cdsga

cdsga

ICU, PACU, OR

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About cdsga

cdsga has 37 years experience and specializes in ICU, PACU, OR.


Diploma nurse 1978 to BSN in 2014. Started in ICU, then progressed to PACU then on to the OR. Have performed all manner of mid level management and have been fortunate to become a nurse educator where I oversee the orientation, ongoing competency development, policy review and revision, and the new perioperative internship (residency) programs at my facility.

Latest Activity

  1. No You are exactly where you need to be. You know you are on the right path when you are itching to be on your own. I would express this to your clinician or educator and let preceptors take a more distant check-in with you during the day. Have them ...
  2. Operating Room Nurse: Roles

    Instead of strapping arms or wrists tot the armboards we hold hands to keep the muscle relaxant and fasciculations from causing their arm to flop off and keep them secure until after they are asleep. Males are usually stoic and many will not show fea...
  3. Operating Room Nurse: Roles

    Are you a nurse? Does compassion care empathy allying fears mean anything to you?
  4. Question on triple A repair

    Most AAA's are now repaired endoscopically, in hybrid OR's where grafts are placed through the femoral with x-rays-even if ruptured, so back to your question. The backflow is handled by limiting the clamp time, doctor's must move fast. Also anesthesi...
  5. Suggestions for getting my foot in the door for OR??

    Try to get into a residency program. There are many out there and that will train you well. Probably will be a time commitment after the program is completed, but if you want to really feel confident in the OR you have to stay for a couple of years ...
  6. Snow & calling out of work

    It always amazed me that surgeries were never cancelled and the patients were always there on time waiting on us to drag in. Unless the doctor can't get in, work goes on. We've had doctors who open their homes to people and we walked to their houses...
  7. Snow & calling out of work

    Usually people know in advance when bad weather is coming and have specific emergency codes that are enacted. Most nurses who live far away are asked to stay if the code is implemented. If you choose to go home, you should have made plans to get back...
  8. Is OR Nursing always difficult???

    When you first start you are afraid of everything-experience makes you competent. You are a novice. Open your ears and eyes and learn what you appreciate in nursing practice and what you would not want to emulate. There are nurses today that would ne...
  9. Operating Room Nurse: Roles

    OR nursing is about more than skills. Someone asked me one day about patient advocacy in the OR while the patient has no recall of the nurse(s) who cared for them while they were anesthetized. Being a patient advocate in the OR is about ensuring that...
  10. Workplace Cowardice

    "Snitch" means tattle tale. Police use them (usually the snitch gets something in return) to get the skinny on people that they can't get to tell the truth or share the reality of what's going on. Poorly performing managers use this type of person to...
  11. Workplace Cowardice

    It is tough to confront someone during work when you are dealing with patients and so much to do. These types of issues take focus off and makes life miserable and too stressful-really unnecessary. If management feeds into this, keeps a record of it ...
  12. OR Coordinator

    It may vary from state to state. I would check your state's medical practice act to be sure. This may become more prevalent when staffing issues arise or if in a very rural area with limited resources. To be safe, if the patient is stable and not eme...
  13. Don't Call Them Nurses!

    Well we've gotten off track once again. To set it straight. LPN's have less education but have a similar skill set. The RN has supervisory roles of all those who are not RN's and also do initial patient assessments and meet requirements of job skills...
  14. Don't Call Them Nurses!

    Doctors will use less expensive help and will design programs to allow others to take over the RN role. Nurses have yet to define effectively what value we bring to the table on a daily basis. Yes there are studies to provide evidence that having RN'...
  15. Nurse Staffing Costs

    To get back on track. The number of patients entering health care with untreated/undiagnosed chronic diseases is on the rise and is expected to increase dramatically with the new health care law implementation. If this expectation is true, then healt...