Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    I love the night life

    Meriwhen replied to deToxTech's topic in General Nursing

    I like the 3-11 the best: a lot of the craziness is over, most of TPTB are gone for the day, and so it's a more mellow environment...though it has its
  2. Meriwhen

    psych med administration...help!

    Meriwhen replied to sweetieann's topic in Psychiatric

    I asked one of our doctors about this...he wasn't sure Granted, he's an addictionologist and most of his patients are both voluntary and
  3. Meriwhen

    Borderline Personality Disorder on the Behavioral Unit

    Meriwhen replied to Thunderwolf's topic in Psychiatric

    Great article...we've got an influx of borderlines in detox as of late, and it's been trying my patience. At least I'm getting a LOT of experience with dealing with them
  4. Meriwhen

    How much do psych techs make vs nurses?

    Meriwhen replied to regnurse1995's topic in Psychiatric

    I think our techs make around $10 or so per hour to start...a lot of them hold a second job somewhere else (or our facility is their second
  5. Meriwhen

    Is Psych Nursing Easy?

    Meriwhen replied to resilientnurse's topic in Psychiatric

    I'll second that: think it easier than med-surg or harder or different or whatever, you have to admit that psych nursing is not a "put your feet up and relax" job. In addition, just because you are...
  6. Meriwhen

    New Grad in Psych Nursing

    Meriwhen replied to barkandwag's topic in Psychiatric

    That would be the best, as it'd be invaluable when you start looking for that first job. However, if for whatever reason you can't do a preceptorship there, it's not mandatory--I didn't have mine in...
  7. Meriwhen

    benzo withdrawal......advice please

    Meriwhen replied to cherilee's topic in Psychiatric

    We had a patient not too long ago who had been abusing benzos for more than a decade. His withdrawal did not end with the taper (average resting pulse: 140, among other things). Fortunately, after...
  8. Meriwhen

    psych med administration...help!

    Meriwhen replied to sweetieann's topic in Psychiatric

    With regards to the involuntary commit: AFAIK the patient can still refuse medication unless they are court-ordered medications. Mind you, their refusal of medications isn't going to help them when...
  9. Meriwhen

    Question from a student to the seasoned nurses :)

    Meriwhen replied to linzjane88's topic in General Nursing

    And if after giving it a try you find that you can't handle it, it doesn't mean you are a bad person or will be a bad nurse. Not everyone can do peds. I learned during my own peds rotation that as...
  10. Meriwhen

    New Grad in Psych Nursing

    Meriwhen replied to barkandwag's topic in Psychiatric

    I went straight into pysch and haven't regretted it so far. So it's a reasonable
  11. Meriwhen

    Is Psych Nursing Easy?

    Meriwhen replied to resilientnurse's topic in Psychiatric

    Anyone who says that psych nursing is easy but isn't actually a psych nurse should spend a couple of days on the intensive care unit where we have our most psychotic patients. Then let's see if they...
  12. Meriwhen

    Failed my first semester of fundamentals/med surg (advice?)

    Meriwhen replied to Ava M.'s topic in General Students

    I would hope that they're planning to get you that first job as well, because as you may have seen from all the posts by new grads, the job market for new nurses right now is frightening. Very few...
  13. Meriwhen

    Failed my first semester of fundamentals/med surg (advice?)

    Meriwhen replied to Ava M.'s topic in General Students

    If you're not happy with nursing now, you're probably NOT going to grow to like it later, especially if you are struggling with the courses NS only gets harder once you get past fundamentals. Have a...
  14. Meriwhen

    I think I finally got my first nursing job!

    Meriwhen replied to Blackheartednurse's topic in General Nursing

    Good
  15. Meriwhen

    New Grad need some advice! :)

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

    I'd say the tele (because you want to do travel nursing) or the GI (because it's your first choice). Dialysis will definitely make it harder for you to into the OR and PACU; the other two are easier...
  16. Meriwhen

    Psych wards at Christmas time. We are talking decorations!!

    Meriwhen replied to kiwipsychnurse's topic in Psychiatric

    Depends on the unit. On most of the units, any decorations are behind the nurses' station or in the staff lounge--if they're placed in the mileu, they're paper. On detox, since most of our patients...
  17. Meriwhen

    10 things you say at work lay people could get arrested for

    Meriwhen replied to sharann's topic in Nursing Humor

    "Give me the finger" (usually said to a patient whose blood glucose I'm about to check) "Drop trou and bend over (or lie on the bed)" (usually said before giving an
  18. Meriwhen

    Feasible to get Thanksgiving and Christmas off as new RN?

    Meriwhen replied to ATLbubbles's topic in General Nursing

    Actually, your odds of skipping the holidays may be pretty good as many facilities pay time and a half or double-time for holiday shifts, so there will probably be plenty of volunteers willing to work...
  19. Meriwhen

    Disappointed with VA Board for their Inconsiderably Rudeness Members

    Meriwhen replied to Pow82's topic in Virginia Nursing

    I've never had a problem with them...if anything, how they treat me far exceeds my expectations. E-mail, telephone, in person: no problem whatsoever. However, we're only hearing one side of the story...
  20. Meriwhen

    Please Share Your 5 Most Effective Study Strategies

    Meriwhen replied to jd2nurse's topic in General Students

    1. Study every single day, even if it's just for a few minutes. 2. Take advantage of 5/10/15 minute bits of time to study, as they can add up to hours at the end of the day. Have flashcards, notes,...
  21. Meriwhen

    89.90! 1 tenth from an A :(

    Meriwhen replied to superramvette's topic in General Students

    It happened to me too...and yes, it stings like hell. But you know what? The world didn't end for me and it won't for you :) Hang in there, the hurt will ease up soon. You did your best and that's all...
  22. Meriwhen

    Can you graduate summa cum laude,magna cum laude, or cum laude from a college if you

    Meriwhen replied to ryangogogo's topic in General Students

    Usually when you transfer classes in from other schools, you only get credit for the class--the grades would not carry over. I did lousy in my BA program. A few of the not-so-good classes transferred...
  23. Meriwhen

    If you have rec' d the H1N1 vaccine - please report

    Meriwhen replied to CrunchRN's topic in General Nursing

    Received it...and slept for about 10 hours that night. No other side effects except for a sore
  24. Meriwhen

    RN Student Challenge LPN Boards

    Meriwhen replied to NickB's topic in General Students

    Then in all honesty, the Florida BON is the one who will have your answer. Drop them a note--even better, call and ask so you can get a better response...good
  25. Meriwhen

    New Grad Expired BLS

    Meriwhen replied to Angeljho's topic in General Nursing

    If your ACLS was expired, I'd say "sure, you probably could." But BLS is crucial to