tanhaight

It's not about being old foggy's or relaxing standards, it's about being able to read what a person writes. If I have to decipher the meaning as I read the words, I skip the post. Too much work. And it's your, not you're by the way. Original poster was correct :)

Our hospital gives $4.50 an hour shift differential and if you have filled your weekend comittment (every other week) and you pick up another weekend night (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) as extra you get the usual shift diff plus $125 for RNs for 12 hour shift and $100 for an 8 hour shift.

Wow, I wish we had electronic order entry like that! The MDs entering paper orders in the chart will be the big challenge if the charts are sitting up at the nurses station and the nurses are way down the hallway.

We are opening a new tower at my hospital that is set up differently than what we are used to in the old building. Nurses will document on computers outside patient rooms but the charts will be kept at the nursing station at the end of a very long hallway. I call it a nursing station but in reality nurses are not to congregate there, only unit clerks have seats and will enter orders to the computer. We had wanted drawers built at the computers (outside rooms) for the charts but we were outvoted and so they will be kept in a central location. Next year we anticipate being fully electronic but we still use the charts for Physician progress notes, skin and wound pictures, and most importantly MD orders. We still dont have MD electronic order entry. Sigh... We forsee charts not being returned to the nursing station, nurses leaving them next to the computers by patient rooms instead of returning them to the main station or better yet, MDs asking nurses to run and get charts for them. Does anyone else work on a floor where the charts are at a central location and what did you do to ensure that nurses didn't spend their entire shift running back and forth? So far we have thought we would use phones, have a 'runner' who would return charts from the floor to the station. Any other ideas would be appreciated! Thanks

I think you know it was a crummy thing to do a no-show, anxiety or not. Someone else probably had to stay over or a charge nurse/manager was pulled to the floor to cover you. I'd call tomorrow and give final notice and since I wouldn't give you a reference as a manager, you probably shouldn't list the job on your resume. Just my two cents...

Like it or not, it is a commonly held belief in the western world that speaking another language in front of someone else (WHEN you are capable of speaking a common language) is just plain rude....like picking your nose in public or farting in an elevator. You can argue that it is your right to do all of the above but expect some chagrin on the part of those who have to reside within your space. Speak English at work when on the clock; it's a matter of patient safety and in most hospitals, it is the policy. I'm not a hard liner though; if I walk into the break room and you are in the middle of a conversation in your language, continue please. I do not expect you to revert to English because I am all of a sudden present. However, it is just plain rude to start a conversation and continue it for some length of time in front of another person when you are all capable of speaking the same language. Have some class and forgo asserting your linguistic rights please.

Orthopedic Core Curriculum: (which is the bible on this) 4 point gait: Supported/partial WB is permitted on both legs. Safest gait, gives maximal balance b/c there are always 3 pts of contact with the floor. Slow gait b/c it requires constant shifting of weight. Crutches and feet move in alternating sequence. -Right crutch (most right handed people start with the right) -Left foot -Right foot -Continue to repeat sequence. 2 point gait: Partial WB permitted on both legs. Faster than 4 point gait b/c there are only 2 pts of contact with floor at a time. Crutch and foot move together in the sequence. -Right leg and left crutch move forward simultaneously. -Then left leg and right crutch move forward simultaneously. -Continue to repeat the sequence. 3 point gait: No WB to partial WB on affected leg. Fast gait that requires the most strength and balance. Patient must be able to support their entire body weight on their arms. Crutch and foot sequencing. -The weakest foot (no WB or toe touch WB) and both crutches move forward simultaneously. -The stronger leg then moves forward, while the persons body weight is supported on the crutches (affected leg may be used for balance if partial WB is allowed) -Continue to repeat the sequence. Hope this helps!

For the record, I could never do an ER nurses job...I would implode after one crazy night. Most nurses understand each others position; it's the lazy/negligent few who make it difficult for others. I've tried to give other nurses the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise and it's helped me to judge a lot less.

It's not a secret that many (not all) ED nurses hang on to patients until they leave so they don't have to take another before end of shift. That puts the new shifts in both departments under the gun. Please just send your patient when THEY are ready to go, not when you are. Oh, and PLEASE do not ignore Med/Surg orders just because they are still in ED. We've had patients with stat blood transfusion orders 10 hours old and not started. Just because it says med/surg orders doesn't mean you ignore them entirely. Thanks

Let me clarify. LA is still expensive and probably always will be for the average consumer. Inland areas or the places mentioned above are where you want to buy. My husband and I just looked at land around San Luis Obispo and it's still pretty expensive. Plenty of beautiful inland towns/cities if you don't mind the insane summer heat. We do.

Housing prices have dipped a little bit but still very expensive. My husband bought our home 27 years ago so we're lucky but I tell my college aged son not to count on living here. I have no idea how newlyweds or new college grads can afford to live on one income (even two) here let alone afford a home. A lot of nurses I work with have two jobs or do a lot of overtime, or live with a family member as co owner of the home. Lots of foreclosures and people who want to avoid foreclosure who want to sell quickly and avoid the blemish on their credit record.

My third post in a row, I know but this grammar purist is riled up. My brother in law is a widely published linguistics professor, a genius who speaks 21 languages fluently. I'll take his word and his alone over anyone elses...its CENTimeter unless you live in France and it's NOT snuck.

Okay, 'sontimeter' is the french pronounciation but the word has been 'anglicized' and the accepted way of saying it on this side of the pond is centimeter. Foyer is french also but the pronounciation has remained french as in "Foy-yay" not FoyER. As most of us know rules are variable in the English language. However there is no such word as 'SNUCK'!!!! It is an example of slang making it's way into common usage and thereby being accepted as the 'correct' term. It is SNEAKED! Someone tell my husband that it is 'greater THAN', not 'greater then' -Orientated instead of oriented--it's a word, yes, but wrong context -I'm okay with an accent morphing a word but you still have to spell it the correct way....that is, in plain Queens English!!

I can't stand the 'sontimeter' instead of centimeter pronounciation!! It's always the ones who think they are the highly educated and enlightened ones. I've lived in two countries with the metric system and that's the first time I've heard 'sontimeter'

We don't keep linens separately but if they are soiled and it's within the 48 hours post chemo we put them in a biohazard bag and label it indicating chemo precautions. Where it goes from there, I don't know. Our pharmacy does spike and prime the chemo. We just asked them to as it is best practice and safer, and so all chemo arrives prepared for us to hang. They have a hood they can do it under in pharmacy, we have a bag only. Flush the toilet twice. Double glove with chemo gloves, a pain yes, but necessary. Hang your chemo then peel off the outer gloves and then program the pump to reduce contamination. A chemo cart should have an extravasation kit with the antidotes for chemos that are vesicants and a spill kit. Emergency meds should be in this cart too which is supposed to remain locked and in the patients room. Skyhilgirl is right in that Rituxin needs a one to one nurse for first time. Second time it's 3:1 I think. Big risk for anaphylaxis. Something like Adriamycin IVP takes 20 minutes with you pushing it slowly at the bedside...we have other RNs take the LVNs IVs while we do Adria. We do frequent vital signs on all chemos and remember, a patient can have a reaction at the end of the chemo on their 5th cycle of it. The body just decides it's had enough I guess! The ONS website can answer a lot of your questions and provide guidelines for standards of care. We base a lot of ours on their recommendations. Good luck!