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

    Religion & Ectopic Abortion

    VivaLasViejas replied to Happy.Nurselet's topic in Spirituality, Religion

    I am a pro-life Catholic, but it is my feeling that termination of an ectopic pregnancy is a necessary evil that must be done to save the life of the mother. The baby cannot be saved in that...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    The Nurse Empath

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kelsea1214's topic in General Nursing

    Oh, my gosh, I wish this post had been around when I was nursing. I too am an empath and it cost me dearly, as I was unable to "wring myself out" completely and I ended up losing my career...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    I'm out - headed for the "dark side"

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

    Congratulations! I'm very happy for you. Hope the new position is everything you want it to
  4. VivaLasViejas

    without a job until after new years

    VivaLasViejas replied to RN252's topic in Nursing Career

    Why do you have to wait 2 months to work? I've never heard of such a
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Understanding the Risk of Firearms: Suicide vs. Homicide

    VivaLasViejas replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    The way I see it is, I did not leave my Second Amendment rights at the door to my psychiatrist's office. I have a gun and a mental illness. That being said, however, I don't have access to that gun...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Boomerang Coworkers

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    I have been a boomerang employee twice. I worked at one nursing home in 2008-2010 and 2013; I also worked at one hospital three times, once as a CNA and twice as a nurse. Obviously loyalty was never...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    The Grinch of allnurses.com

    VivaLasViejas replied to traumaRUs's topic in General Nursing

    I love Christmas and almost everything about it...except for those sappy movies on the Hallmark, Lifetime, and Ion channels. They're all the same, like Trauma said, and the saccharine nature of these...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    What is the longest time you have spent in one position?

    VivaLasViejas replied to TinyDancer01's topic in General Nursing

    The longest I've ever stayed at one job was two and 3/4 years. I moved around a lot and basically never found my niche, although I really loved assisted living. I honestly can't imagine sticking with...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    New Nurse, feeling depressed

    VivaLasViejas replied to jellybean570's topic in First Year After Licensure

    The first year of nursing sucks. Big time. I don't think I've ever known a nurse who found that first year easy. I certainly didn't...I used to have anxiety attacks every night before I went to work,...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    How Do You Know When to Call It? (Career)

    VivaLasViejas replied to bluegeegoo2's topic in Nursing Career

    You have my sympathies. I had to quit nursing five years ago for similar reasons...cognitive impairments such as being unable to learn/retain new information, short-term memory loss, and difficulty...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Snowflakes

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    Better watch out, Davey...somebody's bound to get offended by your use of the term 'snowflake'. At least make sure they have a safe space!
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Charge nurse gave an antipsychotic without an order..how should i handle this?

    VivaLasViejas replied to sallykk79's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Unfortunately, you are going to have to let this go. You have nothing but suspicion to go on, and that's not enough to make a formal complaint. That nurse probably *did* give your patient the Seroquel...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    How Much Junk do you Keep?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Accolay's topic in General Nursing

    I still have textbooks from nursing school back in the '90s. I thought I'd gotten rid of them in the last move, when we went from a four-bedroom three-bath house to a room in our son's home. But I ran...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Situational Trauma

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    I went to a Black Friday sales event once. ONCE. I hate crowds to begin with, and I hate early mornings even more, but I promised my sister I'd go, so I did. BIG mistake. Not only were people...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    November 22, 1963

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    I was just shy of 5 when JFK was assassinated. I remember my mother and sister crying, and the long funeral procession with the riderless horse. It was a sad, dark time in my
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Most valuable experience

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nurse3242's topic in General Nursing

    I once was a float nurse in a general hospital. Not only did I get a lot of experience in Med/Surg, I also worked mother/baby and critical care. It was a great learning experience and I became really...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Highly Sensitive People in Nursing: Stress & Burnout - Research

    VivaLasViejas replied to RNliveoak's topic in General Nursing

    Done!
  18. VivaLasViejas

    The best nursing shoes?

    VivaLasViejas replied to laurenfa918's topic in General Nursing

    I'm with Davey---New Balance is the shoe for me. I can try on almost any pair and they fit like they were custom-made for me. I usually buy the moderately priced shoes now, but when I was nursing I...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Commute!

    VivaLasViejas replied to chacha82's topic in General Nursing

    I wouldn't do it. I used to have an hour commute and that was bad enough, although it did have its perks like being able to decompress on the way home and listen to some good tunes both ways. And I...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Talk about turkeys? - Share Your Favorite Thanksgiving Stories

    VivaLasViejas replied to tnbutterfly - Mary's topic in General Nursing

    Then there was the Thanksgiving when I was taking the turkey partway out of the oven to give it a good basting. Unfortunately, this maneuver caused the turkey, golden brown and a thing of glory, to...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Thankfulness - What's Yours?

    VivaLasViejas replied to traumaRUs's topic in General Nursing

    I'm thankful for family, friends, and the simple things in life. I love that first cup of coffee in the morning, electric blankets, leaves crunching underfoot, a warm roof over my head. Even though...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Fired on my first day of work

    VivaLasViejas replied to staple1027's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Consider yourself lucky. There are many things worse than getting fired...namely, working in a dumpster fire like that. Better luck next
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Considering CRNA School

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kcordova's topic in Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, CRNA

    My son, a new grad RN, is seriously considering this career path, but he has NO idea of what he's in for. I'm going to make sure he reads this. Thanks for the
  24. VivaLasViejas

    I didn't wake up on time and was too late to come for AM shift?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Surgonconurse's topic in General Nursing

    I use my phone as an alarm and keep it charged at all times. I'm retired, but on the rare occasion when I need to get up early in the morning, I set two alarms---one, half an hour before I have to...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Nursing specialties for the moms out there.

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kiwi5133's topic in General Nursing

    I was a director of nursing services for a 90-bed assisted living facility, and I can sympathize with you. I was salaried too. I sat down once and figured out what my hourly wage would have been given...