bigsyis

Well, all, I posted much earlier about this topic. My opinion is that if you are in ER long enough, you will see most anything. I was irrigating an "impacted" ear in a 20 something young woman. She c/o itching in her ear. First came wads of cerumen, then two pieces of blue tissue (she said she used it to scratch her ear) more cerumen, and finally, a ROACH about an inch long came floating out of her ear. That irrigation took about 30 minutes. I was never a fan of such labor intensive stuff, but when that roach came floating out I nearly gagged. No wonder she felt itching in her ear!

Good for you! I remember the excitement and relief I felt when I was accepted. You're right, there is a lot of work ahead, but you are on the path you've chosen. Getting admitted into your chosen program is a big accomplishment, in itself!

When I was daytime Charge on a Medical Unit, the night Charge Nurse did the same thing to me. A pt wanted to complain about the way a nurse on dayshift had talked to him. She offered my first AND last name and then proceeded to tell our Manager about the pt's complaints about me. I told the Manager that there hadn't been the first problem between me and that pt but, to be sure, the Manager and I went down to the pt's room together. Imagine the surprise on the pt's face when he saw me and heard that I was the one he had complained about. He immediately corrected that misconception, and then described someone who was the polar opposite of me who had been his day nurse the previous day. Talk about a set-up! Plus, I had never done anything to the night Charge.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your time off. I do understand what you are saying, and I don't have any answers for any of us. (((HUG)))

Way to go, Joanne! We'll be waiting for word of where you begin your career in education!

It sounds to me as though that nurse was trying to show off in front of the father, perhaps to "cement" her job situation with the pt more soundly? She also sounds like a total PIA. What a waste of time! Think of all the things you could've been doing for other pts instead of having to pacify/defuse her. Gag!

Usually the side that the control panel is on, depending upon how crowded the elevator is.

When I was a student I saw this surgery (nephrectomy), and your husband may be as fortunate as the patient I was following. It was CA, but the tumor (about the size of a golf ball) was totally encapsulated. The surgeon said that the risk of spread was far, far less than if it had not been. That was in 1983, and with all the changes since then, who knows how well things might turn out? Here are wishes for the best for both of you.

I say give yourself a few days to let the dust settle and to clear your head, and if you still want to teach, go for it! You know what working with the general public and management is like, so you aren't a babe in the woods to human behavior. You sound as if this isn't the first time you've thought this over. At the end of a few days if your thoughts are the same, make your decision and go for what you want!

I agree with the other posters. Don't look for things that aren't there, either. They are straightforward questions and they are not trying to trick you. As one of the posters above said, if you reread your scenarios, or as you read down into the questions you may find the answer to a question that stumps you in another place. Good luck, although tht doesn't have very much to do with it!

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy a healthy, safe, and productive career!

When I was Charge on Medical we had a family who never left their mother alone, for a single minute. There were 3 children and multiple adult grandchildren, and they rotated "shifts" w/this pt 24/7. The minute you stepped into the room for ANY reason, they wrote down your name and everything that you said or did while you were in there in a spiral-bound notebook that they sat with in their laps at all times. Once I was making rounds w/an MD that told the son he would not talk w/him unless he closed the notebook and put it away. There had never been an "incident" w/these people, yet their attitude screamed OFFENSIVE from the moment you opened the door. The patient was a wonderful lady, while her family, well, they just stunk!

Don't worry-no bowing and scraping will be done from this end;). I agree with you-we had one male in our RN class and he was there because of his testing, his interview, and his grades, PERIOD. It was the same reason we were all there. Some people must always have a scapegoat or something to whine about. Good luck in your career!

I am amazed that the nurse that told you that is still employed. Anywhere I've ever worked documentation is reviewed for quality and accuracy, from time to time. Any time you do anything for a pt it needs to be recorded somewhere. Good for you for not taking what she said as the truth!

I had a gentleman in a 4 bed ward one night who used all of those same questions on me and then wanted to know if I was nurse, where my cap was? I told him to watch me throughout the evening (3-11) and then let me know at the end of the shift if he thought that I was a nurse or not. He was convinced, and said that until he watched me work he didn't know that an LPN "could be a real nurse." That was on a cardiac/ICU stepdown unit in 1984.

I am really surprised that the the Hospice Nurses hadn't assumed control of her care. They have their own orders for pain meds and comfort measures that can be adjusted based on their assessments. Please be sure that you check w/them first, and forget that MD. He obviously isn't interested. Also, I am sorry that this lady is experiencing so much pain, but with the Hospice comfort measures that should ease considerably. You did everything a good nurse should do to help her become comfortable. I will tell you now that there will be times when all you can do is hold the pt's hand and talk, or pray, or sing with them. Or, it may be a family member that you have to help through this as the pt passes. All of these things are Nursing measures. We can never know for sure how much they help a dying pt, but if she eases or quietens any at all, it is likely because she is getting comfort and some kind of relief from your presence and the care that you are giving her.

I am glad to hear that you have found your niche. I wish you many challenging, exciting, and stress-free (!) learning experiences.

It is an old question regarding relevance: "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?"

Borrowing from floor stock is not the same as "borrowing" from another pt, and using a different form of the med. I am with the OP on this. I would never have condoned that.

We had a blizzard in our area of GA in '93 (very unusual for our state). I had been called in to work the night before (Fri) for my 11a-11p weekend shift and threatened w/firing if I didn't show up. Our ER was pretty empty until about 10 a.m. Then we got a pt who'd driven across seriously icy and snowy roads to get to us because she wanted something done with her ingrown toenail! I kid you not. The Doc let her wait for a while. None of us could believe it.

Tuesday night, 1/22, was Full Moon. Wednesday was probably just overlap from that.

ROFLOL!!!:rotfl: There will come a time when everybody gets brought back down to earth. I'm glad you were able to witness her descent from among the angelic throng that she must've thought that she belonged to.

At least he SAW a smile from the last person to be with him and help him, AND the person who tucked him into bed with a nice warm blanket. You did your best, that is all you can do.

I once worked with a nurse in the ER whose boyfriend was a Paramedic. He called her at work one night, and while she was talking to him he shot himself in the head. Supposedly, she wanted to break up and he didn't. What ever the reason, it is awful for the family left behind and for your friend. None of them asked for this kind of violence to enter their lives. I am so sorry that this happened to your friend on top of all else that she has been through. Please tell her that we are wishing her well.

Short stay surgery, or Occupational Health?