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

    Does anyone regret leaving acute care?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Riseupandnurse's topic in General Nursing

    In a word: No. In two words: HELL no. I still have what I suspect is a touch of PTSD related to working in a hospital, five years after I left Med/Surg nursing for the last time. Some nights I wake up...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    New in Nurse Management, tips anyone?

    VivaLasViejas replied to MomRN0913's topic in Nurse Management

    Please don't feel inferior because you hold "only" an ADN---there's no need to defend your education to anyone! Believe me, if your supervisors had thought you couldn't handle the job, they would...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Annoyed by nursing commerical they keep running

    VivaLasViejas replied to Missy77's topic in General Students

    The music is DEFINITELY hokey. But overall, the spot is a good effort and makes me feel just a little more proud of what I do. Just my $0.02
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Pressing charges on a psych patient?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Little_Mouse's topic in General Nursing

    Moderator's Note: Everyone, please just take a deep breath and THINK before you push the "Post Reply" button. There's been a lot of heat but very little light shed in the past several pages of this...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Do you have a resident you cant stand?

    VivaLasViejas replied to sarafina's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Let me play devil's advocate here for a minute: this resident is only 50 years old? and she's in a LTC? Right away, that's got to be extremely hard to endure; after all, she's decades younger than...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    ICD-9 codes

    VivaLasViejas replied to rukiddingme's topic in MDS Coordinator Information

    If you have a smartphone, you can download applications that have ICD-9 codes......I use mine pretty much every
  7. VivaLasViejas

    I've been a nurse for six months. Here's what I've learned so far.

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

    Beautiful! I hope you can stay positive about nursing throughout the years ahead, because you make an excellent case for it as a career and could serve as a shining example of what nurses can and...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Health facilities evaluator Nurse job

    VivaLasViejas replied to Jodarb's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    I'm of the opinion that nurses often make the best surveyors, not only because of their knowledge of nursing practice, but they are usually more realistic than non-nurses about what can be...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Part of Health Care Law Ruled Unconstitutional

    VivaLasViejas replied to herring_RN's topic in Activism, Healthcare

    Insurance rates are already going up, making access to health care even more difficult for many Americans than it was before Obamacare became the law of the land. I salute this judge for throwing out...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Things are looking up!

    VivaLasViejas replied to Otessa's topic in General Nursing

    Thanks for the reminder, Otessa........the worst day at my current job is better than my best day on unemployment.
  11. VivaLasViejas

    a state resurvey for an F tag?

    VivaLasViejas replied to aiker31's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    Yes, they will be back after your facility submits its plan of correction, fixes the deficiencies, and certifies compliance. I would imagine each state has its own rules for re-surveys; in my state...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Sex in a LTC...is this ok?

    VivaLasViejas replied to AKAnurse4's topic in General Nursing

    ~sigh~ I'd like to be that active in my late-middle
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Physician Orders: How to stay organized?

    VivaLasViejas replied to whisperinrain's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    That's what I was thinking too. I'm currently the DNS (DON) for a 90-unit ALF, and even though I have two fantastic resident-care coordinators, plus a core group of experienced medication aides who...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    IS Gluttony a Disease or Choice?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Katie5's topic in General Nursing

    OK, I'm going to weigh in here (pun intended) because this is a subject close to my heart, and I am heartily sick of listening to healthcare professionals pass judgment on obese individuals without...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    I should be grateful to have a job,but

    VivaLasViejas replied to ktwlpn's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Oh, I think there's PLENTY to say about all this........only most of it wouldn't be printable. At the nursing home that slashed my hours to the bone this past summer, there is now only one RN on the...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Parents won't send inhaler to school

    VivaLasViejas replied to pvtschoolnurse's topic in School

    Has anyone asked the parents if they have health insurance, or if they can afford medication for the child? As we all know, many families do not, and they don't necessarily want to advertise that...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Only an ADN

    VivaLasViejas replied to latebloomer74's topic in General Students

    I'm "only" an ADN too, yet I'm the DNS at a 90-unit assisted living community and have worked in many different areas of nursing, with varying amounts of responsibility up to and including...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Vaginal Exams

    VivaLasViejas replied to Despareux's topic in General Nursing

    SANE=Sexual Assault Nurse
  19. VivaLasViejas

    What would nurses like from families on holidays?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Brian's topic in General Nursing

    THAT'S a big 10-4! I can live on a compliment like that for weeks......far better than chocolate which lives on my butt
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Floor Emergencies

    VivaLasViejas replied to Caffeine_IV's topic in General Nursing

    Well, with HIPAA and all, it's not like staff can shout down the hall, "Mrs. Smith's on the floor and her head is bleeding!!" That said, those words always strike fear in my heart, and the old...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Bitterness At Work

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kooky Korky's topic in General Nursing

    I'm with dthfytr.......life is far too short for bad jobs.
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Bitterness At Work

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kooky Korky's topic in General Nursing

    That's a shame. I have found bitterness to be an utterly useless and self-perpetuating emotion. It causes harm only to the person who harbors it, and the resulting attitude makes that person quite...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    I'm exhausted...it's ridiculous (and unsafe)

    VivaLasViejas replied to jelptex's topic in General Nursing

    Sounds like my workload on a recent noc shift at the NH where I worked before I found my new job......64 residents, 18 of them skilled, 4 CNAs but no med aide, about 40 0600 meds, PRNs all night long,...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    "Waiting on pharmacy?"

    VivaLasViejas replied to pblpn's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    It is rarely, if ever, acceptable to delay the start of a medication beyond 24 hours. The "house" pharmacy will need to be called and they should satellite a weekend's worth of medication to the...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    What I really think of nursing

    VivaLasViejas replied to jmeng's topic in General Nursing

    Moderator's Note: Please stick to the topic under discussion, and avoid comments that may be construed as insulting or demeaning by other posters. Also, the staff would like to remind members that...