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

    I don't like charting.

    VivaLasViejas replied to lisamc1RN's topic in General Nursing

    Yes! Try "Charting Made Incredibly Easy", it's one of many books in a series called, not surprisingly, "Incredibly Easy". You can find it at any major bookstore, e.g. Borders, or you can purchase it...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    I don't like charting.

    VivaLasViejas replied to lisamc1RN's topic in General Nursing

    As the saying goes: Documentation does not improve our nursing care.......it PROVES it. :) Just think of charting as giving yourself credit for all the good work you do and the observations you make...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Anyone score 90+ Precentile on the NLN Entrance Exam?

    VivaLasViejas replied to agent's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    I scored in the 99th percentile as well. However, I remember waiting for the test to get harder, and it never did, so it didn't surprise me that I scored highly. In nursing school, though, I was not...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Creative terminology for dosages

    VivaLasViejas replied to lapappey's topic in Nursing Humor

    "We touched him up with a bit of Fentanyl" "It took a s***load of Haldol to get her to come down" Doctor's verbal order: "Well, we could try giving a snootful of Demerol and see if we can get that...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    When do you call off work?

    VivaLasViejas replied to UM Review RN's topic in General Nursing

    I call in if I can't get my head a) off the pillow, or b) out of the john. Otherwise, I go to work.......although there was one notable exception about a month ago when my fibromyalgia flared up...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Ladies vs Real Women

    VivaLasViejas replied to FranEMTnurse's topic in Nursing Humor

    Definitely a real woman here........and I can open my own dang jars!!
  7. VivaLasViejas

    What style of music do you listen to the most?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Thunderwolf's topic in General Nursing

    I'm with you, Steph........Celine Dion was OK for a short while in the late '90s, but her 15 minutes of fame have lasted waaaaaaaaay too long. You've got some good stuff there! Like yours, my musical...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Can my arm be infected?

    VivaLasViejas replied to z's playa's topic in General Nursing

    I'm glad your U/S came back negative, that's a good sign that you'll be OK soon. In the meantime, I'd still get the arm looked at, and in the meantime keep it elevated as much as possible and put warm...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Best Nursing Drug Reference Book

    VivaLasViejas replied to payday's topic in General Nursing

    I'm embarrassed to admit, I haven't bought a new drug book since I graduated :imbar (thank goodness my hospital buys new ones each year). My favorite, though, is the Davis Drug Guide for Nurses.....it...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Can my arm be infected?

    VivaLasViejas replied to z's playa's topic in General Nursing

    Sounds like you might need another course of antibiotics, or a different kind, z.........you shouldn't still have a palpable cord after this long. Please get it checked again, OK? Keep us posted, hon....
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Travel Nursing in your RV full time

    VivaLasViejas replied to Trvln Nurse's topic in Agency Nurses

    This, too, is my dream for the future, when the kids are finally all out on their own and I can afford to work part-time. We'll still be relatively young(DH will be over 60 and I'll be in my early...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    respiratory student here....need to ask a question

    VivaLasViejas replied to respiratoryqeen's topic in General Nursing

    I can't add much to the excellent advice offered here, so let me say this: A wise nurse recognizes and respects ALL members of the healthcare team, if for no other reason than they can save her/his...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    I'm thinking about trying to get pregnant and start nursing school? Yes or No?

    VivaLasViejas replied to rayofsunshine's topic in General Nursing

    When I started nursing school in 1995, our instructors told us, "Don't make any major life decisions over the next 2 years---don't get married, don't get divorced, don't buy a house, don't sell your...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Is there nursing after 50?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Malt123's topic in General Nursing

    Wow.......how ungracious. This poster poured out her heart to you in the hope that what she learned from her experience might help you get through yours........it wasn't necessary to be nasty. I'm...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    How do you get it through nurses heads that we MUST be patient advocates?

    VivaLasViejas replied to pghfoxfan's topic in General Nursing

    Well put, Tweety. It takes a while to become confident enough with one's nursing knowledge and skills to challenge a physician; even for someone like me who's had a lot of life experience before...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Is there nursing after 50?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Malt123's topic in General Nursing

    Is there nursing after 50? Well, there'd better be, or I'm SOL........it's only 4 years away now, and I am far from ready to be put out to pasture. I may not have many more years of floor nursing left...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Are you nursing where you thought you'd be?

    VivaLasViejas replied to rnmi2004's topic in General Nursing

    It's taken a long time, but I'm right where I always wanted to be since I was an aide at our local hospital, working as a float nurse. When I started nursing school back in 1995, I did so with the...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Is it Ok for a male nurse to have a beard?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Thunderwolf's topic in General Nursing

    Most of the male nurses I work with have well-groomed beards, and they look
  19. VivaLasViejas

    NPO stories (NPO what??!)

    VivaLasViejas replied to CIRQL8's topic in Operating Room

    Reminds me of the time I was having false labor with my first child, and a friend of mine cautioned me against eating anything I "wouldn't want to see again", because women are apt to get nauseated...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Postpartum pain management

    VivaLasViejas replied to breastfeedingRN's topic in Ob/Gyn

    I'm with you both.......I'm very much a proponent of good PP pain relief. A new mother's got enough on her plate without having to deal with unrelieved pain in the bargain. Your instincts are right on...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Let's Have Some Fun!

    VivaLasViejas replied to HannasMom's topic in General Nursing

    I did it so I could become acquainted with the million variations on a single theme---"Code Brown"---and thus have an unending supply of gross-out stories to tell my kids!
  22. VivaLasViejas

    How do you get it through nurses heads that we MUST be patient advocates?

    VivaLasViejas replied to pghfoxfan's topic in General Nursing

    Well, I don't know where some folks went to school, but the program I graduated from drilled it into our heads literally from the first day of classes that we were to be the patient's advocate in...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Sick nurse goes to ER

    VivaLasViejas replied to Butternut's topic in General Nursing

    The few times I've had to go in for procedures or take family members in, I've had people falling all over each other to take care of us. I also assist with whatever is going on........I've done the...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Got any funny acronyms at your ER???

    VivaLasViejas replied to RNin92's topic in Emergency

    GOMER=Get Out of My Emergency Room (said of our frequent flyers) LOLFOF=Little Old Lady Found On Floor (a common occurrence) CTD=Circling the Drain T&S=Treat and Street (a runny nose that suddenly...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    How do YOU give a great injection?

    VivaLasViejas replied to fromTeacher2Nurse's topic in General Nursing

    In four words: let the alcohol dry . If you inject through alcohol, it tracks through the tissue and makes the sting even worse. You would not believe how much easier it is on the patient if you just...