Guest1053148

I guess one thing I don't understand is that you had just taken over the patient and hadn't CHECKED the bed alarm, that implies it should have already been on. You are taking all of the blame on yourself but what about the previous shift? The nurse stated the pt had been calling out all shift but not for a while, what happened to proactive rounding for falls? What if that were the last pt you got report vs one of the first you would t have even been in the room yet? Was the bed alarm charted as on? A fall during shift change before report is even done and you have not even touched your pt is very rarely the oncoming nurses error. It really does sound like they are looking for a scapegoat.

Thank you for re- wording. I'll have to find that thread. I truly didn't know that this wasn't the way everyone did it (one at a time) and I've been nursing a decade. It does take a very long time but they would have kittens if we did it any other way. ( Not trying to start any arguments just saying how it is at my facility)

I'm terrible at this, I think I may surrender. On my floor we have to account for ALL fluids - even the amount mixed into the crushed meds - the before flush - meds themselves , flushes between each med and end flush. Give all of the meds ( usually more than 10) then try to remember how much fluid you just gave- keep in mind our policy states best practice is all oral meds must be crushed and dissolved separately and flushed in between. The point I wAs trying to make was when doing set up , fill the cylinder to a set point and then take all water for dissolving and flushing from there. You will have exact I&O when done. If this is still confusing I quit as it is obviously an inability to communicate the concept properly.

So if you have a ton of meds to crush its hard to keep track of how much fluid you give, our policy is to crush and administer each med separately and flush in between. This way you don't have to fuss over how much is in each med cup, or if you need a bit extra to get the meds down. Really helpful for strict I&O - it's not so tough to remember fluids with a few meds but upwards of 10-15 and before , between , and after flushes along with the meds that have special instructions - potassium, mirilax, phoslo - if you filled the graduate to 400 at the beginning of meds and there's 125 left you have 275 for your fluids - may sound stupid but with pt and family talking it's one less thing to think about

1. When starting a bed bath make sure the lid to the lotion is on tight and throw it in the basin, it will be nice and warm by the end of the bath. 2. That same lotion will work really well to get that sticky impossble to remove bm off, put some lotion on a wipe- all rub it in and let it sit for just a bit and it will come right off without rubbing the patients skin raw. 3. When giving g- tube meds fill up your graduated cylinder, mark the volume and then when done note what's left- way easier than trying to keep track of I&O for all 20 0800 meds. (2nd on the coke for g tubes- and diet does not work as well) You'll learn tons of tips and tricks on your new floor but some "hacks " to avoid from the start 1 Never EVER just click and chart along what the person before charted , make sure your charting is purposeful, I have seen so many errors that went back days because one person clicked the wrong box and everyone else just clicked ok 2 Follow your facilities procedures even if some people "like to do it like this" , because you may have to justify your actions some day and no one can argue with policy 3 Try to leave your rooms neat and stocked - your colleagues will notice and will make a positive impression right off the bat 4 Avoid people who gossip about coworkers - if they are talking badly about them when they aren't there chances are you might be the topic when your back is turned. Lastly have fun, it will be hard - especially at first , but there will be great folks , and hopefully an awesome preceptor. A good attitude goes a long way. My floor got a ton of new nurses at one point and most were happier working with those who were willing to learn than the one that had more experience but was like pulling teeth to move and may as well have been speaking to a brick wall for all the interaction that we got. This person should have been years ahead and the newbys were flying by just due to attitude. Good luck.