Remember when the only "correct" way to secure a trach was to cut 2 pieces of twill tape, cut a slit near the end of each, then thread the other end through the appliance slit then the tape slit? What insane person decided that?
We didn't cut a slit. We would thread the first end of the twill tape through the trach, and then gently push a hemostat through the twill tape about an inch from the second end, grasp first end of the twill tape with the hemostat, and pull it through.
If you cut a slit, you could end up with frayed pieces that could get into the trach. That's also why we always folded the gauze (instead of cutting) to go under the trach plate ("trach pants"). Now we use split dressings, either 2 X 2s or 4 X 4s.
We used to fold gauze to go under the IV hub, too, securing it with a piece of tape over the top. That made it easier to D/C the IV; we just cut the tape/gauze on either side of the IV and removed the IV. The tape could be pulled off the skin after the IV was out.
Specializes in Rural, Midwifery, CCU, Ortho, Telemedicin.
Any body remember sitzbaths that were fastened to the wall and you had to schedule time for your patient.
Baby isolette chain to take 10 babe to ten moms.
Patients who came in "just" for tests when they were already scheduled for major surgeries.
Having to write a 5 to 6 page "care plan" on each patient and then actually following it.
Having to round on each patient every hour and talking to them to get report of their condition and then verbatim charting what was said.
Parents who could only visit during certain hours and no siblings allowed.
And what was that green soap that you had to wash with in any procedure. I swear I had to check my hands sometimes to seebif flesh remained.
The nurse as P.T., R.T.. Psych tech, Discharge coordinator. Insurance clerk, and Columbo for any and all problems, plus maid, cleaning personnel,aand general factotum.
I graduated in 1987 & all the posts had me lol & I am still smiling! I also liked that there wasn't so many alphabets after your name on ID pin/badge & numerous titles. Strict visiting hours & were enforced!! I miss team nursing- Enjoyed getting to see all the patients on the floor for myself & actually seeing their medical status. Kardexes were our bible & Residents, + Attendings would use them also, if chart wasn't available. Did anyone else give "Black & White" for constipation? Worked great!! IV pumps were scarce & only a few Meds mandated use. Thanks to all for sharing & Excellent post? !! Refreshing how all responses were +, :)
I started nursing in the early 80's; we had some metal bed pans in the"old"wing but plastic disposable ones everywhere else; glass iv bottles for some med but main one I remember was for TPN and lipids. I will never forget catching my white nursing cap on the tubing when I had to stoop under a patient's bed for something and the tubing pulled out and half the bottle of TPN spilled into my hair. Hated wearing that cap even though I was proud that I had earned it-it caught on everything; overbed trapeze bars knocked it off numerous times; I was so happy when they finally let us go to colored scrubs because most of my white uniforms weren't supposed to be bleached but so many things we dealt with left stains on white that wouldn't come out. I had one dress I wore 1 time because I got betadine on it an hour after shift started and when I tried to clean it the strain spread over the entire front of the dress. So many things we dealt with then that have changed-sterile dressing changes are now"clean" where before we had to have a sterile field, mask, sterile dressings, sterile gloves and an assistant if we had to have anything opened or obtained that we didn't have open and ready for use.
Only time we had gloves was if the patient was on isolation, otherwise we had to get the packaged sterile gloves to use because "there wasn't anything we could get on our hands that wouldn't wash off with good old fashioned soap and water" and it was felt to be an insult to our patients to wear gloves to clean their messes up. Of course we know better now but. ...
How about the heat lamps to heal wounds and the I&O sheets hanging out side the patients room. And those wonderful white dresses with white hose! The good old days
No, but I was known to stop and move my Mayo stand back away from the OR bed, effectively stopping the case, until his (it seems it was never a female surgeon) very unsafe behavior was dealt with. At no time was any patient ever jeopardized, but the patient's safety as well as my own and the rest of the staff's required protecting, and I refused to be jeopardized by a tantrum-throwing child.
I would simply stand there quietly and look at him, waiting for things to get back under control. I had already raised my children, and wasn't above taking on one more, very professionally of course. I did not reply to him in any other way - I just removed any more potential weapons. Usually the circulator would pull up an incident report and start documenting on him, and my response was never called into question. Once the surgeon decided to behave like a professional adult, we'd get things going again.
Yes, "laughing gas" is beginning to take hold again in the United States, especially L&D.
It was the correct technique, steadying the vial and the syringe with one hand while using the other for the plunger. I remember having to check off with that technique.
If anyone finds themselves in Philadelphia, P.A. with some spare time to kill check out the Museum of Nursing History at LaSalle University.
Besides some very interesting period items from the early 1900's the university has an extensive and constantly expanding collection of nursing school pins and nurses caps.
Don't think any posting now were practicing in 1906, but this vintage OB nursing manual is an interesting read. Makes the 1940's and 1940's seem almost like another era.
I have one, too!! It's a turn-of-the-century-ish nursing textbook. Fascinating stuff.
Students were cautioned to beware of families that expected them to function as household maids for free on top of properly nursing the specific sick person for whom she was hired to care. The book explicitly warns against doing the family laundry.
I think it dates from a time just after Nightengale's schools became standard training for hospital nursing.
Around then, hospital owners realized that it was more cost effective to use students - who were paying them - with just a sprinkling of experienced grads on the payroll to stay legal. Most graduate nurses wound up finding work outside the hospital - home care, etc.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
DoGoodThenGo said:
Besides some very interesting period items from the early 1900's the university has an extensive and constantly expanding collection of nursing school pins and nurses caps.
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Kitiger, RN
1,834 Posts
We didn't cut a slit. We would thread the first end of the twill tape through the trach, and then gently push a hemostat through the twill tape about an inch from the second end, grasp first end of the twill tape with the hemostat, and pull it through.
If you cut a slit, you could end up with frayed pieces that could get into the trach. That's also why we always folded the gauze (instead of cutting) to go under the trach plate ("trach pants"). Now we use split dressings, either 2 X 2s or 4 X 4s.
We used to fold gauze to go under the IV hub, too, securing it with a piece of tape over the top. That made it easier to D/C the IV; we just cut the tape/gauze on either side of the IV and removed the IV. The tape could be pulled off the skin after the IV was out.