Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    Rehab nursing-the good/bad/ugly?

    Orca replied to PAERRN20's topic in Rehabilitation

    Good: Chance to help patients regain normal function. Often see dramatic improvements in relatively short period of time. Get a lot of fresh post-ops, so you don't lose skills. Bad: A lot of lifting,...
  2. Orca

    Privacy and Covering My Arse.

    Orca replied to TsavarenaRN's topic in Psychiatric

    I believe you handled it well. Document only the facts, what you saw and heard. I hope that you also documented somewhere the doctor's reaction when you tried to obtain an order. I find it odd that...
  3. Orca

    pros/cons of psych nursing?

    Orca replied to Ilya's topic in Psychiatric

    Pros: A chance to give of yourself without hiding behind medical procedures. A chance to make a genuine difference in a patient's quality of life and way of dealing with life events. Cons: Often seen...
  4. Orca

    Interviewing in May for a position at Maine State Prison

    Orca replied to Dawn_M_74's topic in Correctional

    I liken prison nursing to being a nurse at a small town hospital - because essentially you are. You see a little of everything, from scrapes and bruises to shootings, stabbings and MIs. You often have...
  5. Orca

    Safety/Security procedures

    Orca replied to LolaBunnie's topic in Correctional

    In all honesty, I feel safer walking the yard than I did working at a hospital that was in a poor economic area. A lot of measures are taken to protect employees, and you can be pretty sure that no...
  6. Orca

    Wonder how often this happens

    Orca replied to BabyLady's topic in Correctional

    We are not allowed to dispense anything that didn't come from our own pharmacy. Inmates are not allowed to bring meds back from the hospital, regardless of who carries them. We do have some heavy-duty...
  7. Orca

    Keep on person medication

    Orca replied to amesly15's topic in Correctional

    We KOP a lot of meds - pretty much everything other than psych meds and meds for TB prophylaxis (the latter because knowing for sure that the inmate has taken each dose is critical). Inmates can lose...
  8. Orca

    Uniform Cleanliness

    Orca replied to Michyboo39's topic in Correctional

    If one of my staff showed up for work in soiled clothing I would send them home, pronto. Part of any job is maintaining a professional
  9. Orca

    What to expect at interview?

    Orca replied to pitbullmom's topic in Correctional

    (duplicate
  10. Orca

    What to expect at interview?

    Orca replied to pitbullmom's topic in Correctional

    When we conduct interviews for nurses, we ask each applicant if he/she believes that his/her way of practicing nursing will have to be altered as a result of working with convicted felons, and if so,...
  11. Orca

    So, what's all this talk abou manipulation?

    Orca replied to nursedudeforchrist's topic in Correctional

    I can't say that our situation is that extreme, but it seems that a higher percentage of females are taking psychiatric
  12. Orca

    So, what's all this talk abou manipulation?

    Orca replied to nursedudeforchrist's topic in Correctional

    I am a DON at a female correctional facility. Before that I worked as line staff and as a charge nurse at a male prison. The primary difference I see is that females are more likely to seek medical...
  13. Orca

    corrections is fantastic!!!

    Orca replied to happyjailnurse's topic in Correctional

    This is an important point, and one that many people miss. Many of the inmates we get have had little or no medical care prior to incarceration, and little or no education in health, medication or...
  14. Orca

    Correctional Nursing

    Orca replied to uscstu4lfe's topic in Correctional

    The way I have always put it is that we are paid for what could happen rather than what usually does. When we have our moments, they are usually big ones. Add to that that we work with those that...
  15. Orca

    Abilify

    Orca posted a topic in Psychiatric

    I was wondering about the experiences of any nurses here with the anti-psychotic drug Abilify. I have had some experience with it, and the results of my early informal poll is that this drug is all...
  16. Orca

    Abilify

    Orca replied to Orca's topic in Psychiatric

    Wellbutrin can cause agitation in bipolar patients. I'm surprised that your doctor didn't change your antidepressant if bipolar disorder is suspected. From what I have learned about Abilify in the...
  17. Orca

    Why Correctional Nursing

    Orca replied to kellyo's topic in Correctional

    Ironically, I got into nursing to get out of corrections. I had worked in and around prisons in a number of capacities, including correctional officer, over a period of more than 15 years. Tired of...
  18. Orca

    Correctional Nursing Moral, Attitude

    Orca replied to Schweetnsazzy's topic in Correctional

    I find that in many cases, the inmates are more polite. Some staff have the idea that since they are dealing with inmates, they can be as abrupt and nasty as they like. I treat inmates with courtesy,...
  19. Orca

    Which degree to get?

    Orca replied to kittiesareus's topic in Psychiatric

    All other things being equal, get the BSN. It is best to have the most education in the area you will be working in. I have an ADN with a BA in psychology. I got the former degree because all the...
  20. Orca

    HIPAA as applies to prisoners...PLEASE HELP!!

    Orca replied to katchmoleen's topic in Correctional

    That's a tough spot. At least in my case we have doctors either on the premises or on call (depending upon the time), and they make the final call. Of course, I am their eyes and ears when I call...
  21. Orca

    Advice on conducting nursing sick call

    Orca replied to 1ninjanurse's topic in Correctional

    Look for inconsistencies between what you observe and what the inmate tells you. Inmates will seldom admit to being assaulted, instead saying things like, "I fell off my bunk", "I ran into a door"....
  22. Orca

    correction nurses pay scale??

    Orca replied to sphz9471's topic in Correctional

    Nevada pays RNs approximately $32 per hour, with a 4% raise due on July 1, 2006. There is a 5% differential for night
  23. Orca

    Have always wanted to do psyche, but now not so sure...

    Orca replied to NurseCard's topic in Psychiatric

    One thing I noticed from your narrative is that you seemed to tend to relent in negotiation. Many people on mental health units require firm limits, and once you show that you can be manipulated, that...
  24. Orca

    Confused Student; Please Advise!

    Orca replied to cns48's topic in Psychiatric

    A piece of advice from one who has been there: start out in an area other than mental health. For some reason, once you work mental health, many employers don't believe you can do anything else....
  25. Orca

    900 mg's of Seroquel????

    Orca replied to NurseCard's topic in Psychiatric

    That dose sounds a little high to