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

    Am I supposed to hate my first nursing job??

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

    I HATED my first nursing job. I'd done my last semester clinicals in what I thought was a sweet little nursing home with acceptable ratios and decent hours. What I got was a job where I had skilled...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    5/29 This week, I have learned... One year later!!!

    VivaLasViejas replied to ixchel's topic in General Nursing

    Sheesh, where did that year GO?? I've been reading them all this time, although I don't post often because what little I might have to say has already been said, and better than I might have said it....
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Self Harm Patients

    VivaLasViejas replied to RebecaRN's topic in Psychiatric

    How did you find
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Med pass 55+ residents and med error

    VivaLasViejas replied to Newnursey86's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Thank you for clarifying. Made me a little nervous for a minute there.
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Just Curious... Retirement

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Retired Nurses

    I'm so sorry. Having to retire for medical reasons stinks. I hope you are doing OK considering the circumstances.
  6. VivaLasViejas

    A Nurse's Hands

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in General Nursing

    I've been retired for over two years now, but in a rare contemplative moment, here are a few thoughts on what being a nurse meant to me. Lately I've taken to looking at my hands, which appear to have...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Med pass 55+ residents and med error

    VivaLasViejas replied to Newnursey86's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I disagree with this. You need to be looking at the MAR every time you pass meds because things change all the time. That lady in 103 may just have had new orders written, and Jane Doe might have had...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    My daughter's arm...

    VivaLasViejas replied to kidzcare's topic in School

    Sending positive healing energies for your little girl, and for you too.
  9. VivaLasViejas

    5/21 WILTW: The journey sucks and the end isn't pretty either

    VivaLasViejas replied to ixchel's topic in General Nursing

    I've learned that I can survive med changes without losing all the good the previous regimen did. I have successfully reduced one of my hardcore psych meds and nothing awful has happened...in fact,...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Unethical?

    VivaLasViejas replied to RebecaRN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    This is wrong on a number of levels. For one thing, a nurse is not supposed to have any interest in a patient but a clinical one, and that ends when the pt is discharged. It's worse in psych, if for...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Would you consider this experience when hiring a CNA?

    VivaLasViejas replied to nerdygal18's topic in General Nursing

    I think you have some very valuable experience there. I would consider you for a CNA position with your volunteer
  12. VivaLasViejas

    return to work after knee arthroscopy

    VivaLasViejas replied to lawandaluxnurse's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I was out three weeks with mine. I shouldn't have gone back as soon as I did because I was a floor nurse at the time, but I healed quickly (and I insisted because I really needed the money). Of...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Flowers for Mother's day.

    VivaLasViejas replied to XNavyCorpsman's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    What do you plan to do for Father's
  14. VivaLasViejas

    How do you deal with verbally abusive pts?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Molly.RN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

  15. VivaLasViejas

    D&C and returning to work.

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

    Please accept my condolences for your loss. It's one of the worst things a person can ever go through, and you have my sympathies as a mother who has also lost a baby, many years ago. I'm not sure you...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    debilitating anxiety

    VivaLasViejas replied to SamRoseRN's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Yes, therapy is certainly warranted in your situation. Life is too short to spend it in the kind of misery you've described here. Please see your primary care provider who can give you a referral to a...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Depression and nursing

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

    I'm wondering if you've ever tried ECT. It's a last resort for treatment-resistant depression, but I've seen it work in a couple of friends who had tried every anti-depressant on the market and...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in General Nursing

    The month of May brings so many things to celebrate: better weather, May flowers, Mother's Day, Nurses' Week. But on a more sober note, did you know that it's also Mental Health Awareness Month?...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Thanks everyone for keeping an open mind about mental health issues. It's gratifying to see the number of responses, even if some are negative. That means we have an open dialogue and are not afraid...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Anxiety and Ativan

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

    Hello, and Welcome to Allnurses! While we cannot give you any type of medical advice per the Terms of Service, I would suggest finding a counselor or therapist to help you manage your anxiety better....
  21. VivaLasViejas

    May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Being treated successfully is a wonderful thing indeed. It's another thing entirely when you go to a new provider who doesn't know anything about you, and the first thing they want to talk about is...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    I loved Patty Duke. She was talking about bipolar disorder and mental health long before anyone else did, which took a lot of courage. The stigma isn't good now, but it was much worse back then....
  23. VivaLasViejas

    I'm Done With Nursing.

    VivaLasViejas replied to RegNurse1987's topic in General Nursing

    I can tell you "what if": You probably won't get hired. Nursing skills don't translate well to most non-nursing jobs, and you will hear time after time that you are overqualified, whether it be...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    3 Big Issues?

    VivaLasViejas replied to MattRN95's topic in General Nursing

    I thought Obamacare was supposed to fix that by providing more people with health insurance so they didn't have to go to the ER for
  25. VivaLasViejas

    May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    I am reminded of Tom Cruise and his diatribes against psychiatry and so-called Big Pharma. What he and so many others don't realize is that these diseases are not only real, but they require...