Re: Question/Concern about pt and Dilaudid IVP Originally Posted by Christy1019 
yes, i believe we've established this... i've already said that i didn't start the iv or hang the kcl, i was merely observing my preceptor and then asked for opinions on here. and yes i agree that it WOULD have been a good idea for the MD to order that, or to get up off his butt and get a line himself, but i can't change what happened a month ago, i just wanted to know about the dose of dilaudid...
Sorry, I don't think anyone here was trying to fault you for the IV potassium, so please dont take it as such. Its good discussing things like this so we can all learn. And from my experience starting out in the ED as a new grad (with multiple preceptors
), sometimes you don't get to learn what you should be learning; and sometimes you're not with a preceptor that is up-to-date with current practice. The only reason why I brought up the IV potassium was to augment your practice to help you be the best that you can be.
Its good that you were questioning the dilaudid - not just the dose, but the fact that it wasn't helping. Sometimes we need to say to the doc "How about we try something else instead?"
I've found most ED docs to be really open to nurses, when compared to floor docs. We're a team in the ED and the docs rely on our eyes and ears just as much as we rely on them to care for our patients and get to the bottom of their complaint. Its our job to monitor the patients response to treatment, and if that response isn't beneficial then something different needs to be done. Sure, you'll meet lazy ED docs (one I knew in particular used to surf the web looking at new houses, and writing soft-porn emails to god knows who), and you'll meet stellar ED docs (those who listen to you and do everything they can for their patient). There was one doc in particular who was very intimidating to me and even made me cry once. But I listened to WHAT he said and ignored HOW he said it. As time passed, he saw my eagerness to learn and my persistent advocacy for my patients; we ended up working very well together. Since then, we've both left the facility where we worked together but we email each other and keep in touch.
I hope you found the answer to your question about dilaudid and I hope we helped you learn something extra too.
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