Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Condescending statements insulting the intelligence of people who disagree with you will not win you many allies. There have been many replies in this thread that have been less than tactful. However,...
  2. Orca

    CPR

    Even if it isn't legally required, it seems like a good idea. You never know what you're going to walk in on, especially when you're visiting people in their homes. Even if you have to pay out of...
  3. Orca

    Horrible Interview

    One thing that often helps is to pause briefly and ponder the question before you respond. This is a technique that President Clinton used in debates, and I have found that it works well for me in an...
  4. Orca

    Legal Issues

    Generally speaking, a patient must be a clear danger to him/herself or others to be detained, and the doctor must initiate emergency detention order proceedings for this to happen. Several years ago I...
  5. Orca

    Patient education on medications

    I know of no legal requirements for qualifications to conduct medication education. It might be a good idea to review what is being taught if you have the opportunity, both to see the content and to...
  6. Orca

    HIPAA Question or ethics issue?

    It definitely isn't a HIPAA issue, because you are not the one disclosing the information. Participating in the blog might create a situation where you cross the line, however, if you post. Personally...
  7. The type of program you attend may be decided by the time commitment. In my case, I had a bachelor's degree in a social science going in. The BSN programs in my area essentially expected me to be...
  8. Orca

    New Grad Resume Questions

    I disagree with the use of colored headings and non-traditional formats. When I review resumes, I am looking for one that is clear, concise and to the point. It should be no more than two pages in...
  9. I'm not sure what else you expect the hospital to do. The fact that they are paring down to only three units operating tells me they are discharging everyone who reasonably can be released. Beyond a...
  10. Self disclosure is a touchy subject. My personal policy is, the less patients know about me away from the job, the better. I have an office in my current job, and I purposely refrain from displaying...
  11. Your previous coursework may have some serious holes in in as far as nursing prerequsites. Mine certainly did. I went to nursing school years after earning a BA in psychology, and it took me a year...
  12. With the job market being the way it is, there is a lot of competition. I mainly interview RNs, but regardless of the position I am always surprised at the size and depth of the applicant pool. We...
  13. Four months on nights is not a long time. Depending upon the unit, it may be a year or more before a day opportunity comes along. Most units fill day openings based upon seniority. When it happens for...
  14. I have no issue whatsoever with people who want to improve themselves. It just seems a little presumptuous to be talking about advancing in a career one hasn't even entered yet. When I went to school...
  15. Orca

    New RN Grad going to CA Prisons

    I am a DON in a western state, and while I cannot address issues specific to California I can address in part the hiring issue. Honestly, someone going from CNA to RN would not get as much...
  16. Orca

    New grad RN in LTC

    In my first LTC job I was the only RN on a 120-bed unit, and I was also passing meds to 45 patients due to LPN shortages. That place should have been shut down. I didn't stay for
  17. Orca

    Not even a word of English

    There are also medical Spanish dictionaries that contain the correct words and phrases to describe what you want to get across. They can be invaluable. The one I carry is paperback and small enough to...
  18. HIPAA deals with individual patient information. As long as you don't reveal it, you're fine. Facebook is another medium that has potential for HIPAA violations. I saw a Facebook page on which a nurse...
  19. Whether you need prior med/surg experience depends upon the hospital. As far as your resume, what is in it is far more important than how it arrives. In most places, the person receiving the resume...
  20. Orca

    Motivating Burnt-Out Staff

    Waiting for someone else to take care of the situation is only going to add to your frustration. If that were going to happen, it would likely have happened before you hired on. Moving somewhere else...
  21. Orca

    Using haldol

    Haldol has been around forever, and it is amazing that it is still as popular (and useful) as it is. Studies are even finding that it is equal to or better than many of the newer and supposedly better...
  22. Orca

    Hospital bullying?

    My first job out of nursing school was one that I totally loved. However, a new nurse manager changed all of that. From the beginning, she saw me as a threat to her authority (why, I have no idea to...
  23. Nursing school only gives you a very basic framework to prepare you for what lies ahead. While higher aspirations are fine, believing that you are ready for advanced practice after a year or two as a...
  24. Orca

    Laws in involuntary treatment?

    If a person is potentially a danger to him/herself or others, they can be involuntarily held. This would apply to many cases of acute