What is it really like to be an RN?

Are RN's generally fit? What is the typical work day like?

• Are RN's generally fit? Do their employers pay for gym memberships...etc? Also...what is the typica work day like for an RN at a hospital? Explain the different areas of a ...show more

• Answer:

  Nurses aren't perfect, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Just because we're nurses doesn't mean we don't have out vices like overeating or smoking. In some (judgemental) people's eyes, that makes nurses hypocrites, I say it makes them human, not infallable. Some hospitals have gyms located in the facility and offer cheap or free memberships. Some offer discounted memberships to gyms or health club chains outside of the hospital, but it's usually not free. There is no "typical" day at the hospital. And it's too widely varied based on each unit or specialty area. It would take all day to talk about the different aspects. But here's the generic version: You get to work in the morning and usually meet with all the RNs coming on that shift and you get a brief report on all the patients on that unit for the day, and you find out what patients you are assigned to be responsible for, find their nurse from the outgoing shift, and get a more detailed report on your patients and what their immediate needs are. Then you usually look through their chart to see their medical history, orders for care, what labs or tests or procedures have been done, etc. Then you go and touch base with all your patients, introducing yourself, do a quick assessment of vital signs, etc. After that, it's all about prioritizing care for your patients. Who needs what and how quickly - it's all about knowing what needs are more important than others. You can be very busy, or not very busy at all if your patients aren't in need of much. You take new admissions to the unit from the ER or from surgery, etc. You discharge patients who are ready to go home. You provide education about their illness, their medications, about lifestyle changes, etc. You delegate some tasks like bathing, feeding, etc. to the assistive personnel like nursing assistants if you don't have time to do those tasks yourself, because that is why the assistants are there, and that is what they are trained to do. You document every little thing you do for your patient, either on paper, or on a computerized medical record, because if you didn't chart it, it didn't get done. At the end of the shift, you give report off to the charge RN who then gives that brief report to the oncoming nurses, and then you give your full report to the nurse who is taking your patients.