catshowlady

catshowlady specializes in ICU.

Latest Activity

1. What do I do about nurses who think my job is worthless?

   catshowlady replied to onlyj's topic in Relations

   I agree wholeheartedly that a good sitter is worth his/her weight in gold. That said, just to point out another side, I have had some sitters with pts that really were not terribly helpful. Rather than try to help meet the pt's needs, such as comfor...

2. Anti-Intellectualism/Autonomy in nursing

   catshowlady replied to felineRN's topic in General Nursing

   I didn't mean to suggest that med-surg nurses are not capable of thinking critically. If it came across that way, I apologize. What I was trying to point out was that it seems like med-surg nurses seem to get their hands smacked, so to speak, for ...

3. Anti-Intellectualism/Autonomy in nursing

   catshowlady replied to felineRN's topic in General Nursing

   To my mind, this leaves you open to a lawsuit for failure to rescue.

4. Anti-Intellectualism/Autonomy in nursing

   catshowlady replied to felineRN's topic in General Nursing

   felineRN: I think you would enjoy ICU nursing. We have more latitude to do some of the things you are describing without getting griped at. As you pointed out, it's about what the patient needs in that moment. In fact, I'd be a ****-poor ICU nur...

5. New Grad RN...Why can't I hear lung sounds!!

   catshowlady replied to sameyjaney's topic in General Nursing

   Are the earpieces on your stethoscope angled correctly to direct the transmitted sounds towards your eardrums? I find I have to direct mine forward to hear well. (Drives me nuts when I have an isolation pt and I can't get the cheapo isolation steth...

6. Why do some Medstudents love to belittle nurses?

   catshowlady replied to LPNweezy's topic in Relations

   Think about what you would accomplish by reporting them to the Dean of their medical school. Could you get them reprimanded, or kicked out of school? Maybe, maybe not. How would you feel later about that? Is that the goal you are trying to accomp...

7. Things you'd LOVE to tell coworkers...and get away with it!

   catshowlady replied to General E. Speaking, RN's topic in Relations

   WARNING: RANT AHEAD... To the tech that bounced me about a property list that wasn't done (which is primarily our techs' responsibility anyway) as I'm staying an hour late after my shift to chart: Yeah, I didn't get the property checklist done. I'm...

8. Why apologize to doctor when calling?

   catshowlady replied to Florence NightinFAIL's topic in General Nursing

   I also apologize when I have to call repeatedly, or for "dumb stuff". Example: we have certain lab results that our policy requires we call within 1/2 hour (critical results). Even though the result doesn't need to be treated immediately (like a l...

9. The CRAZIEST "Baseline" You've Ever Heard

   catshowlady replied to MoLee228's topic in General Nursing

   I took care of a Down's syndrome pt once. She was rather long-lived for a Down's pt; she was in her mid-50's. Her O2 sat was always in the upper 60's/low 70's, and she was alert, talking, normal activity, although her skin color was always on the b...

10. Sedation..Your thoughts?

    catshowlady replied to Da_Milk_of_Amnesia's topic in MICU

    I would have left it alone if she was comfortable, could follow commands, and was not grabbing for the ETT. Why snow them? I think it takes them longer to wake up if they are constantly snowed. I do turn the sedation up and snow them during their ...

11. Song Ideas?

    catshowlady replied to us2uk4u's topic in General Nursing

    For the lighting of the lamp, we did "Light Your Candle" by Kathy Troccoli (sp?), which has been sung by Chris Rice. It talks about giving our light to those in need. It does have one stanza which is overtly religious in nature. I still tear up ev...

12. How much Versed/Fentanyl is too much????

    catshowlady replied to SleepynurseRN's topic in Medications

    I'm ICU, not PACU or OR. We use Versed & Fentanyl gtts to maintain sedation in intubated pts. That said, I have given up to 300mcg/hr of Fentanyl and, oh, around 33mg/hr of Versed. We dose Versed in mg/kg/hr, and we max out at 0.12mg/kg/hr. So a...

13. Gift ideas for my stepfather, the soon-to-be LPN

    catshowlady replied to TDCHIM's topic in General Nursing

    What about a really nice pair of trauma shears? Even if he isn't going to be doing trauma, they work to cut just about anything. They have a blunt tip so you can use them to cut off dressings, too. I always carry a pair. :paw:

14. Unhappy and Depressed

    catshowlady replied to PraiseMariahCarey's topic in General Nursing

    If you are working and going to school, you may be experiencing some burnout. I worked full-time as a PCT on a busy intermediate unit and went to NS full-time, and I burned out doing it. I was cranky and I hated my job. Now that I am out of school...

15. How soon we forget.

    catshowlady replied to eriksoln's topic in Activism

    I would like to point out a legal distinction, just as an FYI. The FEDERAL government is (theoretically) limited in its powers to govern only the situations laid out for it in the Constitution. They've really expanded their powers in more recent hi...