RedERRN

I have recently run across patients who are post-cath that have an order for PO Provigil 200mg BID. I have yet to ask a cardiologist the reasoning behind this, but I have researched the uses of Provigil. All I can find is that Provigil is used for ...

Provigil's generic name is Modafinil. According to the prescribing information found at provigil.com, "PROVIGIL (modafinil) is a wakefulness-promoting agent for oral administration." and "The precise mechanism(s) through which modafinil promotes wa...

Highest BP: 277/224 (My mother in law during adrenal crisis) Lowest BP: 20 systolic (pt fresh in from EMS - came in "nonemergent" ) Highest blood sugar: 1900 (my case-study for nursing school - Dx HHNK) Lowest blood sugar: 8 (and the patient...

What about the coroner? Could he/she convey this information to the family without negative retribution?

Always take into consideration what the nurses have going on in their rooms. For example, if Nurse Smiley has an STEMI in one room in prep for stat cath lab and a patient with ARDS in prep for RSI in another room, then she is not the nurse to send t...

I am sorry that you are going through this with your staff. It sounds very frustrating; however, I am sure the nurses are not intentionally leaving the labels off of the lab draws. After all, that only creates more work for the RN by having to recol...

This sounds to me like a classic case of MI-induced heart failure. Possibly these changes were due to an infarction she experienced prior to the CABG? That would explain the "wet" lungs and dry bladder... If this is the case, you cannot prevent th...

The ER I work in has a policy where all patients meeting triage levels of 4 or 5 (we use the 5-tiered ESI) are sent to "Quick Care" where they receive a MSE (Medical Screening Exam) by a physician. If their chief complaint is then deemed to be non-...

I have been feeling really, really burnt out lately. I used to love my job and look forward to going to work everyday. Now it seems like every new patient is a new stress that I will leave feeling "incomplete" about. I find myself wishing I had cr...

Hmm, it's kinda funny that you posted this because I am going through the exact same thing - except my area of 3 years experience is the ER. I've deliberated about making a change from the ER to the ICU for about a year now and I have finally decide...

NS here

Hi all! I work as a staff nurse at a major hospital - I've worked in the ER there as a RN for 3 years and I worked there for 1&1/2yrs while in nursing school. Recently I've become really, really frustrated with the way the hospital treats staff...

I'm like gonzo1, I've had only 2 patients in situations where they needed it IV...and it was a very slow IVP...I give it IM fairly routinely.

That is toooooooooo funny!!!!!!!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Wow. This is a perfect example of "eating your young." Great job, digidog!

In my ER these things are not optional...they are mandatory. We spend 90% of the time with no available adult ICU beds...NONE. Our ER becomes the ICU overflow area. If a patient needs CVP monitoring, we do it. Central lines are inserted by the sur...

Sounds like its time for a d-dimer and spiral CT of the chest to rule out PE (fat embolism). This is VERY common after ORIF of long bone Fxs.

Gosh...you must work at The Med in the ER with me.... :trout:

Quick Poll: What functions do the nursing assistants provide in your ER? Does your ER have good RN/Assistant relationships? What requirements does your ER place on new-hire assistants? What is your ER's nursing assistant to patient ratio?

Hi all you southern belles and gents! I'm Sally. I live in Macon and work at The Medical Center of Central Georgia in the ER. I am currently in school to complete RN-BSN and should be done in August 2008.

I'll go first... What functions do the nursing assistants provide in your ER? stocking rooms, transporting patients, drawing blood, helping place patients in gowns, entering lab orders...the problem is that there is no real way to hold them accountab...

I don't remember the exact words he used, but one of our genuine medical frequent flyers presented one night because he had slept with a prostitute and then proceeded to wash his privates with bleach "so I wouldn't get an STD." Ummmm.....yeah. He ...

I'm sorry you had the experience of a gum-smacking country-music-listening gal working in triage :uhoh21: . I'm sure that had to make you question the professionalism of the employees there straight from the start. I can completely understand that ...

Hi all! I am an ER nurse at a Level 1 Trauma Center in Georgia. Currently, I am putting my husband through college. When he is finished with college we would like to do some traveling (hey, we only live this life once)! Do any of you know of any in...

What is a day usually like in the ER? I work 7a-7p in a Level 1 trauma center at a 700+ bed hospital. Our EC has 52 beds that are divided into Quick Care (Urgent Care), Pediatrics, Fast Track, Level 2 (main EC beds), Level 1 (ICU/critical pts), Tra...