jerseyRN

Call back if you need to. They have some amazing pharmacists picking up the phone. Call back until you get one of those.

Hey RNkitty, Sounds like you're ready for a break.... even though we've been through it all before, it's probably the first time for the family you happen to be seeing that day.

Need to take issue with your rule of thumb about sx not being "normal" if they're not seen in healthy people. The dying don't look like healthy people. Noisy secretions are normal at end of life. We reposition the patient, treat them with atropine et...

Interesting. I was prescribed it for insomnia/hot flashes and it helped. It's hard to taper and come off of, but maybe that's less of a concern for our hospice/palliative pts.

sounds like you are assessing and doing all the right things for your patient, and also that she is actively dying. Tell the family the disease is taking their loved one, and the goal now is to keep her comfortable as this natural process progresses....

I agree with previous posters. It sounds like an ominous turn. Remember the goal of wound care is comfort at this point - keeping her clean and dry, and medicating for comfort. Mouth care for comfort/ relief of dry mouth. Glad you have hospice comin...

ps- one thing I wish was different is there's limited opportunity to commiserate with other students. There is a part of the discussion board where you can post anonymously - allegedly. Nobody used it. I wanted to discuss content and instructors but ...

I started this semester with the Nursing Informatics course. It was a lot of work, but do-able. I was disappointed in that the course was more about following APA style than Nursing Informatics. The instructor was nitpicky and more concerned with for...

You could contact NHPCO or HPNA and see what they say. Who employs you and this director RN? She must have a supervisor. Maybe you should seek out that person if you can't approach her directly with your concerns?

I love my little Maglite super-bright flashlight (under $10). Bandage scissors. And I have never have enough pens! Be sure to have some chocolate in there.

We wear street clothes, business casual. Would rather be able to wear scrubs ... hate getting dressed every morning, especially when it's >100 degrees as it is this week. We also are prohibited from wearing open-toed shoes or going without socks o...

OK, let's get this straight - over 50 is not "older". Over 70 is "older'. Don't take my denial away from me! We all know it can be an effective coping mechanism....

Well, hmm. What to do? I think I would be sure to document very carefully... especially about the contradictions in her self-rating of pain and her behavior, such as reporting her pain is better, she's sleeping more, she laughs with caregivers, etc. ...

Yes, I wondered about this case too. Not to say limiting her meds is the wrong action, because I didn't see the patient and don't want to backseat-drive my colleague's instincts and decisions. But I wonder: What about increasing the MS Contin to 90 m...

We're required to wear street clothes ("business casual" is what I do). I'd prefer to wear scrubs because it's easier and tax deductible, but it's not the policy of my agency. I wouldn't choose a lab coat... they always strike me like an affectation ...

Oh, Leslie, sorry for your losses, and sorry you encountered such an emotionally inept doc at such a sad time. Personally, no matter what the loss, I find no comfort in, "It's a blessing." No matter the circumstances, I can't imagine it ever feels th...

No problem with a few tears, but if the nurse is so emotional that the family needs to comfort HER, it crosses a line.

Agree with all previous posters that it's ok to be sad, share a few tears, feel loss and grieve. But in my life I've only gotten mascara on the shirts of guys who were holding me while I was sobbing. If that's the picture.... I think you need to try ...

Wow, monkeymind... "heart of stone"? Just the opposite! I tell people it's rewarding to be a part of helping families keep loved ones at home and comfortable when hospitalization won't help and a cure is not possible. And that it's a privilege to wi...

For programs I've been looking at, you need a bachelor's, but not necessarily in nursing.

Get your social worker or chaplain to stand fast with you to make it clear to the boss you're not the right nurse for this case. Suggest to boss she make a home visit to "help clear the air" ... sounds like it's been awhile since she crawled out from...

I went right to your post because my situation is somewhat similar. I am also a second career nurse (bachelor's in journalism), diploma school grad, working the last 7 years in hospice. I can't get excited about going back for a second bachelor's, an...

Using levsin all the time but never heard of buscopan. Ditto for nozinan. As for the octreotide, it makes sense, but it's a pricey drug. Which makes me wonder.... are you practicing in the US? I might consider ABHR (ativan-benadryl-haldol-reglan) su...

Just got my annual $500 bonus for certification.

It's different for everybody... Calm before the storm? Try to enjoy it.