littlespitfire

littlespitfire has 7 years experience.

Latest Activity

1. Crap! Am I a crusty old bat nurse?? Carrying pens...

   littlespitfire replied to klone's topic in General Nursing

   I'm a millennial and I carry minimum 4 pens, a sharpie, a highlighter and a dry erase... most of which I lose and re- find over a 12 hour shift, no less than hourly. I buy my inkjoy pens in bulk boxes of 30, and have converted many on my unit to thes...

2. Doctors Say the Darnedest Things

   littlespitfire replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

   OH!!! and another- doc has stethoscope on pt's chest, right over heart, turns to look at me and says "can you get a pulse for me?"

3. Doctors Say the Darnedest Things

   littlespitfire replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

   oh another! on call doc paged about combative pt- gave IM orders, then started laughing and said "good luck with that"

4. Doctors Say the Darnedest Things

   littlespitfire replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

   Doc: *peers over desk to see what we are all looking at* "how do you read that? It's horrible!" Nurses: *all look at him, stunned* one nurse said "well, you wrote it, so..." same doc after his signature was confused for another doc's "his is CLEARLY ...

5. New Grad RN Alone in Rehab at Night??

   littlespitfire replied to LanaEl's topic in Rehabilitation

   Our night shift new grad hires get 3 weeks on days and 3 weeks on nights after they complete a classroom portion of orientation... we are a mix of both RN and LPN... The only 5 things so far I've not been able to do is 1) insert an IV.. I can draw bl...

6. Typical Staffing for a SNF/Rehab Wing

   littlespitfire replied to NurseQT's topic in Rehabilitation

   60 bed unit here- subacute/ rehab... days theres 4 floor nurses, 7 CNAs, 1 nurse assistant (cbg, helps with admits, daily weights etc) 1 admissions nurse, and in house wound care and NP. we also have in house PT doc and his NP, but they also have a c...

7. What are you an "expert" in on your unit? Becoming the "go-to" guy/gal for ...

   littlespitfire replied to cjcsoon2bnp's topic in General Nursing

   blood draws! if I can feel it, I can hit it. And... poop. I have long skinny alien fingers, and have been dubbed the "poop whisperer". Suppositories and digging people out. I don't suggest becoming "that nurse" everyone goes to when their patient won...

8. Tb skin test

   littlespitfire replied to roses616's topic in LPN/LVN

   I'm right handed... I hold the syringe in my right hand, bevel up, between thumb and forefinger. I always stabilize my hand with my other fingers on pt's arm. My left hand I use to hold pt's arm steady, with my thumb under my right hand pulling the s...

9. Michigan LPN Scope of Practice

   littlespitfire replied to rianbell1's topic in LPN/LVN

   I work in MI... We most certainly take phone orders. I can't hang blood, or do IV push meds. I frequently deal with PICC lines, ports, and drains/ostomies coming out of body parts. I am trained to run peritoneal dialysis. Long story short, there's lo...

10. Typical Staffing for a SNF/Rehab Wing

    littlespitfire replied to NurseQT's topic in Rehabilitation

    I've been in rehab for 5 years, our unit has 60 beds. Days has 4 nurses, 8 CNA's and in house wound care. When we are full we have a 5th nurse to help with treatments. We also have an in house NP, a nurse assistant who does accuchecks and helps with ...

11. For The Love Of All That Is Holy . . . .

    littlespitfire replied to Ruby Vee's topic in General Nursing

    Pet peeve- poor grammar or spelling in a fax to a physician. I've seen them so bad, doc circled the phrase and wrote "what?" Sometimes I feel like people try to over "professionalize" their communications, and it ends up sounding like a medical soap ...

12. Yacker Tracker in the NICU ???

    littlespitfire replied to Bezoars's topic in General Nursing

    Oh yes, we have had that and also a microphone that records sound levels. At the nurses stations. We had to remind management that 1, our bed alarms set off the yacker tracker. As did med cart drawers. And phones. And 2, their choice of placement did...

13. How do you feel about having other nurses as patients?

    littlespitfire replied to purplegal's topic in Relations

    I've had the pleasure of dealing with quite a few docs and nurses as patients... We recently also had a police chief and a catholic priest. And a professional psychic. My favorite so far was a retired (not by choice) cardiothoracic surgeon, who was p...

14. Being Ordered to Give Whiskey

    littlespitfire replied to purplegal's topic in General Nursing

    I have had quite a few patients with liquor orders... I worked in a rural retirement home for a bit, and many of the doctors had written orders for "1 pleasure beverage of choice at hs" and one doctor said he preferred to see his patients have a smal...

15. Is adequate rest the most important factor in enjoying night shift?

    littlespitfire replied to Hmfog's topic in General Nursing

    Habitual night walker here. I have been on night shifts or late shifts since I was a teen... Hell hath no fury like me in the morning if I am awakened. Even as a kid I would stay up late and preferred to sleep in. Now that "bad habit" is paying off ....