PAROPPY

I don't think you would lose your license. Popping and squeezing boils, ESPECIALLY in the prison setting is opening up the patient for a host of infectious organisms to enter, especially if no site care is given afterward. Also, if one of those boils just happened to be necritizing fascitis that would be super bad news, not likely that it would be that but you never know and why take the chance. Losing your license, probably not, but why ask now if you don't do it anymore?

"Just spread your legs and relax, this will be over shortly"-inserting foley "Suck, don't blow, that's good, you got it!"- Instructing LOL on incentive spirometer use.

This would a be a great homework assignment that I could get on bored with. My advise to people is to losen up. Bwahahahaha!

To sdlane: it was sarcastic because people are always spelling "advice" with an "s" instead of a "c" on this forum. It happens like once a week lol. Funny thread...is it just me or does anyone else feel bad for people who are new to AN who actually ask that question without searching first...I feel bad because I know they are going to get snarky comments that might lead them to believe that nurses are a mean and nasty bunch who are not willing to dole out advice to those who are obviously interested in the profession. Funny responses though! What's with the super serious responses?

IMO I think the OP and most of the repliers had really great thought provoking ideas (especially Leslie). I get kind of offended when ppl start bringing age into it. I'm 26 with a husband, a mortgage, and 2 small kids. I've had cancer (nothing too bad but cancer none the less) and have seen things in nursing I wish I could forget. None of this seems easy to me but some posters would dsagree and say that at 25 life is easy. I'm pretty sure it has to do with circumstances. I know 30, 40, and a few 50 somethings that live a very carefree life (no kids, sig. other, no major bills), but does their opinion mean more bc of age. The OP was just venting...no harm no foul. The one thing I will say is even f I wanted to leave nursing tomorrow I couldn't. Too many ppl depend on me for food,clothing, and shelter... ya know the easy stuff :)

I don't have any peds experience but I have run FFP and platelets and if memory serves me correctly I used regular blood tubing for both. Don't beat yourself up.

I like to stick a 2x2 or 4x4 under the angio hub before I disconnect so that any blood I do get back doesn't go all over the pt.'s arm, gown, and bedsheets. Also, like everyone else said attach flush to J loop prior to actually starting IV. Hope this helps!

We as a population are living longer so you decide: do you want to be a kid longer or a geriatric longer? I would much rather be a kid longer. We as a population live off our parents, live off welfare, and live off social security. No one is truly independent at all stages of life.

I don't think the OP's question demanded a couple of the harsh responses she got. The responses discourage me a bit because I think that this is what people are talking about when they use the phrase "nurses eat their young." I think she was asking if they are any standard parameters for common medications...which to be honest I can't think of any right now off the top of my head (always look at labs and pertinent info before giving any med and always look it up if you don't know what it is for btw). I'm sure she studied pharmacology in school but in my opinion nursing school gave a poor representation of real world medication administration. Harsh responses aren't going to help her confidence level either.

Do not obtain consent for the MD. If the MD has time to explain the procedure and answer questions about the procedure then they have the time to get a piece of paper and have the patient sign it (even if they have to walk out of the room to get said piece of paper bc one isn't readily available). What if something went wrong during the procedure and it comes to light that the MD didn't obtain the consent...you did. I'm sure that can lead to a lawsuit. Even if you ask the patient if they understand everything and something goes wrong they could always go back and say my nurse didn't explain things to me and that would put you on the hook bc you got the consent not the MD (at least the MD would have scope of practice to back him up). Long story short...not worth it.

I tripped while turning around attempting to put a dirty Aranesp needle into the sharps container. I put my other hand up and stabbed myself right in the thumb. To top it off I was 16 weeks pregnant with my first child. Blood tests were all negative but it was still so upsetting.

To the OP: We will get through this! We work at the same facility and I know everyone is a little apprehensive. Everything new takes some getting used to.

Paper everything!! Such a waste of time! We are supposed to go all electronic next year.

I don't understand why you would have to write a letter at all. You aren't the nurse or the MD and didn't have anything to do with the decision making process for that patient. The hospital and your agency should know that. As for the family being mad at you, its a case of misplaced anger, they probably would have been mad at the food service worker if she had been the first person the family memeber saw. Who told you to write the letter?

Maybe there are more PT positions open than FT to create more jobs and to expand the number of people able to work any given shift. There are about 21 people on my floor for the night shift (12.5 hours) of those 2 are Per Diem, 3 are full time, and most of the others are .8 (which means 2 shifts one week and 3 shifts the next week). Those who work a .8 or higher don't have to pay in for benefits. For those who work below a .8 (there are only 2) as long as they work above their point to at least a .8 for an entire year, they don't have to pay for their benefits either. Benefits may not have anything to do with why there are more PT then FT positions (at least at my hospital.) Like I said maybe to create a larger work force, if there were only FT positions a lot less people would get hired. Also, maybe to cut down on OT? I know that was long-winded, sorry :)

Standard practice for our post op hip/knee replacements. Oxycodone Q3hours tends to bind them up !! :)

I totally agree but I was making a point to the poster that I originally quoted as to why I would have called the doctor if his sats were in the 80's, on oxygen or not. The OP sounds a little new and I remember being scared out of my mind to do anything without an MD order first when I started.

I have seen this twice at my facility...and both times not only did the patients have rectal tubes to LWS but they both had ng tubes (no suction...I think). Neither of these patients were mine but I remember the other nurse doing a double take during report. Nothing like decompressing from both ends!! :)

It's probably always a good idea to report a change in status to the MD just to CYA. Without the patient's history it's hard to tell but low sats can be indicative of a bigger problem: PE, early CHF, maybe the patient was COPDer and she didn't want to raise the liter flow without an order.

Let her practice dropping foleys and ng's on you. Just kidding :). These are all great ideas. I wish someone did this stuff for me. Don't forget to tell her how proud of her you are, and tell her often.

Good for you!!! I'm totally jealous. Sometimes I want to pull a "Jetblue flight attendant" and tell everyone where to go and how to get there while chugging a beer and escaping out the emergency hatch (or on an ambulance, whichever is handy). Until a new breed of "super nurses" evolve, I don't know how we will carry on doing what we do AND maintain our fragile sanity.

It's not you, it's the economy. The new grad market is practically nonexistent in most places so don't beat yourself up. Keep on sending resumes, calling HR to request one on one meetings, and put on a smile. In order to beef up your resume try volunteering at a LTC facility or hospital and hopefully in will turn into something better for you or get you an "in" with somebody. I know it's hard and frustrating but something will turn up eventually. Good luck to you and i hope it all works out!

They are yanking your chain. Obviously I hope you would never take a medication that wasn't prescribed to you by a doctor, NP,or PA.

Charts not stuffed with progress notes for the MDs...nurse's fault There's a loud pt. in the next room...nurse's fault MD will only order Percocet for pain, not IV dilaudid...nurse's fault Call MD at 2300 to clarify illegible order written by said MD (we are going to fully electronic charts next year)...nurse's fault Pt. signs out AMA...nurse's fault Not only does "stuff" roll downhill but it also manages to hit the fan and get all over us...probably the nurse's fault lol

Rule of thumb is don't intervene until the victim is unable to breathe. When it's your own kid though... all knowledge goes out the window. Good for you though keeping your cool during the situation and doing what you learned as the right the thing to do. I've watched my husband to a blind finger sweep to our one y/o and I almost keeled over. That's probably why are husbands aren't nurses!!