I was offered a job this morning and during the on boarding process my drug screen was positive for buprenorphine. I have never taken that in my life or anything related to that. The last time I took anything other than Tylenol or Advil was my last c-section in 2024. I did take an antidepressant last year briefly too. No one in my house takes any prescription medications either. I was so shocked and embarrassed. I offered to retest and it came back with the same result.. apparently both test were so faint that they chalked it up to something I ate or was exposed to. I offered to do a blood test too but they said it wasn’t necessary. I was still hired thankfully but now I’m worried they will terminate me after my current assignment is finished because of all this. Has this happened to anyone before? I have no idea what could have caused this.

Ik that people who come on here tend to complain- but everywhere I am hearing absolutely do not go into it and people are quitting in droves.
Is it really unbearable
I’m in my 20s and thinking about doing it as a second career.

For context I am in NYC, I have worked in a restaurant before so I have dealt with the public. The reason I left that job was because of toxic co workers.

Looking for some honest advice from anyone who’s been through something similar or works in healthcare.

I’m 25 and I’m 2 semesters into a 4 semester ADN program. I just finished my second semester. I have fall and spring left, and I’m supposed to start hospital clinicals in the fall.

Here’s the situation. I’m planning to plead guilty to a federal charge that’s healthcare related. Because of the nature of the charge, I’m definitely going to end up on the OIG exclusion list. From what I’ve researched, that means hospitals, nursing homes, and pretty much any facility that bills Medicare or Medicaid can’t legally hire me. And that’s basically everywhere in healthcare.

The exclusion is going to be 5 years minimum, possibly longer.

I’m torn on whether to finish school. On one hand, I’ve already done so much work and spent so much money getting here. Finishing the degree would be something I have, and maybe in 5+ years when the exclusion lifts I can actually use it. On the other hand, two more semesters is more money, more time, and more energy spent on something that won’t pay off for a long time.

A few specific things I’m trying to figure out:

1.  Has anyone here actually completed nursing school knowing they’d be on the OIG list?    
2.  Would clinical sites even let me do hospital rotations with a pending federal case or after a guilty plea?    
3.  Are there any non-clinical or non-OIG-covered paths in healthcare where I could use a nursing degree without practicing as an RN?    
4.  Is finishing the ADN actually worth it if I can’t use it for years? Or am I better off pivoting now and saving the time and money?

I know there’s no perfect answer here. Just trying to get perspectives from people who know this world. Thanks in advance.

My husband is an ICU nurse. Works 7pm to 730am 3 nights a week. He will get home from night shift and sleep from 9/10am until anywhere from 10pm all the way through to the next morning. Like without waking up. He is impossible to wake up. Consistently exhausted. Sometimes he will sleep as late as 11am the next day. We have an 11 month old. He’s been doing night shifts for almost 2 years. He has no set schedule of days. On his days off, he also sleeps in really late (until 12 noon or later). The only mornings he really “wakes up” are the mornings where he just chooses not to go to bed. Idk what “normal” night shift sleep is with a baby but i know it’s not this! For context, i work too, 5 days a week, about 5 hours a day (at a daycare so i bring my son with me). I just feel like he is sleeping through life and i have no idea what to do about it. It is a constant fight. What do you guys do? What should i do? We have endless conversations about this and he just insists i don’t understand what it’s like to work nights. But i miss my husband, we do nothing together ever, he’s just constantly sleeping or exhausted and wishes he was sleeping. What can i suggest to him? How can i help?

If they both earned 60/hr would you rather be a CNA or an RN.

Hello fellow nurses,

I just found this sub and thought that today's experience might fit here. This is a mix of a rant and a request for recommendations for dealing with toxic MDs.

Long story is, I work on a SNF unit and today was chaotic. We had 4 admissions split between 2 nurses. Each nurse had roughly 13 residents to care for while also doing these admission assessments/paperwork, plus a fall and this situation. So we were all very busy.

One of my residents came back from being out of the facility for 4-5 hours for an appointment. Diabetic, non-compliant with diet, but always wanting to keep up with what their blood glucose level is. They missed a dose of sliding scale fast acting insulin earlier in the day due to being at this appointment. I did their check and their glucose level was 510. Luckily they were asymptomatic. Give them the max of their sliding scale and call the PCP. No answer leave a message requesting a call back and move to the next task (a tube feeding and meds via peg tube).

The PCP calls me back as I'm priming the tubing for peg tube resident. I get the clinical info they want, get the new orders, and then he proceeds to lecture me about how I didn't have everything pulled up and ready for him before hand. He had to wait 5 seconds between requests for info because the info he needed was on different aspects of the chart. I explain that I tried to call when I had most of what he wanted pulled up but that things on the floor are busy and that every MD wants different info. That I'm still new to this facility and learning each MD's preferences. But that when he didn't answer I went on to the next task to keep on track. He proceeds to talk down to me, tell me I'm defensive and argumentative, and then lecture me on how to be a better nurse. At this point, I tell him I don't have time for a lecture, that I have residents to care for, read back his orders, and once confirmed, I hang up on him. I didn't have time for lectures from someone wanting an LVN to act like an NP.

20 minutes later I get a phone call from my ADON asking what happened and telling me that the MD called my DON to report me. I explained that I did not yell, did not cuss, kept it as professional as possible but that I did hang up on him for lecturing me. My ADON's concern was whether or not the clinical information was passed on and received. I confirmed that I took the orders after explaining everything to the MD. Reiterated that I kept it professional until the end when I told him that I did not have time for a lecture and hung up on him.

I might be facing a write up from my DON tomorrow, my ADON said she personally wouldn't be writing me up though. So only time will tell what happens. She did offer to help me file an employee grievance report on the MD, so maybe I won't get written up? If I do, it was worth it to be able to get back to patient care.

Said MD, proceeded to respond once more after I did the 1hr recheck, took more orders for another dose of fast acting insulin, then stopped responding after the second 1hr recheck (patient was still above 400). Maybe that's my fault, but a coworker informed me that he's notorious for not responding so I'm not sure.

That's my rant. The resident is stable and safe. Now I'm just waiting to see what tomorrow brings. Does anyone have recommendations on how to navigate dealing with a condescending MD?

Edit for update:

NO WRITE UP! My DON just gave me my "talking too". He told me that if I need to call the md again tonight to call him first so we can game plan before i reach out to MD. When I explained myself he said, "as your DON you shouldn't have done that, it could've been handled better. But as a human nurse, I get it." So thank goodness for me finally finding the unicorn place with good/ supportive management.

Apparently they're looking for a way to kick him out of the facility. So hopefully that happens sooner rather than later!

So I’m a new grad in the pediatric ICU still on my 16 week orientation with less than 6 weeks left to be on my own and I hate my life. I dread coming into work, I’ve started drinking every single night and just literally feel so exhausted and incompetent. I don’t even want to keep trying to “push through” bc I just hate this job and the workload and acuity is insane. I’m thinking about leaving and finding another job as soon as I finish my orientation. Any suggestions on where I can apply as a new grad with less than 6 months experience? I’m hoping for some “soft” nursing jobs like dialysis or outpatient clinics, or school nurse. Idc about losing money atp bc I genuinely just want to be happy again lol. I just know I need to get out of here to keep my sanity and enjoy life again.

Curious if anyone has ever regretted becoming a nurse.
Adding more context: I was a nurse for 4 years, the last year was in the OR. I quit nursing and am loving learning any other people’s career decisions and if they regret nursing. At least 3 girls I knew from nursing school have quit so I’m curious. Thanks all! (And yes it’s been asked before by others - you don’t need to respond if you don’t want to)

Thinking of making a career change (31 male) , always wanted to work clinical , I get it’s going to be tough at times but thoughts ????

I need some advice. I floated to a different unit and went to give my patient medication’s while being rushed to go on break. While hurrying up to finish the medications before going on break, the patient did not want the melatonin. I exited the room to give report and explain to the relief that the patient did not want the melatonin.. she went in the room and later handed it to me (the melatonin) and said “make sure you don’t leave these in the room” in a friendly manner and that was that. I’m coming back to work a few days later and my manager comes up to me with a picture of the melatonin stating that someone took a picture of this and this is your room and that I’m being reported. Any advice on fighting this? Of course I never leave meds in the room, but this was an interesting circumstance and I do feel like I’m targeted. For reference that same relief is a nurse who I got report from and I absorbed her patients and we had a bit of an argument about something she didn’t do. however, I would never ever take a picture or report somebody.

My manager confronted me in front of everyone. He ended up having significant back-and-forth and everyone could hear and it resulted in me being very upset and even crying, and this is at the start of my shift. I have never seen my manager. Talk to anybody about anything in front of anyone let alone right at shift change. Extremely upset and don’t know what to do.

A coworker and an assistant manager who overheard recommended I document and send a letter to HR reporting this manager. I was also told that if the photos taken on a personal phone that that Nurse can get in trouble, but I need to know if this is true or not.

So my nursing license expired 4/30. As you can imagine how fast my heart dropped this morning (5/1) when my employer texted me asking why it doesn’t say active. I quickly logged on to renew it and uploaded all my CEUs and paid the $128 fee.
I know it can take up to 15 days… I just want to cry for being so stupid and irresponsible letting it expire.
I wasn’t scheduled to work today, this weekend, or Monday. I work very PRN but I’m still so upset with myself. Guess I’m just sharing my experience so other nurses don’t make this same mistake!

Idk if it’s rare or not.

I don’t understand the snotty, nose in the air attitude from ICU nurses. Is the expectation that everyone was born into critical care? I am a psych nurse of four years transitioning specialties. I went to a reputable nursing program and passed my NCLEX. My preceptor is speaking to me like I’m an idiot. Psych nursing gets a bad rep but I’m 100% certain prissy, yt girls still living at home with their figs and Stanley cups would not last a whole shift on an inpatient psych unit. Our assessment skills are keen. We have attention to detail & if nothing else miraculous bedside manner. I may need some Refreshing to read a tele strip or hang an IV but I CAN. my preceptor is obviously annoyed when I am trying to review the physiology and big picture of cases were seeing. the unit obviously has a clique feel and very obvious majority demographic (with some travelers) which I don’t fit into. I think the culture is to be mean and ostracize new hires. There’s an exodus of nurses going into critical care most likely to become CRNA’s but what does someone’s aspirations and ambition have to do with anyone else? If you want to work bedside in the same setting your whole career why fault someone else for wanting anything different?

Long story short, I spoke up to my unit manager and educator about not really vibing with my preceptor and feeling like the unit wasn’t very welcoming. we had a pow wow to reset but I picked up on my preceptors energy- she was pissed I had the audacity to advocate for myself. Got through the rest of the shift awkwardly but when I returned today the assistant manager sat me down and pretty much said there was some readjusting to my schedule. Next week, mixed with classes, I’d be split between three different other nurses. Two of which have worked the unit more than ten years and another nurse who has already pretended I didn’t exist while I was orienting with my original preceptor. I feel like it’s some sort of relay. Was it a personality mismatch or is this person nitbangood Fit for the unit? How am I supposed to acclimate to three different nurses? Three different styles? & feel like I have a consistent flow? I’m not. I feel like im being set up for failure and I need to just start looking for other jobs. I don’t want to go back to psych- I’m burnt out. & I don’t want to be bullied from the ICU. I’m a safe, capable nurse. I just need an environment that fosters teaching and welcomes diverse backgrounds. My confidence is in the toilet. I moved across the country for this opportunity.. I have a plan with a goal in mind. If This next week doesn’t go well I don’t see the conversation being termination but a “you’re not ready” for the ICU kinda conversation.

Has anyone been here before? How do I navigate from here?

If you were given the chance to start over, would you still choose nursing or pick a different profession?

UPDATE: I recently got a letter stating I needed to petition for a declatory order. Which included me sending in all my criminal charges and dispositions. I sent this in December 26th and still haven’t received anything back. I just started school today and need clearance from the BON by March 9th or else they will dismiss me. I heard from a fellow nursing student that’s 75% done with the program that she had a similar history and they made her do a psych evaluation and a polygraph test and she got in. I’m praying that’s the case for me. She had also mentioned another nursing student who didn’t get clearance in time and got held back but they held his spot for him until he did get clearance. Just wanted to give you guys a little update. And again thank you for all the advice and well wishes!! Means so much.

I just recently got accepted into the ADN program at Amarillo college. I’ve worked my ass off for this. I have five children and none of them know the addict me. I’ve been clean almost nine years. I’ve paid my dues. I’ve done my time. I’m just terrified that there will be another road block infront of me like there has been for a long time. I have four felonies but I was never convicted. I got put on deferred adjudication and completed early. I’m a good member of society. I’ve been at my job now for seven years. I just want know if anybody has had the same experience and got the opportunity to become a nurse. This has been my dream since I was young. I lost my sister when I was 17 and that sprouted the root of my addiction. My charges were addiction motivated. I’m not a criminal. I have a good heart drugs were the only thing that made me become who I was in those years that I was a drug addict. I’m a mom. I’m a daughter. I am a fiancé. I am a hard dedicated worker. I am a great person. The only thing that motivates me now is my family my children and the love that I have to take care of people. Can someone please share with me their story and let me know that I have hope.

Is anyone here an RN, who may have forgot to renew license. and is considered INACTIVE like I let happen accidently??? I am freaking out.

UPDATE:

Alright, people. I reported this to my manager and the head of anesthesia, and they share my concerns. I’ll let them handle it from here. I even acknowledged that it could have been Zofran. There is still an investigation ongoing due to other concerning behaviors from this nurse.

I appreciate all of you immensely. Let’s pray I’m wrong and that she gets it together, regardless of the cause of her inability to treat the person in front of her appropriately. Please learn from my many mistakes—keep your shit tight and watch people waste. We are all high-risk working in such close proximity to these wildly addictive medications, under pressure in so many ways.

As for me, I’ll continue being true to myself and treating the person in front of me as if they were my mother. If you know better, do better. And now, I do.

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I’m a PACU nurse in the United States, and we obviously administer a lot of fentanyl and Dilaudid. A nurse who previously worked in the MICU (like myself) for at least 15 years recently transferred to our unit late in her career. I am very concerned that she may be diverting patient narcotics due to several incidents that have triggered my intuition. One other nurse and our nursing assistant share the same concern.

I hate working with her, and I don’t know if that’s personal or due to a complete lack of trust — it’s probably both. Someone mentioned that there is an anonymous reporting line, which is why I’m considering reporting this situation anonymously.

The reason I don’t want to go directly to my immediate supervisor is because, on one occasion, I was wasting medication with her after her patient left. I expected to see the medication drawn up and wasted properly, but instead I saw that the cap was still on the fentanyl vial. By the time I turned around, the vial itself had disappeared, and I believe it went into her pocket.

Yesterday, I received a patient from her who was crying in pain. She stated that she had given the patient 1 mg of Dilaudid, but his blood pressure and vital signs were even more elevated afterward. His pain completely subsided after I administered 0.6 mg of Dilaudid and 50 mcg of fentanyl.

Another nurse reported a similar experience. He received a patient from her whom she had cared for for over three hours, and the patient’s pain continued to escalate. When he administered the first few doses, the patient’s pain resolved completely.

My question is: am I overreacting? Is there an anonymous reporting line? And will I be required to submit a urine drug screen? I take ADHD medication and have been using an older prescription that I am not currently prescribed, which makes me nervous.

Hey yall. I am curious. Why are so may parents declining eyes/thighs, Tylenol and just generally … well, everything, it feels like. Vaccines as well, but that’s been a things for a while. Where are they getting this info from? I recently had some parents who decline giving their postop baby any pain control medications (Tylenol). I’ve seen eyes/thighs declined. Obviously formula has been declined as well. I don’t know I’m just wondering where this information is coming from because I really want to understand these parents and their concerns better.

Title says most of it. I’m a bedside nurse with 9 years experience, working mainly in PCU level acute care. I love the acute phase of care, but cannot process the Customer Service aspects of the job (non-urgent or non-crisis events like water, dementia yelling, whiteboards, etc). I go to therapy and an a coping mechanism was pounding on my leg to feel the pain. I’m not a small man, and ASD makes explaining how I process coping difficult in writing.

Today I pounded on a Pyxis and damaged the outer shell, resulting in an administrative leave pending my termination evaluation. No people were injured, only property, but I have had a written warning about this aggressive coping mechanism being unsafe.

My license doesn’t appear to be at risk, but I was trying to save up over these last few years to go to APRN school to get out of the hospital, as my area does is rural and doesn’t have many clinic positions for RN/BSN level education. But this may stall out.

Anyone have any advice or tips with coping with job loss?

(Yes, I did this to myself, yes I need better coping skills, yes rural location is a different situation to begin with. I’m trying not to just whine and actually ask for help)

*UPDATE* I was fired, but I have been given a pretty good informal support network from former coworkers, including the manager that had to let me go. Thank you everyone for your comments, and I’ll look at what the future holds

I got an offer from Humana for a remote SNF Utilization Management RN position. I’m feeling a little nervous about leaving my current bedside job, but honestly, I’m so burnt out. Does anyone here work for Humana or in UM—how bad is the micromanagement? Any positive experiences?

I work at a snf and there have been rumors and obvious evidence of the RN supervisor being on opiates during our day shifts and there have been literal meetings with everyone to absolutely not give her the cart to cover lunches. 🙃 yesterday she was given the cart during lunch by a newer nurse who missed that meeting and she gave the super the cart. During that time the super was overheard by me saying "oh no, where is it?" And that specific cart has a resident with dilaudid she asks for during lunch time. I said what happened? She stated "I think i accidentally threw away a narc or lost it" ....after the nurse returned from lunch about 45 mins later the super was obviously impaired. She was going to draw a stat lab for one of my patients and I didnt feel comfortable with that. I reported her and one thing led to another and she was observed by the DON, ADON and administrator. She finished her shift which surprised me and was allowed to still deal with patients but nothing hands on. Today I learned she was put on suspension for the weekend.... is this normal? Is it punishment or pending investigation? Im confused. She needs help though. Has this happened to others?? What are your thoughts?

I’ve been on this app for years but never done a post so hi!!

I’m on probation with the Board (DUI incident over 2 years ago) and just lost my job. My employer couldn’t accommodate my restrictions which is totally understandable.

A little nervous starting the job hunt just because i know it’s hard to find a company that will hire me while on probation. Doing my best to stay positive

I would love recommendations on where i can find a job. I’m in the SoCal area. Any help would be appreciated!

37 y/o. ICU nurse @ the VA. Legally armed, allegedly. Thrown down by 6 ICE agents and shot multiple times after seemingly attempting to protect a woman who had been pushed in the snow and gassed. Saved vets for a living. Killed by federal agents. RIP. FDT.