eternalsunshine

Hi Melnee I have to agree with Oceansunset on this, I have been a Hospice & Palliative care RN for a number of years, both in the UK & USA. This is not an easy exam & I recommend that you have some practical experience before you undertak...

Oh my gosh, poor lady, must be so awful for her What about using some Vaseline gauze? i had the exact same problem with a fungating wound on a leg recently, and it was causing it to bleed when removing dressings, this worked fantastic and the dress...

Could you use a topical opioid? I have used these in the past with very good results.

I currently have a patient who I have had ongoing challenges with managing bone pain. He is now on Decadron along with scheduled Methadone which appears to be effective.

Prochlorperazine and Chlorpromazine can also be used :)

I get a little concerned when I hear nurses doing this, my first point would be, when you assess the patient (particularly if they are non verbal or minimally responsive), are they agitated or anxious because they are in pain or they have Dyspnea? I ...

Wow, Atul Gawande's article is very long but interesting! There is one statement in there that stood out for me: "You live longer only when you stop trying to live longer". I will be checking out that Ira Byrock book too, thanks!

As one of the posters points out, the evidence is mixed. I think there are other factors which depend on its absorbency, skin type, diaphoresis etc. Also I was once told that it is carried in a pleuronic agent, so it should for maximum effect, be app...

I work as an RN in an In patient unit. I have six patients, with one CNA who works with me.

Jonga, many thanks for the recommendations :) Have got the first 3 you list, but have not heard of the handbook for Mortals so will check that one out. Thank you! :)

Angila, so sorry to read your story I highly recommend the book "Final Gifts", it talks a lot about how patients nearing the end of life use symbolic statements such as your father did. I had a patient recently who spoke of "going home" but he was...

jonga, can you recommend any good books you read? I am always looking out for new reads :)

I have two pairs of these scrubs and would say that their sizing is pretty accurate :)

I recently had to give a patient Methadone rectally. he had an order for this in case he began to experience Dysphagia, which he did. The rectal dose was lower than the oral dose & our Medical Director explained that absorption was higher rectal...

I know this is an old post, but for any other newbie nurses who are looking to find answers to this question, here is a great video! ?

I think it depends on the patient and if they actually want to eat. Toward end of life, giving food can actually cause more discomfort with bloating, cramping etc. The body does not need food at this stage. However if they are still wanting to try an...

I second the olive oil, that is what we use. I also love Burt's Bees - fabulous products!

Fentanyl patch seems like a strange way of pain control for someone nearing end of life in Hospice . I would definately look at switching this in case this is causing the problem. I wonder if a PCA pump would be more appropriate. That way, you can...

I think education is a big thing here, there is so much negative portrayal of opioid type drugs etc in TV programmes etc. that people seem to assume that they will become an addict if they take it. I wonder if he has some underlying fears like this ...

here it is, just click on the link to open up the Handbook: http://www.nbchpn.org/DisplayPage.aspx?Title=Candidate%20Handbook Check out the sample questions for the RN on page 24. You will see that the types of questions you are being asked are parti...

I am looking at taking the exam sometime later in the year, but I do have Hospice & Oncology experience. I chatted with a Hospice DON about this qualification; she told me she recommended to all nurses not to sit this until you had some hospice e...

Wow! I am shocked too!! I don't blame you for being miffed! , I think I would be too! Do these two nurses report to you? I think they perhaps need to do a refresher course on what compassionate nursing is! I really don't think it is their place to be...

I am curious to note that you all refer to drugs by their trade name rather than the generic name. Is that the common practice in the US?

wow that sounds like a good pay to me. But I guess it depends on how many visits per day, if its only 2 visits per day, that's not great! And also are they taking in to account that you are a NP?

Eagle, congrats first on being a survivor! You will be in a far better position than most nurses when it comes to the empathy, as you have been there yourself, so you can truly and genuinenly empathise :). My best friend told me that when she was g...