Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    Staff Hysteria

    Orca replied to Ashizzle's topic in School

    That is complete garbage. You were hired to care for the students, not the staff. I am in a similar situation, working in corrections. We care for the inmates, but provide only emergency care and...
  2. Orca

    Funniest/strangest dementia patient stories

    Orca replied to Angie O'Plasty's topic in Nursing Humor

    That will be my luck. When my mind has drifted off into nothingness, instead of some remote beach, in my mind I will be at work. Another dementia story. Hospital inpatient geropsych unit. I was in the...
  3. Orca

    Crusty Old Bats Will Remember... (part deux)

    Orca replied to Davey Do's topic in Nursing Humor

    I also remember the filing and sharpening of the needles. I wish that I still had those glass syringes. They have become quite the collector's item. I'm guessing that my mother probably tossed them...
  4. Orca

    Abstinence Programs

    Orca replied to KeeperOfTheIceRN's topic in School

    This kind of thinking assumes that if kids are not taught about biological processes and sexual urges, they won't engage in sexual activity. It is a head-in-the-sand approach to be certain. It reminds...
  5. Orca

    Is this a smart tactic in huddle...

    Orca replied to AnnoyedNurse's topic in Nurse Management

    I graduated nursing school more than 20 years ago, and I still remember a statement that one of our instructors delivered to us. A nursing student from another school administered digoxin to a patient...
  6. Orca

    Why do most psych jobs seem to be 8's rather than 12's

    Orca replied to Pug RN's topic in Psychiatric

    Depends on the unit. Generally speaking, it takes more staff to cover eight-hour shifts. That is why most medical units do
  7. Orca

    New Grad RN wanting to leave after 3 months

    Orca replied to RNAnony's topic in MICU, SICU

    I don't work in an ICU, but even after 22 years of nursing and 16 with the same employer, not a day goes by that I don't ask somebody about something. No one knows everything, and using the resources...
  8. Orca

    What's the funniest most unusual baby name?

    Orca replied to nirvana1's topic in Nursing Humor

    The Alabama football fan who named his son Bear (after Coach Bear Bryant) and his daughter Crimson. This is Harvey Updyke, who was convicted in connection with poisoning a huge oak tree on rival...
  9. Orca

    Crusty Old Bats Will Remember... (part deux)

    Orca replied to Davey Do's topic in Nursing Humor

    I remember glass IV bottles, and the unmistakable sound (usually followed by cursing) when the IV nurse dropped one of them. I remember dialysis equipment that looked like a giant washing machine. I...
  10. Orca

    Suicide

    Orca replied to jdub6's topic in Psychiatric

    I have seen some miraculous transformations from ECT, with patients who were profoundly depressed and for whom nothing else had worked. One patient made a very lethal suicide attempt (self...
  11. Orca

    BSN Nurse supervising MSN nurses

    Orca replied to Neats's topic in Nurse Management

    I am in a situation like that. As a DON, I compile the APNs' periodic evaluations and set their schedules, but I don't try to dictate how they practice. There has never been a
  12. Orca

    Nurses and bullies...

    Orca replied to nightingale4me's topic in General Nursing

    "Bullying" seems to be the new buzzword for a lot of people to define actions by others that they don't like. Several nurses who I have personally dealt with considered any effort to correct their...
  13. Orca

    Nurse Manager in a Retirement Residence in Ontario, interview help/advice please!

    Orca replied to RPN_2012's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    That was a lot to read, and it took me some time to digest it all. The best advice I can give you for the interview is to pause for a moment after each question to compose your answer in your head....
  14. Orca

    Can I be fired for refusing PPD during pregnancy?

    Orca replied to RN/Mom's topic in General Nursing

    Mine does, and we do annual
  15. Orca

    What makes a good DON

    Orca replied to imjstme's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Good managers remember that their employees are human beings. I hated working for what I call "spreadsheet" managers, who change employees' schedules and assignments around at will without any...
  16. Orca

    If lice can't jump or fly

    Orca replied to MHDNURSE's topic in School

    That is brilliant. Back when there was a national hysteria about anthrax being spread through the mail, I found a company that was selling full hazmat suits. I was tempted to buy one to wear out to...
  17. Orca

    You Know You're A Nurse If...

    Orca replied to Joe V's topic in Nursing Humor

    When I was in my last year of nursing school and still working my prior job, without thinking I started inserting medical abbreviations into the documents that I was having typed up for mailing or...
  18. Orca

    Need advice on a schedule conflict

    Orca replied to NurseLove01's topic in General Nursing

    I once had an employee call off on her cell phone, and I could hear the lecturing from the orientation that she was attending in the
  19. Orca

    Healthcare insurance

    Orca replied to Colleenj19's topic in General Nursing

    This is where I am. Congress can't agree on a plan, and until they do it is difficult to have an opinion on it. Generally speaking, we pay more for health care than any nation on earth, and our...
  20. Orca

    Blood pressure tools

    Orca replied to AngelKissed857's topic in Correctional

    The wrist cuff is better than nothing. If you have to do everything though the food slot, that is probably your best bet. I have done BP checks on guys in cuffs, but not through the food
  21. Orca

    Sad Day....

    Orca replied to cooties_are_real's topic in School

    Among the dead is an RN from Jackson, TN who was shot while trying to shield his wife from the gunfire. She was not injured. They had been married for a
  22. Orca

    Sad Day....

    Orca replied to cooties_are_real's topic in School

    Sorry for your loss. The atmosphere here is very subdued. The local news is full of reports, and new information is coming in bits and pieces. Local hospitals are overwhelmed, especially those closest...
  23. Orca

    8 Dead at Florida Nursing Home without power after Hurricane Irma

    Orca replied to Blackcat99's topic in Nursing News

    I don't know the full circumstances here, but I have to wonder if this would hold true in a situation in which the nursing staff was not relieved for days, and was stuck on duty well beyond the human...
  24. Orca

    Hate My Job - LTC

    Orca replied to MJ48's topic in General Specialties

    LTC facilities in particular are notorious for underpaying, understaffing and undertraining. When something goes wrong, they want to nail the nursing staff (especially RNs), even though the facility...
  25. Orca

    Ped Psych RN

    Orca replied to lmb117's topic in General Specialties

    My hat is off to you for hanging in this long. I worked in a stand-alone mental health facility that had geriatric, adult and child/adolescent psych units. On occasion I was pulled from my normal...