emeraldbutterfly,RN

had a pt the other night that I had to put in an isolation rm for contact precautions (MRSA in the blood & urine) The family wanted to know if that ever goes away......I'm not sure myself. I thought once you have MRSA you always have it??? Am I right??? Thanks for your help.

Hi everyone! I'm a new RN, and just took my first job 3mos ago. I'm off of orientation for just about 4wks now. I always hear "i don't want to put my license in jeopardy" from many nurses....what exactly does this mean? I've read most of my 'Nursing guide to practice' booklet that came w/my license, lots of legal mumbo jumbo, but i'm still confused. I work on a telmetry unit, also COPD, with 10-12 pts at a time. Union contract says no more than 10 (which I think is to many but whatever!), the other night they tried to give me 13!!!! OMG, I said something, & they took one of my isolation rooms away which left me w/12, and that's the best it would get, is what I was told. I have so much to complain about & will try to make this short, but it will be hard. first off I feel extremely overwhelemed w/10-12 pts. I work on a tele flr w/50 beds, come to work the other night, get myself ready to assess my pts, go to find a BP cuff, can't find one, finally find out, THERE ARE ONLY 3 ON THE FLR!!!! (and they are manual, we don't even have 1 that's automated, lovely right??? and we only have 1 pulse ox) anyhow, I got nervous, pissed off and every other emotion known to mankind. I improvised and just worked backwards, did my FS, poured my meds, did the flowsheets and then when a cuff was free I grabbed it and continued on w/my work for the night. Another gripe I have is this narcotic cabinet! We have a double locked box for narcs, and they need to counted at the change of each shift. UGH!!! how very annoying. so I come in and they tell me it's my turn to be in charge of the keys, this means I count (w/the other RN changing shift) then I have to check the code cart, make sure its up to date, nothing expired, defib in working order, suction equip in working order. OK, I count all those narcs w/the other RN (takes forever) check the code cart...this is lovely, it says low battery, OK NO BIGGIE, I figure, I know how to plug something in, I'll just plug it in. NO PLUG!!!! unfreakin believable!!!! test the defib, its out of paper, EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!!!! no one know where the plug is or the paper, oh boy I was pissed off. :angryfire THIS IS A TELE FLR, OMG!!!! don't want to ramble to much but I have too, sorry. I really hate this narcotic situation, every time I need something from the cabinet I have to find those stupid keys from whoever has them, go to the cabinet, unlock the 2 locks, get the med, lock up again, sign out the med in this stupid book, very time consuming. Also my hosp is always running out of supplies, most importantly, 0.9NS, and the other night nitro (remember where I am, tele unit :angryfire ) OK, I think this is really to long, anyone have advice on protecting my license, what does it actually mean?? should I look for another job, and what do I look for in another job if I look?? thanks for reading and any advice!!

I know just how you feel, I'm also a new RN, just off orientation for 3wks now. I feel like its a nightmare, it is extremely stressfull. I expected some stress b/c this is all new to me and I'm working w/human beings lives(as oppossed to computer/something insignificant) As far as trying to remember everything that needs to get done....I've tried this technique, similar to what was said above, use an index card or scrap paper, write the rm #'s and things that need to be done, except your first dose of meds (for me that's 10pm {7p-7a shift for me}, everything after that gets written on my scrap) then check or draw a line through your completed tasks!!! Yay, it makes you feel that you've acomplished things, woo-hoo. I even write down times I need to come back & check on IV bags/or any other drips for replacement. It takes a little longer to get started with your shift, but I feel that it keeps me somewhat sane, at least I know that I've completed what needs to be completed. Also after my note & chart check I put a big circled N & check on my report, this way I know that part is done too. I think it's just gonna take time and lots of experience with many different situations to figure out what works best, try not to stress.... I know, easier said than done, but honestly, those iv accesses (just a hep lock,right) are really easy to take out, and I'm sure if it was still in the pt, he/she took it out all ready, pts are very good that way, they do that all the time!!! LOL

OMG!!! you are sooooooooooo lucky!!! I just started nursing, as an RN, in March. They put me on a tele unit, which I like, it's very interesting, but they give me 10-12 pts!!!! ARGH!!!!! Tell me how the hell I'm suppossed to give pt care the way I should, it's rediculous. I'm actually debating on looking for a new job, just nervous how other hospitals will look at me, maybe they'll think I didn't give it a chance. Oh well, I was just reading some blogs, and had to let you know how lucky you are!!

This is great!! I think I will print it out, shrink it down (but so that I can still read it) carry it to work everyday/night so I can refer back to it when I feel the need. Thanks for the great tips, I hope I am precepted by many nurses with your uplifting attitude.

Can anyone tell me how to go about getting your RN license for both NY + NJ?? I live in NY & already applied for my NY license, but I was thinking of possibly getting a NJ license also, in case I want to cross the bridge and work in NJ. I've heard of it being done, but I can't seem to find out how you are suppossed to do it. Thanks for any help with this topic!

You can check the back of the taber's med dictionary, there's a section labeld ndx (nursing diagnosis). If your pt has pneumonia, chf, htn, hypoglycemia etc look it up, and then it will give you a great nursing dx. Also getting a nursing care plan book is very helpful, I have the ackley ladwig 6th ed. Nursing diagnosis handbook. Well worth the money. Nursing dx, interventions, goals etc are in there. Look into it, hope this was helpful!

HI everyone! New to the site, I'm a student looking forward to finishing my associates degree in Dec. 2006! Yay:) !!! I'm actually in the market for a new stethoscope, I was thinking of getting a Littman classic II SE, Littman Cardiology III, or an Ultrascope {they're really cute looking, but do they work well?} If anyone has any suggestions on which one to get I'd appreciate it a bunch. Thx!