RNerd81

RNerd81

Critical Care, Cardiology, Education

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About RNerd81

RNerd81 has 9 years experience and specializes in Critical Care, Cardiology, Education.


Attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD for BA in Nursing. Also have BA in Psychology from Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA. Have been an RN for 9 years at Mayo Clinic Hospital - Rochester (St. Mary's Campus) in Rochester, MN. Two years were in a medical cardiac PCU, and 7 years have been in the medical cardiac ICU. I have been a nursing instructor, nurse recruiter, committee chair. I am a preceptor, educator, and staff nurse. I love my job.

Latest Activity

  1. Mayo Clinic Reality

    It makes me sad to hear of your experience in Florida. Unfortunately, I've heard the same from a colleague that worked there for a very short time (she left and came back to Minnesota for precisely the reasons you state here). I do know that there ...
  2. This is a very grey area. I included the webpage from LifeSource on referral triggers. The catch is that if you are using neuromuscular blockade as part of your protocol, many of these tests for brain death will not be usable. I know there are als...
  3. New Grad ICU Need Encouragment

    I'm really sorry you're going through this. I don't want that for you. Things are much better in other places. You are dealing with a very unhealthy (read: toxic) work environment. There are many things you can do to improve the interactions, but...
  4. chf and ventilator understanding

    One other thing I might mention...a patient with CHF may breathe better without the ventilator. This is jumping way ahead (because I'm assuming that pulmonary edema is resolved), but being placed on mechanical ventilation reverses the normal mechani...
  5. What are my chances at Mayo?

    I am a nurse in the medical cardiac ICU and I did hear that the hiring pause is lifted. It sounds like you have a great background. My only advice is perseverance. I have not heard of any automated programs for weeding out applications, but I don't w...
  6. New grad program in Mayo Clinic

    I've heard through the grapevine that Mayo Rochester is looking into the feasibility and benefits vs. drawbacks of a nursing "residency" program. It's my understanding that nursing residency is a newer concept that is catching on in a few places.
  7. So, do you question the motivation of the family for wanting the monitor on? Do you think it's morbid curiosity? If the monitor is on, does that detract from a "good" death? Does having the monitor on add anything to the dying experience in the IC...
  8. Brainstorming needed!

    If you're really Type-A, you may prefer a Cardiac Surgical ICU over a Cardiac Medical ICU. In Cardiac Surg, there is a lot of bean-counting...chest tube output, urine output, CRRT, titrate drip A according to protocol A, titrate drip B according to ...
  9. Recently, I had a new nurse approach me and pose this question: How do I shut off all of my bedside alarms but keep the data on the screen? At first I wondered why in the world the nurse would want to do this, and questioned the quality of her orien...
  10. Mayo Clinic Reality

    I have been a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for 7 years now, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I grew up in Southern California, and the job at Mayo is what now keeps me in the midwest. I have had the opportunity t...
  11. Virchow's Triad: 1. Venous stasis (not moving) 2. Vascular trauma 3. Hypercoagulable state Your question revolves around #1...even normally healthy people get DVTs on long plane flights. There is no definitive length of time necessary to develop ...
  12. Do you have to take CCRN exam to stay in ICU?

    CCRN is absolutely not mandatory. You can work your entire career without CCRN certification and not have a problem. That being said, CCRN certification (or any specialty certification for that matter) shows your commitment to high-quality patient ...
  13. What would you have done?

    First of all, I'm sorry that you experienced this. It's really frustrating and hurtful. You are competent. Your rationale outlines that very clearly. Secondly, the situation outlines the "ethics lag" that exists in our country. We have the abili...
  14. Troponin leak and pressor of choice.

    Also, this is more like a troponin "flood" than "leak". No matter what your renal function, a trop of 6.4 isn't good. Even if it's "I" vs. "T", 6.4 is substantial. Especially given the patient's history.
  15. Troponin leak and pressor of choice.

    Full reference for norepinephrine vs. dopamine: NEJM 362(9): 779-89, 2010 MAR 4. DeBacker, D., et al.