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

    Worried about prospective employers looking at my medical record

    VivaLasViejas replied to PurpleScrubs's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    The only way your employer can find out what's in your medical record is if you provide a copy to them, which of course you're not going to do because it's none of their business. Sometimes you have...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    If you could give one piece of advice back when you were a new grad RN, what would it be?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mursthetics's topic in General Nursing

    Don't panic, even if your confused elderly gentleman has just yanked out his central line or your GI bleed patient suddenly gushes blood and loses his blood pressure. Freaking out never does any good,...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses Call the Governor of Tennessee

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nurse Beth's topic in General Nursing

    Anonymous865, you make an excellent point. I'm going to have to rethink my stance on whether or not the nurse should face criminal charges in light of your examples of other people who have made fatal...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    12 Urologic Emergencies Nurses Need to Know

    VivaLasViejas replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in General Nursing

    I hear ya. I've had five lithotripsies plus a percutaneous nephrolithotomy for kidney stones, and as of last March I had more of the rotten things floating around in my kidneys. My son-in-law has...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    12 Urologic Emergencies Nurses Need to Know

    VivaLasViejas replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in General Nursing

    What are the other two? You only listed
  6. VivaLasViejas

    How to be a Perfect Nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to mtnNurse.'s topic in General Nursing

    Being a good nurse and a good employee are not necessarily one and the same. I used to take pride in the fact that I was a good nurse, but I sometimes clashed with bosses who called me "slow" and...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Anyone else regret becoming a nurse?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Florida Sun RN's topic in General Nursing

    It was a matter of a mental health condition I have that was latent for years, but when it appeared it just got worse and worse until I had a major breakdown six years ago. I lost a job I loved, then...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Anyone else regret becoming a nurse?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Florida Sun RN's topic in General Nursing

    I wouldn't give up just yet. There really is a lot you can do with a nursing license. I had my struggles as a nurse and my career ended on a sour note, but I got to try a lot of different jobs in the...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    How many of you disinfect car after work?

    VivaLasViejas replied to PHC-nurse's topic in General Nursing

    I used to be pretty obsessive about cleanliness. I'd come home, leave my shoes in the garage to be wiped down later, go down the back stairs to the basement, strip off all my clothes and put them in...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Most Burned Out Nursing Specialties?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mursthetics's topic in General Nursing

    My sentiments exactly. I did both LTC and Med/Surg and I don't know which one burned me out quicker. I switched back and forth between them throughout much of my career until I got involved in...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    BEWARE of frauds...

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

    I had to give you a Like for this video.
  12. VivaLasViejas

    I charted something I shouldn't have and I'm terrified I'll lose my nursing license

    VivaLasViejas replied to newbie2018's topic in General Nursing

    You won't lose your license. I think almost everybody has done this at one time or another when things weren't as strict as they are now. (I never did it with narcotics, though, just maintenance meds...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Is this insubordination? How do I deal with this PSW?

    VivaLasViejas replied to guest1048932's topic in General Nursing

    Generalize
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Nurse Charged With Homicide

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nurse Beth's topic in General Nursing

    I wouldn't charge her. I do think she deserves to lose her license, however. This wasn't just a "mistake", it was negligence all the way. We've all been in situations where we could have given the...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Indecisive about job situation?

    VivaLasViejas replied to mzsuccess's topic in Nursing Career

    I think you'd be better off in the long run if you can stay at your current job for at least another two months. Go PRN if you have to, your perspective may change if you're not throwing yourself...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Over using sympathy card

    VivaLasViejas replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

  17. VivaLasViejas

    Are there any real nurses on this site?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Bronx6's topic in Psychiatric

    I have been both the provider and the recipient of psychiatric nursing care. I salute all of you who serve in that
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Med error . I’m devastated

    VivaLasViejas replied to Stephen ww's topic in General Nursing

    In regards to medication errors, there are two types of nurses: those who have made med errors, and those who will. No one is exempt from this. The good news is, you've learned from yours and will...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    **** I've seen

    VivaLasViejas replied to GSDlvrRN's topic in General Nursing

    I just threw up in my mouth a little. Dentures are my nursing Kryptonite.
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Understanding the Power of Nursing Specialty Certifications

    VivaLasViejas replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    I was a Certified Medical/Surgical Registered Nurse in the way-back days when I worked in the hospital. They paid for the course and testing, and I got a dollar an hour raise for holding the...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Over using sympathy card

    VivaLasViejas replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    Grief is a funny thing. It comes and goes in waves, for months or years. You can be going along just fine for awhile, and then it hits you again like a ton of bricks. It is said that it takes roughly...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    **** I've seen

    VivaLasViejas replied to GSDlvrRN's topic in General Nursing

    Some of the things confused elderly patients do with their poop... One fellow who seemed alert and oriented on admission was later found rolling his BM into balls and lining them up on the bed table....
  23. VivaLasViejas

    I don’t know what to say ???

    VivaLasViejas replied to JenMH88RN's topic in General Nursing

    Sometimes the best thing to say is...nothing at all. Like others have said, words are not always necessary. Your presence in the room and the good care you give show the patient and their loved ones...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Conflicted if I want to move from job that I like to new job with better opportunities?

    VivaLasViejas replied to tenderfootjoe's topic in General Nursing

    Sometimes, the devil we know is better than the one we don't. That being said, I think you should go for it. You've got a couple of years' solid experience under your belt, and while you've got plenty...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    First med error/mistakes

    VivaLasViejas replied to Smhcdh0623's topic in General Nursing

    First of all...breathe. It's going to be okay. The only kinds of nurses who make mistakes are those who have, and those who will. Yes, the heparin issue could have been a big problem, but it wasn't...