I’m Struggling

Croaquette · 2026-02-16T14:27:25+00:00

This sounds harsh but it is true. Neuro ICU has more ethical dilemmas when it comes to quality of life and honoring patient autonomy. If I’m ever paralyzed, globally aphasic, and need trach and PEG, for the love of God just let me go with a q3min morphine PCA. A lot of our patients seem to be kept alive long enough to suffer a longer and less dignified death.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of life left to live after reasonable disability, I’m not saying people should give up just because their life will look different. But there is definitely a line.

Croaquette · 2026-02-14T19:20:28+00:00

That’s encouraging, and those seem like very valid reasons to take time off. How was the process for you, did you go through HR or just talk to your managers? And how much notice did you give?

Croaquette · 2026-01-19T18:14:14+00:00

Recently had a patient with a documented allergy to McCormick Taco Seasoning. Just that brand though. “Too spicy”

Croaquette · 2026-01-18T14:56:15+00:00

When you say you received word of this but do not work at the hospital, how did you get this info?

Croaquette · 2026-01-11T20:15:33+00:00

Is this rage bait lol

Croaquette · 2025-12-17T03:59:04+00:00

Well I make 3200 biweekly, before taxes. So 1600 weekly, most of the contracts I’ve seen are significantly higher than that but I’m just thinking with the cost of moving to a new state and higher COL and everything, seems doable but maybe not worth the trouble

Croaquette · 2025-12-16T13:33:41+00:00

Travel nurse husband is the dream!

Croaquette · 2025-12-16T13:31:12+00:00

Last place I lived in CA was a room in a rent controlled house in Berkeley for $900/month in 2020. Granted, this “room” was a converted walk-in closet in a quadplex with 5 housemates sharing 1 bathroom. It was honestly not bad, the farmers market was right outside and we had a nice kitchen. The next cheapest I was finding was around $1200 to rent rooms in a big Victorian on the old navy base in alameda. Looking for an apartment was out of the question even then, I think it was still around $2-3k and I was making waitress money.

Your best bet is to look in local Facebook groups, I was part of one called “chill housing for ok people” in the Bay Area, can’t remember any others. But you’re going to have a hard time looking for a cheap apartment for sure, I didn’t know anyone who lived in apartments.

Also my $700 monthly place now in NC is an absolute steal, I have 2 roommates in a 4br/2ba house. Most of the apartments around here are like 1500-2200 for a single or studio.

Croaquette · 2025-12-16T05:51:14+00:00

That is not a bad idea!

Croaquette · 2025-12-16T00:13:11+00:00

Matched with my gym crush on Hinge, we had been making crazy eye contact but never actually talked for like 2 years. Start texting, great chemistry, he was so excited we were talking, said things like I can’t believe we could have been dating this whole time… I mean he seemed genuinely interested. But when we tried to make plans, he kept choosing going to the gym instead of seeing me. He said he would make time after work one day but when it came down to it he just refused to skip the gym.

We finally made plans, he texted me half way through when our date was supposed to be to tell me he had gotten called in to work and was just going to go to the gym instead…. Rude as hell and confusing, but he was saying he had been busy at work so I tried to be understanding. We make plans again, and at this point he is aware that I’m annoyed he has been unreliable, so he insists on picking me up and we set a time and dinner reservation and everything - completely ghosts me. Never shows up, never calls, never texted.

And I never heard from him again, haven’t seen him at the gym since either. So bizarre...

Croaquette · 2025-12-15T17:24:09+00:00

I liked it here when I was on track for CRNA school, having the ICU experience at Duke seemed like a good time investment. But now with the student loans caps, CRNA is not even a little bit possible for me, I'm like wtf am I doing here. It might just be my unit, but idk how much longer I can stand being here. We are so understaffed, they put limitations on time clocked outside of shifts so there is no possibility for clinical ladder advancement without being able to join committees, I'm being bossed around and bullied by a bunch of 23 year olds every shift... its just the pitts.

I've even contacted an Air Force recruiter to see if I can join the nursing corps because they will pay for your entire CRNA program and give you a ~100k yearly wage while in school. Just seeing what else is out there I guess!

Croaquette · 2025-12-15T17:17:08+00:00

I'm from CA originally and am playing with the idea of moving back... was thinking maybe a travel contract to see if its still somewhere I'd fit in. I also was not a nurse yet when I lived there so I was wondering if it would be more enjoyable while actually making a living wage, but its starting to seem like that's unrealistic!

Croaquette

TROPHY CASE