muffin7

Hi Everyone, As an RN whos Dad was on Hospice I would like to share my experience with all of you. My Dad was on Hospice for about three months in his own home for End Stage Alzheimers. I feel that my Dad was well taken care, but that at the end of his life the Hospice Nurse really dropped the ball. My Dad's caregiver called us the night before he passed and told my husband that my Dad was a little agitated. My husband told him that he needed to call the Hospice nurse who arrived at miy Dad's house about 30 minutes later. By now it is about 10:00pm and the nurse calls and says that my Dad is a little agitated, but is doing fine and is stable. She was rude and very abrupt and sounded like she really didn't want to have to work. She never told us that she had opened the "comfort kit" and had instructed my Dad's caregiver to give him Morphine q2hrs (for difficulty breathing) and something else for excess secretions. I really wonder if this didn't knock out my Dad's breathing. I was so upset the next am when I got a call from my husband to come to my Dad's house because he wasn't doing well. In fact my Dad had passed, but my husband didn't want to tell me and he didn't want to leave my Dad alone. I arrived 15 minutes after my Dad had passed and would have liked to have been there when he had passed. We knew that my Dad would pass soon, but thought he would have been with us through the Holidays. If we had known he was having breathing difficulty and that the RN had gotten an order from the MD to start the administering the Morphine, etc we would have come immediately to his bedside as well as the rest of the family. As a daughter and a fellow RN, I ask all Hospice RNs to take the time and keep the patient's family informed of there loved one's condition. Don't assume anything!!!! As a new Hospice RN wrote in another post, she was told by her Hospice preceptor "to fake it, until you know it" find another preceptor!!!!!!!!!! That is really bad advice, you have worked too hard for your license!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Vahn Glendale Adventist is a great place to work. I enjoy going to work everyday. The teamwork is fantastic, the benefits are also great. I really can't say enough positive things about GAMC. Let me know if you apply and what you think. Muffin

Hi Tesentas, Congrats!!! This is so exciting. What exactly are you doing? And do you think that I would be able to so something like this after six years as an OR Nurse. I also have a few months of basic HH experience,

As an Operating Room Nurse, I can't imagine putting my post op patient in an infected room, contact or otherwise. The post op patient's body is already stressed and their immunity decreased.

You would be surprised!!!!!!!!!!!! Beware!!! I wouldn't recommend it!!!!!!!!!!!! If it is pulled out, the skin will never be the same. Yo could also have possible ramifications from the patient/family.

Your comment was not necessary!!!!!!!!! Why bother?!?!?!

Everyone else working at camp had one day and one night off per week. The camp nurse should have the same. At the end of my second week the Director went to a meeting for Accredidation and told me that she now realized that I should have had more time off than 30 minutes. She apologized and gave me a full day off after working 24/7 for 12 days. I would be up at night with a 17 y/o while she was having visual/auditory hallucinations, it was very difficult.

Hi Saribeth, Can you help me: I am taking care of a lovely 87 year old gentleman, with Cdiff (diarrhea and mucous in the stool). After a round of anitbiotics for a UTI d/t BPH he ended up with Cdiff. He was initially treated back in Oct. 2009, with Vanco and Flagyl. He has had four more bouts with Cdiff infection and has only been treated with only Flagyl. He is now being treated by a Infectious Disease Doc with Vanco and Rifampin and seems to be doing MUCH better (history of dementia, HTN, BPH). The family is so pleased. Any suggestions re: diet/contact precautions that I can give the family or caregivers (he is being taken care of at home) so that this horrible infection does not return would be greatly appreciated. They are so afraid that after this Vanco/Rifampin (two weeks) that he will relapse with the infection. I have suggested, Baby Rice Cereal, bananas, apple sauce, Activia (doc recommended), organic chix broth with noddles. Any other suggestions??? HELP!!!!!!!!

My advice to all new camp nurses is that when you are applying/negotiating, make sure that you negotiate your days off per week. I worked last summer for two weeks and was totally taken advantage of. I had about three-four hours off per week. It was ridiculous!!! Make sure to clarify breaks and days off!!!! I didn't know any better.

I am taking care of a lovely 87 year old gentleman, with Cdiff (diarrhea and mucous in the stool). After a round of anitbiotics for a UTI d/t BPH he ended up with Cdiff. He was initially treated back in Oct. 2009, with Vanco and Flagyl. He has had four more bouts with Cdiff infection and has only been treated with only Flagyl. He is now being treated by a Infectious Disease Doc with Vanco and Rifampin and seems to be doing MUCH better (history of dementia, HTN, BPH). The family is so pleased. Any suggestions re: diet/contact precautions that I can give the family or caregivers (he is being taken care of at home) so that this horrible infection does not return would be greatly appreciated. They are so afraid that after this Vanco/Rifampin (two weeks) that he will relapse with the infection. I have suggested, Baby Rice Cereal, bananas, apple sauce, Activia (doc recommended), organic chix broth with noddles. Any other suggestions??? HELP!!!!!!!!

I am taking care of a lovely 87 year old gentleman, with Cdiff (diarrhea and mucous in the stool). After a round of anitbiotics for a UTI d/t BPH he ended up with Cdiff. He was initially treated back in Oct. 2009, with Vanco and Flagyl. He has had four more bouts with Cdiff infection and has only been treated with only Flagyl. He is now being treated by a Infectious Disease Doc with Vanco and Rifampin and seems to be doing MUCH better (history of dementia, HTN, BPH). The family is so pleased. Any suggestions re: diet/contact precautions that I can give the family or caregivers (he is being taken care of at home) so that this horrible infection does not return would be greatly appreciated. They are so afraid that after this Vanco/Rifampin (two weeks) that he will relapse with the infection. I have suggested, Baby Rice Cereal, bananas, apple sauce, Activia (doc recommended), organic chix broth with noddles. Any other suggestions??? HELP!!!!!!!!

doc, sounds like a flake!!!

God Bless all of you!!!!!!!!! You are all very special!!!!!!!!!:loveya:

Yes, OR nurses are real nurses, but PACU nurses can't walk into the OR and do a case and OR nurses can't recover. As an OR nurse, I wouldn't even think of working in the PACU without plenty of training. I have spoken to my manager and they are going to make sure we are cross-trained to work PACU. I work in an Ambulatory Surgery Center and they would never have us recover without training.

One of my 17 year old campers medical form forgot to mention that she had both auditory and visual hallucinations. What a joy that was. One night she was sent via ambulance to the ER (severe dehydration, she was unresponsive), when she returned the next AM she told me that she and her Mom had decided that she did not need to take her ADHD meds anymore. The two counselors (that accompanied her to the ER) neglected to hand her meds back over to me when they returned(I ended up finding them in the camp office), but of course I needed to confirm this with her Mom. So I called her Mom who said that there was never any kind of discussion about her daughter discontinuing her meds. So the Camper out and out lied to me!!! Does anyone know if a "camp" loses accreditation if their campers have two many ER visits? I had several other situations where I felt the camper should have gone to the ER and the Director said "no." :clown: Also, can a Camp Director take medical advice (over the phone) as to whether a camper should be taken to the ER???????????? Well mine did, it was the craziest thing.:banghead: The thing of it was was that this camp was not cheap. In fact it was pretty expensive. I would have thought that they would not hesitate to go to the ER if I thought the camper needed to go. Which was one of the reasons I chose to apply there.

I am also interested in camp related skills and assessment info

I used to work in a Trauma I OR in Los Angeles and loved it except management was horrible. I love working with the Trauma surgeons, they rarely got upset and I am sure it was because they were sooo competent. The surgeons that get ***** are usually the ones with no confidence. I now work in a surgery center where there are more egos but I love the place. We can be really busy and then it can be pretty quiet. I have to say, I miss the traumas (MGSW, MS, etc) and those great surgeons (basically with no ego at all). Get your experience and then move on. The Hosp where I got my training is known throughout the country. When my co-workers find out where I used to work they are really impressed.

Hey Littlewing, Have you been to "camp" yet? If so, how was it???? I am going at the end of the month with my two children, can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever been in the OR? Surgery is anything but a controlled environment. A patient can be rushed to the OR with Multiple Gunshot Wounds to the chest and oracotomy and things can change one second to the next. In the OR you prioritize from one minute to the next, you must be ready for anything even in a scheduled case. You have to be a really quick thinker. I'm back in the OR and didn't realize how much I missed it until my first day:yeah:

I just started working in a Surgery Center and love it. I really didn't know how much I missed the OR until my first day back in the OR. I have been an OR nurse for 3 years. I did not get hired into the Tele Unit afterall. Everything happens for a reason. During my orientation to the hosp (where the Surgery Center is located) I walked through the Tele Unit that I had applied for and realized that it was not for me at all. Godd Luck with Nursing School and your career.

Congrats Angel, What have you done to prepare if anything other than what you already know.

I agree, you should do routine nursing care for stable patients. My Director understood my knowledge base and has given me client that fit what I can handle. I feel that my assessment skills have improved in the month or so of doing HH. Hand in there, you will be surprised. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions!!!!!!!!!! Are you paid by the visit? Why so many patients in such a short time. I don't feel that's right to do to someone new to HH. You need to speak up for yourself. Just like anything else there is a growth factor. Hang in there and don't give up. I promise you it will get easier once you get used to all of the different paperwork. My emphasis for you is stable patients!!!!!!!!! P.S. I am going to be working in an Ambulatory surg center after I get clearance. I'm excited because there weren't that many patients for me to see. I was seeing three patients once a week. It was not enough for me financially. I will continue to see one patient that I have and hope to acquire more that I can see on my days off (Mon/Tues/Sat). I'll be working at the surg center Wed Thurs and Fri. I really do miss the OR.

I'm going to Camp High Sierra for two weeks and I am so excited. I am taking my two children and they are thrilled. Have Fun!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Homer, Were you able to find any online courses on camp related skills and assessment?????

Just curious, why couldn't you tell them who you were? Were you unable to breath and that was why?