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

    HOLMES & DR. WATSON

    VivaLasViejas replied to GitanoRN's topic in Nursing Humor

    HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!:rotfl:
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Cursing in LTC

    VivaLasViejas replied to wecan11's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I think a lot depends on which curse word was used, and the context in which it was used. If the nurse was responding in kind to something like "Eff you", that is entirely inappropriate and she should...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    A Place for Mom: Staffing Concepts and the Role of the Nurse in Assisted Living

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Sounds like they haven't been trained very well. That could be disastrous, to say the least. You know, you can teach a monkey to hand out pills; what you can't teach is the rationale for doing things...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Advice on other RN specialties/careers due to health problems

    VivaLasViejas replied to coconut9184's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I'm in poor physical condition as well, and I work as the director of health services in a large assisted living facility. It's 8-5 Mondays through Fridays, mostly administrative, and I have trouble...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    A Place for Mom: Staffing Concepts and the Role of the Nurse in Assisted Living

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Thank you. What you said about the 5-star accommodations and gourmet dining is spot on! At one of the ALFs I worked in before this one, even the management was expected to wait tables in the formal...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Toileting during Dialysis

    VivaLasViejas replied to Lynx25's topic in Dialysis, Renal, Urology

    You know, it just struck me that we're all complaining about the same thing---LACK OF STAFFING!! And why is that? Because every area of nursing is understaffed. And why is that? You guessed it....
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Patient with the bowel problem...

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in Nursing Humor

    I'll never forget chasing a LOL down the hallway in the first LTC I ever worked in. She was shambling along, dropping little poops out the bottom of her pants leg with every step, leaving a trail much...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Toileting during Dialysis

    VivaLasViejas replied to Lynx25's topic in Dialysis, Renal, Urology

    Working in LTC, I too have seen this happen time after time---diabetic dialysis patients coming home without having received their mealtime insulin, incontinent patients sitting in soiled briefs,...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Can an employer or potential employer ask for Medical records

    VivaLasViejas replied to Sheri_nichols28's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Whenever I hire a new employee at my assisted living facility, all I know about them medically is whether they can pass their physical capabilities test and their UDS---I never learn what's in the...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Patient Care And Customer Service Are Not The Same!

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

    Holy
  11. VivaLasViejas

    PMHNP growing a private practice, what book should I write?

    VivaLasViejas replied to algebra_demystified's topic in Nurse Entrepreneurs, Innovators

    I'm a PAC NW'er too, and I vote for SAD. It's a frequent companion up here thanks to our perpetually grey skies during the fall, winter, and spring. Oh, and it complicates the h*!! out of my
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Beat up by a resident, what to do??

    VivaLasViejas replied to purple_angel24521's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Sounds like a psych eval is in order, perhaps even a transfer to a gero-psych unit to figure out meds and get this fellow stabilized. There IS something that can be done about residents like this, but...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Welcome to the Shangri-La: My (Almost) Perfect Job

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in General Nursing

    At the risk of jinxing everything, I'm going to say it: I never thought I'd find my perfect nursing job. In fifteen years as an RN, I've held a grand total of thirteen jobs. Granted, some of them were...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Nervous about working night shifts...

    VivaLasViejas replied to sciencegal's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Rotating shifts (working day shift for x-number of days, then switching to night shift for x-number of nights, and then back to days again) is a blueprint for disaster for anyone suffering from any...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Hospital Beep Syndrome

    VivaLasViejas replied to hypatiafaerie's topic in General Nursing

    Ohhhh..... I used to hear call lights and ringing phones in my sleep. OP, you have my
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Welcome to the Shangri-La: My (Almost) Perfect Job

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    You can say that again! Having a nervous breakdown in the nurse manager's office like I did the last time I worked at the hospital is not good form, but it was better than holding it in until the...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Anxiety/short attention span/no filter/chronic pain...vent

    VivaLasViejas replied to Simba&NalasMom's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    You are right on my brain wave with this. Disclosing our limitations and disabilities to an employer is like opening a barrel of gunpowder and tossing in a lighted match: sometimes we get lucky and...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Anxiety/short attention span/no filter/chronic pain...vent

    VivaLasViejas replied to Simba&NalasMom's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Oh, hon......many ((((HUGS)))) to you from another square peg who's tried for too many years to fit into a round hole. :hug: My reasons for the difficulties I've had are probably very different from...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    The Elderly Are Devalued

    VivaLasViejas replied to TheCommuter's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I am a nurse by vocation, but a geriatric nurse by choice.
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Dietary policy- vent

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

    A-ha---now we've reached the heart of the matter. And it isn't concern for the 350-lb. patient's health. Apparently, it's all fine and dandy if she eats whatever she wants in the hospital, as long as...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Welcome to the Shangri-La: My (Almost) Perfect Job

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    I describe myself this way because I've always moved around a lot......I get restless and just pick up & go when the mood strikes. At least, until now.
  22. VivaLasViejas

    ADN's being pushed out

    VivaLasViejas replied to MSN Student's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    After reading this thread, I've come to the conclusion that I must be a throwback to the "good old days", even though I graduated from an ADN program in 1997 and never went further. I've been able to...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Welcome to the Shangri-La: My (Almost) Perfect Job

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Uh-oh.........:uhoh21:
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Welcome to the Shangri-La: My (Almost) Perfect Job

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    You can say THAT again, kc! I won't deny that there have been some really tough times at this job. The past 6 months were especially challenging because of some mental health issues that proved...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Is it made of acid? Fire? Cactus stickers?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Bortaz's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Ohhhh, they HATE that!!! And who wouldn't? But you stick a thermometer under a baby's arm and they think it's the end of the world....they don't know how it was in the 'old