Crocuta RN

I'm hoping to get a little input from the community here. Just fire away - all responses are good responses! I've been out of nursing school for a few years and now find myself in the position of frequently mentoring nursing students and recent grad...

In our ED, it functions as a sign in sheet. Registration then uses that to generate a patient account in the computer. That account is needed to sticker charts, or in an 100% electronic environment to much of any charting at all.

Here's your answer from the California Board of Nursing: http://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/regulations/npr-i-02.pdf Just remember, should something happen, you cannot claim "I was only the CNA." While your scope of practice will be limited by your job des...

Dexamethasone for N/V falls under that great catch all of pharm books - "Exact mechanism of action not known." Several mechanisms have been proposed. It is believed that it acts as an prostaglandin antagonist, as well as causing some direct action o...

A report sheet was invaluable to keeping me organized when I was on med-surg. I developed one over a couple years, slowly changing it as I got better ideas of how to organize. I've uploaded my report sheet to my Google Docs account and I'd like any...

This is just a passing thought, but I think you should go make an appointment with your college's Student Services department and perhaps one with the Disability Support services before you commit to transfering. Allowances and accommodations are ma...

I'm glad that you're nervous. It means you know your limitations. It's cocky new grads that scare me. I've had the privilege of orienting several new grads to my ED. Toward the end, most are feeling the same way you do. I tell each of them the sam...

http://answers.hrsa.gov/cgi-bin/hrsa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1465&p_created=1209990666 (emphasis mine) the nursing scholarship program does not decide where participants fulfill their service obligation to the program. scholars are ...

...during your lunch break, you describe your latest trauma code to your colleagues using your food as a visual aid.

Speaking of peppermint, a couple of drops on a face mask covers nearly everything, and no one will look sideways at you for wearing a mask while doing stinky patient care. And if they do, heck with em. Almost nothing bothers me - except homeless swa...

I've been trying to get traction for a patient completed med rec for a while. How long have you been doing this, and how did you make the transition? How do you deal with crummy writing? We also use the T-system. Do you just fill out the left hand...

Our system consists of four "bays": a sign-in booth, two triage bays, and a registration bay. During peak times, flow goes like this: Patient presents to the sign-in booth which is manned by a member of the registration department. They sign in on...

The CEN review sample video of Laura's available at Great Nurses seems quite dated. Would those of you who have it and have taken the CEN recently say that the information is all still valid and current? The CCRN video looks more recent. The materi...

Congratulations on your move! I find the idea of not doing head to toe assessments an amusing one. Consider that when you are an ER nurse, you get a patient without a neat and tidy diagnosis. You'll get the patient without having any idea what's wr...

AHA certifications are valid anywhere. It just depends on what the individual facility accepts. You won't need to redo BLS as long as you have a valid card. Crocuta AHA BLS Instructor

Have you tried contacting the Emergency Nurses Association? Don't try to reinvent ED triage - other people have already done the work for you. I'd suggest starting with the research department at [email protected] . I also note that there does not appea...

Working in an ED, I think of a couple things: The way this was presented, it sounds like she just showed up, was screened and shown the door. It doesn't address if or how many times she has been seen in that department for the same or similar compla...

Wow. Nurses (and CNA's, techs, and any nursing students who were in the building) at my hospital were served lunch or dinner by senior management. They converted a conference room into a cafe and served sit down meals (nice ones too) to all the sta...

Are you looking for something for training purposes? The appearance of packaging will change depending on the supplier used by a given facility. Every few months I'll reach into a crash cart and find out that things are packaged slightly differentl...

I am working on putting together a float evaluation form for my hospital. We are a smaller facility of around 100 inpatient beds. Due to our size, we cannot justify a separate float pool at this time and so during times of fluctuating census we occ...

I would. Chlorhexidine is the active ingredient in several healthcare products including Biopatch (for central lines) and Chloraprep (for starting IV's). Even as a patient, you have a fairly high chance of being exposed.

Don't be a wallflower. Make sure you're in rooms where you can get a good view. I've seen too many student nurses come through recently either sitting at the desk, or heading in the other direction when something scary looking shows up. Don't thin...

NAC 632.165 Procedure for writing examination after initial attempt. (NRS 632.120, 632.305) 1. An applicant for licensing as a registered nurse or as a practical nurse may write the examination four times. 2. If the applicant is unsu...

First of all, don't ever lie about previous employment. At virtually all facilities, discovery that you lied on an application is grounds for immediate termination. That will earn you a black mark for sure. Even more importantly, the lie goes stra...

As a word of caution, be careful about thinking about medications in terms of what "sounds like a big dose." Use a nursing drug reference and study individual medications. Every drug is different. Take metformin and glyburide for example. One has...