wearingmanyhats

I'll add my .02 on this topic. I have lived with chronic pain since age 12 (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) I took massive doses of ASA through college. After MAJOR (5 hours!) surgery 7 years ago for stage 3 Melanoma with recurrence x2, I now have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia and recently added lumbar spondylosis and cervical spondylosis. I am very thankful for my pain management doctor. 7 years ago, I was prescribed PO morphine and then changed to Vicoden with limited results. To be honest, my first thought was "I'm now a cancer patient, what is going to happen when I am end stage and nothing touches my pain" My pain management doctor has me on a regiment of Ultracet and Motrin and my Rheumatologist has added Gabapentin. This has made my daily pain level a 5 on a good day. I wish it could be a 2... I think it is very unfair to judge what you haven't lived. Perhaps they opiods WERE over prescribed at one point, but to now make patients spend weeks or months on every other option, living with debilitating pain before they are finally offered them is cruel. Labelling true pain patients as "needy" or "med seeking" is unfair. We need to address the addicts and not the chronic pain patient. We didn't ask to live with pain that often forces us to leave careers that we once loved.

my 2 cents... I would not answer the phone or reply to a text before I was officially on the clock. as a good friend of mine says "Not my circus, not my monkeys" We can't be responsible for our students 24/7/365

if the med is to be given after dismissal, "not my circus, not my monkeys"

I cringed when I saw sunburn.... I am a stage 3 Melanoma survivor and my mission in life is to try to prevent anyone else (especially young people) from ever hearing those words. I see a lot of conversations about the "dangers" of sunscreen, but they have been tested and deemed safe, and trust me, sunscreen is better than the 5 hour surgery I endured, and the months of wondering if I would ever walk again. It's late this year, but if you want/need sun safety info for next year, check out The Melanoma Research Foundation. They have tons of really good info!

I worked at a special needs camp for anyone over 18. Thankfully the director warned me about a young man who was a drama king lol. I got called because he was on the floor with chest pain. He was perfectly fine

if they are usually wet, then I believe the best action is to transfer to a bed/cot and roll and change like we would with someone who was lying in bed.

was just going to say this ^^ I worked a LONG time in LTC. It is the sort of sling that you transfer with, and then remove so that the person isn't sitting on the mesh all day. just the first site that came up when I googled. Hoyer 4-Point Padded U-Sling | Hoyer Slings

if you ever run into a nurse with any time under their belt and they tell you that they have NEVER made a med error (remember, even missing a dose or giving a med late is an error) Don't believe them! We are all human. Take your time, remember your rights of med administration and try to not get distracted during med passes (yeah, good luck with that!) You will gain confidence with time

when I worked at camp, I used the little paper cups to make a small ice cube, that wrapped in a paper towel (and maybe a baggie if you have a stock of them) when it melts, it's gone and they move on

I have worked in a special needs camp (MH/MR as the basic dx) and of course have several diabetics each session. It amazes me that they would send a nearly empty bottle of test strips, barely enough syringes (if they send any at all) and parent/caregivers who act like I am asking them to swim to the UK to bring me what is missing (at most it is usually a 2 hour drive). These parent/caregivers are ones whose vacationer has been coming there for MANY years. And the paperwork??? Don't even get me started on the lack there of...

Thanks.... it just didn't seem like good nursing practice.

it was connected to her, and the various machines, with nearly 2 feet laying on the floor between the 2. I would say that there were 3 iv tubes total.

I was visiting a good friend (she is really more like a sister to me) yesterday in the ICU. She is vented (she has Pneumonia) and the expectation is that they will wean her soon. I have been an LPN for nearly 30 yrs, and was rather concerned seeing the IV tubing from her PIC laying on the floor and the nurses stepping on them. I am I just old school? I was taught that the floor was dirty, and nothing should be touching it. It was all I could do to not either rearrange them, or at least say something. If I had been a family member, I would have said something for certain. I am open to seeing all thoughts and opinions, even at 58, I still learn something every day! Thanks!

I would LOVE info on this. The camp (special needs) that I have worked at since 2010, just recently closed because of a death of the original owner and the need to settle the estate (and sell the camp). I love working at camp, love the challenge of each day. Faye

Maybe you can hand the aide te supplies and say "I need to look at little Johnny's sore throat, I will check on you as soon as I can" -- I worked as a classroom nurse/Paraprofessional, and we (and the teacher) were expected to just take care of it. This is not a nurse issue, and the other students are getting short changed.