Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    Anesthesia: The Last and First Thing You Heard

    Orca replied to Tait's topic in General Nursing

    I had a septoplasty done in day surgery at the hospital I worked in. The surgeon, who I knew well, came in with a mischievous smirk on his face. He said "Are you ready to do this?" I replied, "Let's...
  2. Orca

    Did I handle this incorrectly?

    Orca replied to swirlygirl's topic in General Nursing

    We had a patient on my mental health unit once who was being followed by a cardiologist, who said he would follow the patient for any medical needs. Unusual, I thought, but okay. One day the patient...
  3. Orca

    Your CALL LIGHT privileges have been revoked!!!

    Orca replied to amiro31's topic in General Nursing

    There are times I have been tempted, believe me. Worse than this, IMO, are the patients who won't use the call light at all. Instead they insist on yelling for the nurse repeatedly and disturbing...
  4. Orca

    Got a minute? I could use some advice, please.

    Orca replied to skyjunky's topic in General Nursing

    I worked with an RN who did this all the time. She would clock out (to avoid overtime), then return to the unit to finish her work. She was truly overloaded. Management had given her the nurse...
  5. Orca

    Middle aged men are such babies!!

    Orca replied to Tait's topic in General Nursing

    I would participate in this thread, but being a part of the target group I'm too much of a baby.
  6. Orca

    Resident sent me money

    Orca replied to JB2007's topic in General Nursing

    I had a former patient on a mental health unit send me a card at work with $10 cash in it. I immediately turned the money over to my DON, who wrote a letter on behalf of the facility saying that I...
  7. Orca

    Try corrections or stay in school?

    Orca replied to TCNurse86's topic in Correctional

    If you aren't going to take the job, do the employer the favor of canceling the appointment. As far as flexibility there normally cannot be much, unless it is a per diem position. The first...
  8. Orca

    Passing KOP's

    Orca replied to jschut's topic in Correctional

    This supervisor has a warped sense of responsibility. The inmates are not invalids, and they are not incapable of picking up their meds. The fact that there have been assaults points out a serious...
  9. Orca

    dementia charting

    Orca replied to litbitblack's topic in General Nursing

    You can make general statements (i. e., "Seems especially disoriented this morning"), followed by an example of the behavior or statements that make you think that (such as the example Ruby Vee gave...
  10. Orca

    Questions about Caring for Inmates....

    Orca replied to lm8539's topic in Correctional

    1.) As a nurse, what illnesses do you see occurring most frequently among the inmate population? AIDS/ HIV? TB? Pneumonia? Hepatitis? Anything else? We have some HIV/AIDS cases, but not a...
  11. Orca

    Holiday Pay

    Orca replied to caliotter3's topic in General Nursing

    When I worked nights I got holiday pay for whatever portion of the day I worked. Since I worked both Sunday and Monday nights and most holidays were on Monday, I normally got seven hours for the AM...
  12. Orca

    I've only cried once...

    Orca replied to CherryAmes_RN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I don't get that either. I worked in a rehab hospital where we had a mix of RNs and LPNs on the floor. The LPNs were not allowed to touch anything concerning an IV by company policy. A couple of my RN...
  13. Orca

    What's it like working in ltc nursing?

    Orca replied to studentenurse's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    The long term care facility I worked in killed any desire I had to do any more LTC. I was the only RN on a 120-bed unit on swing shift, and for half of my time there I was also covering meds for over...
  14. Orca

    LVN's and RN's and Doctor's

    Orca replied to jrw03282009's topic in General Nursing

    It's ignorance, plain and simple. While LPNs have a lower level of training than RNs, in many of the places I have worked they have the same responsibilities, with a few exceptions (one place I worked...
  15. Orca

    Infection control problems using single use vials?

    Orca replied to greenterra's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    It is neither time consuming nor expensive to swab the tops. I have always done it by habit, and I see no reason to
  16. Orca

    Sleeping aides at work

    Orca replied to sasha2lady's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    OP, it seems as if you wrote this employee up very reluctantly. I would have done it without batting an eye, with no regret. This employee did this to herself. You also seem apprehensive about the...
  17. Orca

    Interpersonal conflicts at work

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

    It's tough to break into a situation where there is already a clique in place. Denting that circle is pretty much impossible (not that you want to join it, but you do have to work with the people in...
  18. Orca

    Peds/Psych- Resources on Restraints

    Orca replied to Maria,NP's topic in Psychiatric

    One facility I worked at used the Mandt method. It seemed to be the most useful of three or four different methods I was taught at various facilities. One thing I liked about Mandt, apart from its...
  19. Orca

    Common Correctional Nursing Interview Questions

    Orca replied to Guest371144's topic in Correctional

    Another interview question, which can be very telling sometimes: We ask applicants if they have ever been fired from a job, or have ever been asked to resign in lieu of termination. Sometimes the...
  20. Orca

    A jaded nurse who cried last night and was renewed as a nurse

    Orca replied to Zookeeper3's topic in General Nursing

    Thank you for sharing. What we do, day in and day out, becomes routine for us. It is easy to forget that sometimes it is not so routine for others involved. The smallest of gestures can have a...
  21. Orca

    Met with supervisor today....

    Orca replied to 2shihtzus's topic in General Nursing

    I wouldn't tell them anything. Just go in and cheerfully do your job. You don't owe them an explanation. This is very true. One of the best things that happened in my career in the long run was the...
  22. Orca

    Met with supervisor today....

    Orca replied to 2shihtzus's topic in General Nursing

    With the precedent your manager has set, your authority has been undermined to the point that I don't see how it can be restored. When subordinates can get a supervisor reassigned just by complaining,...
  23. Orca

    New grad burnt out

    Orca replied to smilealot's topic in General Nursing

    I can identify. I was placed into a charge position right out of nursing school, and I wasn't ready for it. I would have liked a reasonable amount of time working with and observing a seasoned nurse...
  24. Orca

    Dg. Bipolar in children but not adolesc/adults?????

    Orca replied to Shell5's topic in Psychiatric

    Since bipolar disorder is an Axis I diagnosis and borderline personality disorder is an Axis II, I don't see how they can be used interchangeably. Borderline would be treated primarily with...
  25. Orca

    Switch to 12-hour Shifts

    Orca replied to MerPsychRN's topic in Psychiatric

    The first time I worked 12-hour shifts after five years of doing eights, I thought it was going to do me in. To be fair it was in rehabilitation, which involved a lot of heavy physical labor (lifting,...