greywolf Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 A problem I have at work is knowing if I should address someone as "older sister" or "auntie." lol If the person is fairly old, then calling her "auntie" is an obvious choice, but there's always this grey area where I'm just not sure. DX Generally, if their kids are my age, then "auntie" is an obvious choice. I started off calling one of my charge nurses "older sister", because she looked old enough to have kids, but her kids would be much younger than me. Then I heard others calling her "auntie", so I was like, "Crap! Is "older sister" not respectful enough??" So I switched to "auntie" but it feels unnatural. Ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hers Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I'm glad your family is safe. I'm confused...why would older sister and auntie be terms to use at work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 I'm glad your family is safe. I'm confused...why would older sister and auntie be terms to use at work? It's cultural. If you've ever been in a hospital, did you notice that half of the nurses are filipino? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptomisticGirl Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I have to say I was confused as well there, lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hers Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Ha no. I work one and it seems a diverse mix! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptomisticGirl Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Same here, although I do live in a tiny, ho-bunk town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hmmm. It's really noticeable in California, and here in Florida too. So it does get confusing with knowing what to address someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 I don't want to turn this into a discussion about politics, but some of the things that are happening in the Philippines right now just make me so unbelievably angry. I was sitting in the staff lounge last night during my break, watching the news, and I started crying because I was so upset. I have a love/hate relationship with my (2nd) country and right now it's pretty much hate. UGH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangletsbang Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 It absolutely breaks my heart. I just can't even begin to imagine being in a situation like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 I'm so sick. I was at work last night and I wasn't feeling well, and I woke up tonight just feeling awful lol. Good thing I'm not scheduled to work until Friday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 My coworker brought me some cough medicine and vitamins. It was nice of him, but I always feel uncomfortable about single guys going out of their way to do something nice for me. I don't take medicine usually, because I don't get sick very often, but I took this cough syrup, and 2 minutes after, I started feeling weird... Shortness of breath, congestion, slightly woozy, and I thought to myself, "Man, I feel like I've been drinking." Then I immediately facepalmed. Should have known the alcohol in cough syrup would cause me to have a reaction. Yes, I am that lame. 30 cc's of cough syrup is enough to make me tipsy and have an allergic reaction. UGH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hers Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I hope you get to feeling better soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annie24 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Do you have a bf back home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Some free time! Crazy how busy I've been lately. And usually at this time I'm still charting at work, but I was ready to clock out at 6:55 this morning. Then one of the nurses told me that they don't like it if we clock out before 7:15, so I sat around and waited. I actually had to wait to clock out! I worked 4 shifts in a row this week. That was hard. I only get about 4-6 hours of sleep between shifts. Once my shifts are over, I usually sleep for 12-14 hours lol. Then I wake up at midnight. UGH. I hate that. This was also one of the rare occasions where I took care of some of the same patients for 3-4 days. Usually patients are gone by day 2, or they assign you a different set of rooms. But I had all the same rooms for my 4 shifts. There's some things that I've realized about having the same patients on your shifts. It's nice because shift report goes quick. This morning, I told the day shift nurses, no changes for this one, no changes for this one, no changes for this, one, and for this one, H&H came back low, so possible blood transfusion today. And then we were done. It also makes my day go quicker as well because I have less things to look up when I start my shift because I already know about the patient. On the other hand, having the same patients over and over again is hard. On the first day when they scream at you, and try to hit you, and pee on the bed every hour, or have diarrhea all over the floor, you can deal with it. By the 2nd day, it's annoying. By the 3rd day, you have to really hold your frustration in, and by the 4th day, you fantasize about smothering them with a pillow. Ok, so I exaggerate on the last one, but man... Sometimes getting a new patient is a relief. A new person that you don't hate yet. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annie24 Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 it sounds like you are adapting and getting faster at things! that's great! sorry about that guy, that's really gross. who cleans it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptomisticGirl Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 ^ probably housekeeping, my department. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 it sounds like you are adapting and getting faster at things! that's great! sorry about that guy, that's really gross. who cleans it? Things like bedbaths and changing linens are the nurse assistants', but if the patient can't turn in bed by themselves, then I help. I think that's part of why I take longer than other nurses. I always help my nurse assistant when possible. I like doing a lot of things myself anyway. I'm horrible at delegating. =/ If it's on the floor, then it's housekeeping's job. But these were two separate patients! lol. But one of them actually hurt me twice. She tried to grab me, and missed and scratched my face, and then grabbed my shirt and wouldn't let go. And another time she grabbed my hand and twisted it. She was confused. And patient's get irritable at night, so confused patients are not happy when you wake them up to change their bedsheets because there's urine all over it, or to turn them because they have a bedsore from lying on their back for too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptomisticGirl Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 You are one of the few nurses that help their assistants! None of the nurses in our hospital will lift a finger to help the CNAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 You are one of the few nurses that help their assistants! None of the nurses in our hospital will lift a finger to help the CNAs. Really? Honestly, I feel bad when I can't help. But usually I want to help, because when the CNA goes to give a bedbath, that's my opportunity to assess the patient's bottom and make sure there are no bedsores, etc, and ask the CNA if she thinks it's getting better or worse, because the CNAs get the same patients all the time, while I might be switched around to other patients. And because the outcome of my night is moderately dependent on how helpful my CNA is (some are not as helpful as others, unfortunately). I don't want to have to track down the CNA when it's time to turn the patient. I hate that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 And I think part of it is that I did most of my training in ICU, and they don't have CNAs there. So I got used to doing everything. But that doesn't work when you have 5 patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptomisticGirl Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Yep. Our nurses are horrible to our CNAs. I'm sure some deserve it (some CNAs make MY job harder than it has to be) but yeah, they won't get up from behind the desk chit chatting to help with the patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Yep. Our nurses are horrible to our CNAs. I'm sure some deserve it (some CNAs make MY job harder than it has to be) but yeah, they won't get up from behind the desk chit chatting to help with the patient. I never even have time to chit chat! All of my time not spent on direct patient care is spent on charting or looking up some medication, diagnosis, or procedure that I'm not sure about. And I still go home late! Last night was the first time where I actually had nothing to do for awhile! And I spent that time stressed out that I had forgotten something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptomisticGirl Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Means you are a good nurse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 Means you are a good nurse. No. I just don't like telling people what to do. lol. Plus, I don't like depending on the CNAs because some of them are not very reliable. There's only a few of them that I really trust. =/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greywolf Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 So, I think I mentioned it before, but they made my schedule so that I do 4 shifts a week. It doesn't seem like very much, but trust me, it is brutal. =/ I finished my 4th shift on friday night, and I don't start my shifts again till Tuesday night, which means this is my 3rd day off. I finally feel like I'm starting to recover. I spent my first day off mostly sleeping. I spent the second day off mostly relaxing on the couch, walking at that point was still too tiring (my legs just get so tired!), and only now do I feel like I actually have energy to go out and do things. Sheesh. I'm always tired lately, and a lot of times I feel a little bit down. I've wondered if it's just because I'm tired from work, or if I'm starting to have some mild symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, or if there's such thing as night shift depression. Today I was at the store, and I started thinking, "Man, what's the point? What's the point of trying to get more experience and making more money when I have no one out here?" Which is a thought that goes through my head fairly often. Maybe I'm just lonely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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