VivaLasViejas ASN, RN

LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych

Once a nurse, always a nurse!

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide

All Content by VivaLasViejas

  1. VivaLasViejas

    Things Rehab Nurses Cannot Live Without!!

    VivaLasViejas replied to PortCity_RN's topic in Rehabilitation

    Small mirror to assess heels for pressure ulcers without having to stand on your head
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Skilled/assisted living/types of pts??

    VivaLasViejas replied to lauriepat's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    My last ALF was like this......80+ residents, at least 30% of whom were nursing-home appropriate, and a full 50% of those should've been in memory care. We had people we literally had to spoon-feed,...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Anxiety

    VivaLasViejas replied to 1Luv_xo's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    You can still be a nurse if you take medications for anxiety. Frankly, you'll be far better at it if you aren't so anxious (trust me on this one!). What you can't do is be loopy at work, so the choice...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Cough Syrup - wow!

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in Nurses Rock

    One of my grandmother's old favorites, for those times when her enthusiasm for enemas produced overly generous
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Cough Syrup - wow!

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in Nurses Rock

    Where's
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses with ADD

    VivaLasViejas replied to happytexas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Check your PM
  7. VivaLasViejas

    When do you become CPR certified?

    VivaLasViejas replied to gentlerain's topic in General Nursing

    I just did my recert for my new/old job in LTC, and the class was only $35. Requiring CPR prior to nursing school entrance is nothing new. Back in the mid-1990s when I started my program, it was...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Deep dish or Thin crust?

    VivaLasViejas replied to blackvans1234's topic in Nursing Humor

    That's great!!!
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Emergency Psychiatric Medications

    VivaLasViejas replied to edie1's topic in Psychiatric

    PO Geodon works well if a patient is willing and able to eat a generously-spread peanut butter sandwich along with it---the peanut butter provides the fat needed for best absorption of the drug. Just...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Forensic Psychiatric Nursing: A Unique APRN Opportunity

    VivaLasViejas replied to Psychcns's topic in Psychiatric

    Absolutely fascinating! Thank you for this glimpse inside the walls of a state institution---the patients there are lucky to have someone like you who tries to think outside the box in determining the...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Working Mon-Fri

    VivaLasViejas replied to litebrightgirl's topic in General Nursing

    I worked M-F, 8-5 (while still on-call 24/7/365) for years, and believe me, it's NOT all it's cracked up to be. That schedule just about did me in, yet I kept going back for it time and time again....
  12. VivaLasViejas

    breakdown at work

    VivaLasViejas replied to LookForward's topic in Health, Stress Management

    I've never been much of a crier, though there are those moments when a beloved resident passes that I need to go in the bathroom and hide for a little while. Even then, I don't lose it...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Psychometric Verbal Reasoning Test

    VivaLasViejas replied to cm8816's topic in Nursing Career

    I'm so confused, I don't know whether to pick my watch or wind my nose. Guess I won't be working for Kaiser,
  14. VivaLasViejas

    RN with expired license calling in scripts for family...family wants us to do it too.

    VivaLasViejas replied to BettyBoopsRN's topic in General Nursing

    Yes, the aunt should be reported to someone who has the ability to stop her ASAP. I think we've established that her conduct is wrong on many different levels, and something must be done before she...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Apparently I was supposed to lie: back injury preventing hospital hiring

    VivaLasViejas replied to Sannie6226's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I wish I had some words of wisdom for you, but I know that the corporations that run healthcare institutions have offices full of lawyers at their disposal, and those lawyers have a million and one...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Reported to TPAPN

    VivaLasViejas replied to Riley70's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Sugarcoating discussions about something as serious as alcohol abuse does absolutely nothing to help. I'm saying this as someone who's fought for sobriety for over 21 years, and I'll be the first to...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Old new RN with Social Anxiety

    VivaLasViejas replied to blessedbutdepressed's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I don't have social anxiety per se, but I do have a lot of generalized anxiety related to my bipolar illness and get extremely nervous in certain situations. I do OK in small groups, and am a lector...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Working with colleagues diagnosed with mental illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to resilientnurse's topic in Psychiatric

    If you count substance-abuse disorders, Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases, and the anxiety and depression that come from living in this fast-paced, stressful age, then yes---I would say a good...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Working with colleagues diagnosed with mental illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to resilientnurse's topic in Psychiatric

    How sad. People often do things when manic that they would NEVER do in their normal state of mind, and it's absolutely mortifying when they come back down and realize what they've done. Something...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Working with colleagues diagnosed with mental illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to resilientnurse's topic in Psychiatric

    I don't know if this is helpful given the fact that this one co-worker and I shared an office in assisted living, and not inpatient psych (although sometimes I wasn't sure there's a big difference)....
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses with ADD

    VivaLasViejas replied to happytexas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I'd like to see you get a full psychiatric evaluation---by an actual psychiatrist or psych nurse practitioner---in your new location. I can't help wondering if you've been given the right diagnosis,...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Preparing for "State"---what does your facility do? Inservices, reading?

    VivaLasViejas replied to nervousnurse's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    After being the bug under glass during recent (and brutal) surveys at the executive level, my new facility's next inspection will be a breeze....all I'll have to do is my job. :) Talk about...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Time for a vacation!! Where do you want to go?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Brian's topic in Nurses Rock

    Anywhere it's sunny and warm and has lots of water surrounding
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Bipolar Nurse Hoping to Open Awareness of Mental Illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to HannaRNBSN's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Best of
  25. VivaLasViejas

    case manager taught me a gem about families

    VivaLasViejas replied to SNB1014's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    What a great piece of insight! Thank you for sharing....I'll need to remember that the next time I have to deal with a family member who seems