iamme8557

I dont feel that I was really prepared to care for patient needs with the ADN I received from a local community college. I had a background of working as an AID back when you were just oriented for a week, if you were lucky, by another aid. I also worked as a paramedic and dispatcher for a number of ambulance services and before that as Unit clerk for an ED on Friday and Saturday nights. I learned how to talk to people and evaluate their perceived needs and their immediate medical needs in a minute or less. Those assessment skills along with aquired crowd control skills,gave me the background to deal with emotionally grieved patients and family members and gave me a well rounded preparation to care for the emotional and physical needs of people in medical and psychological distress. The nursing school training was a further education for me as far as meeting the medical needs. I now work as an ICU nurse, have worked in Neuro, Trauma, ED and as a flight nurse. I hope I never quit learning........ Deanna

Stay in nursing if that is what you think you want to do, I have friends that are jealous because I make an livable income and love what I do. I hear the same negative stuff from disgruntled co-workers On good days I am excited about what wonderful things were achieved while I was working. On bad days I am just being paid to to be up to my elbows in human excrement. That is nursing, I love it and it is never really boring. I went into nursing after a bad marriage or should I say during the last few years of decline. I have had more rewarding experiences than I can count after almost 8 years as a nurse. I have worked Med/surg, ICU, CCU then on to flight nursing for 3 years then when that became less of a challenge I traveled for a year and learned a lot in a Level I trauma center then went to a Cardiac Unit and now I am back to the ICU I worked in as a transport/flight nurse. I look for challenges and I take some chances, not everyone has those options. Dont be discouraged by others that are not able or willing to explore the many interesting areas of nursing. Nursing can be very exciting or very boring ...just try to get the most out of it for YOU and always be your patients advocate. Good Luck and have fun Deanna

Blood must be checked by 2 RNs or RN and MD prior to transfusion. Noncrossmatched blood must have the ordering physicians signature on the blood slip. Vitals are taken before transfusion The variances I have seen are vitals Q5mins for 15 mins then Q30 for duration of infusion, Q15 for first hour then hourly, to Q15 for 30 minutes then follow the orders for this patient (Q1, Q2, Q4) then follow with a post transfusion set of vitals. If the nurse is not overwhelmed with work and can visually assess this patient throughout the transfusion and/or instructs the patient or patients family member of signs of reaction to watch for then the initial observance CONSTANTLY for the first 15 minutes should suffice. This is the time period when a reaction usually occurs. A patient with previous reactions or a very unstable patient of course demands more intense monitoring. You should probably suggest one of the more stringent protocols as the patients life will be the big consideration. This will allow for better nursing coverage justified by protocol.....If you need to take vitals Q5 and be at bedside for the first 15 minutes and return to bedside to assess this patient every 15 minutes this boosts the patient care hours and the hospital can justify the one or two more nurses for staffing on a unit that infuses blood often. This is probably the work you do anyhow..but put it into the protocol and you get the staff to cover you for it. If you need some documented occasions where not having proper staffing or not stringent enough guidelines and the patient suffered I am sure you can get them on the internet or from this site. These with successful lawsuits will convince the Nonmedical persons who run our facilities at this point in Health Care Reform that you need the protocols you are desiring. Welcome to the Game Good luck Deanna

I dont use powder directly on patients but will powder the draw sheet at times to keep patient feeling "fresh". In trauma ICU many of patients go back to surgery numerous times and the surgeons hate trying to remove the powder in the OR Deanna