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

    Please suggest topics for student presentations

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

    I'd love to see something about management getting staff nurses and aides involved with establishing and implementing standards of care, instead of merely working under rules that someone else (who...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Hourly rounding logs

    VivaLasViejas replied to afteralltheseyears's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I can't imagine how this could be done in LTC with the ratios we have, e.g. 1 nurse and 4 CNAs for 60 patients on night
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Peg Feeding Complication

    VivaLasViejas replied to NewlyGradBSN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    As long as your grandmother has a PEG tube, she'll be at risk for aspiration. The risks can be minimized, of course, by a few common-sense actions such as never allowing feedings to run while she is...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    I just have to say this....

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

    I'd probably still be in acute care if workplaces like the OP's actually existed around here. (I've got it good now in my ALF nursing director position, but it took me almost 14 years to find this...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses with nose piercings?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Chameleonchick's topic in General Nursing

    A lot depends on the nature of the business and the company that owns or manages a facility. In LTCs, most piercings and visible tattoos are banned out of respect for their elderly clients, who come...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses with nose piercings?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Chameleonchick's topic in General Nursing

    Re-opening thread for further discussion. Please keep it polite,
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses with nose piercings?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Chameleonchick's topic in General Nursing

    And with that, this thread will be closed for a cooling-off period and moderator review. Several posts have needed to be edited or deleted either because they quoted an edited post and/or continued...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Things you'd never have done before...

    VivaLasViejas replied to hiddencatRN's topic in General Nursing

    I never used to drink Diet Coke before noon. Now my staff can always tell how stressed-out I am by looking at what I'm carrying around in the morning.......and if I'm pulling at that bottle @ 0830,...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Offensive Nursing Behavior

    VivaLasViejas replied to carbaminohemoglobin's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Document, document, document.........what you hear her say, what you see her do, how the residents respond. Write down dates, times, location---all of it. And if the DON or the administrator don't do...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    March of Dimes: Less than 39 weeks

    VivaLasViejas replied to Elvish's topic in Ob/Gyn

    Grooooooooooan...........The only one of my kids who didn't go to 42 weeks was the 10-lb.-11-ouncer. Thank God they didn't let HIM get past
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Careplan Intervention Help

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

    Agree with the above. With a frequent faller, you have to look beyond the standard interventions and get creative, using the resident's mental/physical capabilities, habits, and personality to...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    I am a new grad and got a job as ALF director position!

    VivaLasViejas replied to eve5483's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I'm the Director of Health Services (otherwise known as the DNS/DON) of a 95-bed ALF, and I'm here to tell you that this is one tough job! I've been in and out of ALF nursing for over 10 years, and...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Are you a sensitive person too?

    VivaLasViejas replied to glutton4punishment's topic in General Nursing

    Oh, yeah..........right now I'm dealing with a relatively young (age 55) resident with a looooooooooong history of chronic pain and psych issues who continually complains that he's not getting...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Okay, why do ER nurses think they're so cool?

    VivaLasViejas replied to gayle_the_RN's topic in General Nursing

    *SNORT* I'm in geriatrics, which is so low on the "cool" spectrum that it probably doesn't register. But at my age and stage of life, I'm so UNcool that I've become my own sort of
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Are you a sensitive person too?

    VivaLasViejas replied to glutton4punishment's topic in General Nursing

    You know, I was just thinking about this the other day after a particularly negative exchange with a resident who is A & O x 4 and has never, to my knowledge, said a good word to (or about)...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Something is wrong with me. Guess I shouldn't be a nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to ijuanabhappy's topic in General Nursing

    You haven't really given this nursing business enough time to decide whether it's a good fit for you. :) Honestly......it took me YEARS to grow into the job and find my own niche. I was one of those...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Getting Sick at Work

    VivaLasViejas replied to meaganellise's topic in General Nursing

    Blood pressure of 260/130, about a dozen years ago. I'd been having a lot of headaches due to stress and knew my pressure was up, but it wasn't until I was trying to get a BP on my patient and heard...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    A Funny Moment in LTC...

    VivaLasViejas replied to westieluv's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    An exchange between me and a LTC resident I'll call Elaine: I was giving a tube-feeding bolus to the resident in the next bed late one night when I knocked over the empty cans, waking Elaine, who...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    "The Nurses and HCA's will be responsible for...

    VivaLasViejas replied to Guest233447's topic in General Nursing

    I think it's a load of hooey. It's one thing if a resident's toilet gets plugged and you have to trot up to their room with a plunger to unclog it; but it's a whole 'nother set of issues if a...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Have you ever been insulted for what you do?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mrs. SnowStormRN's topic in General Nursing

    As a long-term care nurse who's sent many a crumping resident to the ER, I've often seen the eye-rolling from the EMTs and heard the thinly-veiled contempt in the voice of the ER nurse I'm calling...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    "Right to Sit"

    VivaLasViejas replied to core34's topic in Collective Bargaining, Union

    I'm no fan of nurses' unions, but I can't imagine one worthy of the name allowing such a policy to be implemented without a massive protest. Good grief, are you working in a modern hospital in 21st...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    LTC Emergencies - Not prepared!

    VivaLasViejas replied to croppyRN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    "Full code" in LTC is all too often a contradiction in terms.....in most facilities I've worked in, there are NO drills, the crash cart is a joke and the nurses just call 911 whenever a resident...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Okay, why do ER nurses think they're so cool?

    VivaLasViejas replied to gayle_the_RN's topic in General Nursing

    Friendly Reminder: Please, everyone, remember to be civil and to think twice before hitting the "Post Reply" key. Ask yourself if what you're about to post is a) true, b) respectful, and c)...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    I may have been the recipent of a botched ortho surgery... HELP!?!

    VivaLasViejas replied to HM7380's topic in General Nursing

    Hello~ Just a friendly reminder that we cannot offer medical advice on these forums, as it's beyond the scope of our practice as nurses or students to attempt to diagnose a medical condition. The...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses with Type 1 Diabetes

    VivaLasViejas replied to ScwwcS's topic in General Nursing

    Hello~ As Whispera said, we really cannot offer medical advice on AN, as it's beyond our scope of practice as nurses. While I can appreciate your need for information, the only person really qualified...