cjmue12

Hi, looking into Wayne States acute care NP program. anyone have any experience, good or bad with them. Would appreciate any input greatly!! Also looking for online MSN programs.

One of the more painful issues I have noticed is with my own family. They expect you to know why everything is done the way it is. I am an ICU nurse, therefore my expertise lies with the very sick patients. I am not an expert on ortho, L &D, oncology, coloscopies etc. My own parents will say well you're a nurse, why dont you know. Good lord!! I will not advertise my being a nurse, and generally observe a little closer at what the other nurses are doing. Most of the time I do not see any negligence, or decreased quality of care. Everyone does things a little different. I would speak up if I had to, and have had to on one occasion (88 year old grandma with C5 fracture - which was fractured in the cat scanner when she stood up and proceeded to have a syncopal episode, which is what the CT was for in the first place, tech should never have left her alone!!) anyway she was lying flat on her back on the step down floor with her halo, and they didnt sit her up, and you guessed it she threw up and aspirated. How humiliating!! I work at this hospital and grandma gets inadequate care. And no antithrombolytic therapy. Sorry for digressing. I spoke plenty then!! Good luck to your mother!

That would be great!!

We do have some interpreters in the hospital you can call for consents etc. However when all you want to do is say "I am going to listen to you lungs, or are you having pain, i think the basics will be fine. We are in the SICU, and have many on the vent sedated, so if a patient is even a little coherent thety are most likely scared too and we can calm and coffort them if we can speak their language. Discharge planning and other things are done with fluent speaking staff.

I am trying to find some good info on #1 Spanish medial terminology for nurses, and #2 how todevelop a self study type of program so we can learn some basic spansih to provide better care to spanish onlu speaking patients. What my goal is, is to develop some type of self study program and offer it to the SICU where I work and eventually open it to the entire hospital. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I get bored if I have patients and its a slow day. I much prefer keeping busy. I cant imagine sitting for 8 hours!

In our institution we we get that high on Diprivan, its time to start a different drug (Ativan Versed, etc). Diprivan at 100 mcg is considered anesthesia, not to mention the astronomical cost, around 150.00/ 100 ml bottle. At that rate and with a large person you are probably hanging a new bottle every 2 hours. Plus dietary hates when we keep people on Diprivan for more than a few days with all the lipids and empty calories.

In our institution we we get that high on Diprivan, its time to start a different drug (Ativan Versed, etc). Diprivan at 100 mcg is considered anesthesia, not to mention the astronomical cost, around 150.00/ 100 ml bottle. At that rate and with a large person you are probably hanging a new bottle every 2 hours. Plus dietary hates when we keep people on Diprivan for more than a few days with all the lipids and empty calories.

We do CVVH/CVVHD. Our current machines are through Baxter but we will be changing to Nexstage soon. Try searching for CRRT (continuous renal replacement therapy).

We do CVVH/CVVHD. Our current machines are through Baxter but we will be changing to Nexstage soon. Try searching for CRRT (continuous renal replacement therapy).

We are also in the process of revamping our visiting policy. I have been told the stricter the rules, the harder they are to enforce. Our biggest rule is that we ask EVERY visitor to call every time they want to visit. Some do, and some we tell hundred times and they still walk in the unit. Our hospital prez will not even entertain ideas about a locked unit. So we are trying to at least change the hours, right now we are 24 hours a day. We would like a slot of time for report and assessments from 7-9 - am and pm. but then what if we get post ops at 6:30 and we need to get them settled in. Do we make the family who has waited all day wait until 9?? We also have problems with the college age kids when they come in as traumas, every kid in the school wants to visit. If he is on a vent, or not appropraie and oriented I think it should be immediate family only. But the parents dont seem to agree. Also one of the local hospitals has a block of 6 hours during the night where pts are left alone - no turning, no oral care etc. They actually get to sleep. Imagine that. The one thing we have learned is no matter what your rules, everyone (staff) must be consistant to enforce the rules. And if they dont there should be consequences. Nothing pisses me off more than when I come in at 7pm and try to enforce rules and the visitors say well we didnt have to do this all day. Or the nurse reporting off tells you the family wants to stay the night at the bedside but they were told its up to the night nurse. Now we're the ***** that says no. Its a big project for sure!!

I disagree with the only using gloves if MRSA is in urine. How many times have you taken care of a patient for several days and the very next day or even during your shift they get placed in isolation for MRSA. I think if its in the urine it could also eventually be in the blood or wound. Better to be safe. As far as swabbing hospital staff, they did that in our facility a few years back, and yes many tested positive for MRSA, colonized of course.

Our contingent RNs make 20% more then PT and FT employees and do not earn Vac time or sick time. They are only guaranteed 16 weekend hours per month. I was contingent for a couple years and if you dont need benefits its the way to go. Make more, work when you want.

Everyone has to learn somewhere...we did.

I think they are different types of nursing. ED does the initial triage/treatment of the critically ill, where ICU maintains and manages them for loner periods of time. Our ED does not use a lot of our gtts or place swans, do CVVH, IABPs etc. ICU nurses dont have the stress of turning over a great number of patients in a few hours. In the ICU your pt may be very sick, but its the only one you have. The ED never knows what will come through the door and has to be ready for it every second of their shift.

Supposedly eating something with a lot of salt is supposed to help. Also protein becasue it will last longer than carbs so your sugar wont drop and make you sluggish. Peppermints or peppermint gum increases mental alertness. Thast what they give the kids for proficiency tests.

Seriously!! Because working night shift, cleaning up puke, poop and blood is great way to get rich quick! How about the factory workers that work monday-friday getting paid more than nurses with a high school diploma or eqivalent. Lets not forget if they work weekends or holidays its double and triple time. Oh yes and do they need to purchase extra insurance so they wont get sued? Thats a really great way to think going through life, hating the entire profession because of what they make an hour. Should we talk about lawyers??

I dont know how your facility is but part of the resistance at ours is #1 - our hospital does not pay for the test, #2 there is no differential or pay increase for certification, and #3 you have to get 100 CEU and pay another $300.00 every 3 years. Because we had 10 people, we did get a group discount through AACN of $200.00 instaed of $300.00We had to beg, bribe and threaten to keep the 10th one from dropping out. Its a good feeling though.

I dont know how your facility is but part of the resistance at ours is #1 - our hospital does not pay for the test, #2 there is no differential or pay increase for certification, and #3 you have to get 100 CEU and pay another $300.00 every 3 years. Because we had 10 people, we did get a group discount through AACN of $200.00 instaed of $300.00We had to beg, bribe and threaten to keep the 10th one from dropping out. Its a good feeling though.

I was pregnant during my last semester of nursing school. We were allowed to miss one clinical day and I was determined to save mine until I needed it. We graduated nursing school on Dec. 11, My son was born C-section Dec. 4. I never missed aclinical, took my final Dec. 10 and attended graduation!! When I went back for my BSN I became pregnant also. Was to graduate in Dec 2003. Baby was due in Feb 2004. Well the little stinker came early. He was a 26 weeker preemie born Nov.6. After a roller coaster month, and we thankfully got to the point where we knew he would live, I busted my ass (mainly to take my mind off of NICU life for a few hours) and graduated in December. My instructors were awesome! I was too close to let it go. I didnt attend that ceremony, was perfectly happy to be in the NICU with Sam. He came home in January and is a perfect. You can do it!!

I just finished taking and passing the test in March. We got a group of 18 of us from the SICU and MICU (ended up with 10 becasue half quit on us) and we started having study review groups once a week. We bought the Gasparis DVDs and burned copies for each of us. We also had the Dennison book and CD which again we copied for each of us. There is a ton of stuff out there, some of it scams. One on ebay by flightnurses - dont buy it. The CD is crap, and the seller is no where to be heard from now. Do as many review questions as you can. Gasparis also has a CCRN review book - all questions. I made flash cards out of those questions and took it everywhere I went. Cardiac is 34% of the test so concentrate on that, not on the 3% that hematology is. Its like 4 questions and not worth stressing over. All of us that took the test passed - which is so cool because we had heard only 60% who take it pass. Good luck. When I went to take it I felt like I needed more time. I was getting mad becasue it was consuming my life and then I thought, I am an ICU nurse and I should know this stuff. After I took it I felt like I over studied. We prepared for about 9 months, but really cracked down hard for about 2 months prior. The buddy system is a great support system and encouraging way to go. And a little friendly competition is motivation. Good Luck!!

I just finished taking and passing the test in March. We got a group of 18 of us from the SICU and MICU (ended up with 10 becasue half quit on us) and we started having study review groups once a week. We bought the Gasparis DVDs and burned copies for each of us. We also had the Dennison book and CD which again we copied for each of us. There is a ton of stuff out there, some of it scams. One on ebay by flightnurses - dont buy it. The CD is crap, and the seller is no where to be heard from now. Do as many review questions as you can. Gasparis also has a CCRN review book - all questions. I made flash cards out of those questions and took it everywhere I went. Cardiac is 34% of the test so concentrate on that, not on the 3% that hematology is. Its like 4 questions and not worth stressing over. All of us that took the test passed - which is so cool because we had heard only 60% who take it pass. Good luck. When I went to take it I felt like I needed more time. I was getting mad becasue it was consuming my life and then I thought, I am an ICU nurse and I should know this stuff. After I took it I felt like I over studied. We prepared for about 9 months, but really cracked down hard for about 2 months prior. The buddy system is a great support system and encouraging way to go. And a little friendly competition is motivation. Good Luck!!

Maybe we should start wearing tshirts to work that say "I'm here to save your ass not kiss it"!!!

Its pretty closed minded to take one person or one experience and hate an entire profession. And hate is a very strong word. Its like hating cops because you got a speeding ticket. There are some bad ones in tevery profession but geez...thats a little harsh.

I am not for a healthcare system where people (government) make the decisions that are never at the bedside assessing the reality of providing or withholding treatment and procedures. However there is a huge problem with our system and it is not limited to EDs. How about the patients who sit in ICUs for days longer than they need to because a particular physician doesnt like the care on the step down units? Its not that the nurses are inadequate, there just isnt enough of them. Or the backup into ED because ICU is full, and stepdown is full? Now what. ED is overcrowded the nurses on the floors are pressured to transfer patients out before they are ready. Pressured by administrators, the ones not at the bedside. I believe that the majority of nurses will fight to protect their patients, but if it is your mother, child, spouse being pushed out before they are ready what can you do? There is always someone sicker who needs a bed. The ones I really feel sorry for are the people with no medical knowledge whatsoever. Nurses are the ones who know whats going on and we need to unite. We need to have a unified front, but historically with 85% of nurses being female, I dont see any aggressive fights in the near future.