GermPhobe

I have a patient who has been 100% afebrile during the day. At HS he says he's chilled (but has no temp). So I bring him a warm blanket, which he hides under. Several hours later, he has a 102-103 degree temp. He's done this two nights in a row. ...

I used to lose my "brain" (report sheet) constantly, until I started carrying a clip-board. Everyone else just folded up their sheets and stuffed them in their pockets, but it just didn't work for me. I also lost my pen constantly, until I made a r...

When you've got bubbling going on in a Pluerevac, WHERE exactly might the leak be? Some people have said it's at the dressing site, but this doesn't make sense to me. The open end of the tube is in the pleural space, right? If the Pleurevac is emp...

Thank you again! I knew that the end of the tube was in the pleural space (and even the anatomy of the pleural space), but I just wasn't getting the fact that the visceral pleura was damaged--allowing leakage from the LUNGS into the tube. DUH! I f...

Can someone explain the difference in sound between a murmur and a bruit? I've had two patients recently who I thought had bruits. But other nurses had charted murmurs. I thought a murmur was a kind of "soft" heart sound--a blurring of the "lub" a...

Thank you, Dinith. I like the milkshake analogy. I guess I should have asked where the most likely place for an air leak would be. The cases I remember where docs were really upset about leaks were thoracotomies. In this case, the pleurevac would...

Yes, he had a known murmur. But, being a new nurse, I'd only heard very quiet murmurs. HOLY COW that one was loud--and sounded like the bruit that was diagnosed on another patient I'd dealt with. Putting two and two together, I concluded this murm...

A bit too basic, LOL. I know the physiological difference between the two--but I'm wondering how they sound different. In one case, the "murmur" was so loud it could be heard while I was auscultating bowel sounds! Of course it was INCREDIBLY loud ...

A friend told me a good way to remember which test is for which anticoagulant therapy: the correct test/therapy combo adds up to 10 letters PTT (3) + heparin (7) = 10 PT (2) + coumadin (or warfarin) (8) = 10 It's impossible to get it mixed up no...

On the way into work on Sunday, I came upon an accident scene before the paramedics arrived. I'm a new RN, with less than a year of experience (no trauma experience), and I'm still a bit shaken by the whole thing. A woman had been thrown from a moto...

Take your time. Listen for lung sounds first, since they often obscure heart tones. Then listen "under" the lung sounds, and you'll hear the heart. I used to think patients knew I was incompetent when I did things slowly. I now know that they app...

Well, I'm not a NE, but I am a new nurse. I'm also over 40 years old, with a large and varied resume behind me. Here's what I can tell you. I have NEVER felt so ill-prepared for a job as I did when I graduated with my BSN and finished my 3-month o...

That's what I was thinking. Poor man. He had some major abrasions on his upper arms, but was treated and released. The newspaper said his wife was a passenger on the motorcycle, and that the man had "lost control" of the bike. My thought was that...

Agreed and understood. But I also understood from the other RN that the patient WAS breathing and pulsatile. I still think I probably should have done my own assessment, though.

I'm trying to do my taxes, and I can deduct the cost of licensure and NCLEX, but I can't remember how much I paid. Does anybody know?? THANKS!

My mom lives in a resort area in Colorado. My step-dad (FIL was typo) has cancer, and she needs a home health professional, but NOBODY locally can help her. She's called two HH agencies, hospice, and the Hospital here, but nobody is able to line up h...

hmm. I don't think its that big of a deal, either. I think that the benefits of this practice far outweigh any potential detriment. If I was in a position where I needed to be ABLE to intubate a baby, I'd certainly want to practice first. There i...

You won't change a lazy nurse's attitude by reasoning with them. I'd virtually guarantee that they know better. Just reading your replies, it sounds rather preachy to me. (Which is probably what they need to hear--but are not willing to listen.) ...

OMG. We get results in TWO days in Michigan, and I was just SICK while waiting. It's just plain cruel to keep people hanging for so long. You have my sympathies! Hang in there!

I have used "personal reasons" as an explanation. If you're asked for more explanation in an interview, you can elaborate. Until then, I wouldn't say more than necessary.

I read this yesterday, and didn't reply. TODAY I am beating myself up. I had a mentally retarded adult patient last night, who'd had extreme pain issues for days. I was told at the beginning of my shift to make sure to get her pain meds on time....

I was told by a financial advisor that the general rule-of-thumb for student loans is not to borrow more than you'll be making annually after you get a job. That seems reasonable to me. I can't imagine having a student loan as large as a mortgage! ...

1st--13 months 2nd--18 months. And I SWEAR he ate NOTHING but a few Cheerios and breast milk. I was afraid he'd never eat real food!

I had a patient with schizophrenia today. The other nurses were sending me their condolences, which I just don't understand. I don't know what it is about schizophrenics--but I've loved every one I've ever met. This lady was no exception. She was 50...

If I could have gotten the hours I wanted in ICU, I would have taken it. I did my leadership there, and the pace was MUCH slower than my current step-down assignment. The ICU nurses ALWAYS get their lunches. We quite often don't. It seems like a ...