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

    Just disgusted

    VivaLasViejas replied to Schmoo1022's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Ummm.........I'm in the process of attempting to become a surveyor, and it's not because I'm incompetent, mean, nasty, or a zealot. It's certainly not because I can't do what I expect others to do!...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    My bad attitude

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

    Thank you for stating so eloquently what needs to be said in every hospital and care facility, to every manager and administrator and CEO and board member throughout the land. I think a copy of this...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Sadistic CI? I need an opinion.

    VivaLasViejas replied to AliveToday's topic in General Students

    You may very well be right.........I think it's one thing if you're dealing with older students who have lots of life experience under their belts so they can put these things in perspective. But a...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Sadistic CI? I need an opinion.

    VivaLasViejas replied to AliveToday's topic in General Students

    One of the things you will learn as you get through school and become a real-life nurse is never to take things too seriously. Another thing is that many of us develop a really warped sense of humor,...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Medical Question for a Pediatric Nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to ijuanabhappy's topic in General Nursing

    Yes, it's beyond the scope of our practice as nurses to offer medical advice. What we can tell you is to take your son to see his pediatrician and have his symptoms be evaluated. They sound like early...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Correction.

    VivaLasViejas replied to ImASuckyCMA87's topic in General Nursing

    You have already been advised to go see a doctor. However, you would need a referral from your primary care provider, as s/he is a gatekeeper for your insurance company and needs to assess your...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Am I diabetic??

    VivaLasViejas replied to ImASuckyCMA87's topic in General Nursing

    The best person to advise you on any health concern is, of course, your primary care provider. As nurses, we cannot diagnose your problem or offer any sort of medical advice; to do so is beyond the...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Should I stick with LTC?

    VivaLasViejas replied to TruDivaRN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    People who have never worked in LTC don't have the foggiest notion of the skill set we develop in this setting, so don't listen to them. You obviously love what you're doing, and I wish there were...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    My bad attitude

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

    Jessie, you must work at the same hospital I used to. I've been through a VERY similar experience; in the old days it was called "gaslighting". It's where people play head games with you and...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    What's It All About, ALFie?--Help and Support for Assisted Living Nurses

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Welcome!!!!!!
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Question about LTC shifts.....

    VivaLasViejas replied to NatashaFromOregon's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    At my ALF the shifts are 0600-1400, 1400-2200, and 2200-0600, with an additional half hour for the med aides who have to count narcs and do report. We also have an evening short-shift position, which...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Corporate headaches

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

    Me too.....I AM the corporate/company nurse. Although in the past, I have worked for a for-profit corporation that employed regional directors of nursing to oversee the nurse consultants. My opinion...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Staff Leaving In Droves! Residents Revolting! Administration Ignoring All! HELP!

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Kiki, where IS that place where good people are rewarded and valued? Oh, yeah, I forgot: it's called HEAVEN. I appreciate your perspective on the "dark side" of being a surveyor. It goes to prove that...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Staff Leaving In Droves! Residents Revolting! Administration Ignoring All! HELP!

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in General Nursing

    I love my job. No, I really DO love my job, and watching my facility fall apart at the seams is breaking my heart. This is the best place I've ever worked for, a place I'd planned to retire from...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Things that gross me out....

    VivaLasViejas replied to 2shihtzus's topic in General Nursing

    Oh, definitely...........that's even worse than the time I changed a dressing on a diabetic's foot and two of the toes fell off into my hand.
  16. VivaLasViejas

    I think I could be an Alcoholic.......

    VivaLasViejas replied to KayceeLeeRN's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Yes. I can help you. It's exactly as the old wisdom says: If you even THINK you may have a drinking problem........you already do. You say you feel powerless over ETOH. You can't stop once you get...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Brown Recluse Spider Bites..

    VivaLasViejas replied to DaughteroftheKing's topic in Arizona Nursing

    I'm rather suprised that the MD hasn't cultured those "spider bites" for MRSA. A lot of times skin lesions such as you describe are attributed to spider bites, even when they are associated with...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Serotonin and weight

    VivaLasViejas replied to LydiaNN's topic in General Nursing

    I vote for the vicious cycle. I'm in one right now. I've been unhappy about work, so I 'self-medicate' with food to literally "stuff" the bad feelings for a while. Unfortunately, I tend to eat...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Question for any DONs at ALFs

    VivaLasViejas replied to nurse210's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    It's an hour before and an hour after the scheduled time in LTC where I live (Oregon) too. However, don't rely on word of mouth; in fact, you'd do well to get a copy of your state's "Bible", AKA the...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    How far can a hospice nurse go, spiritually-speaking?

    VivaLasViejas replied to GardenerGirl's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I remember being in the hospital a few years ago with chest pain of a suspicious nature. Even as a nurse, I was scared spitless because I was experiencing the symptoms I'd seen so many times in my...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Stage III and growing...Please help!!!

    VivaLasViejas replied to bluegeegoo2's topic in Wound, Ostomy, Continence

    In addition to topicals, I'd ask for a wound culture and an appropriate systemic antibiotic, plus Vitamin C BID and a high-potency zinc tablet, 220 mg QD X 4-6 weeks only (it's apt to cause a copper...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Licking One's Fingers When Passing Out Papers

    VivaLasViejas replied to Karynica, RN's topic in General Nursing

    In a word:
  23. VivaLasViejas

    How did it come to this?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Southernurse's topic in General Nursing

    Well said.......hear,
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Don't You Just Want to Scream?!?

    VivaLasViejas replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Yep, if that CNA were working at my facility, the second warning would've been the last. As bad as most LTCs need staff, they don't need this sort. Compliance with resident safety measures is...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Why Women are Crabby

    VivaLasViejas replied to FranEMTnurse's topic in Nursing Humor

    That's what I was thinking..........been there, done