[Nurse Somebody]

Here's a hmm rule for you....

I work LTC. We have a form to fill out on every resident on antibiotic therapy, required each shift. All you have to do is write a y or n in the block next to the resident's name for the duration of the course of antibiotics. {After you fill in the info at the end relating to name, med, dx, etc.} Now, if you work LTC, you know that lots of folks may be on abx, so while this is not a huge amount of paperwork, it is still uneccesary work added to each shifts pile. This is a rule because someone, somewhere, I don't know how long ago, had a resident on abx who had a significant adverse reaction to it and died because NOBODY noticed. I don't know about you all, but I keep a close eye on my residents who are ill enough to be on abx, and when they start acting very different, I notice! However, all three shifts missed this problem. For about a week, this person got worse and had increasing s/s of adverse reaction and no one thought anything of it. Not to be rude, but why punish the nurses who do their jobs by adding more gobbledy gook to do? That is time I could spend on resident care, thank you. Every one makes mistakes, I am by no means perfect and will never be. The only people who never make mistakes are babies and docs . Any how, I guess it's just a case of mgmt covering the hind quarters again. Sorry for the rant .

[camay1221_RN]

We have a list of on call spots every month because of our constant fluxuating census. Now, when we are on call and called in, we get time and a half. However, if we are not at all scheduled, not on call and out of the goodness of your heart, we come in to help, we only get straight pay. Now, what incentive do I have to leave my kids to come in on my day off and work?!? I think it is silly they will toss out all the money on the "scheduled" on call slots, but when they call one of us with a moments notice and we are willing to come in, there is no compensation, well besides our regular pay.

Hmmmm...

[LeahJet]

Ok....I am going in a different direction here.......

As nurses, we give all sorts of crucial medication.... Adenocard, Potassium, Succs, ect ect...........

SO...my question is....WHY do most hospitals require 2 licensed people to check INSULIN??? A medication that any yahoo can give to themselves at home.
Maybe I am missing something here.
No doubt it's due to liability but it still seems ironic to me.

[dansdoll]

Originally Posted by sagarcia210

We are not allowed to have our own bottles of hand lotion!! The infection control nurse says it can cause a breadown in the durability of our gloves!!
How absurd!! We do not reuse the gloves!!!

It looks as if you have not been paying attention to infection control issues. The oils in typical hand lotions, including lanolin and aloe, basically any petrolium based product. break down the laytex while you are wearing it and compromises the barrier between you and the stuff you handling. Imagaine a colander of urine draining onto your hands! It is the same principle as water based sex lubricants when using condoms. Please tell me you are at least teaching your pts this very important aspect of diseae prevention!

[dansdoll]

Originally Posted by asher315

Let me ask your opinion. JCAHO is now making unannounced visits and the upper mgmt is going nuts. Now I understand some of their rules and the reasoning and for the most part I agree but why do they insist that no drinks be at the desk??? Yeah, I might spill it or throw it in a doctor's face but is it really a patient care issue? It's a mystery to me! What do you think?

asher

Yuck!!!!! it is the transmission of germs!!!! The pts germs are in the air, if you wouldn't suck on a wound why would you want those germs in your drink?

[Nascar nurse]

Warning... going to get a little gross here. Why do we put absolutely everything contaminated with even the smallest drop of a blood in the bio hazard and then go into the bathroom, change our feminine pad (with more blood than the 4X4 had on it) and just dump that in the garbage!! Have never, never, never understood this.

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Originally Posted by Nascar nurse

Warning... going to get a little gross here. Why do we put absolutely everything contaminated with even the smallest drop of a blood in the bio hazard and then go into the bathroom, change our feminine pad (with more blood than the 4X4 had on it) and just dump that in the garbage!! Have never, never, never understood this.

The small cans that are in the stall may have the clear liners in them, but our housekeeping puts those in the red bag when they change them out.

[Nascar nurse]

Well they don't in my facility. And Hmmmmm... why should they (just as devils advocate). There are households all across America that are disposing of the very same product into the general landfills. So what makes our trash w/ only small dried amounts of blood/body fluids anymore "dangerous" and requiring special disposal techniques than what is going into landfills all across the world. Can't be that our "population" has scarier germs - because those same germs abound in the general public. I can definately see large amounts of wet, dripping blood/body fluids be disposed of in "red bags", but a 4X4 w/ a 1cm area of dried blood??? Just one of those rules that makes me go Hmmmm.

[asher315]

Originally Posted by dansdoll

Yuck!!!!! it is the transmission of germs!!!! The pts germs are in the air, if you wouldn't suck on a wound why would you want those germs in your drink?

I'm talking about a coke in a cup with a lid sitting beside the computer where I chart, there are germs everywhere in the hospital environment, why would a microbe pick my coke to swin in? Besides, as my mother used to tell me, coke could dissolve a nail, surely it could take care of a pathogen!!!

Seriously, I realize that it is for the safety of the staff but it does seem alittle over the top. If I keep it in the break room, a co-worker is sure to share with me any number of germs just by saying hello.

Just my thoughts

asher315

[nialloh]

Originally Posted by asher315

I'm talking about a coke in a cup with a lid sitting beside the computer where I chart, there are germs everywhere in the hospital environment, why would a microbe pick my coke to swin in? Besides, as my mother used to tell me, coke could dissolve a nail, surely it could take care of a pathogen!!!

Seriously, I realize that it is for the safety of the staff but it does seem alittle over the top. If I keep it in the break room, a co-worker is sure to share with me any number of germs just by saying hello.

Just my thoughts

asher315

Agreed. If you are that worried about germs, you had better have a mask on at all times. You are breathing them in all day.