don’t have to actively seek the RN out and bother them)

- I always try to talk to RNs face to face and always review the chart before reaching out with any questions or concerns

- I pass out candy and give RNs the opportunities to rant about what the IPs can do better

- Answer any questions promptly

i realize that not everyone will like me, but I always try to get to know everyone and be kind.

With that, what more can I do to help nurses and foster the relationship with nurses and IPs? thanks!

I just got an offer for a job I genuinely think I’ll be a great fit for and it sounds really good but it’s night shift 7p-7a. I currently work days and I’m a morning person I love the sun and the daytime.

Is it possible to switch and enjoy days off? How do you make time to see your loved ones who work 9-5 shifts?

Though I gotta say, male nurses are already pretty well represented at UAB. But the more the merrier!

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/21/nx-s1-5869813/nursing-men-jobs-male-nurses

I’ve been a nurse now for about year and a half - over a year on a med surg floor and now a few months working a per diem outpatient PACU job. I left my full time position because the ratios were killing me - 7 patients on day shifts- and I was ready to try something, anything else. While my OP PACU job has been a welcome change, I am getting called in once, maybe twice, a week. I knew I’d be working less hours, but I didn’t think I’d be working only 6-10 hours a week either. For the last few months, I have applied to every position I can find that’s per diem- from inpatient, to home health, outpatient clinics, SNFs, etc. and I can’t even get one interview.

I know I don’t qualify for critical care or inpatient PACU until I at least have a year in my current job, but rn I can’t even land a per diem med surg job. I’ve even considered working outside of the nursing field, but all my work experience has been within healthcare (phlebotomy, CNA). I knew I took a risk leaving my stable full time job, but honestly I didn’t think I would be working 6 hours a week on average either, and I also didn’t know it would be this difficult to get another per diem job. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Need recommendations! I am a unit educator/NPD practitioner and I am trying to build resources for our nurses to take their CMSRN. Does anyone have recommendations for CMSRN study books? Study apps? Anything? Haha. Our hospital offers e-review courses but some of the staff want more. TIA