OldPhatMC

OldPhatMC has 8 years experience and specializes in Hospice, Rehab.

Latest Activity

1. I don't want to clean poop

   OldPhatMC replied to missmollie's topic in General Nursing

   How many times on other threads have we talked about students quitting nursing school because of the first semester poop requirements? Frankly, if you don't have a grasp of the humanity involved in managing poop, then maybe you shouldn't be writing ...

2. Pharmaceutical companies are crooks!

   OldPhatMC replied to klone's topic in General Nursing

   What your paying for is for someone to put the medications together and test them for risk to pregnant women. You're paying for someone else to take the fall in case of a birth defect. If a doc were to just say "take B-6 and Unisom" for an off-label ...

3. Can you recommend a medication?

   OldPhatMC replied to russianbear's topic in Medications

   In hospice nursing we make evidence-based recommendations all the time. Many attending physicians are not well versed in hospice care and they actually ask for recommendations. If they don't like it, they will explain way. Some physicians will become...

4. Concealed Carry for Caregivers

   OldPhatMC replied to ClaraRedheart's topic in General Nursing

   Head shots require placing the round in an area about 1/3 that of the chest "kill zone". They're hard in a controlled environment like a combat pistol shooting course, and nearly impossible with a handgun in real combat. And the very real risk of bys...

5. Concealed Carry for Caregivers

   OldPhatMC replied to ClaraRedheart's topic in General Nursing

   Former cop here. There is no way a single person with a weapon could have countered the shooting in San Bernadino, or even in many of the shooting that have occurred over the last year. Having a gun is the least important part of being a protector. S...

6. How much compassion is necessary to be a Great RN ??

   OldPhatMC replied to trhumper's topic in Men

   Something that wasn't mentioned is that it's not just the family that needs your compassion. It's your team members as well. Your preceptor was probably in a place where he/she would liked to have processed the experience with you. Part of that may h...

7. Where does the job end?

   OldPhatMC replied to MomRN0913's topic in Home Health

   The Department of Justice was working on the issue of home health nurses being shorted pay for working off-clock. As has been pointed out by others, it is illegal to for an employer to insist on this, and you should be compensated for the hours worke...

8. Is this holding me back?

   OldPhatMC replied to mikala3's topic in General Nursing

   I agree that you should have the skills. IV skills save lives. Been there. Even better, having the advanced skills that go with midlines, PICCS, all the many med ports and dialysis shunts would make a big difference on your floor and your career. I'm...

9. Guidance for a new case manager?

   OldPhatMC replied to MarcyRN's topic in Hospice

   Great questions: 1. What I LIKE to wear is business casual. Draws less attention, more comfortable, doesn't scream NURSE. What I DO wear is scrubs. Both have their advantages. 2. Worst part of the job: the paperwork is bad, but I really hate lots of ...

10. Patient refusing Hospice

    OldPhatMC replied to jammycakesRN's topic in Hospice

    needshaldol has said a lot that, as a hospice RN of several years experience, I think needs to be clarified for the readers: The medicare billing: Medicare gets billed at a standard rate. They pay at a much smaller standard rate. Currently a patient ...

11. Do you identify yourself as a nurse when you or your family are a patient?

    OldPhatMC replied to Brian's topic in General Nursing

    I used to identify myself as a nurse, but since I wasn't a member of the Emergency Department cool kids club I got treated with very variable levels of respect in the ED. So now I conceal it if at all possible when I go with someone. My doc and podia...

12. NPH insuln

    OldPhatMC replied to fallrisk2008's topic in Safety

    I've had this experience with patients. NPH insulin is variable in its effect from person to person, as well as variable in its effect on a person based on their activity levels. I'd normally give straight NPH insulin based on the patient's history a...

13. Snow- at what point do you call out?

    OldPhatMC replied to EMSnut45's topic in General Nursing

    Students, being non-essential to patient care shouldn't be forced to come in. When this happened to me in nursing school, any day where the campus closed also was a day they canceled clinicals. We did have one day where the drive (for me) was just fi...

14. Snow- at what point do you call out?

    OldPhatMC replied to EMSnut45's topic in General Nursing

    When it comes to being a health care worker, I've always favored death -- my own -- as the only real reason to call out. My only exception to that was the time I was down in the cardiac unit -- it was only pneumonia, but they wouldn't let me out for ...

15. Difficult familily members (VENT)

    OldPhatMC replied to Spritenurse1210's topic in General Nursing

    Oh she's an INTERN. She doesn't have permission to either speak to nurses or raise her eyes from the floor unless her R3 is present! Seriously, the comments about involving them in care and open communications are very valid. I get this a lot. Someti...