RNMeg

At my facility we cannot push propofol under any circumstances - a nurse actually recently got fired for doing it. We can push anything else under the sun, though, it seems like - etomidate, fentanyl, versed, paralytics. I've not seen ketamine used m...

I'm surprised to read all these responses saying critical care nurses are not compensated extra where they work. Many specialty areas in my hospital are starting to get a $2-3/hour differential, including ED/OR/PACU/critical care. We do have a HUGE p...

I took the FCCS course after working in my combined NeuroICU/MICU/SICU for a little over 2 years. I felt it was valuable, especially as a new-ish ICU nurse, but I don't have any certifications or other courses I've taken that covered the same materia...

We had a crazy occurrence in my ICU. We have windows between our patient rooms so that, if we are in patient #1's room, we can see the patient and monitor in room #2. All nurses are familiar, I assume, with the practice of opening a window after some...

I am currently in year 2 of a 4-year contract with my employer. They paid for my BSN in full, and if I should leave before my contract is up, I just have to repay a prorated balance. Otherwise, I am treated exactly as any other employee. I was given ...

It sounds to me like you did everything you were supposed to do. PCTs as "runners" during codes are the best, because you know where everything is on the unit and can get it quickly because, as you said, every second counts. Most codes are chaos at ...

I was in a similar situation. The patient had a No Code order, but was clearly septic (tachy, hypotensive, diaphoretic, source of infection, lactic and white count through the roof, etc). She was declining steadily on my shift, and I was torn. Do ...

That policy is scary, and frankly, the nursing home is opening themselves up to a lot of liability if a full code patient arrests and compressions/intubation/code drugs are not initiated per their wishes. As another poster asked, are family members ...

I work, in general, to pay my bills. On a day-to-day basis, though, what motivates me to get out of bed and go to work is a desire to not leave my coworkers working short (or in a bind to find a replacement charge nurse, because there aren't many of...

I had an awful dream the night before my first shift on my own. I dreamt that my assignment consisted of 10 dogs..and a baby. It was nuts. I spent the whole night trying to figure out how to pass meds for all those dogs, and how to keep them in the...

My very favorite..insulin drips for DKA. Checking blood sugar every hour on the hour makes the night go by so fast! Plus they're usually younger and walky-talky, which is getting kind of rare on my unit

Yes, especially if I'm getting report from a nurse who tends to give..anecdotal report ("He's just the nicest guy, can't say he's not, his wife was in earlier and they told me all about their grandkids and she gave me this recipe for blueberry cobble...

Bloody teeth gets me. On film or in person. I could have never, ever been a dental hygeinist.

My final project as a senior nursing student didn't go very well. It was a public health class, and we were a group of 10 with massive senioritis..we just wanted to graduate already. We turned in a project that, frankly, we were not proud of, but w...

Some people may also be referring to tuition reimbursement/payment contracts. I have one with my hospital. They paid for my BSN, and I have to work for them for at least 4 years. If I break the contract, I have to pay back the balance.

Can you transition to Gyn oncology? You would still be working with a population you're familiar with in a reproductive context, but it would incorporate your interest in oncology. From there, you might be able to transition to more general oncology...

Your questions about the admissions process and prerequisites really depend on the specific school you want to apply for, and would best be answered by the school. There are 3 or 4 colleges of nursing in my city, and every one has different admissio...

I actually wouldn't be that concerned about a COPDer satting in the high 80's..they need a lower O2/higher CO2 to keep their respiratory drive alive. That said, I'm sure they drew ABGs and did other assessments during the rapid response, so obviousl...

In my experience, Ambien and IV pepcid are bad for elderly patients. Like another poster said, instant dementia and a HUGE fall risk. My unit manager banned IV pepcid on our unit because of this effect.

I'm 7 weeks pregnant with my first, and I wouldn't have known except that I took a test on a whim. We were trying, so I had a bunch of pregnancy tests around. It was less than a week after my last "period"..which I think was just spotting because i...

On my unit, the CNLs basically equate to charge nurses. They occasionally take patients and work the floor, but they usually work in a charge nurse role. They're not really paper-pushers, though..they do rounds, start IVs, handle staffing, coordina...

I never used to get massages. Now that I'm working 3-4 12's in a row, it's almost a weekly requirement. I go to the kiosk in the mall, where they do a 20-minute massage for $20..it erases all that back strain from being on my feet, boosting patient...

As a student, I wish I had paid more attention to the unit routines. I think I would have been more confident if I knew what I was supposed to be doing at any given time. Also, I was kind of scared of "difficult" patients as a student (vents, espec...

I'm a new grad, not in a residency program, but I am under contract with the hospital that employs me. I am required to work for 4 years to pay the hospital back for paying my tuition. My husband and I have recently started trying for a baby, and I...

mentalhealthRN, do I ever wish we had a system like that! It would solve SO many problems. My hospital is broke as it is, though, so I can't see it happening any time in the near future.