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

    Trump legal woes increase: NY AG joins Trump Org. criminal probe

    VivaLasViejas replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in U.S. Politics's Talk Politics

    Ewwwww.
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Is nursing right for me?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Krissy Maxwell's topic in General Nursing

    Yes, there really is no way to get through nursing school and clinicals—to say nothing of your first job—without having to stand and walk throughout most, if not all, of your shift. There are...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Dealing with patient death

    VivaLasViejas replied to pinkdoves's topic in General Nursing

    I’ve seen a lot of people die, most of my career was in geriatrics and Med/Surg so death was just something I had to deal with. That said, some patient departures were harder than others and I...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Depression

    VivaLasViejas replied to LeChien's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I’m so sorry you’re feeling badly right now. I’ve fought depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder for most of my life, so I know how fast and how hard we can fall. I hope you have a good doctor...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    What Was a Highlight of Your Career as a Nurse?

    VivaLasViejas replied to dareese's topic in General Nursing

    I’ve never won any formal awards, but I have been the recipient of kudos from my patients and their families. For me, the reward was a hug, a card, a “thank you”. All I ever wanted to do was...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Is Politics a Religion of sort?

    VivaLasViejas replied to guest1163268's topic in U.S. Politics's Talk Politics

    I’m a conservative Catholic Republican who thinks you may be generalizing too much. However, I see the mockery that many Trump followers have made of Christianity, and it’s my humble opinion that...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Are hospitals in NJ allowed to record patients in their room?

    VivaLasViejas replied to The0Walrus's topic in Psychiatric

    I should hope not. Being in a psychiatric hospital is bad enough with the 15-minute checks and having your room tossed every day to look for contraband. There is no expectation of privacy, because the...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Should I renew my LPN license despite recently getting my RN license?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Lurkndmurk's topic in General Nursing

    I was a CNA when I was in nursing school. When I earned my RN license I kept my CNA certification active until it was time for renewal, then simply let it lapse. You don’t need dual licenses. And...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    The Real Reason Republicans Want to Oust Liz Cheney

    VivaLasViejas replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in U.S. Politics's Talk Politics

    I did that in 2016. I couldn’t abide Hillary, so I didn’t vote for President at all. I voted in all the down-ballot races, just not the top job. I hated doing that but there was literally NO ONE I...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    The Real Reason Republicans Want to Oust Liz Cheney

    VivaLasViejas replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in U.S. Politics's Talk Politics

    This describes me perfectly. I am a Republican and a conservative, but I can’t stand Trump and did not vote for him in 2016 OR 2020. In fact, I voted for Biden because he is a decent human being,...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Should I give a two weeks' notice?

    VivaLasViejas replied to neuron's topic in General Nursing

    You definitely don’t want to burn bridges. You just never know when or where you may meet those people again. Like others have said, nursing is a small world, and we tend to circulate around...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Getting fired by a patient/ family member

    VivaLasViejas replied to DesiDani's topic in General Nursing

    I never had the dubious distinction of being fired by a patient, but there were sure times when I wished one would. My least favorite was the “Karen” type who came to the hospital at least every...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Epic (Nursing) FAILS!

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nursing Humor

    It’s fun to see this old thread resurrected with new stories. Keep ‘em coming,
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Epic (Nursing) FAILS!

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in Nursing Humor

    I once destroyed a patient room within five minutes of starting my shift. It was fortunate that the two ladies who occupied the semi-private room were AA & O and had a sense of humor. You...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Should I become a nurse if I don't like bedside care?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Sweetjen09's topic in General Students

    If the idea of bedside nursing is repulsive to you, you might want to consider a different career in health care. “Wiping butts” is part and parcel of the job, you can’t always rely on CNAs or...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Considering going back to bedside...bad idea?

    VivaLasViejas replied to citynurse03's topic in General Nursing

    I went from bedside to management and back again several times during my career. It wasn’t as hard then to move around between specialties, and I always seemed to get bored and restless around the...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Taking a break? How long until you came back?

    VivaLasViejas replied to LibraNurse27's topic in General Nursing

    I’ve been here at AN for almost two decades. The only times I’ve taken breaks were when I got too involved in contentious discussions and overheated. This was back when I was wrestling with an...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Which patients are you most scared to take care of?

    VivaLasViejas replied to SilverBells's topic in General Nursing

    Detox patients. They’re entirely unpredictable and you can’t trust them as far as you can throw them. We used to detox them on the M/S floor, which was horrible because when the DTs hit, they got...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Why am I asked to fix things that are NOT my job?

    VivaLasViejas replied to LPNwithBIGdreams's topic in General Nursing

    In LTC I had to plunge toilets, fix electric bed problems and exterminate ants. There was no such thing as maintenance or housekeeping after 1700 or on weekends. No, it wasn’t my job to fetch...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    New RN Age

    VivaLasViejas replied to Kooper48's topic in General Nursing

    I was 38 when I graduated from nursing school and began my career. Still young enough to run the halls, but with life experience that gave me “people skills” and the ability to read the room in...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    National Blah Blah Blah Day

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    For what it’s worth, Davey, I’ve been retired since 2014 and I still have recurrent dreams of working in the hospital, even though I left that job 15 years ago. I think all nurses have those...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Coworkers Turning On Heavy Metal and Rock Music In the Dining Room For Elderly Residents

    VivaLasViejas replied to SilverBells's topic in General Nursing

    I’ve dealt with similar situations in elder care facilities, and I always came down on the side of the residents, who did not enjoy rap or metal. Like another poster said, the nursing home IS their...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    allnurses opus

    VivaLasViejas replied to Davey Do's topic in General Nursing

    I bet I know which song you’d play for me.
  24. VivaLasViejas

    How many jobs have you had in your career?

    VivaLasViejas replied to LibraNurse27's topic in General Nursing

    I had 13 jobs in 17 years. Some of them overlapped, but the longest I ever stayed at one job was 2.75 years. I wasn’t aware of it then, but after my career was over I realized that I often changed...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Gross Me Out ? Contest | Nurses Week

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in General Nursing

    This isn’t as gross as some stories, but it’s funny so here goes. My first job out of school was in a fairly nice nursing home, working nights on both SNF and long-term care units. It was...