Pheebz777 BSN, RN

You never know. Ask home health nurses who follow up patients' with chronic wounds at home on a weekly basis if family follows all the same protocols, handwashing, and gowning up that we normally do at work. "Hey grandma, I'll go do the groceries rig...

After working Tele/Medsurg for 2 years, I worked Agency RN for another 2 years which almost doubled my rate from my starting rate. But after bouncing around different hospitals, I went full time ICU to get critical care experience from a hospital tha...

Sorry for the late response. Let me give you some insight. I am the total opposite. I've been in an ICU environment for 15 years and just recently transitioned to the E.D. 2 years ago. I find the E.D. fast paced, minimal charting (compared to ICU), a...

As long as you have strong critical thinking skills and well versed in ACLS, you should be fine. In most hospitals I've worked, it's usually the ICU charge nurse who is also the RRT nurse. There have been times when there would be multiple RRTs occur...

It's not uncommon for PM patients to still have an irregular rhythm. The PM is only there to provide patient stability. The heart can still fire on it's own and trigger a ventricular response and the ventricles can also fire on it's own. You can see ...

I've never heard of holding Amiodarone because of not being anticoagulated, usually for elective cardioversion you would want to determine whether or not the patient is on anticoagulation. For symptomatic SVT/AFIB RVR, of course cardioversion is a mu...

Do you guys use sterile gloves when bathing patients too? No harm using sterile gloves. No harm in using sterile water as well. But the water we use is from the water dispenser. Not faucet water.

YOUTUBE has fascinating videos complete with explanation and high quality animations that made me understand concepts and so far it has stuck to me better than merely reading books. Book are a great source but understanding EKG mechanics for me was b...

You still ask their permission. Even family members at bedside. Sometimes these people have IV's that are several days old. I apologize if my original comment left room for your personal interpretation, but most nurses I know will only cater to their...

Working ICU has its benefits. You learn a lot, you gain self confidence, and you become more marketable as a nurse. While you're there, get your CCRN, reap in the benefits (most hospitals have bonuses or pay differentials for the CCRN). Once you stuf...

Assuming you ruled out other reasons for being tachy, (dehydration, pain, fever, anxiety, etc,) has the patient been on any antiarrythmics? drips? Sometimes controlling the HR improves the blood pressure. For uncontrolled Afib RVR patients usually th...

"...there's a reason why we need to count all the sponges my fellow colleagues."

There are several dosage calculation practice tests online with answers. The only way to get familiar with what equation to use is practice, practice and practice.

This other facility where I do agency does not even do fingersticks in the ICU. All blood glucose level are obtained thru serum. Even patients on insulin drip get the hourly stick from lab.

I put all the credential allowed onto my badge. I worked hard for it. However we're allowed only BSN-RN, CCRN. Can't slap on the CMC-CSC part.

Obtaining CCRN, CMC, CSC, CEN etc certifications only solidifies your knowledge in these specific areas. It gauges and strengthens your knowledge in those respective areas of practice. You just cannot take the certifications if you felt like it, you ...

There are only a few lethal cardiac rythms to be aware of and you can bunch them up as to which ACLS algorithm to use. There are several YouTube videos to make things easier to understand.

Can't argue with many medical books.

Don't need to report the nurse per se, just report the incident. Is there a policy in your institution not to transfuse blood through a 20g?

I get the eye roll from MDs a lot for being extra curious as to why they order stuff. One thing I do a lot is ask for "parameters". "Hold beta blockers if HR is below 55" "Don't call for troponin less than 2" I think half the time, MDs give nurses a...

As what others have said, treat the patient, not the numbers. If a BP of 92/40 HR 150 and adequately hydrated, no fever, no pain/anxiety... giving the beta blocker most likely will bring the BP up if the drop in BP is related to inadequate filling ti...

I wouldn't be worried about a few runs of VT. I would be more worried of how frequent the runs are occuring, how long they sustain, and the effect on the patients clinical status. Check lytes esp. Mg and K and let the MD know. Most likely they'll be...

It's common "unofficial" medical lingo used in the medical field. GBW is short for Generalized Body Weakness, and DHN is short for dehydration. Back in the days when MDs wrote their progress notes on paper, they would use these unofficial terms back ...

If there is going to be any bleeding, any bleeding at all, all it needs is a little pressure. Inflate the vasc band another 2ml or more and you're good! If you're uncomfortable doing it, just apply pressure with your fingers for a couple minutes. The...

Just reading your examples, the 30yr old with GBW could have some mild dehydration by presenting with GBW alone. Labs can be perfect, she doesn't need to be vomitting, having sunken eyeballs, pale, to be labeled dehydrated. The MD's have a few millio...