mikethern

mikethern

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All Content by mikethern

  1. Bossy scrub person

    mikethern posted a topic in Operating Room

    When you circulate, do you get annoyed when the scrub nurse or tech orders you to get them something instead of asking nicely? Most scrub people ask nicely, but once in a while I encounter one who...

  2. Worst Surgeries to deal with?

    mikethern replied to sp1nter's topic in Operating Room

    Anything with a tuberculosis, hepatitis-C, or HIV patient because there's always a tiny chance of catching it. Also, the worst cases to circulate are cases that last only 5 minutes or so. You have to...

  3. OR Educator Interview

    mikethern replied to Baracuda's topic in Operating Room

    I would get creative and ask the interviewer if you can give her a 5-minute lecture as if they were a student. Create a chart on construction paper and give her a 5-minute lesson on anything related...

  4. How much would you have to win to quit working as a nurse? How much would it take?

    mikethern posted a topic in General Nursing

    If you won a billion dollars today, how many hours per week would you work as a

  5. Dreaded H&P Not On The Chart- How Does your organization increase pre-op compliance?

    mikethern replied to XJBluto's topic in Operating Room

    If the H&P is missing, we make the surgeon write an H&P on the spot before the patient enters the

  6. Any good advice for learning to scrub?

    mikethern replied to hotdog19d's topic in Operating Room

    Safety first. Wear biogel gloves as inner gloves to help prevent getting a latex allergy. Wear ortho gloves as outer gloves to decrease the odds of needle stick. Always pay attention to where the...

  7. I hate nursing....

    mikethern replied to les70808's topic in General Nursing

    O.R. nurses still see the family for about 5 minutes when checking in the patient. Operating room staff can be a real pain in the butt

  8. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    That's good advice. University teaching hospitals are like this. Lots of younger nurses in an environment where teaching is the norm. Circulating is easier because residents and med students do a...

  9. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    All you can do is do your best. When at work, do your best. When you are off, sleep a lot, exercise, and pamper yourself. Take hot baths

  10. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    Keep it simple. Exercise 20 minutes every other day. Once you get in shape, you can exercise more than that. Just do something vigorous like jogging that makes you breathe hard. This is best for...

  11. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    I entered the operating room in 1996 as a new grad. It was the hardest year of my life. I was so nervous and many surgeons and coworkers were so mean to me. One year later, I changed hospitals. I...

  12. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    Also, single days off are more likely to be approved than week long vacations. Just request a few days off per work schedule and indicate that you do not care which days off you

  13. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    Okay, stop drinking and start exercising. Don't join a gym. Gyms are too inconvenient and easy to quit. Either start jogging around your block or buy a treadmill or exercise bike. Get in good...

  14. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    By the way, once you are good at your job, you will be treated a lot better if you switch hospitals. You will be seen as an experienced nurse instead of the nurse that everyone trained and picked

  15. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    Also, use all of your vacation days during the next 10 months. Every day off helps. I suggest that you spread your vacation days out. Instead of taking 2 weeks off, ask to be scheduled one day off...

  16. Not Happy With My OR

    mikethern replied to IsseyM's topic in Operating Room

    10 months is nothing. Be tough and prevail. Make sure you exercise every other day such as jogging to blow off steam. Take care of yourself. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Think of yourself as an...

  17. a little help on commonly used medications

    mikethern replied to StakRN's topic in Operating Room

    Used on the surgical field: 1% lidocaine plain. 1% lidocaine with epinephrine. 0.25% marcaine plain. 0.25% marcaine with epinephrine. 0.5% marcaine plain. 0.5% marcaine with epinephrine. mineral oil....

  18. a little help on commonly used medications

    mikethern replied to StakRN's topic in Operating Room

    .....

  19. Why so negative ?

    mikethern replied to MichaelFloridaRN's topic in General Nursing

    I don't think it's accurate to say that most jobs are as bad as nursing. Nursing is physically and emotionally unhealthy. Also, nurses tolerate a lot of verbal abuse from physicians.... stuff that...

  20. Is Nursing safe?

    mikethern replied to preciousbaby621's topic in General Nursing

    It depends what type of nursing you do. If you scrub into surgical cases for example, you are basically guaranteed to be stuck by a needle during your career no matter how skilled you are. But I do...

  21. I'm Not Sure Nursing Is For Me

    mikethern replied to cdietrich404's topic in General Nursing

    Eh, I would respectfully disagree. Anyone who has a 2-year contract should honor it no matter what. It looks really bad to turn your back on a contract. 2 years in med-surg does suck, but it is an...

  22. Is Nursing safe?

    mikethern replied to preciousbaby621's topic in General Nursing

    Although I do not know anyone who caught a disease at work, check out the following thread about people who caught diseases while working in the operating room.........

  23. Pulling Medications

    mikethern replied to staceyp413's topic in Operating Room

    Every morning, I pull at least one of the following: 10ml vial of IVNS (for mixing meds). 1% lidocaine plain. 0.25% marcaine plain. 0.25% marcaine with epi. These are good to have in your room at all...

  24. Moving on

    mikethern replied to HisHands's topic in General Nursing

    You don't have to retest, but apply for a license right away because it can take a couple months to process. I agree travel nursing is the way to go. You get a housing allowance and you get to test...

  25. I'm Not Sure Nursing Is For Me

    mikethern replied to cdietrich404's topic in General Nursing

    Excellent advice. You don't need an expensive car. You don't need a huge house. Minimize your debts and save as much possible and invest in high quality stocks. Then you can afford to work part...