Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    Has anyone recently took the ANCC exam for psych?

    Orca replied to RHIA, RN's topic in Psychiatric

    You don't need a BSN to be ANCC certified. I don't have a BSN and I held an RN,C in psychiatric and mental health nursing for five years. I didn't renew it, because at renewal time I was very short of...
  2. Orca

    Contraband

    Orca replied to southshore2014's topic in Psychiatric

    We always searched patients and inventoried any belongings that they brought in. Searches were always done by same sex staff. We once had a patient (LPN) who had a BKA who was admitted for opiate...
  3. Orca

    Forced IM meds...always ethical??

    Orca replied to Abbyrose's topic in Psychiatric

    I have never given a PRN anxiolytic injection to a patient who was calm and rational. When the patient deescalated, he no longer met the criteria for administration of the IM medication. The attitude...
  4. Orca

    Nurses expecting to do too much!

    Orca replied to CosmoRN77's topic in General Nursing

    Physicians may be rounding after a full day of surgery, office appointments and who knows what else. They get tired. If I have to occasionally remind a physician of something, so be it. It is part of...
  5. Orca

    New to Correctional Nursing, any tips?

    Orca replied to ckbreathing's topic in Correctional

    I have been an RN for 20 years, the last 14 of it in corrections, with eight as a DON. I will try to give you some information that you can use. 1. Stick to your policies and procedures. Deviation...
  6. Orca

    Nurse Slang Yo!

    Orca replied to ladysushi's topic in General Nursing

    I have also heard of this referred to as a B-52: Benadryl 50mg + Haldol 5mg + Ativan 2mg. Of course, we're in an Air Force town, hence the bomber
  7. Orca

    Nurse Slang Yo!

    Orca replied to ladysushi's topic in General Nursing

    I almost sprayed my monitor when I read this one. Perfect! Several years ago when I worked in a rehab hospital, one day I had two males in their mid-twenties in the same room who had undergone some...
  8. Orca

    Where to begin, what to do

    Orca replied to ExploringNurse's topic in Nurse Management

    Managers get called all the time because units are short staffed. Sometimes you wind up going in. You are better paid for it, but don't believe that you are walking away from dealing with staffing...
  9. Orca

    How important is appearance?

    Orca replied to FieryPsychRN's topic in Nurse Management

    We expect some people to come in scrubs. People may interview with us either before or after work. Neat and professional is the key, if you aren't in work attire. One interviewee sticks with me. This...
  10. Orca

    New to nurse management

    Orca replied to Jayreb84's topic in Nurse Management

    It can be really tough to become an upper level manager in a unit where you were once line staff. Nurses who were once peers may have difficulty accepting you in your new role - but accept you they...
  11. Orca

    Arrogant "know it all" RN

    Orca replied to ArrowRN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    There necessarily needs to be a change in her methods of communication with others as she transitions into a charge role. You cannot communicate the same way as a supervisor as you did when the same...
  12. Orca

    For New Grads -YES you can do psych.

    Orca replied to Psych_Nurse89's topic in Psychiatric

    I wish that I had been able to do med-surg first. My first job offer out of nursing school was in mental health. Five years later, when I found myself working in a freestanding mental health facility...
  13. Orca

    new to corrections

    Orca replied to nursieq93's topic in Correctional

    I need more information before responding in detail. You haven't said whether you are an RN or LPN, or whether you work in a jail or a prison. Responsibilities will vary depending upon the answers to...
  14. Orca

    Overheard at the coffee shop

    Orca replied to JustBeachyNurse's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    We must meet different administrators. The ones I meet give the outward impression of being passionate about patient care and their nurses, but at the end of the day it's all about the money. These...
  15. Orca

    Overheard at the coffee shop

    Orca replied to JustBeachyNurse's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Having been around the business for a while and having gone to more than my share of drug company presentations, I know that drug companies hire eye candy, young, attractive females as field...
  16. Orca

    Disciplinary Question

    Orca replied to cristoloro's topic in Nurse Management

    In the situation as it was presented, I would go with a verbal counseling. You stated that this is not typical behavior, it seems that the nurse has already realized that what he did was a mistake...
  17. Orca

    Worst/silliest/are you serious pt complaint you've received?

    Orca replied to odaat's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Okay, I suppose that that wasn't really a patient complaint, but rather somewhere that my mind led me after reading another post in this thread. Okay, a real patient complaint. A different geropsych...
  18. Orca

    Worst/silliest/are you serious pt complaint you've received?

    Orca replied to odaat's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Okay, I suppose that this wasn't really a patient complaint, but rather somewhere that my mind led me after reading another post in this thread. Okay, a real patient complaint. Another geropsych unit...
  19. Orca

    Worst/silliest/are you serious pt complaint you've received?

    Orca replied to odaat's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Years ago I worked for a free-standing mental health facility. I was the day shift charge nurse on the geropsych unit. One morning my DON told me that she needed for me to attend an in-house training...
  20. Orca

    Required education

    Orca replied to sweetsarah116's topic in Correctional

    A lot of employers leave nurses on their own to get continuing education. My agency has recently improved things, hiring a training coordinator for my region of the state. She has done an excellent...
  21. Orca

    I am leaving LTC yet again

    Orca replied to Blackcat99's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    When I first moved to my current area I worked for a LTC facility because they hired me instantly and I needed to get established in the job market quickly. I believe that mine was typical of most....
  22. Orca

    Nude nurse goes nutty

    Orca replied to chopwood carrywater's topic in General Nursing

    I was thinking the same thing. News sources are not always conscientious about researching things. It could have been a home health aide just as easily. To the media, medical + scrubs =
  23. Orca

    Would you be willing to do this?

    Orca replied to CocoaLoverFNP's topic in Nurse Practitioners, NP

    A potential employer who expects you to work for free for up to two months with no guarantee of anything makes me very suspicious. First of all, who can afford to offer their services for free for...
  24. Orca

    Rejection is for winners too

    Orca replied to SummerGarden's topic in Nurse Management

    In my prior career I was turned down for promotion more than 20 times. In one case I applied for a position that required prior supervisory experience. The person who was chosen over me had been a...
  25. Orca

    wondering?

    Orca replied to lpntorn16's topic in Correctional

    Visits with an inmate won't show up on a background check. Mostly this consists of running an FBI rap sheet and usually a rap sheet from your state bureau of investigation. If you have contact from...