Jen911

Try asking the dietician. They have a great wealth of knowledge and might be able to answer your question. Our dietician knows is a great resource with this type of question.

blehhhhhh... we have those pumps at one of the hospitals I work at, and I HATE HATE HATE them! They are the most user UNfriendly pumps I've ever used! Nothing is quick with those things! One tip of advice we've found is to hang it quite low on your pole, it seems to help with the beeping...yet doesn't help with programming. My pet peeve is that the buttons aren't backlit for the nightshifters to be able to see them in the dark, and they aren't placed where you'd expect them! We've had the pumps for probably a year now (or it feels like it), and we still hate them.

awww...now I'm sad cuz I needed a little giggle, too!

I always love this topic, and I'm never afraid to say something about it. Crack should never be showing when someone is bending over, nor should the top of their G-string. One gal I used to work with was such a repeat offender, I finally put a penny in the slot and told her I could no longer keep myself from playing the slots! She finally got the clue.

Just a suggestion... I take Melatonin shortly before I go to bed, and if that doesn't have me drifting off within a half hour, I take the over the counter sleep med (just watch the packaging, you don't want the one with diphenhydramine, you want the one with doxylamine). Generally works for me, however I've built up quite a tolerance to it so I now have a prescription for ambien, as well. Also, really try to set up a routine for when you go to bed. ie, q nice hot bath, read a couple chapters, warm milk or hot chocolate (even better with a little splash of baileys' in it).... Make sure your room is quiet, perhaps a little white noise if you're used to daytime sounds. I personally sleep with the TV on low volume and turn on a program I've seen a billion and one times so I'm not all that interested. And if you have kids.....Good Luck! They need a stron reminder that bedtime is bedtime! Even just telling them they must be in bed reading or whatever, it MUST be peaceful so you can sleep. And most of all, GOOD LUCK!!! Jen911

Haha..perfect timing since I just had a flat tire two days ago! At least it was only flat on one side. :uhoh21:

Prior to nursing school, I worked as a CNA for 10 years. Once I started school, I decided my brain was being overloaded with healthcare "stuff" so I decided to work in a different profession during school I took a job as a Sheriff's Dispatcher/911 operator. This job taught me how to think fast, use critical thinking skills, and how to find resources quickly. Great job to prepare me for quick paced ER so I can think quickly on my feet and prioritize.

You're not alone! I had the same problem. I bought a pair of Crocs when they first came out, and found they KILLED my arches! I had been dealing from plantar fasciitis for over a year and a half, and thought maybe the Crocs would help. Felt like I had a couple huge lumps under my arches. 2 hours was about all I could tolerate at a time in those shoes. I thought maybe they just needed to be broken in a bit, but I finally gave up and went back to my Skechers. Good luck! Jen911

Great ideas here! One year when I worked in a nursing home, we decorated each resident's door like a gift...covered the door with pretty wrapping paper, then added ribbon and a bow...then personalized each door with pictures of toys, clothing, and other items they may have received when they were a child. Not only was it neat looking, but it was also a nice trip down memory lane for the residents. I think the balloon idea would be neat, just be careful about the latex balloons..lots of latex allergies popping up, and many hospitals have banned the latex type of balloon. Good luck! Jen911

The only thing you need to keep in mnd with Agostini is that they mainly only staff in California. They advertise that they staff all states, but they could never find me a contract anywhere other than Cali. This was the only reason I ended up changing to another company. If you're looking for something in the midwest, you might try Aureus Medical Staffing http://www.aureusmedical.com and see what they can find for you. I worked with them for about 6 contracts. They were always able to find what I wanted, and I had absolutely no problems with them. You will probably hear some poor opinions of them, but I enjoyed my time with them. Jen911

I did a couple contracts with this company and absolutely loved them. Everything was as promised, and their pay was higher than most other travelers I worked with. Housing was top notch, and anything I requested was granted as promised. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. Jen911

I've been getting my scrubs from http://www.tafford.com for several years now. They have great designs, and their uniforms last forever! If you check their clearance stuff, you can usually get scrubs for $4.99 with a great selection of sizes and designs. They also ship quickly. Good Luck!

Found this via google, I'm gonna guess it has to do with dialysis. Hopefully this will start you in the right direction. CVVH Continuous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration Jen911

My hospital just banned Crocs and "Crocs type shoes" due to liability. Not only because of tripping over your shoes, but also due to slipping risk on wet floors being increased if the tread is worn. I'm not sure if this includes clogs such as Danskos, but I'd be willing to bet they'll add that soon, too..sigh

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Wow..this may sound off-key, but this is truly what I would call an "ER dump" patient... The patient was sent to the ER basically for the LTC to wash their hands and intentionally not accept the patient back into their facility. I've never before seen such an out-right false transfer of an LTC patient such as this. Labs were done, showing no true need for Emergency Services, yet the patient was transferred...were they transferred via EMS (without medical justification)? This would mean a) an EMS unit was taken out of service for a non-essential transfer when it could have been needed for a medical emergency, b) an ER bed was utilized as well as medical services that weren't needed, c) an inpatient bed was probably taken that could have been used for someone else with medical needs, and c) we've just created even more debt for this patient that wasn't needed, won't be paid by the patient, and will be paid for by the tax-payors. Sigh.. Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now, but this burns me. I hope you did the right thing. Jen911

I worked 2 contracts with Agostini and really had a great experience with the company as a whole. Housing was fantastic, they put me in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, fully furnished to include linens, kitchenwares, even linen napkins. No roomate was required, nor did I have to pay any additional rent for living alone. They also covered the pet deposit for my 2 dogs. Paychecks were always accurate and on time, and the pay was at the top of all the travelers I worked with. The only downfall I found with them was that they mainly covered California, so I had to change companies when I was ready to travel elsewhere. Any other questions, feel free to message me. Hope this helps! Jen911

Sheesh, this debate will continue for decades, just like the ER vs Floors debate. ER can be hard work, so can ICU....we just focus on different care of the patient. ER tries to stabilize the emergency at hand, then sends the patient to ICU where they can work to fix the problem safely. I've worked ER's for 6 years, and have no desire to work ICU - it scares me! LOL! Let me stabilize and get 'em to the people who can actually fix 'em!

Actually, you don't need to push the lever at the same time as you inhale. Pushing the lever simply turns the "wheel of medication" to the new dose for you to inhale. There is no "puff" as we're used to with albuterol, or the other short-acting inhalers. Advair is simply a powder that releases as a person inhales through the diskus. Here's the link specifically from the Advair website: http://www.advair.com/copd/inhaler_instructions.html

I'm on my fourth (soon to be fifth) assignment with Aureus and love this company, much better than the others I've worked for. I think everyone has a different experience with each company. I like the personal service and quick resolutions of any problem that might come up. If you call you usually get to talk with your recruiter on your first call, and if not, they'll call you back almost immediately. If there's a city you want to go to and they don't have any openings posted, they'll "market" you to the local hospitals to find a contract for you..and they don't push you to go somewhere you don't want to go... what else do you want to know? Jen911

I'm currently in my third contract with Aureus Medical and LOVE them! They always return phone calls promptly (IF they didn't answer when you called). No errors on my paychecks, and my favorite, they pay attention to the time of day they call you...if you're a night person, they call first thing in the morning so they won't wake you up...BIG perk in my book!! They also offer emplyee rewards where you earn points for your hours and can "cash" them in for merchandise..I spent very little on my Christmas shopping, did most of it through the company. And...if you want a contract in a city they don't have listed on the website, they'll actually call the hospitals as see if they can work something out. When I was travelling in California, I worked with Agostini which seemed to be the best paying. Great company, but didn't quite feel as personal as Aureus. If you have any questions, pm me and I can give recruiters, etc... Good luck! Jen911

I'm currently working for Agostini (also did a contract with Travel Nurse Across America). Agostini has great pay in California, $42-46/hr. Their housing includes ALL utilities, even your cable and phone. They do offer health/dental insurance, but you have to ask for it. Downside: California is pretty much it for Agostini... But heck, I've had a great experience with them, and don't mind having to change companies now that I'm ready to leave CA!

I did one assignment with this company..really liked them, but they just didn't have the number of assignments that others do. Their health insurance was also a bit poor...had something like a $20,000 yearly cap (pray you don't get sick!). Their pay was a tad bit on the low side compared to other companies, too... On the good note, they always went to bat for me, and checked in often to make sure all was going well. They put me in an Extended Stay hotel since my contract was only for 8 weeks...was okay, but just cramped and noisy for a night shift worker. Hope this helps..

Haven't seen this one posted here yet, probably because we never get to use it! PFE = Patient Free Environment (for that VERY rare moment when we have no patients in the ED)...much safer than using that Q word!

We have an on-call nurse... We sign up in 4 hour increments voluntarilly, and it's rare that we don't have someone on call. We can call that nurse if we have a sick call, get swamped, or if someone needs to go home suddenly....basically, they're on call just for about anything. We're paid half our hourly wage to be on call, and if we're called in, we're paid double our hourly wage. Gives us a nice perk to be willing to do it! Yeah, it's a pain to have to go in at 0430 and have to be there within 40 minutes time, but heck.... it's not often you get called at that hour, either...