SaraO'Hara

LTC, Subacute Rehab

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All Content by SaraO'Hara

  1. SaraO'Hara

    New toy!!

    Our DON was cleaning out a closet at work and found an old ECG machine.. there's a handwritten date on the manual that says 1991. I got to take it home! Husband and I tried it out with the included...
  2. SaraO'Hara

    The reality of educating patients about their meds

    I do try to at least say "This is your x, for your condition y" during med passes. On discharges - I encounter a disturbing number of patients who seem to have the attitude that it's the duty of the...
  3. SaraO'Hara

    Bloodwork question

    Lab comes up from the acute hospital to do our draws in the wee hours; if there's a patient with a PICC, the DON draws the labs and whoever's available will run them the 4 blocks to the hospital. If...
  4. SaraO'Hara

    Morale in my workplace is just deteriorating

    *hugs*
  5. SaraO'Hara

    Medication Aides

    Could I ask
  6. SaraO'Hara

    Who hates nursing, honestly????

    Quoted for truth.
  7. SaraO'Hara

    White uniform dresses

    Wore whites and cap yesterday to kick off Nurses' Week at work... the (geriatric) patients loved it. I have busted it out for holidays
  8. SaraO'Hara

    No more LPNs -- oh really?

    No more LPNs / LVNs - bullfeathers. We're damn useful and here to
  9. SaraO'Hara

    Blind in one eye...can I still be a nurse

    I worked with a nurse once who had only 3 fingers on each hand (birth defect). It actually took me a few weeks to notice, because it didn't hinder her at
  10. SaraO'Hara

    Should I wear my white nurse's uniform??

    I think that nowadays, "business casual" is the norm for interviews,
  11. SaraO'Hara

    Being a nursing student

    During school, while learning how to insert NG tubes, a fellow classmate (who ended up being kicked out for unrelated circumstances) asked "So... how would you give supplemental oxygen through an...
  12. SaraO'Hara

    LPN starting pay?

    LTC / skilled nursing in Central CA - I started at $19.00 / hr. Acute care (those that hire LVNs, anyway) were starting at 17 / hr for new
  13. California - I know acute care is what, 1:5 medsurg, 1:4 tele, 1:2 ICU? I'm in short-term rehab, and on a full census, we're 1:12 (but again, not acute). I've been the only nurse for 14 patients on...
  14. SaraO'Hara

    I am a very young nurse. Will my patients be frightened?

    I was 19 when I graduated from my LVN program, but (fortunately?) I am mistaken for being slightly older, 25 or so rather than 20! I've never been baby-faced, and the "emo" glasses might
  15. SaraO'Hara

    Patient ID Bracelets in LTC?

    I worked at an LTC for 2 years as a CNA, and most residents did have armbands. It might be the company (which has most LTCs in the area). I can clearly recall having, in LVN school, to identify...
  16. SaraO'Hara

    Pulses

    I will go out on a limb and suggest that something (perhaps a very large aneurysm, or a ruptured one) is wrong with the popliteal
  17. SaraO'Hara

    more than 5 rights to med checks

    I was taught seven - Right drug Right dose Right time Right patient Right route Right indication Right
  18. SaraO'Hara

    NO more LPN's

    If it's true, then why do I
  19. SaraO'Hara

    Do Nurses have to do the following??

    I would be awfully mad to meet another nurse - I don't care what degree - with that kind of attitude toward patient
  20. SaraO'Hara

    Nursing pins

    I bought our school's sterling silver pin ($55), and wear it on my work
  21. SaraO'Hara

    Need help re: tb skin test

    I hope she ended up giving it intradermally, like it's supposed to be given? I had to have a two-step for my CNA program - positive on the second step, so now it's a CXR q 4
  22. SaraO'Hara

    You will lose your skills in LTC

    I say bullfeathers. In the past month - IVs, stage IV decubs, brittle diabetics, COPDers with multiple nebs, O2, etc... I use everything but my OB and peds skill set at work, almost every day. Only...
  23. I start a job as a CNA tomorrow. What are some everyday items that you've found to be helpful in nursing work? I have pens and a timepiece, but I'm not sure if I should bring my stethoscope (given...
  24. SaraO'Hara

    What's Your Best Nursing Ghost Story?

    When I was about thirteen, I was sleeping over at a friend's house. I came back from the bathroom about 0300... only to see somebody walking toward me from the other end of the hallway... I just...
  25. SaraO'Hara

    Is it okay to dress like a "nurse"?

    I wear white and a hat if I have to work a major holiday (eg Thanksgiving, Christmas), but I'm in short-term rehab... almost all