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

    I'm trying my best, but seriously stop putting me down on the phone

    VivaLasViejas replied to Catch22Personified's topic in Emergency

    Having worked both acute and LTC, I know how both the OP and the ER nurse felt. I wish that LTC nurses weren't looked down upon by acute-care nurses; even I, as a nurse/administrator, occasionally get...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    did you become the nurse you thought that you wanted to be?

    VivaLasViejas replied to K+MgSO4's topic in General Nursing

    I wanted to be an L&D nurse in the worst way when I started nursing school. Then I fell in love with the folks at the opposite end of the life cycle, and now I can't even imagine wanting to do OB...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    New Nurse, when to send a patient out.

    VivaLasViejas replied to beatrice1's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I have one rule when it comes to resident emergencies: When in doubt---ship 'em out!! :redlight: Unless, of course, the resident is a DNR/DNI/Do Not Transport (or do anything except comfort measures),...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Most important things to know in LTC ????

    VivaLasViejas replied to beatrice1's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Falls are another problem often associated with UTI. If you can't find an obvious reason for a fall---like a walker they don't remember to lock, or clutter on the floor, or a new BP med---grab a UA...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Why can only nurses call the MD?

    VivaLasViejas replied to wooh's topic in General Nursing

    And don't you just love it when everybody from med techs to pharmacy to family members ask you to call the MD because "You're the nurse, so you have more influence with him than I do"? Do we know any...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Almost 4 years, no luck finding nursing job, life destroyed?!

    VivaLasViejas replied to GotoGirlRN's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Have you considered working in long-term care? It can be very stressful and it's certainly hard on you physically, but it's also opened up a lot of doors for nurses who are otherwise hampered in their...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Shocked...Confused...& Terminated=SAD "(

    VivaLasViejas replied to NrsLucky's topic in General Nursing

    Wow, even for an RN, pushing IV atropine is scary....but in a clinic setting with no cardiac monitor? I'd have done exactly as the OP did and made the MD do it himself. As it is, she has a case for...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Fraudulent charting?

    VivaLasViejas replied to paddler's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I've been a floor nurse, an RCM, and a DON, and I can tell you there is rarely, if ever, a need to volunteer information that a state surveyor's going to jump on. Simply document what you saw and what...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Has anyone made BASIC skill errors that made them feel incompetent?

    VivaLasViejas replied to kris113's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Even experienced nurses sometimes come in and play the game like they've left their heads back in the locker room! One of my more memorable nursing 'fails' occurred when I hooked up an IVPB,...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    How has becoming a nurse changed your life?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kylie53189's topic in General Nursing

    I can't think of a single part of my life that being a nurse has not changed. Some of it is probably attributable just to growing older, but nursing has definitely had its impact on the way I view the...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    I suck...

    VivaLasViejas replied to workingharder's topic in General Nursing

    Some of it probably does depend on how later in life the learning takes place. In my own experience, I've found that I learn about as fast as I did when I was young, but I have more trouble retaining...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    weight and feelings

    VivaLasViejas replied to Fruit Sucker's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    What Ruby said. Although I do think it would be helpful to remember what our forebears taught us about making unsoiicited comments on anyone's appearance.......they're unnecessary, rude, and almost...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Long hair for interviews

    VivaLasViejas replied to maria25's topic in First Year After Licensure

    For interviews, you want a polished, professional look, and hair hanging down around your face doesn't quite accomplish it.:)I usually put mine in a no-nonsense ponytail at the nape of my neck and...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    What nursing field do you think is easiest and hardest?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Tinkx RN's topic in General Students

    Easy physically, perhaps. The mental and emotional strain are unbelievable sometimes, not to mention the fact that staff doesn't think you're actually DOING anything when you sit at that desk. It...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Fees and taxes

    VivaLasViejas replied to drewzx3's topic in Nurses Recovery

    I seriously doubt it. If you were paying for drug testing strictly for the purpose of obtaining employment, I'd think you could claim it as a business expense. But if you're being required to pay for...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    So sad/so sweet at the same time

    VivaLasViejas replied to Pepper The Cat's topic in General Nursing

    At the nursing home where I worked a couple of years ago, we had a couple who'd been married for 77 years. She got pneumonia and passed away; I'll never forget his howls of grief and pain as he...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Admitting To Rehab & Going Before The Nursing Board

    VivaLasViejas replied to pholda's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Your Mom is right, Anne. For the most part, I'm an open book---I don't try to hide my ETOH hx, although of course it's no longer an issue, nor has it been one since before I was a nurse. But neither...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    So we want to be respected as educated professionals?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Guttercat's topic in General Nursing

    Hookd on fonix wurkd for
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Working with stipulations

    VivaLasViejas replied to backtowork's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Glad to hear you've found work. Hang in there---you'll have bad days, but you'll get through 'em because you're stronger than your problem. Good
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Doing GREAT...In recovery, but written up today at work.

    VivaLasViejas replied to code3rnval's topic in Nurses Recovery

    I can imagine why that would put you in a bad way, but whatever you do, don't let it tempt you to give up your sobriety! I'm curious as to what, exactly, failure to "meet productivity goals" means in...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    DUI reporting and IPN help!!!

    VivaLasViejas replied to 10pat's topic in Nurses Recovery

    I agree with ls66. Addiction is no respecter of occupation, socioeconomic status, personal merit or much of anything else. No one chooses to have this miserable condition any more than we choose to...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Admitting To Rehab & Going Before The Nursing Board

    VivaLasViejas replied to pholda's topic in Nurses Recovery

    I got sober only a couple of years before I started pre-nursing, and I remember asking the admissions director of the nursing department if it was going to be a problem for me in getting into the...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    DNR pet peeve

    VivaLasViejas replied to Vespertinas's topic in Activism, Healthcare

    I see this happen all the time with my assisted living residents. They fall and crack their heads open, scalp open to the skull, they're altered....and when the paramedics arrive they look at the...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    vent about other nurses attitudes

    VivaLasViejas replied to pinkfluffybunny's topic in Excelsior College

    I love this line! I am soooo stealing it for the next time I have to deal with someone (including myself) who could use a dose of that miraculous stuff.
  25. VivaLasViejas

    So we want to be respected as educated professionals?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Guttercat's topic in General Nursing

    Hey y'all, remember......It is just the Internet! Might be a good idea to cool off and get the thread back on track before the wheels come off and derail the whole thing. A lot of good discussions...