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

    That is IT; have had it with nursing...I'm going insane!

    VivaLasViejas replied to carolmaccas66's topic in General Nursing

    You have just invalidated the feelings of a fellow nurse. That is offensive. I'm glad your job is going well, and that you and your sister are loving your nursing jobs. That's wonderful, and I hope...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    "I just can't help you..."

    VivaLasViejas replied to BrazoriaLVN's topic in General Nursing

    Has anyone given any thought to nerve-pain meds like gabapentin, and/or NSAIDS such as Ultram or naproxen given as an adjunct to the opioids? Has he been tried on a TENS unit, lidocaine patches,...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    new to management..Need help

    VivaLasViejas replied to supervisorhatchet's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    hope this will give you a start. best of
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Complaint Survey

    VivaLasViejas replied to txdon's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    I think it's a measure of how long it takes skin to be compromised after encountering some form of pressure.......I've seen some extreme examples of people who had to be repositioned Q 30 minutes...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Calling EMS to pronounce

    VivaLasViejas replied to fallinnstyle's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    It's different from state to state. In Oregon, RNs have some authority to determine that death has occurred, but it also varies by setting. LTC nurses pronounce "unofficially" all the time. We...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Can an ADN nurse move into supervisory positions with only 4 years experience?

    VivaLasViejas replied to NenaRK's topic in General Nursing

    This is spot on. Degree snobbery, IMHO, is another one of the factors which cause nursing to be taken less seriously as a profession than it should be. Not only because we've never established a...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Q.I.S.

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nascar nurse's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    SO.........how did your exit interview
  8. VivaLasViejas

    It shouldn't have happened this way....

    VivaLasViejas replied to nerdtonurse?'s topic in Hospice, Palliative

    This just makes me sick to my stomach, Nerd. I've never been a hospice nurse, but I've worked so extensively with hospice over my years in long-term care that I've become fairly knowledgeable about...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Bullying--The Other "B" Word

    VivaLasViejas replied to rn/writer's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Miranda, as always..........you NAILED it!!! Well-written and extremely helpful in distinguishing true bullying from mere cattiness or unpleasant interpersonal relationships. I hope everyone reads...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Behaviors you've learned to lose when at work.

    VivaLasViejas replied to nola1202's topic in General Nursing

    Same here. I'm apt to laugh at some of the most absurd---and sometimes inappropriate---situations, and I have had to seriously curb that. Calling things "hoojaflobbets" and "dooflotchie" instead of...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Anyone ever seen a 17.2 for an INR

    VivaLasViejas replied to LVN2beRN's topic in General Nursing

    Whew! I wouldn't have wanted to even breathe on that patient for fear of causing him to bleed to death I have seen one INR that was even higher though---19.2. I remember thinking that reading had to...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Mandated Flu vaccine?

    VivaLasViejas replied to mol42's topic in Disaster Preparation

    I'm in a high-risk group and haven't missed a flu shot since 1992. I also work with a high-risk population, and am pretty militant about staff having them done since THEY work directly with frail...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Would you even consider a candidate who was terminated?

    VivaLasViejas replied to DeLana_RN's topic in Nurse Management

    I have hired nurses and aides who were fired before. I myself have been fired before, so why wouldn't I give someone else a chance? It all depends on the circumstances under which the person lost...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    How can you be nonjudgemental?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kristy02_RN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Because if we don't, our own fellow nurses will call us out and make our lives miserable for failing to conform to the image of the angelic, always-compassionate
  15. VivaLasViejas

    The happy policy

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

    This is like being sent to your room for bad behavior.........oh, puh-LEEEEEEEEZE. Sounds like just the latest insult in the trend toward infantilizing nurses. What's next, milk and graham crackers...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Ways To Know You're Burning Out

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

    Beautifully stated, and spot on, suanna. You have just articulated my own viewpoint of things better than I did. Thank
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Ways To Know You're Burning Out

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

    I don't know if there are nursing jobs that are less stressful....but there are jobs that don't give you constant headaches or HTN. Your hospital sounds like the workplace from Hell, and all I can say...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    For those who don't wear scrubs, what do you wear to work?

    VivaLasViejas replied to cbcle's topic in General Nursing

    I'm on the casual side of "business casual" most days, but if Corporate is coming or I'm going to be doing something involving the public, I'll definitely err on the side of conservative business...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    In honor of 9/11.... what was it like as a nurse?

    VivaLasViejas replied to A&OxNone's topic in General Nursing

    It was my second day as an ADON at a small nursing facility. I was just waking up when my sister, who lived with my family and me at the time, ran into my room and hollered, "You've got to get up and...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Ways To Know You're Burning Out

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

    You can say THAT again!! You are not alone. I'm in the same boat---I've wound up getting restless and agitated in every single nursing job I've ever held, including this one (even though it's head...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Ways To Know You're Burning Out

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

    Wow........that's a lot of information! Which is why I've bookmarked it for reference. :) Thank you for sharing this with us; there's a lot of food for thought here, and it made me think about some...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Ways To Know You're Burning Out

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

    You know..........I sometimes think/fantasize about leaving nursing entirely, even though I love my current job and can't imagine where else I could make the kind of wages I earn now. (Not like I have...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Patients dying

    VivaLasViejas replied to nesje30's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I once took care of a hospice patient in my LTC who suddenly sat up in bed and reached toward the window with both arms outstretched (she hadn't been able to sit up on her own in weeks), and with an...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Ways To Know You're Burning Out

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

    I hear you all.....my last hospital job was like that, a poisonous atmosphere that literally sapped the life out of me. In fact, I spent most of the last year I worked there bouncing in and out of...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    If you did not need the money...?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Daisy_08's topic in General Nursing

    Oh HELL no I love my job, but I'd retire in a New York minute if I were miraculously to come by all the money I'd ever need. I'd want to do some traveling and finish writing my book, and I'd love to...