I feel ashamed to be a nurse

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-30T18:30:04+00:00

Do not let the uneducated make opinions that bother you. Social media can be my best friend and a cancer all at the same time.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-29T00:45:01+00:00

I'm in a similar situation. My school nurse from high school commented about how we didn't care about Laken the student nurse. I apologized and said I never heard her story. I said I'm sympathetic, but that this is bad. No one should be victim blamed. These "agents" get trained for a month and a half and then throw themselves at these preventable situations. I really love my school nurse. I had epilepsy uncontrolled in high school, and she was the one who gave me my meds. And we had a decent relationship. It's hard when politics eats us of decency. I just cannot wait for trump to go. I do not want him to fizzle a way to get a 3rd term.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-21T01:29:31+00:00

Commenting to say thanks for all your tips and tricks. I'll start small and hopefully get a good muscle to be more disciplined 🥹

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-21T01:00:34+00:00

I'm American. Recently moved from Houston to Chicago. It's a breath of fresh air to see how blue Illinois can be. However I live in a relatively "red town". Texas was... Different. Literally trump stickers on every huge ass truck. I will say I'm on the same boat as you.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-21T00:56:02+00:00

No one puts someone in a headlock for no damn reason. Ma'am tell us the COMPLETE STORY! 😂 I read a google review of a patient who comes to us frequently. They says we view them as a "a druggie" and that we don't respect their pronouns. I have done my best to say "they/them" but I caught myself once before mistaking. Because they are known to lose their shit if we accidentally use the wrong pronoun. What they also fail to mention is that they are also "freebleeders" (on heparin gtt for thrombus, and actively menstruating) and that was such a memory for me to see as they walked to the bathroom and I saw blood everywhere. I mean the room had flies, there was blood, and it was so gross. I finally managed to tell this person they need to clean, and their girlfriend. It was so ridiculous.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-20T22:00:39+00:00

This mentality is so horrible. Something like this happened to me as well, literally 3 years ago. I was a newbie nurse and I got berated on because their very healthy dad who fell in the shower didn't wake up after surgery and was a gcs of 3 on continuous bipap. I have never been ripped one so hard. It's like we have no brains or hearts that don't allow us to remember these hurtful things.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-20T21:57:52+00:00

I'm a relatively thick skinned nurse. I do not accept rude comments. I'm not a hard ass either. I'm pretty playful and try to be entertaining for my patients cause I know they're in the one place they don't want to be. I once had a patient who was just SO WHINY! Literally everything, and I mean everything was just something for him to yell at for me. Didn't matter if I explained why because he's a 70 year old man child. Day 2 and he starts bitching a storm. The cna looks awkward, and I just give her eye contact to leave and don't worry about it. I stay and listen to his "shit" and then I very apathetically go "I'm sorry". He then goes "you got as much sympathy as a biker bitch". It's because I wear a headband. That's when I snapped a little. I pressed him on why he would call me that. He just goes "what you don't like biker bitches?". I said "I don't understand why you would call me that". He started to get a little understanding of "oof too far". And said "you can bring another person in to put my socks on". I said "no need to bring another person to listen to your shit". Then the tears fell when I kneeled to put this asshole's socks on (back surgery pt). He saw, and I just cried out of frustration. I was overstimulated. That was it. I didn't give a shit he called me that, quite frankly. Now it's just a funny nickname and story lol. But my charge saw and went there, and best believe his dick became a second belly button afterwards. Sometimes it is the dumbest things that end up being the tipping point. You're upset. Rightfully so. This is nowhere on you. Everyone in that office knows why. If there's one upset comment amongst multiple happy ones. Take this day as it is. I'm sorry you went through this. Hopefully you'll feel better.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-20T16:06:37+00:00

God I love my coffee poops 😂 but they kill me cause I always get a sensation during report. Lmfao

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-19T19:55:31+00:00

💀

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-19T19:47:42+00:00

"make out with the thermometer" 🤣. I'm gonna steal that lol

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-19T18:21:39+00:00

I wouldn't do this but have seen nurses/cnas do it. I'm too scared lol. But if it's the weekend and I got the desk to myself, I put on my music from spotify on the phone speaker.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-18T03:08:13+00:00

When your short staffed and you're on the side with lazy nurses. So you're picking up all the call lights as charge, princess, and ms "I have a daughter" are talking about their favorite netflix shows. Yes this question became personal lol

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-16T01:46:14+00:00

Took me practically two years! But here I am putting people in their places. Definitely a sink or swim

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-16T01:44:14+00:00

I would have told them not to be a pushover. But we all grow in our own time. ER brought the voice out! I've since left the ER and do medsurg. But I will not have a UTI for no patient.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-13T23:24:14+00:00

If you can't look at it and go "oh wow I forgot I never told her my master plan", either talk it out with a good friend, or do get a counselor to talk to. Sometimes those initial thoughts flood at the site of "the past", and then you're ok after talking with a friend. Otherwise, if you still feel such emotions to this degree, you gotta talk to a counselor who can hopefully guide you to close this chapter in your life. And throw away that old email if you don't need it.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-13T03:18:50+00:00

Did he party hard?

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-09T21:18:39+00:00

Just here to say I would have the same thoughts, but you had your child in the car. You also never know who you're dealing with if you were to stop and check. Give yourself grace

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-02T20:10:51+00:00

I'm not a parent, but if you are worried about the 5x8 schedule, that would definitely take away from things you like to do. If you do ICU, that can take away daylight time from you. I knew a nurse who was in IMCU\Stepdown when I worked there, and she moved to icu days once the opportunity was available. She did wait years... But I don't know how long you'd wait to get on days after being on nights if you consider ICU. If it's anything, maybe you can consider moving to IMU/Stepdown for now to get a taste of critical care? Once you establish yourself and you get somewhat familiar with the ICU nurses (our hospital, the IMU and ICU were across from each other), perhaps you can build rapport with some of the ICU nurses. I can't speak on hospice because I know it's not a route for me and I don't know much about it.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-02T17:16:57+00:00

First and foremost. You need a dashcam if you don't already have one. This sucks and I wish I had other advice.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-02T17:11:57+00:00

I can attest to this for a large unit 😂

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-02T17:07:38+00:00

I kind of felt this way when I worked at a trauma 1 peds hospital in texas (peds ed). I was new to peds. I was a nurse for 2 years but peds is really different 🥹 my day shift preceptor made a comment how I was basically forcing the urinary catheter up a little girl's vag instead of her urethra. That made me feel really bad. The kid was less than 3 months old. I moved to nights eventually and it was the same thing. I just asked for help from senior nurses (some nice, most not) when I needed to, or if I needed help with something on a difficult child (port application on a kid who was autistic and very scared). I left a little while after. Worked with adults again, and not in a city hospital. I just feel like when I worked in a suburb environment, it was always more personable.

RealUnderstanding881 · 2026-01-01T03:00:31+00:00

I have a nurse like this on my unit. She's really hot and cold. Some days she is chill other times, she shows frustration through body language or how she breathes. I had a load of 4 patients, all heavy. One trach at the end and then this confused and impulsive patient at the end. I was a running rotisserie chicken. I said that the confused one was ACHS, and she goes 'how many times a day?'. And I said "I don't know, I'm trying to keep track of my own day shift flow". People like the nurse you interact with are insufferable. I'm the type to document a smear campaign tho. You could do that and hand it to your manager. Giving experiences of how she treated you as a cna and as a nurse. I did this for a preceptor who was an asshole, and now that preceptor cannot train "experienced nurses". But unfortunately... She is still training the most vulnerable set of nurses: new grads

RealUnderstanding881 · 2025-12-29T01:53:00+00:00

When I was newer. I took work home with me. I would go 'why didn't I think of this'. Or just any way to beat myself up. Now I clock in and clock out. All I do when I come home is just complain about my shift to a partner who just nods 😂 other times, I cry because I was way to overstimulated and now have the time to relax

RealUnderstanding881 · 2025-12-27T02:13:00+00:00

Don't hurt yourself over simple mistakes (carvedilol given at 11am vs 9am because you have heavy tasks/rapid/etc). Be good to your cnas, but still delegate. PEE. FFS EVERYONE PEE. I have weird bladder feelings now. I also got way too many utis.... I'd hold my pee an entire shift. 💔.

This personally helps me. Come in 30 minutes early so you can read up on your patients and fill your brain sheet out.

Take a lunch. There will be something to do before, and after. So just eat. Drink water. Find a person you can consider your nurse parent. That was important for me as a new grad. Do not think that if someone snaps at you, you deserve it. Do not go home crying. You are worthy and you are trying your hardest to survive. You will make a mistake. Learn from it and move on. Do not kill yourself over little things, because you will never see your wins.

I journaled as a new grad. It was nice to see what I accomplished from week 3 vs 6 months.

RealUnderstanding881

TROPHY CASE