tnmarie

tnmarie

geriatrics, hospice, private duty

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About tnmarie

tnmarie specializes in geriatrics, hospice, private duty.


3 years as a military medic, 8 years as an LPN, now going back to school for Health Information Management.

Latest Activity

  1. One of my new patients has a severe oral aversion. There is no physical reason the pt can not eat PO. Any tips on getting a peds patient with severe oral aversion to eat? The child is 8 y/o and I'll be caring for the child in a home environment. ...
  2. Anyone dealt with COBRA?

    Thanks for all the replies. I still haven't decided what to do yet. Gonna see how much continued coverage through COBRA will be before I decide anything and also gonna find out when exactly my coverage through previous employer ends. I do know tha...
  3. LPN Hospice Nurse

    Main duty is keeping the pts comfortable and helping the family and pts cope. Pain management is a biggie. The skills I used in hospice weren't that different than LTC or other places; you just focus more on palliative care. It can be emotionally ...
  4. What constitutes a "fall" at your facility?

    We have a younger res that acts out when you don't do what they want when they want. S/he sits down and then lays back in the floor. If we don't actually observe the res in the process of laying down, we have to chart it as a fall. We also have an...
  5. Running low on soap

    Wow, I think you are working at a place I recently left! I was determined to stay a year. I made it 10 months. I bought the supplies. I loved the residents. After buying barrier cream and other supplies, our pressure sores cleared up (imagine th...
  6. Anyone dealt with COBRA?

    Hello all and happy New Year! So here is my situation: I went directly from one job to another at the end of December. I am not eligible for insurance through my new employer until February. I have a chronic condition and maintenance meds so I can'...
  7. After the Fall LTC/SNF Nursing Know-how 101

    @Dana: that is why we do neuros after unwitnessed falls. It is safer to proceed as if they did hit their head since we don't know. As far as getting the nurse in the situation, I don't think I understand what you are asking. Just call the nurse fo...
  8. After the Fall LTC/SNF Nursing Know-how 101

    We have a whole fall packet: pain assessment form, change of condition form, neurochecks, investigation report, ect. We do the same as everyone has said: CNA stays with patient and calls for nurse. The CNAs take VS while the nurse assesses and then...
  9. Second job?

    Back when I was living in a more rural area, I worked PRN at LTC to help offset some of the bumps in the PDN road. It had the added bonus of keeping more more marketable because in my area, facility experience is valued over HHC experience for the m...
  10. They know what is happening and they also know that nurses are working for them FOR FREE because they don't know or won't fight for their basic rights as employees/humans. You know how much money you are saving your employer buy working through ...
  11. My former employer took away the only other nurse in the building on my shift. This of course meant that I could not leave the floor and would not get lunch. I promptly called my state board of labor thinking it was illegal to not be able to take l...
  12. A new puppy!!

    I have rarely heard of an instance of a PDN doing "a little extra" that didn't end like this. Once they see you will do the little extra, they will expect more and more. Then when you put your foot down, they throw you under the bus. That is why i...
  13. What real life skills do lpn's do regularly?

    The skills you use are going to depend on where you end up and even the shift (night shift did all the U/As, colostomy and PEG care in my last SNF). My last SNF didn't let LPNs do IVs but most SNFs do. See where I am going? You may want to see wher...
  14. SNF/LTC new nurse needs advice

    What medications absolutely must be given daily? All medication MUST be given as ordered. Unless it is PRN, it must be given daily as scheduled. If it is not given, it is a med error. "Borrowing" from another resident is technically insurance/m...
  15. Trying to change fields

    It is hard to transition from HHC/PDN back to facility nursing. In my personal experience, it was hard to get any position outside of HHC/PDN since that has been my primary field of practice in nursing. Most jobs want a minimum of "one year of RECE...