suejara

It's hard to work in a "team" when one person doesn't do their fair share. Maybe it is something as simple as this PCA being older than you or thinking that you delegated a task that "is beneath you." I once had a new nurse announce that she didn't go to nursing school to learn how to wipe behinds. I worked in a hospital as a PCA where many of the PCA's were older & had been on the unit longer than most of the nurses, they often were a little defensive and rude, especially when they felt unappreciated. You shouldn't have to work on eggshells around her but perhaps you can rephrase the way you ask her to do tasks...maybe say "I need for you to do________ while I am starting an IV for patient______". However, I think you should stop her dead in her tracks when she disrespects by asking if you don't know how to do something. Such behavior cannot be tolerated.

I work in a large peds practice (10,000) newborns up to 23 years old. We only administed Tdap to our kids 11 years & up, unless there is some contraindication. Teens that had reactions to DTP as young children most likely did so because it was whole cell pertussis as opposed to acellular pertussis. We encourage parents to make sure they have had their booster. I think Pertussis is making a come back in part because so many parents are deferring or completely refusing vaccines. Get your TDaP!

Most of the parents in our pediatric pratice want their children to receive both the seasonal & H1N1 vaccinations but they are a few who say its "too new" or worry about the thimerosal in them. We have already used up the entire supply of seasonal flu, last year what lasted us 6 months (Oct-April) we used up in two months. We have tried ordering more but manufacturers dont have any (they already have contracts with other places). I am preparing myself for a new wave of angry parents on Monday.

the us does not have an official language the majority of our population speaks english as a native language (about 82%). spanish is the 2nd most common language in the country, and is spoken by over 12% of the population. i think the point of this thread was whether or not you should speak in another language with a co-worker in front of a patient, which i think the obvious answer is no, because the patinet may think you are complaining or speaking badly about them. it also seems apparent that many feel excluded or think they are being "talked about" when conversations take place between co-workers in another language. so either way don't do it.

Last year one of the doctors in our office broke her right arm. One of the other doctors has a life sized model of an arm which displays different types of tuberculin skin tests and how to read them. Well for our X-mas secret Santa gift we wrapped up the "PPD" arm and gave it to her. She ended up getting her real secret Santa gift right after but we all had a good laugh when she opened her present.

We have one of those, a nurse who's put together with nuts and bolts, from her neck down to her knees, everything hurts her all the time. I just compliment her scrub tops or new hair cut and if she starts talking about her pain for more than a minute (that's my limit) I say, "Oh I gotta give meds to so and so...or I got to find this patient's chart"

If you are not speaking directly to the patient then you have no business having any conversation in any language in front of them in their room.

They should of known better and resisted the temptation to "peek" at her chart. They are also not too bright seeing that in this electronic age you can easily be tracked down. It also worries me because if you are logged into a computer and another staff member uses your account to be nosy, then it looks like you where the culprit.

Once a child is walking our practice give shots in the deltoid. I have given more than four shots before, but that has usually been on toddlers, at least 15 mos or older, not infants. I always do the MMR & Varivax in the deltoid because they are SC. Many parents have held off on one of the "routine" vaccines in an effort to get the H1N1. If the doctors order more than four vaccines I administer the H1N1 & seasonal flu on the same leg or arm because they are both 0.25 doses. If you are vaccinating a baby with 6 shots, you really dont have anywhere to go but the thigh area, the vastus lateralis being the best choice but you can also use the vastus intermedius. I don't think I have met a parent yet that has allowed their infant to be stuck more than 4 times. A six month old for example should be getting a combination vaccine such as Pediarix (DTaP, IPV, HEP B) with a separate dose of Hib or Pentacel (DTap, HiB, IPV) with the separate dose of HEP B, and PCV-7, (so far 3 actual "shots") add the H1N1 and seasonal flu...you are up to five. Is it that you don't use combination vaccines? What else are you giving?

definitely agree! I would think that the child would be somewhat dehydrated from throwing up and possibly have orthostatic hypotension. If your gut feeling is telling you something is wrong send the child to ER.

I work in a pediatrician's office and received my 3 month review there as a new nurse. My review was great but one doctor had to make a stupid comment that I couldn't believe was actually taken seriously enough by our practice manager to become part of my "record".:icon_roll Dr. X stated that I "must be careful about joking around patients i.e. was singing Old MacDonald had a Farm within earshot of patient with same last name". :chuckle I told my boss that firstly I wasn't singing, I was probably humming the tune, secondly I would never purposely try to offend a patient & thirdly was probably huming the stupid song because we had some stickers that we give to the kids with barnyard animals that say...you guessed it "Old MacDonald had a Farm". We always give out stickers as a prize to our pedi patients, especially after they receive shots. My boss then says well you have to be careful with what you say given the nature of our practice.:anbd: I says yeah, we work on babies and little children. How inappropriate of me!!! I have been humming "Little bunny Foo Foo"ever since.

Let's fire crazy family members instead

Those LPN's probably got rubbed the wrong way by some RN's so they are suspicious of you....... wondering if you are going to be a fellow nurse or act as a "superior":bowingpur. I know when I worked as a nurses aid in one particular hospital in CT, they treated the LPN's almost like nurse's aides. I also started out in one RN program who made it seemed like LPN's were 2nd rate nurses who work in nursing homes. I ended up going the LPN route after some time off due to my dad's death & financial difficulties). I did 2 straight years of intense studying:typing, weekly tests, driving from one clinical site to the next and in the end learning that I worked just as hard as an LPN student as I did an RN student!

No way, I dont think you should get fired. Nurses are human, you made a mistake by giving the wrong contrast but in my hospital it is the radiology dept who brings up the contrast for the patient. The nurses that I worked with always administered the contrast in good faith that whatever radiology "sent up" must be given. On one ever thought to question whether it is the "right stuff". No one ever thinks to treat things like contrast as a medication, so I guess that it never get checked or verified the way a med would. As for the charge nurses asking why the patient wasn't going to ICU, I never heard of a nurse making that decision. You get labs, chart them and alert the doctor to them. Godd luck;)

I started out in St Joes and didn't care for the outrageous cost. Do your pre reqs elsewhere and transfer the credits. Just make sure you check 1st to see if the course you take at another college are going to be accepted there. What might qualify for a pre req in one nursing school won't in another because Connecticut çant get there act together and standardized nursing programs. I started out in St Joes but never finished not just because of the cost but because I didn't find the atmosphere very supportive, from staff or other students. Also when I went there, nursing classes were given throughout 4 years. Most colleges will do two years of pre reqs then the last two are just nursing courses. Also your GPA at St joes has to be higher than most other school. I am still trying to pay off about $30K:banghead: from St Joes Good Luck