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

    Should Female Muslim Psychiatric Patients Be Allowed to Wear Hijabs?

    VivaLasViejas replied to purplegal's topic in Psychiatric

    Exactly why I almost waited till it was too late to get help 2 1/2 years ago when I was suicidal and desperate. I was *that* scared of being treated roughly---no dignity, no say in what happened to...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    NTI: What's a Scromper, Nurse Blake?

    VivaLasViejas replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

    I love
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Type 1 Diabetic (soon to be) Nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to EverConfused's topic in General Nursing

    In my nursing class, we had a young man who was on an insulin pump for type 1 diabetes. He was one of our best students and educated us on all aspects of DM as he dealt with it. After graduation he...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Sleep and good mattresses.

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

    I loved my Sleep Number bed. I could adjust the firmness depending on what I needed at a given time. Downside was, it's a real bear to assemble/disassemble, and it didn't have the up and down features...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Nursing Ethics Question!

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nugget's topic in Psychiatric

    Bingo! I was getting all set to say how unethical I thought it was to bribe patients into doing what we wanted them to do, and then Elkpark comes up with this brilliant answer. I totally agree,
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Tools for the Freelance Writer

    VivaLasViejas replied to Ashley Hay, BSN, RN's topic in Nurse Entrepreneurs, Innovators

    Those are some great links! Thank you for sharing them with us "starving
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Am I too old to become an RN??

    VivaLasViejas replied to bananerz84's topic in LPN to RN

    Don't listen to the naysayers. I once thought I was "too old" for nursing school at the ripe old age of 35, but I did it anyway and graduated at 38. Best thing I ever did for myself and my family,...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Can you gift your elders/residents?

    VivaLasViejas replied to mindywright3's topic in General Nursing

    It's generally not a good idea for facility staff to bring gifts of any kind to individual residents/patients. For one thing, it's probably against policy, and for another, it can be seen as showing...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Returning to LPN....Help!

    VivaLasViejas replied to rnoonkester's topic in Retired Nurses

    Even if you don't want a hospital position, I think you should go for the RN, preferably a BSN. It opens so many doors that the LPN and ADN can't
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Is this reasonable or just over the top?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Lakeshore18's topic in General Nursing

    What fresh hell is this? I've been out of nursing for only three years, but from so many discussions about scripting and bedside report (hello, HIPAA anyone?) I'm glad I retired. If I were a...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Was anyone bad at math/ science before prerequisites?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Skippy97's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    You are a math genius compared with me. I couldn't even do long division when I started pre-requisites! (In high school I got away with taking only a business math class---no algebra required.) A year...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Ten Things A Nurse Doesn't Want to Hear

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in General Nursing

    1) "You're so smart, you should have gone to medical school." I AM smart---that's why I became a nurse instead of enduring 80-hour work weeks and giving up sleep for eight years. 2) "It must be...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Anxiety, depression.. not sure I'm cut out to be a nurse anymore

    VivaLasViejas replied to chrispytreat's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I'm a freelance writer and blogger. I've also been on Social Security Disability for two years due to my mental health
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Anxiety, depression.. not sure I'm cut out to be a nurse anymore

    VivaLasViejas replied to chrispytreat's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I hear you. I have bipolar I and anxiety, and I fought my illness for years before I was diagnosed in 2012. I never held a job for more than 2 1/2 years; some, I only stayed at for a few months. I...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    My Manager gave me a bad review for no reason.

    VivaLasViejas replied to Halienichole26's topic in Medical Assistant, CNA/MA

    You won't lose your CNA certification if you quit, even without notice. The only way that would happen is if you were to accept an assignment and then walk out during your shift. The best way to quit...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Obesity and health issues

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

    One of the biggest changes I've made in my own 80+ pound weight loss is not drinking soda (not even diet). I drank the equivalent of a six-pack of Coke a day for most of my adult life. I don't know...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Manager catch phrases

    VivaLasViejas replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    "We're going to knock this one out of the park." "There is no 'I' in 'team'." "It is what it
  18. VivaLasViejas

    They want me to be an RN

    VivaLasViejas replied to AspiringMD585's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    Although nursing and medicine are complementary, they are very different, and studying for nursing when you really want to be a doctor will almost certainly be a waste of time. You are very, very...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    taste of medication

    VivaLasViejas replied to socoamaretto's topic in General Nursing

    Ativan (generic) tastes like Sweet & Low, as does orally disintegrating Zyprexa. And prednisone is horribly
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Male Patient Modesty Question

    VivaLasViejas replied to tmaloney58's topic in General Nursing

    Let's give our poster the benefit of the doubt. I think we've all seen examples of poor care and I for one prefer to believe this actually happened. MOST patients are treated with dignity, but there...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    My coworker was high and got away with it

    VivaLasViejas replied to Volley88's topic in General Nursing

    Oooh, brownies! The perfect ending to a great meal like I just had.
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Fill In The Blank...

    VivaLasViejas replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

    I fell in the
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Choose Your Favorite TV Nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

    Dana Delaney's nurse character (Colleen McMurphy? can't remember her name) in China
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Favorite Motivational Quote

    VivaLasViejas replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

    "Time, patience, and perseverance will accomplish all
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Patients Say the Darnedest Things

    VivaLasViejas replied to allnurses's topic in General Nursing

    I was preparing a bolus tube feeding for one resident and accidentally knocked over a couple of cans of Jevity. The roommate on the other side of the curtain woke up and asked "Are you the cat?"...