tddowney

Latest Activity

1. Ethics: Does it bother you when people are in nursing to make money?

   tddowney replied to CaLLaCoDe's topic in General Nursing

   wanting to make a decent living and caring about pts are not at all mutually exclusive. in my experience, the people who do the best job in any field are those with the pride in doing a task well. that pride also carries over into wanting to be reco...

2. DNR bracelet with DNR written on it. HIPAA???

   tddowney replied to FireStarterRN's topic in HIPAA

   Exactly. The Pt's choice has to be communicated to those that could follow/not follow it. In the magic world inhabited by lawyers and commissions, every caregiver can remember the code status of Pts with perfect accuracy, along with their fall risk,...

3. Shabbos/Religious Observances

   tddowney replied to texasmommy's topic in General Nursing

   The first step is to find out about the clinical hours of the programs you apply to enter. Ask directly, and don't count on rumor or what their schedule was last year. Tell them your restrictions, since there may be changes in the works for future se...

4. Help....How do you Protect yourself?

   tddowney replied to TonyFl's topic in General Nursing

   What do you mean by "dangerous?" Physical, emotional, financial? Like any profession, nursing has exposures to each of these.

5. Help! Accused of verbal abuse.

   tddowney replied to nurse.pammy's topic in General Nursing

   You don't want to give any kind of statement until you have a lawyer with you. If you're suspended, it means your license as well as your job is at risk, plus the possibility of a lawsuit. A lawyer experienced in nursing issues will know your rights...

6. Ethics: Does it bother you when people are in nursing to make money?

   tddowney replied to CaLLaCoDe's topic in General Nursing

   I think you're describing a lazy nurse, not a nurse motivated more by money than love of the profession. In my experience, these sort of folks are just as unprofessional in any field you happen to be unfortunate enough to find them.

7. Tattoo's on Nurses

   tddowney replied to gentlemother's topic in General Nursing

   If I were an administrator, I wouldn't want to get into defining what it "tastefull and not offensive." That way lies lots of headaches and probably a lawsuit sooner or later. So, the policy I think works best is no tats showing. Simple, easy to unde...

8. Will you work during a Pandemic?

   tddowney replied to Goju's topic in COVID

   First of all, I'm not inexperienced or naive enough to believe the government will take care of anything. I've been an adult for 35 years, and I know the goverment talks a much better game than it ever plays. Like any good emergency responder, which...

9. How do you handle non compliant patients??

   tddowney replied to pink2blue1's topic in General Nursing

   If I followed your post correctly, the Pt had gone more than 24 hours without food or anything to drink. No surprise that he's going to sneak something.

10. Is there anything else I can do for you? I have the time. (new hourly rounding sheet)

    tddowney replied to FireStarterRN's topic in General Nursing

    So, if you're sitting down, that must mean you're on a break, and don't need a real one, right?

11. Is there anything else I can do for you? I have the time. (new hourly rounding sheet)

    tddowney replied to FireStarterRN's topic in General Nursing

    In this case, it was nurses who came up with the hourly rounding. The idea is that it cuts down on call light use, and thereby saves nursing time. But, no doubt the researchers forgot to take into account all the documenting time.

12. Help!! How to retain new nurses

    tddowney replied to rn to bsn student's topic in General Nursing

    Start with the complaints commonly seen on these boards. Nurse/Pt ratios, inadequate and shortened orientations, unhelpful or worse response from those with experience on the unit. The solution to these complaints is an organizational committment to ...

13. Pressure to take breaks ...

    tddowney replied to Sassybottom's topic in General Nursing

    This is one of those paradoxes in life. Taking a break allows you to refresh your mind for a few minutes, grab a snack and a drink of water, tea, etc. You'll probably think better with some nutrients and hydration on board. The change of pace will le...

14. How Would You Handle This?

    tddowney replied to TrudyRN's topic in General Nursing

    Search your cart for the actual wood--no aluminum, please--Louisville Slugger Alex Rodriguez model bat you purchased for one of your family members. Remember to step into the swing............. A bit more seriously, as a practical matter all that stu...

15. DNR Orders Overturned By Doctors

    tddowney replied to DaFreak71's topic in General Nursing

    If the pt does recover, he ought to sue not only the doctor, but also the family members who insisted the doctor act against the DNR. In some cases, some family member might be siphoning off grandpa's SSI or other retirement payments, and if grandpa...