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

    What's your favorite nursing task?

    VivaLasViejas replied to beekindRN's topic in General Nursing

    I loved starting IVs and placing Foleys, especially in challenging patients. I had the dubious "honor" of being the only nurse this one woman who came to the hospital for monthly catheter changes...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Ridiculous medical mistakes on TV

    VivaLasViejas replied to adventure_rn's topic in Nursing Humor

    And you gotta love it when the babies come out of the womb clean and shiny and obviously a couple of months
  3. VivaLasViejas

    I hate fake call outs.

    VivaLasViejas replied to KonichiwaRN's topic in General Nursing

    I hated it when they'd call in late Saturday night for their Sunday morning shift slurring their words, leading me to conclude they were suffering from the bottle flu. The first nice day in spring is...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Stupid hurts.

    VivaLasViejas replied to emtb2rn's topic in General Nursing

    Screwdriver + rectum = bowel perforation. And you say you don't know how it got in
  5. VivaLasViejas

    How much have you changed?

    VivaLasViejas replied to CardiacDork's topic in General Nursing

    I unfortunately became rather jaded toward the end of my career. I stopped caring what people thought, and did whatever I felt was the right thing at the time. Most of the time it was the right thing,...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Compression socks yes or no?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Christina_'s topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    Compression hose and New Balance shoes were the only things that got me through my last six months of med/surg nursing. I also wore them when I switched to a desk job because I tend to have a lot of...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Patients Say the Darnedest Things Nurses Week Contest

    VivaLasViejas replied to Brian S.'s topic in General Nursing

    One night I was hooking up a patient's tube feeding when I knocked over a couple of cans of Jevity. The roommate, who had dementia, woke up and asked, "Are you the cat?" I couldn't help myself: "Yes,...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Psych or LTC less Stressful?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Purple_Clover's topic in Psychiatric

    Although I've never worked in a hospital psych unit, I have worked LTC floors where most of the residents had severe psych issues. The ones who were "merely" demented were one thing, but when you've...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Terminated from first nursing job after 3 months of orientation. Job hunting advice?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Scrubba Dub's topic in General Nursing

    Tell them the truth: the job was not a good fit, and you are currently seeking other opportunities. You can always explain the termination when the interviewer asks. People get fired every day, and...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Considering return to hospital / bedside

    VivaLasViejas replied to nurse2592's topic in General Nursing

    Like others have said here, don't do it. Bedside was bad enough when I was working med/surg, and it's gotten much worse in the 15 years that I've been out, if the nurses here on AN are to be believed...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Playing Cards

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nurse Beth's topic in General Nursing

    And to think Sen. Walsh explained it all by saying she was "tired" and said something she shouldn't have. She stopped well short of making an apology, which is what she SHOULD have done. But she is so...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Sen. Maureen Walsh Response to Backlash

    VivaLasViejas replied to falconersys's topic in General Nursing

    This beats Joy Behar's ridiculous statements about nurses hands-down. I'll just bet Senator Walsh wishes she'd kept her mouth shut...she is never going to hear the end of this. Nor should she. In only...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Public Education and Policy Warning of Soft Drink Dangers

    VivaLasViejas replied to Hematocrit13's topic in Health, Stress Management

    I used to drink the equivalent of six cans of Coke a day. Then I switched to diet Coke with no benefit to my health. Then 2 1/2 years ago I suddenly quit drinking soda of all types and have never gone...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Nurse dies after assault at job. She finished her shift first.

    VivaLasViejas replied to missmollie's topic in Nursing News

    I second that emotion. A mental health crisis is one thing; absolving someone of a crime who merely carries a mental health diagnosis is ridiculous. The vast majority of people with mental illnesses...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    RN school while in High School?

    VivaLasViejas replied to AFJ32780's topic in General Nursing

    This is absurd. 18-year-olds are generally nowhere near mature enough to handle the demands of nursing. I was 20 years older than that when I graduated from nursing school and even I felt unready for...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Nurse Practitioner (Mother) leaves 21 month old in car for 8 hours

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nurse Beth's topic in General Nursing

    Maybe I'm a terrible person, but I ain't buying it. I get being on autopilot, but you don't just walk off thinking you dropped the baby off at daycare, you check the back seat before you lock the car...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Nurse dies after assault at job. She finished her shift first.

    VivaLasViejas replied to missmollie's topic in Nursing News

    This is completely unacceptable. Nurses must have some recourse when a patient attacks them, and if it means fighting back and/or prosecuting the offender, so be it. I think it's safe to say that all,...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Career Advice from Barbie (yes, THAT Barbie)

    VivaLasViejas replied to Alex_RN's topic in Nursing Humor

    Barbie is 60 this year. She looks amazing. Wish I looked this
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Labor and Delivery nurses-question from student

    VivaLasViejas replied to kkb91's topic in General Nursing

    When I started nursing school my sole intent and purpose was to become a L&D/postpartum nurse. I loved working as a tech on the OB floor at my local hospital and naturally assumed I would go back...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    How would Medicare for all affect nursing?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    If Medicare for All is ever implemented---which I doubt---I think it would be better managed by the individual states. For example, Florida, which has a sizable elderly population, has different needs...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    patient pretending to fall?

    VivaLasViejas replied to LibraNurse27's topic in General Nursing

    In LTC, I had a resident who "fell" several times a day, until one evening when I caught her putting herself on the floor and then yelling "Help!" We had to care plan this because she was A&O and,...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Report an online post hinting suicide?

    VivaLasViejas replied to sandyfeet's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    What I would do in this situation is something I have indeed done in the past, both here and elsewhere, and that's report it to the admins/moderators of the site and ask them to reach out to the...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Dispute termination

    VivaLasViejas replied to FloridaLpn2015's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    Adulting is hard sometimes, isn't it? I don't blame you for wanting to stay in bed and hide, but you didn't, and that's a good thing. No matter how bad your working conditions and the circumstances...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Being bullied at work

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mariah2019's topic in General Nursing

    Sheesh. Generalize much? It may be a quirk of mine, but I hate it when people use the term 'ghetto'. It is a stereotypical term meaning low-class. Some of your co-workers may indeed demonstrate poor...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Needle stick at work, 24 weeks pregnant

    VivaLasViejas replied to csj50's topic in General Nursing

    Sorry, I misunderstood because of the wording. Thanks for