cbreuklander

cbreuklander has 5 years experience.

Latest Activity

1. Tying Patient Satisfaction to Medicare Reimbursement is Problematic

   cbreuklander replied to TheCommuter's topic in Safety

   Amen to that. What the patient wants is not always what is best. If they had the ability and knowledge to take care of themselves, they wouldn't be in the hospital. Not to say that we should ignore their requests entirely, but sometimes they need to ...

2. Snow- at what point do you call out?

   cbreuklander replied to EMSnut45's topic in General Nursing

   I have worked for a hospital that took into consideration the safety of their nurses during winter weather. They would call me at home to let me know that if I felt the roads were not safe for my car, they would put me home "on call." If they didn't ...

3. Sometimes you just can't bite your tongue.....

   cbreuklander replied to hiddencatRN's topic in Emergency

   Happens on Med-Surg, too. I had a patient with an unstable heart rhythm. I will admit it took me some time to settle it down, get the Dr. on the phone, IVP meds and calming the patient and family. However, amazingly, I had no other patient call light...

4. Question about BP control in your ICU

   cbreuklander replied to IheartICUnursing's topic in MICU

   Much the same in our ICU. The treatment protocols haven't changed a lot in the last few years. I think the perfusion issue is what keeps the docs conservative with BP control. Also, once it starts to drop as the pt stabilizes, it is difficult to cont...

5. Nursing Diagnosis...the sacred cow that needs to go.

   cbreuklander replied to Idaho4me's topic in General Nursing

   When we enter a care plan into our computer program (which we are required to do on admission) it automatically generates nursing diagnosis that fit the physician's diagnosis (reason for admission). Once each shift, we are required to bring up this c...

6. Can student administer medication without RN supervision?

   cbreuklander replied to AnneN's topic in General Students

   When I was a student, once the clinical instructor was confident in our ability, we were allowed to take meds in to patients unsupervised. However, we were not allowed to go into the patient's room without the instructor or primary care nurse first l...

7. Just for fun; Quotes you use for encourgement

   cbreuklander replied to havehope's topic in General Students

   When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

8. So do you actually take your breaks?

   cbreuklander replied to purse's topic in General Nursing

   It's basically an administrative attitude. I work a busy med-surg floor. I am an RN. The hospital I worked at previously, we took our breaks and the charge nurse would remind us to go on break. He/she would offer to cover for us to make sure that we ...

9. How to explain how hard you have to work in nursing school

   cbreuklander replied to guest10's topic in General Students

   My school sent a letter to my husband shortly before the first semester started. It talked about the commitment nursing school required and the long late hours that would be needed. It also thanked him in advance for being supportive and lowering the...

10. For those new grads who are employed, what's your method?

    cbreuklander replied to grateful2010's topic in General Nursing

    Don't know any nurse recruiters. Here's what I did...I applied for a position at every hospital around. I interviewed at 4 of them, passed pre-employment physical fitness tests at 3, and took the job I felt the best about in the end. Make sure to hav...

11. To flush or not to flush...advice please.

    cbreuklander replied to lovingtheunloved's topic in General Nursing

    Our policy is to push 1mg or 1ml over 1 minute, but I've also seen nurses push Morphine faster.

12. To flush or not to flush...advice please.

    cbreuklander replied to lovingtheunloved's topic in General Nursing

    If it were me, I would flush unless my supervisor specifically told me not to. And in that case, I would ask for a policy so that there is no question. The potential for drugs that are not compatible being in the tubing at the same time is scary to m...

13. Snow- at what point do you call out?

    cbreuklander replied to EMSnut45's topic in General Nursing

    Hard to get to the county seat to get that piece of paper when the roads are closed! Management should take a hard look at how much they value the lives of their staff. It's harder to get to work post accident, no matter how serious.

14. Snow- at what point do you call out?

    cbreuklander replied to EMSnut45's topic in General Nursing

    By the way, I have been the nurse stuck at work due to someone else not making it in. I still do not go in if the drifts on the road are taller than my car!! Get real. It is different out in the country than it is in the metro areas!

15. Snow- at what point do you call out?

    cbreuklander replied to EMSnut45's topic in General Nursing

    I have to say that I have called off work because of snow more than once. I live in a rural area on a gravel road that is just not a high priority. I do not like to call off because it makes me feel guilty, but sometimes it simply can't be helped. My...