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

    Trouble In Paradise

    VivaLasViejas replied to TrudyRN's topic in General Nursing

    Excellent advice,
  2. VivaLasViejas

    How Long Before You Felt Expert as a Nurse?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Pachinko's topic in General Nursing

    Over a decade after graduation, I'm STILL waiting to feel like an
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Any experience with the new sleep med Rozerem?

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

    I haven't personally tried Rozerem---too bloody expensive! There are a couple of residents in my ALF who have, and they frankly weren't terribly impressed; in fact, they're actually doing better on...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Does anyone here actually like or "not mind" cleaning poop???

    VivaLasViejas replied to MrsNursey2006's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Anyone notice that the OP is long
  5. VivaLasViejas

    At a low point- very disillusioned with nursing

    VivaLasViejas replied to HealthyRN's topic in General Nursing

    FWIW, it took me almost NINE years to find out where I belonged in nursing---right here in my 42-bed ALF.:) I did a little bit of almost everything (ICU, mother-baby, care management, staff...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Does anyone here actually like or "not mind" cleaning poop???

    VivaLasViejas replied to MrsNursey2006's topic in First Year After Licensure

    I don't think there's a nurse alive who actually ENJOYS cleaning poop. But the day one gets too high-and-mighty to wipe the bottoms of patients who can't do it for themselves, is the day he or she...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Why inmates do not deserve free healthcare

    VivaLasViejas replied to feb06's topic in Correctional

    I wish the rest of us had such a
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Clinton unveils new health care plan

    VivaLasViejas replied to bethin's topic in Activism, Healthcare

    I have always been in favor of single-payer health care. The sticking point for me is how to go about it..........I DON'T want the federal government to control health care, I don't trust them to make...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    ANGRY! There's no place to eat or drink 'round here!

    VivaLasViejas replied to CaLLaCoDe's topic in General Nursing

    Before I left hospital nursing, JCAHO had just been in and our management lowered the boom on us for keeping food/drinks etc. in the report room. I'd always understood that it looked tacky when we had...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Clinton unveils new health care plan

    VivaLasViejas replied to bethin's topic in Activism, Healthcare

    I am not at all impressed with this plan. Any "reform" that leaves the insurance industry in charge of health care in this country is, IMO, putting a Bandaid on cancer. You've got to root out the...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Just curious what's so bad about working LTC?

    VivaLasViejas replied to kgard7777's topic in General Nursing

    First, the bad: 1) Understaffing 2) Too much paperwork 3) For-profit facilities 4) Understaffing 5) Poor organization 6) Supplies often not available or hard to find 7) Understaffing 8) Too little...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Feeding Residents

    VivaLasViejas replied to pat8585's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I'm with lovingtheunloved---give residents what they like, and they just might eat more. Right now I have a little lady in my ALF who is losing the battle with MS. She never was what anyone would...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    help, i didn't know i did something wrong

    VivaLasViejas replied to strive4mores's topic in General Nursing

    Sarah, you have received some good advice here. For the sake of the rest of your career, I would suggest you be scrupulously honest from here on out, pay back both hospitals, and never, EVER do...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    "It jsut water weight........"

    VivaLasViejas replied to Tweety's topic in General Nursing

    You just said it: "My body likes this weight". That's the key here. Your body is not the same as it was when you were 25, and you can't expect it to be. Midlife does that to us. Biology, in this case,...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    "It jsut water weight........"

    VivaLasViejas replied to Tweety's topic in General Nursing

    I really wish I could do a veggies and grains diet. Trouble is, I dislike most of the super healthy vegetables because of bitterness and/or texture issues, and grains only make me feel bloated and...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    i quit w/out notice, what effect would it have?

    VivaLasViejas replied to DdKk's topic in LPN, LVN Corner

    From a manager's perspective, for future reference: Do everything within your power to avoid quitting a job without giving the proper notice, usually a minimum of two weeks. Employers tend to view...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    How to tell you have sleep apnea?...

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mesomorph's topic in General Nursing

    I'm sorry, but we cannot offer medical advice on this forum. You will need to see a qualified physician or nurse practitioner who can refer you to a specialist in sleep medicine. This person will...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    An Unbelievable Night

    VivaLasViejas replied to RNSuzq1's topic in Medical-Surgical

    Susan~ You are a trooper!! That was surely the shift from Hell---even the most experienced M/S nurse would've been a wreck after that one. Congratulate yourself for having gotten through it, and...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    "It jsut water weight........"

    VivaLasViejas replied to Tweety's topic in General Nursing

    Exactly, Siri. Up until I started getting kidney stones, I was a big fan of the Atkins diet, which remains the only diet I've ever been able to stick with longer than a few weeks. There's just...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    nurses backstab fellow nurses

    VivaLasViejas replied to tokkii girl's topic in Texas Nursing

    Don't forget that YOU play a big part in whether you will be mistreated or not. And know that not all workplaces are like that. But if you should find yourself in such a toxic environment, here are a...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Drug Screening

    VivaLasViejas replied to Inquisitive one's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    My facility started a screening program last year when we changed management companies. While I personally believe that what an employee does on his/her own time is NONE of the employer's business, I...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    mental health day

    VivaLasViejas replied to ohmeowzer RN's topic in Health, Stress Management

    You are most welcome. I'm not usually good at admitting defeat, but Med/surg got too stressful for me, both physically and mentally, in the last couple of years that I was there. I was 46 when I left,...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Let's play: What's that word mean?

    VivaLasViejas replied to blueberrybon's topic in LPN, LVN Corner

    I see
  24. VivaLasViejas

    mental health day

    VivaLasViejas replied to ohmeowzer RN's topic in Health, Stress Management

    That's why they call 'em 'mental-health' days---if you don't take one once in awhile when you really need it, you're less able to roll with the punches of the average day at work. However, if you find...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Not able to continue orientation, feel terrible.

    VivaLasViejas replied to Jo Dirt's topic in General Nursing

    Being a working mom is tough..........I think every woman who has ever held down a job while raising children can agree on this point. However, if you think you have it bad, Motorcycle Mama, try...