Perpetual Student

Perpetual Student

PACU

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About Perpetual Student

Perpetual Student has 4+ years experience and specializes in PACU.


I'm running out of time!

Latest Activity

  1. As stated, they could terminate you if they so desired. It sounds like honestly they need nurses, and you sound like a motivated employee who happened to get really sick, so I doubt they will terminate you. By the time they terminated you and trained...
  2. Nurses: How Do You Feel About Your Patients Being Nurses?

    As a patient, I try to be extra accommodating and non-demanding. I will quietly voice any requests, but make it clear that I think it's a kindness for someone to do anything other than keep me from dying and that I have no problem waiting until it's ...
  3. Not getting any patients assigned at end of preceptorship

    A student has no business taking an independent patient load in an ED nor any other sort of critical care area. While it's incredibly stupid that the facility does not provide access to the EMR to students, that shouldn't be the determinant of whe...
  4. Overtime

    Specialized units with mandatory call often provide opportunity for OT (OR, PACU, IR, cath lab, and so on).
  5. Giving iv meds through running line

    If the fluid is compatible with the drug I always just let it keep running (often turning up the rate if it's on gravity tubing to provide further dilution). When I am done pushing the drug I draw in some fluid from the bag to use to flush it. I defi...
  6. Overtime

    From staff perspective: the money can be nice; it's also better to have to work some OT occasionally than be so over-staffed that you have to take a ton of low census hours. For example, as a full time person I'd rather work 60 hours per week than 20...
  7. Yes, I'm in pain!

    Yeah, I would assuming they're complaining of significant pain or showing signs thereof. I'd give a smaller dose (perhaps 25 mcg of fentanyl) at increased intervals (10-15 minutes) until the patient reported relief or became too sedated. I would also...
  8. Yes, I'm in pain!

    My mindset is to look for reasons to not give pain meds, not reasons to give them. Those reasons are rather exceptional--completely unresponsive, denies pain completely (even then I'll give something PO before transferring the patient and continue to...
  9. Medicating PONV vs. watchful waiting

    I prefer to be very aggressive re: PONV. I personally absolutely hate feeling that way, and figure most patients share that view.You also lose style points if your patient is puking all over the place post discharge from the PACU.I will give one anti...
  10. V-fib refractory to an initial/second shock

    Refractory to means not fixed by in that context. So if shocking your v-fib isn't working, what other intervention might you want to try? You're on the right track when you mention that it's a pharmacology question.
  11. What makes nursing stressful for you?

    The possibility of forgetting to document something that will bite me on the butt makes me a bit uneasy. This job would be so much easier if there wasn't such a huge focus on CYA/make-some-regulatory-organization-happy documentation. Having to have a...
  12. IV narcotics?

    I would do it as above posters described in the situation at hand. Another way to do it is to draw up some NS from the flush into another 10 cc syringe, then draw up the appropriate amount of drug. That would be the correct way if you needed a precis...
  13. what are you going to do with this order?

    I'd fold it into an awesome paper airplane and then do my own homework. All kidding aside, what information would you like to have that you don't have? Is that information necessary to safely give the drug? Does your P&P manual provide the missin...
  14. As a nurse, what does it mean to be in medicine?

    It annoys the heck out of me when someone calls nursing "medicine" or worse yet uses the phrase "medical field." It is misleading and disrespectful of nursing as its own discipline.
  15. First Code Blue

    Call for help while assessing and start BLS, and other interventions once adequate assistance is on hand. Start CPR as promptly as possible. Don't be afraid to direct others in what to do to assist you. You need to be AGGRESSIVE. Learn to harness ...