Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    incident report

    Meriwhen replied to theresa stone's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    I would go with a generic "nurse distracted" or some other similar option. I would not go into too much detail on paper since a. it sounds like you're making excuses even though that may not be your...
  2. Meriwhen

    Words and phrases that I didn't know before I became a psych nurse

    Meriwhen replied to Kay28's topic in Psychiatric

    We call it The Three Amigos
  3. Meriwhen

    NURS 3425 Holistic Health Assessment

    Meriwhen replied to amyrnfa's topic in University of Texas Arlington

    You have to do one every week, so grab anything that you can. HA, nausea, even a passing nasal sniffle will be good
  4. Meriwhen

    What to do when the Doctor wont call back??

    Meriwhen replied to sleepdeprived1's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    Call whichever MD needs to be called (depending on your facility, it may be the attending or the on-call). If they can't be reached, document that you left a message and let your charge nurse/manager...
  5. Meriwhen

    Want to be a nurse in Doctor's Office...which degree? ASN or BSN RN?

    Meriwhen replied to mrspolly's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    Psych facilities tend to staff in 8 hour shifts as well. Also consider outpatient/ambulatory care/same day programs that are affiliated with your local hospital. If not strictly daylight M-F hours,...
  6. Meriwhen

    Pulled from floor by "Men in Black"

    Meriwhen replied to mikala3's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Ask to see a release of information from the patient stating that they give you permission to talk to said men in black :) Seriously, tell them that you are unable to discuss the patient's care with...
  7. Meriwhen

    Why does every unit have a princess?

    Meriwhen replied to echoRNC711's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    You said it perfectly. Yes, there are the 5% who have exceptionally strong blood/money/social ties to the powers that be, and so their antics can't be helped. But more often than not, the "princess"...
  8. Meriwhen

    If a phlebotomist corrected you on order of draw, what would you do?

    Meriwhen replied to pyriticsilence's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    If it were me, I'd defer to the one who was more experienced in the matter...in this case, the phlebotomist. That being said, if I saw something grossly wrong, I would mention it to the phlebotomist...
  9. Meriwhen

    Words and phrases that I didn't know before I became a psych nurse

    Meriwhen replied to Kay28's topic in Psychiatric

    Definitely agree with you...that's one of my pet peeves,
  10. Meriwhen

    Job offer with only 4mos at present position

    Meriwhen replied to heavenwith7's topic in General Nursing

    First of all, keep in mind that a call for an interview is NOT a job offer: all it is is a call for an interview. So as excited as you are, try not to jump the gun about that :) Yes, you need to...
  11. Meriwhen

    Representing yourself to the public as a nurse when you are not a nurse

    Meriwhen replied to Penguin67's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I agree. They may have said what they did was the same as a nurse, but they did not say they WERE a nurse. And like Jeweles26 said, all of his tasks are in the nursing scope of practice. I can't...
  12. Meriwhen

    Can't to get an interview

    Meriwhen replied to AndyRN's topic in Virginia Nursing

    That is a common misconception regarding compact licenses. A compact license isn't the equivalent of having a license in each compact state. The reality is that you hold only one license and that is...
  13. Meriwhen

    How do you treat an allergic reaction to Dilaudid?

    Meriwhen replied to art71372's topic in Patient Medications

    I love the ones who come in claiming an allergy to acetaminophen, yet they seem to have no problems when taking Vicodin or
  14. Meriwhen

    help, coumadin alternating dose

    Meriwhen replied to micstn's topic in Patient Medications

    It's not uncommon to see patients on alternating warfarin doses. I've even seen patients on every other day/every 2nd day dosing (e.g., take on Mon, skip Tue, take on Wed, skip Thurs, etc.). I'd...
  15. Meriwhen

    How do you treat an allergic reaction to Dilaudid?

    Meriwhen replied to art71372's topic in Patient Medications

    In this instance, you are wrong :) I've seen more than my share of questionable "allergies" (they're very common in addictions and psychiatric nursing), but this Dilaudid patient was an elderly...
  16. Meriwhen

    Please help! responses needed for class

    Meriwhen replied to vwood86's topic in General Nursing

    Since the survey has zero to do with nursing, I didn't complete it either. You either need to double-check your URL to make sure you are linking to the right survey, or you need to be honest with us...
  17. Meriwhen

    Need to vent...being volunteered by someone else to do overtime...WHAT?!

    Meriwhen replied to uRNmyway's topic in General Nursing

    I wish all staffing coordinators would do that and stop attempting for the day once I've said "No." I don't mind being called for extra work: better they call offering me work than not call at all,...
  18. Meriwhen

    how many calories do you think nursing burns up?

    Meriwhen replied to SNB1014's topic in Health, Stress Management

    I sometimes clip a pedometer on me as I go through my work day to see how many steps I take. My record is 14,000+ in an 8 hour shift, and that was just at work. As others have said, the variable is...
  19. Meriwhen

    How do you treat an allergic reaction to Dilaudid?

    Meriwhen replied to art71372's topic in Patient Medications

    Yes: patient had tons of pruritis and rashes all over the body, but breathing was not impaired. All other possible causes ruled out. Treated with
  20. Meriwhen

    Don't want to be a med nurse ????

    Meriwhen replied to kuntanya's topic in General Nursing

    There are many nurses that never ever set foot in a hospital for their entire career, and that doesn't make them any less of a nurse. It's your license that makes you a nurse, not where you work or...
  21. Meriwhen

    UTA RN to BSN is awesome

    Meriwhen replied to 9livesRN's topic in University of Texas Arlington

    Congratulations! I'm expecting to graduate by May. I wonder if UTA RN-BSN online students are eligible for Sigma Theta
  22. Meriwhen

    What to wear on a unit where nurses wear street clothes and not scrubs?

    Meriwhen replied to tareija's topic in Psychiatric

    I tell the newbies to dress like they're going to church or if they are not religious, how they'd dress if they are going to court. If that's too much for them, then they should stick with the (not...
  23. Meriwhen

    Need to vent...being volunteered by someone else to do overtime...WHAT?!

    Meriwhen replied to uRNmyway's topic in General Nursing

    Honestly, there really is an easy solution to this and others have already indicated it: say "No." You should not let yourself feel pressured to come in by another staff member who hinges their...
  24. Meriwhen

    As an experienced RN, do you like/dislike having a student nurse assigned to you?

    Meriwhen replied to jamie32764's topic in General Students

    I love having student nurses work with me...that is, the student nurses who actually WANT to learn and get all they can out of their psych rotation. They don't have to want to do psych when they...
  25. Meriwhen

    RN's forced to do CNA work

    Meriwhen replied to rnckr's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Having done both the sitter/1:1 and the CNA/tech role...I'd rather be the CNA/tech. 1:1s are a nice change, but most of the time it's too boring for me to do for more than a couple of hours. I'd...