Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    Psychiatric-Mental Health Certification

    Orca replied to Deb117's topic in Psychiatric

    I have taken (and passed) the exam. I thought it was worse than the nursing board exam. IMO they ask many questions that are outside the scope of practice of an RN (questions about steps to be taken...
  2. Orca

    Tell me about the duties of correctional RNs during a shift?

    Orca replied to Wheaties's topic in Correctional

    A lot of it depends upon your specific assignment, and whether the facility you will be working in is an intake facility. Our nurses work 12-hour shifts. Some are assigned to work the clinic desk....
  3. Orca

    Patients adding me as a friend on facebook...

    Orca replied to Gr8Dane's topic in General Nursing

    I have a Facebook account, but only for the communication aspect. My page has no photos on it. I agree with Gooey - don't add patients as friends unless you knew them beforehand. I work for a criminal...
  4. Orca

    Jail psych nurse ethics question

    Orca replied to amyphee's topic in Correctional

    Having worked in mental health for a long time, to me it seems very irresponsible to have protocol orders for psychiatric medications. I would also be nervous about the doctor automatically signing...
  5. Orca

    want to move back south texas looks likes the best option

    Orca replied to jbjelus1's topic in General Nursing

    Another thing to consider is that Texas doesn't have a state income tax, so the money you make will go farther. I believe you're paying about nine percent in
  6. Orca

    Placed on medical leave...so why do I feel guilty?

    Orca replied to jessiern's topic in General Nursing

    Your attitude is admirable, but you have more important issues to address. You may well have the chance to reciprocate in the future for the coverage your coworkers are providing
  7. Orca

    Psychiatric Nursing with a Mental Illness?

    Orca replied to pezamistik's topic in Psychiatric

    If your condition is well controlled, I see no reason that you should not practice psychiatric nursing. I have worked with several nurses with psychiatric conditions who were able to offer insights to...
  8. Orca

    Wishing I wasn't an RN when it comes to sick family member.

    Orca replied to Avery205's topic in General Nursing

    Sustaining life processes is not the same as living. This man doesn't have what most of us would call a life. His day consists of continuous monitoring, medications, medical procedures and machines....
  9. Orca

    Is it a sin to want a day off?

    Orca replied to rn4babies63's topic in General Nursing

    When I went through a divorce several years ago I volunteered for extra shifts and usually covered when my unit had a call-off on another shift. When I started to develop a social life again and...
  10. Orca

    Can CPR renewal be done online?!

    Orca replied to Blackheartednurse's topic in General Nursing

    My agency requires hands-on CPR classes. Even if an employee renews online they must attend the CPR class the agency provides for the hands-on demonstration. Given those regulations there is little...
  11. Orca

    ANCC certification - does good, or just looks good?

    Orca replied to NiteNurz79's topic in Psychiatric

    I thought that the test was worse than the nursing board exam. Some of the questions they asked seemed more appropriate for a Ph. D. psychologist or therapist. Some of the issues they asked about were...
  12. Orca

    Jail psych nurse ethics question

    Orca replied to amyphee's topic in Correctional

    To clarify, the vast majority of the medications we give from protocol orders would not require a prescription if the inmate were in the community (diphenhydramine, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc.)....
  13. Orca

    Interview next week for inpatient psych unit!

    Orca replied to colleennurse's topic in Psychiatric

    Be prepared for a question about side effects of psychiatric medications. One popular question concerns extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS). These consist of tardive dyskinesia (involuntary irregular muscle...
  14. Orca

    ANCC certification - does good, or just looks good?

    Orca replied to NiteNurz79's topic in Psychiatric

    I carried ANCC Psychiatric Nurse certification for five years. To be truthful I found it pretty useless. One potential employer - who did not offer me a job - saw it on my resume, commented on it and...
  15. Orca

    Psych patient teaching for class assignment..HELP

    Orca replied to skyandsydneysmom's topic in Psychiatric

    We used to run relaxation groups. We had relaxation tapes that we would put on, turn the lights down and have the patients either lie down or relax in chairs. A word of warning, though: Review any...
  16. Orca

    question about psych nursing

    Orca replied to shelbee1084's topic in Psychiatric

    This hits very close to home for me. When I finished nursing school I went straight to work on a hospital adult mental health unit. Four years later I relocated and I hired on with a stand-alone...
  17. Orca

    GREAT Interview

    Orca replied to all_good_names_gone's topic in Correctional

    Understand that most employers don't offer jobs on the spot. In our case we do interviews (sometimes for two days), and there is a process that must be followed in order to hire someone. We are a...
  18. Orca

    How to deal with those family members who are "nurses"?

    Orca replied to shoegalRN's topic in General Nursing

    I went to visit a cousin in a hospital in Canada several years ago. He had just had surgery, and he was asking me about recovery, medications, etc. I gave him some general information about how things...
  19. Orca

    NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

    Orca replied to savnlil1s's topic in General Nursing

    I doubt that this is something that will have serious consequences. The hospital will probably issue a warning about it, but I wouldn't expect much more. I haven't seen the photo in question so I...
  20. Orca

    NEED HELP PLEASE!!!

    Orca replied to savnlil1s's topic in General Nursing

    I'm not sure about HIPAA violations, but I believe that it was bad judgment to have put a picture like this on a personal webpage. This was a picture taken of a patient in a work setting. Think about...
  21. Orca

    Jail psych nurse ethics question

    Orca replied to amyphee's topic in Correctional

    I work for a state prison system. We have numerous protocols for dealing with various situations, which have been approved by the appropriate physicians. The purpose is to allow nurses to deal with...
  22. Orca

    Correctional Nursing Questionnaire.

    Orca replied to egmiller's topic in Correctional

    1. Using the common nursing stereotypes (battle ax, angel of mercy, etc) describe your relationship with inmates. My relationship with inmates is little different than my relationship with patients...
  23. Orca

    my first job- per diem in a jail

    Orca replied to bymysoultosqueezeRN's topic in Correctional

    The time frame for going from per diem to full time depends entirely on the employer. Two things have to happen: they have to be satisfied with your work, and they have to have a vacant position. The...
  24. Orca

    Should I even get my ADN?

    Orca replied to PurpleLVN's topic in General Nursing

    At the very least go for your ADN. Since I had a BA in another field I could have finished either program with an approximately equal number of hours, but I chose an ADN program because I couldn't...
  25. Orca

    Image Conscious

    Orca replied to noellepage2000's topic in General Nursing

    I worked in a place where there was in effect a ruling clique. Members of said clique got the choice assignments and all the promotions while the rest of us (read: the people who made things happen)...