ybot

You do what you feel is good for the patient, do not do sloppy nursing because others do. To properly assess a patient, you must auscultate a persons lungs, heart and abdomen.

Yes, that was going to be my suggestion, a "brain". You can create one with times on it, a place for patients room number and name, then circle the times they will have meds due, mark thru it when completed. Also, have a place to write any PRNs you may administer. Mix or spike, and prime tubing on IV antibiotics before you enter the patients room. It should not be the duty of the other nurses to "ambush" as you stated, they should make the charge nurse aware of this, and a good charge nurse will teach you, not reprimand you. Also, working you first job in CVICU is a little heavy to start out.

"Hi, try to find what I call a "seasoned" nurse, one who is willing to teach, and help you out. I have been a nurse for 20 years, I always try to take the new nurses under my wing, and teach them. I know this is not true of a lot of nurses, some get a thrill out of seeing a new nurse fail. I just feel that all I can teach new nurses will help them give better patient care. Good luck.

Ok, lets see if I can share this without using the words the patients used, and tell it. I had a young male patient who was in an accident, he had to have an AKA (above knee amputation). He was confused while coming out from anesthesia, I heard a lot of noise coming from his room. He was up jumping on his other foot, pulling on his Foley catheter line. As I helped him back into bed he said, "First you SOBs cut off my leg, then you tie me to the bed by my D---". Hope this did not offend anyone, the words I had to use.