Nursing 10 years ago

I was just wondering what nursing was like 10years ago and how has it changed?

the speed and severity of everything is a biggie in 91 my pts were in icu 3 days before they went to pcu now they are home in the 3days,then a pulmonary emboli killed ya dead now we see less.surgery much less invasive anesthetic no so volatile.One thing is the same still no line at the restroom during confrences but now being a guy and RN doesnt get ya tagged with old stereotype.

Acuity up, length of stay down (rehab).

In my area, a complete collapse of psychiatric hospitals. This might have been a regional issue. In 1997 I was internal pool for 4 psych facilities in my area. They are all gone now.

almost everyone w/ belly pain gets a CT now...

they don't teach air bolus to check NGT placement...they want you to test the pH

Patient equipment wasn't sized for obese patients. Stretchers wide as ironing boards, and a morgue cart with a 350lb weight limit.

Beds were simpler with fewer "functions". Even a few hand-cranked beds were about.

Non-digital ventilators were still found. You peered at manometers for settings.

Nursing uniforms that were not scrubs were still worn outside ICU, OR and L &D. Scrubs were making their way in though , but true tailored uniforms could still be seen.

No internet at work. More printed manuals and drug books about.

Pyxis was less seen. You counted narcotics at the end of each shift and handed over the keys.

Let's see.....way less paperwork then, abd bleeding was diagnosed with belly taps, took weeks to get an MRI done, new babies were discharged 24 hours after birth if healthy

almost everyone w/ belly pain gets a CT now...

they don't teach air bolus to check NGT placement...they want you to test the pH

What? They don't? I guess I am out of the times, our whole floor does this and new grads say they are still being taught this.

Never heard of "check the pH"

check the ph of what??

update on 6-8-07: *waving white flag* :chair: :chair: :chair: :chair:

i got it, guys, i got it!!!!

You counted narcotics at the end of each shift and handed over the keys.

We still do this in the UK!

Femur fxs were admitted and tractioned for at least 3 days before surgery.

Hip replacements meant several months of rehab and using walkers.

AIDS patients died. . . quickly.

This actually started turning around a little about 10 years ago when the cocktails starting being used.

In the area of the country I was living they had just started using stents when they did angioplasties.

When I started my first job we never got consent to give blood (again, maybe some of this stuff was regional, we were kind of off the beaten path). It was about 10-12 yrs ago when we were told we would need to get consents to give blood. Before, it wasn't really addressed, if the patient protested then of course we wouldn't do it but otherwise we just got no more consent than you would to put in a catheter.

Check the pH of the gastric content...

though I taught my clinical group to check w/ air bolus...