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

    5 Tips For Using People First Language in Your Daily Practice

    VivaLasViejas replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    I am a person with a disability who really doesn't mind being referred to in the old-fashioned way. I use "I'm bipolar" and "I have bipolar disorder" interchangeably. I don't appreciate being called...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    12 patients for a new grad to much?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Stitchcat's topic in General Nursing

    As I was reading this I was thinking, I would have killed for a 12:1 ratio in SNF/LTC. The ink was barely dry on my nursing license when I started on a mixed unit (half skilled, the other half...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Give 'Em Enough Rope

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    At one place I worked, we had a CNA who some of the residents said was "mean" to them. She wasn't physically abusive, they said, but she called them names and spoke to them harshly. I wrote her up a...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Emotional Detachment

    VivaLasViejas replied to achristineg's topic in General Nursing

    I remember reaching that point about two and a half years into my last med/surg job. I found myself not caring about much of anything, including my family and activities I normally enjoyed. Yes, I was...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    phenobarbital for ETOH withdrawal

    VivaLasViejas replied to freckles23's topic in General Nursing

    That's just plain crazy. Someone is going to get hurt, whether it's a patient or a nurse, and then watch all the finger-pointing. Sounds like the hospital needs to develop some trainings and better...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    phenobarbital for ETOH withdrawal

    VivaLasViejas replied to freckles23's topic in General Nursing

    I'm all for detoxing people in the ICU. We used to do CIWA on the med/surg floor and it was a nightmare. I once took care of a guy who weighed around 400 pounds and was strong as an ox---he was in...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Sick and whiny (long rant, but I'll summarize)

    VivaLasViejas replied to NightNerd's topic in General Nursing

    My criteria for calling in was this: if I couldn't get my head off the pillow or out of the toilet, I was too sick to work. Didn't need to spread it all around and get my co-workers AND patients sick....
  8. VivaLasViejas

    smokers and coughing

    VivaLasViejas replied to brownbook's topic in General Nursing

    I smoked like a chimney for 10 years, and I spent a good deal of that time recovering s-l-o-w-l-y from one bout of bronchitis/pneumonia or another. One ER doc told me I wouldn't live to see 40 if I...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    "ASKholes"

    VivaLasViejas replied to hppygr8ful's topic in Nursing Humor

    Obese people and smokers should not be nurses, because role models. And the fact that they get SOB when they run down the hall to the ICU with a fully-loaded
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Leaving nursing

    VivaLasViejas replied to nay2018's topic in General Nursing

    The first year of nursing sucks, wherever you work. Please don't give up so soon. It's best if you can get a year in on your first job, but if you truly can't stand it, feel free to explore other...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Tennessee Nurse RaDonda Vaught - Legal Perspectives of Fatal Medication Error

    VivaLasViejas replied to Lorie Brown RN, MN, JD's topic in General Nursing

    Unbe-freakin-lievable. They practically apologized to her. I'm
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Your Third Act

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

    I just turned 60, and this article gives me hope for the future. I'm not in the best of health--in fact, I became disabled at 55 and am on Social Security. But I've developed an attitude of gratitude...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    OMG ?

    VivaLasViejas replied to JenMH88RN's topic in General Nursing

    Haha! I've had MRSA infections three different times. They don't swab me
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Sign On Bonuses

    VivaLasViejas replied to River&MountainRN's topic in General Nursing

    My son, an RN, tends to get all excited about big sign-on bonuses, but I remind him every so often that he got one from a local nursing facility when he was an LPN and just about lost his mind because...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Mistake

    VivaLasViejas replied to Marie63's topic in General Nursing

    I'm sorry you're still feeling guilty so many years after the incident, but glad you're getting some counseling. Twelve years is far too long to punish yourself for a mistake. I hope you will find a...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Case Study: Why Is This Patient Smelling Music? Pt. 1

    VivaLasViejas replied to SafetyNurse1968's topic in Critical Care

    I am a synesthete who sees letters and numbers in colors, and tastes words and colors. I was 45 before I even knew there was a name for it; when I was a kid I tried to explain this phenomenon a few...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Vent

    VivaLasViejas replied to TheMoonisMyLantern's topic in General Nursing

    Good point. We can't win no matter what we do, whether it's presenting TPTB with facts about our workdays or letting it go. Nobody's listening
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Vent

    VivaLasViejas replied to TheMoonisMyLantern's topic in General Nursing

    Ugh---"team-building" activities are the worst! I once attended a conference where we were expected to allow ourselves to fall into the arms of our co-workers and (hopefully) be caught. I refused to...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Question of legality

    VivaLasViejas replied to nursemartin76's topic in General Nursing

    No, I don't think you're overreacting at all. Like Emergent said, you ought to get in contact with whoever oversees medical assistants in your state. I can't imagine allowing an MA to do IV infusions,...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Blast from the past...

    VivaLasViejas replied to audreysmagic's topic in General Nursing

    I'm another fan of classic TV Westerns. I had a major crush on Little Joe Cartwright back in the day. Now I turn on the Ion channel during the day and watch police procedurals such as Law & Order,...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Conflict of Interest

    VivaLasViejas replied to Divine-LPN,BSN's topic in General Nursing

    Seems I recall a similar posting awhile back about stripping---or was it being an escort? Or both? I've been here for so long that threads kinda run into each other. Anyway, I'm with Davey and hppy;...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Are O2 sats a vital sign?

    VivaLasViejas replied to roxhannah's topic in General Nursing

    Everywhere I've worked considered oxygen saturation as a vital sign. Even when I was a CNA I was able to use pulse oximetry and chart it; of course I was expected to inform the nurse if O2 sats were...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Thinking about returning to nursing

    VivaLasViejas replied to setsuna92's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Wishing you the very best as you navigate your new job. I hope this works out well for you. Give yourself time to absorb everything and don't be afraid to consult with other nurses who have been at...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Fired two times and unable to get job now

    VivaLasViejas replied to Newstartat50's topic in General Nursing

    Hospitals are notorious for pushing older nurses out. Unfortunately you shot yourself in the foot by too many absences, and that's coming back to haunt you now. There's not a lot you can do about an...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Trigger Warning!

    VivaLasViejas replied to hppygr8ful's topic in General Nursing

    Oh, for the love of God...why do the PC police have to make such a big deal out of everything?? I can just see standing up in my NAMI group to speak, and right off the bat having to urge the...