nursekathi

I worked with a Lebanese doctor who was very extremely arrogant, and also quite defensive about cultural issues, very defensive. His coloring was dark, and he had a good bit of an accent. One day he went into a room to see an adolescent, who was a teriffic clown. The boy leaped under his bed, hands over his head, and screamed like a girl, "Please Osama, Please, don't kill me!" The doctor quietly left the unit and couldn't see any more patients for hours. I felt bad, but I couldn't help hiding and laughing my ### off.

When I worked child/adol. residential psych, my all time telephone order from a doc, when I described 8 of our under 12 year old boys beating the living tar out of each other & staff, "pick the 4 worst, give them each geodon 10 mg IM, and tell the other 4 if they don't stop, they will get the same". The "other 4" ended up not needing the same. I cried the day that doc resigned. I've seen med/surg docs way to easy with their long time pts, give orders like " do not wake between 11p & 6a unless tele off", and "may have ice cream regardless of glucose level" grrrr!!! I hope their stricter with their kids!

Hi, I'm new around here. I have a year experience as a psych nurse supervisor, and am currently working as a m/s tele float nurse. Once I have my year in, next spring, I really want to travel. I have so many questions, but most of all, I want to know if anyone travels with family? I have hubby, 2 tween girls and 2 dogs to tow along. They all want to do this, but is it really possible? We were thinking about home-schooling and giving them a real education by seeing the world (US anyhow), or beaching it over the summer and finding a good area to extend at during a school term. I like the first idea better. Hubby is disabled, so he could do that. Any families out there on the road? Could this work?

Is this boy going home to live with the naive father? That is a scary thought. It is even more scary to me to think that the treatment team is aware of this behavior and allowing it to continue; very irresponsible. It sounds to me like they are just trying to appease him until they can get him out the door. How is his behavior otherwise, such as is he violent towards other patients & staff?

:yeahthat: Sometimes I b**** & moan, too. But I love my job, and am better off than most around me. I am a nursing supervisor in a child/adolescent psych hospital, making $21/hr (very small, low cost mid-west town). Our mental health techs (psych equiv. of an nurse aide) make $7 - $9/hr, and about half of them are master's degree level teachers who cannot find a teaching job. If they did, they would make about $12 per hour in our area. I make over twice the pay, with 1/3 of the education. I obviously cannot complain at all at work!!! It is actually very sad... Kat

we have 1:1s pretty often at my facility. It is rough. As the nursing supervisor, when I am working, I will only allow the same MHT to watch a 1:1 for 2 hours, then switch with someone else. This saves their sanity, and is also safer, as being with them too long tends to lead to lax watching, sleepiness, etc. I also insist on hourly breaks, even if for only 5 mins, and even if I have to do it myself. Definitly take a book or something for night shifts. I've had MHT's writing bills, balancing checkbooks, writing letters, thank you cards, gameboys on silent, PDAs, all sorts of things. Good luck Kat

Definitely, speaking out to gov officials, of your city, county and state about the importance of treatment and encouraging others to do the same.

I have worked in psych for 1 1/2 years, and also love it! I was just promoted to evening supervisor in a child/adolescent residential facility. We have had a few borderline adolescent females, and they are very trying, but quite interesting. I feel for them, but beware just the same. First off, if I were you, I would advocate for the patient by speaking directly to the doctor, maybe attending treatment team, and seeing if her meds could be rearranged. Can she take less in the AM and more at HS, to lift some of the day fog, and sleep better. Dayshift needs to get on the same page and prevent daytime sleeping. Our facility is great about this. I do personally disagree with S/R for refusing to sleep, that should be solely for harm to self/others, but sometimes I guess there is no alternative. Consistency in rules is vital. Usually if someone is up late, I will offer a snack, some milk, and about 5-10 minutes of my time to talk. After that, I may try offering a book to read until sleepy. As far as a patient being scared or suicidal at night, I will post a tech sitting in the doorway until the pt is asleep, but I have enough staff to do that, and again, I am working with kids. I don't know if this is an option for you. If it becomes a trend, we look towards DR/ treatment team to find a solution. Good luck, and enjoy your new job. It is very rewarding. Kat

I am in shock In my LPN program, they were very strict about NO makup In my Rn transition, it was allowed, but very light, and they were scrutinizing that. I think I would go to the school admin. about this one. I put up with a lot of demeaning crap in school, but this is VERY sexist and demeaning, and is ruining the whole concept of the nursing PROFESSION.:angryfire

Oh, I hadn't thought about most of these tales in a long time, boy do they seem so silly now! How about: A "high" belly means a boy, "low" girl (or is it the other way around??) A draft (especially while sleeping) causes cold/flu ***** (you know what) causes blindness:eek: Oysters increase fertility I know that I know bunches more, but can't think of them now

congradulations!!! i just found out i passed yesterday, and boy was i sweating, too. i am an awesome test-taker, and was shocked by how uncertain i was. almost all prioritizing questions! yuck! i shut off at 75.

Hi. I'm pretty new around here, and hope to gain from everyone's vast wisdom. I've been a LPN working in psych for the last 1 1/2 years, while finishing my RN. Happily, I passed my boards yesterday, but unfortunately lost my job in doing so, as my facility is residential, and does not require an RN. I accepted a job yesterday in a larger local hospital on a stepdown tele floor, and I'm feeling nervous. As a LPN I worked tele before, but mostly as a glorified NA & monitor tech. I am comfortable with basic patient care, oral meds, reading rhythms, and paperwork. But I have this feeling of dread now that I'm not going to be able to handle my new responsibilites of managing a group of pts, IVs (esp. pushes and drips) and assessments. I'm sure this is normal, but it's new for me. This floor claims 5:1 day and 7-8:1 night ratios (I'll be nights), with NAs doing accuchecks, vitals, bladderscans, etc. and a monitor tech. They said I'll get 8 - 12 weeks orientation. Is this enough to go from scared as h*** to safe for patient care?

At our facility, which is child/adolescent, we give each child some med education at every med pass. It only takes a matter of several extra seconds. First we teach them the med names, pointing to each pill in the cup so they learn which is which. Then when they can point them out back to us, stating the names we teach doses. Then on to purposes (ie: depression, mood, anger, hallucinations), then a side effect. It sounds like it would take forever, but with each child having 2 to 3 or more med passes daily, they learn it very quickly. As for time consuming during the pass, I pass 48 kids, doing this with each, in about an hour. Amazingly to me, kids as young as 5 learn about their meds with amazing success. :monkeydance:

I have given 1200mg to teens in my residential facility as a hs dose, with smaller doses throughout the day.

The way I've been doing it (in Ohio), is simply applying for RN jobs. Most interviews begin with a nurse recruiter, and they know the ropes as far as facility as well as state policy, regarding GN status. Don't stress, that's what they are there for! Kat