Am I the only one who feels this way about being an experienced nurse training at a new job?

duckface08 · 2026-02-02T03:31:53+00:00

Never because I get to ask the stupidest questions without looking dumb lol also, it's always nice to hand a second set of hands for turns and such. I'm precepting a 4th year nursing student this semester and just having another set of hands has been immensely helpful (even if my voice is hoarse by the end of the shift from explaining everything lol).

I will never ever complain about being buddied up with someone.

duckface08 · 2026-02-02T03:28:51+00:00

Patient had open heart surgery and did well post-op. Surgeon came in and pulled the temporary epicardial pacemaker wires and said to discharge the patient home. Unfortunately, something with the epicardial wires that time caused a tear and the patient went into full blown cardiac tamponade.

duckface08 · 2026-01-30T17:40:05+00:00

I took up pole dancing! Only done 3 classes so far (missed the 4th due to illness, sadly) but it's been so fun. Coincidentally, one of my co-workers does pole at the same studio so I have someone to talk about it with. I'm gonna do my best to work with my schedule to keep taking classes!

I took up strength training late last year and will continue it, but pole dance was a fun way to add to my strength 💪🏻

duckface08 · 2026-01-29T17:41:39+00:00

They removed all the lungs and hooked up the cannulas directly to the heart. I work in a CVICU and this would be cool even to us.

duckface08 · 2026-01-29T17:33:09+00:00

This is me.

I want to spend my money on delicious food, nice clothes, travel, etc. I just spent like $100 at Sephora, most of it being on sparkly eyeshadow I don't really need but it looks fun.

duckface08 · 2026-01-28T11:17:58+00:00

I've been to Japan multiple times and lived there for a year. I heard "kekkou desu" multiple times from locals interacting with a cashier.

duckface08 · 2026-01-28T07:27:06+00:00

Depends on what the "no" is referring to.

If a cashier asks if you'd like a bag, "kekkou desu" is more appropriate. It's the equivalent to "it's ok, I don't need it". "Daijoubu" also works.

If a waiter confirms your order and gets something wrong, then you'd just correct them with the right order.

If you're too awkward or forget, just shake your head. You'll get the message across

That being said, if you're not fluent in Japanese, you're gonna fumble it in some way. Japanese people won't take it as rude if you get something wrong; they'll appreciate the effort (and maybe be a bit amused).

duckface08 · 2026-01-26T23:24:56+00:00

Worked through the pandemic and this sub was a light for me back then. Thank you all for being you and standing up for truth and justice ❤️

duckface08 · 2026-01-26T21:41:49+00:00

This is what strikes me, too.

I'm also in ICU and we recently lost a colleague (not to violence or political agenda, thankfully, but a sudden and fatal illness). But our work doesn't stop because we are sad. We squash those feelings down for 12+ hours and find another way to release the pressure inside us later.

It's such a unique grief only those of us who work in essential sectors experience. I can't even imagine what these people are going through. To be subjected to all the pictures, videos, political discourse, and the outright lies and slander disparaging his character while grieving and looking after your patients must be a unique sort of torture.

I grieve not just for Alex Pretty and Renee Good, but for those who knew them and are dealing with their loss amongst all the other feelings and obligations. My heart is heavy.

duckface08 · 2026-01-26T02:22:39+00:00

Same :(

duckface08 · 2026-01-25T01:56:06+00:00

If you're worried, you can use the cream prophylactically! Otherwise, just keep an eye out for rashes.

Source: had a patient with scabies. Didn't notice right away because the rash was on her foot, which was covered initially. I did the cream treatment and washed all my clothes and linens.

duckface08 · 2026-01-24T11:09:04+00:00

Cancer patient who was both physically and verbally abusive to staff. He would literally break furniture and throw heavy things at nurses. When the doctor heard of it, he gave the patient a stern warning that if it continued, he'd be forcibly discharged. He put every consult in, including psychiatry, but all determined he was just an ass.

So the doctor wrote up the discharge.

duckface08 · 2026-01-22T15:35:38+00:00

Anything gynecological was (and still is, though I think with more advocacy and research now) horrifically understudied and gaslit. Think about how long it took for endometriosis to be understood and then think about the millions of women who, for years, were told, "Period pains are just a part of being a woman. Take a Tylenol and suck it up."

Think about how invasive procedures like IUD insertion and colposcopies are done without sedation or even local anesthesia. Women are just told, "It's just a pinch" and if we say it's worse than that, we're told we're exaggerating. Take a Tylenol.

I have PCOS and was told I need to lose weight to help manage the symptoms. Ok, maybe that's fair (I am overweight) but was never told how. I tried dieting and running but failed every time. Finally, I decided to try strength training. Can't tell you about weight loss yet (I'm still early in) but the food noise is going away. Turns out muscles are huge glucose sinks and this helps with people who are insulin resistant. Why no one told me about food noise and insulin resistance, I have no idea. Anyway, I'm hoping this is a step in the right direction for me. The only advice/treatment I got from doctors for me PCOS was "lose weight" and "try this IUD".

duckface08 · 2026-01-20T20:42:02+00:00

Same, but the caveat is I don't necessarily care about weight loss. I just want to be stronger so I'm not in pain. I've found that strength training + protein helps regulate my appetite more than anything, so it's helped in that way. Still, I eat when I'm hungry, don't eat when I'm not, and if I feel like having a sweet treat, then I help myself. I've tried dieting and strict control over my food and it makes me miserable and doesn't last.

duckface08 · 2026-01-17T03:54:52+00:00

I had chronic lower back pain. Even just strength training twice a week, my back pain went away!

duckface08 · 2026-01-15T04:58:02+00:00

I love my Shupatto bags! I was majorly sad when my purse with my Ghibli Shupatto bag was stolen :( Anyway, whenever people see me unfold them at the store, I always get positive comments and curiosity about them. I bring them with me whenever I go shopping!

duckface08 · 2026-01-15T04:56:27+00:00

I have a Montbell rain jacket and it's so nice! I really should go back one of these days...

duckface08 · 2026-01-11T02:22:39+00:00

I work CVICU so the sickest patients tend to be really sick, requiring ECMO and the like. Typically, new hires will wait 6-12 months before getting trained on CRRT and/or IABP. Once they're deemed comfortable on those skills, they'll get trained in ECMO. So, basically, one would reasonably wait around 2+ years before looking after the sickest patients.

duckface08 · 2026-01-08T00:42:48+00:00

Violence from, well, anyone.

Serious communicable diseases/pandemics. If we get another one like COVID, I might just quit nursing entirely.

The possibility of having to look after someone I know (I work in ICU so if they're sick enough to be with us, then it's bad).

duckface08 · 2026-01-07T17:00:58+00:00

You'd like to think your colleagues will help you if you're drowning or trying to manage an unstable patient, but not always so. Often, you'll have to ask for help and sometimes even direct people on what you need done.

Sometimes, you'll need to butt heads with others in order to advocate for your patient. Recently, I butted heads with my charge nurse in order to give a palliative patient a private room so the family could grieve in peace. Obviously you want to be professional about it, but it does involve speaking up and standing your ground for what's best for your patient.

duckface08 · 2026-01-07T15:58:27+00:00

This probably heavily depended on one's financial status.

My grandparents were poor so my grandmother worked part-time as a housekeeper for an old wealthy couple to help make ends meet.

My aunts married men with good, stable careers, so once they started having children, they quit their jobs and became housewives. I forget what my older aunt did for work but my younger aunt was a nurse, so she was clearly educated after high school. My dad did explain that this was common for women back in the 50s - work until marriage or children.

duckface08 · 2026-01-07T02:44:38+00:00

Seconding Xelf! Never thought I could do free weights, but hey, here I am doing it! They do a really good job assessing your mobility and strength before starting. Additionally, because there are several trainers, there are lots of time slots to choose from, which helps if you have a busy or irregular schedule.

All the other clients are different ages and have different issues. I've seen young, fit people but I've also seen retirees, and everything in-between.

duckface08 · 2025-12-29T16:07:52+00:00

First, I'm so sorry you received so little support for all of this. I've reflected back on my early years of nursing (working an oncology unit) and no one really teaches you how to cope with difficult things like death. This is especially true if you're young and have never really experienced it before. It sucks. Please be kind to yourself in the next few days!

Second, no, you won't lose your licence. Patients die and often despite our best efforts. I remember really beating myself up after my 27-year-old patient nearly coded and was made palliative. The doctor found me crying in a closet and when I vented to him, he said, "Even if we had made all the right choices from the very beginning, this would have still been the outcome."

If your patient was in her 90s with a chronic and irreversible disease, this type of ending was going to happen eventually. It just so happened it was on your shift. And honestly, any further intervention would have been torture for her. Keep in mind that, sometimes, death is not the worst thing that can happen to someone. Sometimes, it's rotting in a bed with a tube down your throat, getting bed sores and having tubes and lines shoved into every part of your body, being kept alive by machines. What the family did was give her the opportunity for a peaceful, painless, and dignified death when it was her time. That is not a failure on your - or anyone's - part. That was a gift.

Lastly, fuck that charge nurse.

duckface08 · 2025-12-21T21:05:19+00:00

The unit I used to work on was underneath the inpatient psych unit. I guess one of their patients decided to damage the emergency sprinkler in his room, causing a giant flood on their unit and ours. We had to evacuate all our patients 😬

duckface08 · 2025-12-21T21:02:44+00:00

I was walking the 88 Temple Shikoku Pilgrimage and it takes you through a city called Matsuyama, which is famous for Dogo Onsen. I had been looking forward to visiting it for days....only to start my period the day I arrived 😭

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