Suzy_CSI

Thank you for clarifying this. It made me wonder when this nurse had told me that ALL boluses should be given via gravity. I had thought the same thing about renal disorders and heart problems, but I just needed some extra opinions. Thanks a bunch!!

Good point. And of course you don't medicate without an order, I just wondered if you would try and use your judgement at that time and, say, give one vicodin, rather than two, if it's ordered "1-2 Vicodin Q 4 hr. prn pain"? -Suzy_CSI

I am an RN student, finishing in two months!!! The other day at clinical, the doctor ordered a 500cc NS Bolus. Now, I've never been taught anything else than to run the bolus through a pump as fast as possible. However, the nurse with me that day said that that was incorrect. She told me that the entire purpose of a bolus is to quickly make a change in the patient, and if we were to run it through a pump, it wouldn't be as effective. Her method was to raise the IV pole up as high as it would possibly go and run that bolus in wide open, carefully watching for any patient reactions. This was news to me. Does everyone do this or is this a preference of my nurse that day?

I am soon to be an RN graduate in two months. In my studies and clinical rotations, I have found the issue of pain management to be extremely frustrating. We are taught to be advocates for the patient. So how are we being an advocate for a patient that is obviously rating their pain as excrutiating while they appear to be fine, and medicating them with large doses of narcotics and so on? It seems contrary to being an advocate when we know that these narcs are addicting, and possibly could be ruining this person more than it is helping. I'm no expert in the field of psychology or even medicine at this time, but I don't understand what my role really is when it comes down to this issue. Any of you well seasoned nurses have a thought for me?