TracyB,RN RN

TracyB,RN has 14 years experience as a RN and specializes in jack of all trades, master of none.

TracyB,RN's Latest Activity

1. 

   OR at Northwestern

   TracyB,RN posted a topic in Illinois

   Do the nurses get to scrub? Average call per month? Any input appreciated
2. 

   OR hair advice - please do not laugh! (long-ish)

   TracyB,RN replied to HeatherB,CST's topic in Operating Room

   My hair stays wet all day long... b/c I insist on taking a shower when I get home AND before going in the morning. So many patients are just so darn dirty! Not to mention spatters of ickk landing anywhere & less than stellar housekeeping. Anyway, good idea Marie, about not clipping hair up the same way every day. I get headaches everytime my hair reaches a certain length, no matter if it's in a pony, clip, bun, whatever the style. The excess weight just pulls. Guess I'll cave & go get a trim on my off day.
3. 

   Allright Sports Med Nurses polling for some advice

   TracyB,RN replied to Rezidentura's topic in Operating Room

   I'm guessing the Puddle Guppy is like "The Snake" floor suction??? Absorbomats & having tandem suction & extra cannisters ready to go seems to work for me. A few of our docs will use the pouch & a cysto bucket to collect any excess fluid.
4. 

   Not Happy With My OR

   TracyB,RN replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

   Hey Issey...I was just checking in to see how you were hanging in... I frequently have to remind myself that it is not my problem if some jerk of a surgeon/co-worker/resident/med-student/ supervisor, etc, etc is in a bad mood. Heck with them. Don't let them ruin your day or your experiences. Too much cool stuff to learn. I've also been in a rough spot at work & sometimes just having a day off during the week really helps. LOL, sometimes 2... I was thinking about saying hell with it the other day & saw a piece of something on the ground while we were trick-or-treating... It was a laminated bookmark with the Serenity Prayer. Now, if that's not a sign from God to stick it out, I don't know what is...Hmmm, maybe it was God telling me to get out while the getting was good, LOL.. Either way... we are responsible for our own happiness... Hang in there.
5. 

   recyclling in the OR

   TracyB,RN replied to soon2bRST's topic in Operating Room

   Good idea... We don't really "recycle." We "reprocess" things, like tourniquet cuffs, drill bits, saw blades... mostly stuff you would never want to re-use... Ughgh
6. 

   Not Happy With My OR

   TracyB,RN replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

   Awww... You'll be ok. Since I've quit smoking, I've found that I'm using my "dang it, I'm having a craving" breathing, every time I'm having a bad moment at work. It really helps, alot. I'm looking into agency... I get treated like crap anyway, so I figured I might as well get paid a bit more to deal with it. Plus, I am soooo tired of getting crappy cases & screwed with call b/c I refuse to play kissy face with the bosses. I've got too many working years left to have to deal with these juvenille (sp?) antics.
7. 

   What kind of LTC resident will you be?

   TracyB,RN replied to squeakykitty's topic in Geriatric

   LMAO... I'll probably be the one screaming at the staff to wash their hands. My yelling will be peppered with a variety of expletives, that I'm screaming at the top of my COPD affected lungs..
8. 

   y'all ain't going to believe this one!!

   TracyB,RN replied to ebear's topic in Operating Room

   surgeon marks site at our place.... I'm thinking it wasn't a nurse who marked the anus, but a surgeon, being wonderfully sarcastic after getting written up for not properly marking the site. I'm pretty sure it was the clinical educator in our dept that the anus-marking surgeon was trying to piss off..bwahh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
9. 

   Ready to be in charge?

   TracyB,RN replied to GadgetRN71's topic in Operating Room

   Easy... no call team, no other surgery until the back-up arrives. Most cases aren't that flippin emergent that it can't wait 30 minutes... One more reason why all your duties should be completed as much as possible at the start of the shift.
10. 

    Fracture tables

    TracyB,RN replied to lindaloo51's topic in Operating Room

    We have the Trumpf... I HATE IT. It's bulky, heavy, difficult to maneuver. I hate that I can't neatly tuck the sheets, or that there is no nice way to secure someone's upper body on the table. Every piece is so flipping heavy, nothing is neatly marked for people like me who like things labelled & CLEARLY marked, insert part A into part B.... I don't do well looking at an instruction manual LOL I think the worst part is not having a cart specifically for the table, to properly dismantle & put the pieces away in a useful manner... People take it apart & just throw it anywhere. But that's just TPTB being cheap & co-workers being lazy slugs or just too ignorant to ask how to properly do something.... Did I mention I hate the trumpf table?
11. 

    Do you chart in the OR?

    TracyB,RN replied to AlisonBSN's topic in Operating Room

    If we don't have pre-printed pre-op orders for antibiotic, scd's, we actually write in the chart as a verbal order for EVERYTHING!!!! Verbal order: insert foley immediately prior to surgical procedure Verbal order: apply scd's to bilateral lower extremities verbal order: bupivicaine 0.5% plain, 20ml to sterile field for intra-operative administration.... Yeah, it's that bad!
12. 

    Urethral Meatotomy?

    TracyB,RN replied to brewerpaul's topic in Operating Room

    Marie LPN... "The magic wand is on backorder" LOVE IT.... can I use that??? Please????
13. 

    Working for a Plastic Surgeon

    TracyB,RN replied to china4mom's topic in Operating Room

    I would LOVE to work in a plastic surgeon's office.... No clue on the pay, but at this point, I don't care.... Love surgery, can't deal much longer with the management that has NO CLUE!!!!
14. 

    computerized charting in the O.R.

    TracyB,RN replied to mikethern's topic in Operating Room

    LMAO.... "I wonder who's running hell?" Bwah ha ha ha ha ha.... I have 2 of those surgeons where I work. No wonder that surgeon of yours went through 7 partners... Couldn't put up light handles... What a beee-otch!!!
15. 

    help, i didn't know i did something wrong

    TracyB,RN replied to strive4mores's topic in Nursing

    Sooo, let me get this straight.. One ACLS class charged to 2 different hospitals & you didn't know that was wrong??
16. 

    Hospital or Nursing Agency?

    TracyB,RN replied to punkstar's topic in Nursing

    Aww, Dude. You totally need to work in a hospital & get a new grad spot in ICU... There are openings all over the place! I don't know if your exact location is the problem, or if it's wording b/c your first post made it sound like you had experience from 3 years ago, to find out you worked as a registrar.... kind of misleading & maybe that's what the recruiters are concerned about... As far as anesthesia.... if you're going for CRNA, I would recommend a SOLID 2 yrs of ICU/Critical care exp.... I think most programs around here won't even give you a second thought 'till ya' have that 2 yrs. Also, you may want to try to get that experience in a trauma center.... good luck