SoCalif1979

When I was working for an orthopedic surgeon I had to remove the staples from a patient. The patient started to turn pale so I took a break (The patient was already laying down with his feet elevated as he had ankle surgery) I asked if he was ok and if he needed anything, which I got for him, I asked him if he was ok with me continuing with the procedure. He said to go right ahead and that I was doing a great job. I finished and he was wonderful. Later I found out that he was a doctor and complimented me to my boss telling him I was good with him and had great hands.......not to be misinterpreted! :roll He never told me he was a doctor, and it was probable a good thing. I was very new to the clinical scene and would have gotten nervous. A kind and wise man indeed!:wink2:

you are so right!!! they can be demanding and spoiled! little princess wannabes. we had on physician's wife call 911 because her nurse wouldn't give her an unscheduled narcotic!

:confused:How many of you work in facilities that require the nurse to answer phones and play secretary and receptionist for the facility and patients during the med pass? I feel this is too dangerous! It opens too much room for a med error which endangers the patient. There are just three facilities that I know of here that require it. One has just one phone to be shared by all of the patients, all 60+ of them and the nurse is expected to answer the phone then track the patient down. Sometimes the phone is misplaced and the nurse needs to find it. The CNAs always disappear. I've found them in the room with a sleeping patient watching TV. I've been "talked to" because I refuse to interrupt a med pass. These are also the facilities with 32 to 40 patients to one nurse and only two aides on a good day 3 aides.

I am a JW. I would consider a CABG because the blood is in continuous "connection" to the body just being run through the machine in an effort to prevent "spillage". Storing one's own blood for later use is no different from any other transfusion from a religious standpoint. Blood fractions used in globulins are a conscience matter. Personally, I have no problem with them. I advise all my patients that they need to take control of their medical care, do research, and be able to make an educated decision on their own behalf. When a patient does state that he/she does not want a transfusion, the surgeons are more apt to be more careful during surgery. There are so many alternative now that are safer anyways. On the flip side. I have no problem monitoring a transfusion or hanging blood on a patient who requested it (not yet in my scope of practice) because I feel that to push one's religious beliefs on another of a different faith is not right. It is their choice just as I would appreciate it if my choices were respected.

I've had nurses and doctors as patients. Most of them are wonderful, non demanding and understanding patients. A real pleasure to work with and care for. There is the occassional nurse that will pull the "nurse card" in an attempt to manipulate the nurses and staff especially when it comes to narcotics. I had one in a place I went to regularly as registry who would always play that card to get more narcotics than she was supposed to. She was extremely harrassing to the CNAs as well. She could get out of bed but refused to. She would stay in bed and just change her own briefs. When She would pull the "I'm a nurse" card with me regarding her narcs I would just kindly explain "Then as a nurse you understand the laws regulating controlled substances and for your safety why I must adhere to the prescribed schedule of your doctor and also why I can't just leave these medications by your bed for you to take them at your convenience. I know that as an older experienced nurse you will understand why I must stick to the book." I never had any problems with her after that. This does end in a sad way. I came back some time later and she wasn't there. I asked what happened. It was no secret that NONE of the staff liked this patient. I was told by one of the staff nurses that one evening this patient was found leaning to one side and drooling, unable to speak, funcioning below her baseline mentation, and was in obvious distress. Everyone on that shift ignored her. She was not a DNR. She died.

I've worked at facilities like this as registry. It is toooo dangerous! There is no way you can stay within the two hour window of a med pass to administer all of the meds as ordered. Most of the patients can't swallow well anyway and it take a while just to get the meds down, crushed or not. If the patient has any kind of dementia then you have to convince them that it is their meds that their doctor ordered and no they haven't already had them. Then the alert ones want a rundown of each med, what it is, what it does, and why they need to take it, and why they should take it. A med pass can easily go way beyond the two hour window.

I just worked at a wonderful facility tonight! It was skilled nursing and long term care. The cleanest place I have ever been to! The patient to nurse ratio was 12:1. The patients were happy and pleasant because the nurses had time to give them. I actually felt like I was nursing the patients and not the tasks. In facilities where the ratio is outrageous, the patients are alway angry feel neglected, the nurse just doesn't have a chance before he/she walks through the door. You can really see a positive difference when the ratios are lower. Can't these facilities see that happy positive patients are more prone to healing than pist off angry ones who lose hope?

:yelclap: GOOD FOR YOU! The more nurses that put up with dangerous understaffing the less likely the facilities are to correct this problem! I refuse to be put in dangerous situations like that. Nobody is going to look after your license but you! When something goes terribly wrong at facilities like these it all comes down on the nurse. I've seen that happen to a colleague.

In skilled nursing rehab, psych, and long term rehab with a 30:1 patient to nurse ratio, on an eight hour shift, the average time spent with each patient during a shift is about 20 to 25 min. This is decreased if there is an admission or an incident like a fall or other injury or emergency illness occurs. This is a generous estimate not including time taken for documentation, reports, and charting (again with a smooth shift meaning no incidents or admissions). Each patient probably gets about 15 minutes. I hate being rushed with patient care.

The average ratio for a registry nurse on hospital floors of 6 patients to 1 nurse in during the day shift. Staff nurses will often have half of that depending on the census. Advice: never be a demanding patient - the facility will you give the short end of the stick in a way that will make it difficult for you prove or take litigary action. Skilled nursing facilities make promises to families who expect individual and specialized care. Again with 30:1 patient/nurse ratio and 10:3 patient to aide ratio this isn't going to happen. Even at the higher end facilities. Being a conscientious nurse is very challenging. I like to feel good about a day's work so I'm very cautious about where I work.

When I work on hospital floors the ratio cant get up to 6 patients to 1 nurse even is sub acute and med-surg units! I work registry, so the "problem and High maintenance" patients often all get sent to the registry nurse at the same time. This increases the load of the registry nurse and decreases time spent with the patient who really needs it. When I work long term rehab, psych, and skilled nursing facilities, the ratio can easily be 40 patients to one nurse. The average is around 30 to 1. I refuse to work at facilities with a 40 to 1 ratio, the high ratios are scary enough. Tube feedings, Narcotics and Cardiac meds cannot be given within the scheduled times, special needs often are overlooked or short cuts are necessary and sad. I've stayed to complete the job right, and the facility will refuse to pay me. I just refuse to return to those facilities. The sad thing is that these facilities burn through staff and only the ones who don't care about the patients stay.

I agree with you! The health of both mother and unborn baby is so very important and should be given priority! The school I went to was horrific! I've never had such a negative academic experience coming from an already extensive academic background.

Congrats on your baby!!!!!:balloons: :yelclap: To any of you going into nursing school pregnant, do some research! I went to a private vocational school in the Antelope Valley in So Calif. When the CEO found out that a student was pregnant, the students hid there pregnancies as best they could, she would EXPELL the student! She even went as far as taking one student by the hand to force her to get an abortion. The student was married and had two other kids, the CEO said she didn't need another. The student refused to get an abortion so she was expelled! Law suits are pending against the school. The school kept the money and expelled the expectant mothers!

I had plantar fasciitis in both my feet at the same time! I had orthotics made for my feet and were good supportive shoes. I never skimp on quality shoes. I had a lot of brands recommended to me, the trick is to find what works best for you. K-Swiss happens to work great for me. I also had to take time off and stay off of my feet for a while to allow them to heal, along with the stretching exercises and NSAIDS. Weight has nothing to do with it nor does fitness. I'm fit, active, and weigh 105 lbs. I just wasn't wearing proper support which was the cause of my problem.

BEWARE of private vocational schools. I am a successful LVN. I have been to public colleges (I am attending one now for my RN) and went to a private vocational school in the Antelope Valley area in So. Calif. for my LVN. Public colleges have a chain of command and protocols to follow. They are more regulated. If you are having a problem in the class there is always someone to go to. BEWARE of vocational schools who grade on a curve! They fool the student into thinking he/she is passing, then when the last installment of the student loan is paid to the school, they take the money and drop the student, keeping the money and the student is SOL. They do this in an attempt to protect their NCLEX pass rates. They will drop students at the end of the year whom they feel will have no chance of passing the NCLEX! The student never gets a chance after all of that hard work! The student is stuck with a $19,000 student loan and no recourse and no chance to sit for the NCLEX. Another tactic is that the class and clinical instructor will give you your grade for the quarter and you will sign for it, then the CEO (based on vendettas and/or whims) will just drop the student's grade, lower the score. The student has no recourse. The individuals involved refuse to discuss the issues with the students. In a public college, a student can go to the Dean, not so with the private vocational schools. Another game they play is to tell the student to study chapters 1-5 for a test, then test the student on chapters 27-35 (for example). The students again have no recourse and the CEO refuses to correct the wrong. I have seen instructors in private vocational schools give the students answers prior to class tests. The students have yet to pass the NCLEX. In vocational schools politics are paramount. If you can't play politics and are not good at "Kissing up to the right people" as far a staff goes, forget it. You better keep your grades high and your nose clean or you're out. After my experience with Vocational schools and public colleges, I will ALWAYS choose a public college and will NEVER recommend a private vocational school, especially the one I attended. If you are interested in a private vocational school, interview a lot of nurses, not the students the school recommends - they are handpicked and will not give an honest review. Also look up their NCLEX pass rates. Don't believe advertisments. My school was advertising 100% pass rate, but they were kicking students out that they felt had no chance after taking all of their money, the pass rate for this school now is 68%. Find out how they grade. Ask local hospitals about the school. I believed the staff when they said we would do our clinicals locally. After we were committed to the curriculum, we found out we had to drive almost 200 miles round trip because that school was not welcomed in any of the local hospitals. We never inserted an NG tube, most students never even inserted a foley. Most LPN skills were not done during school. We had to do these these skills for the first time in the workplace. I wish I had done more research. At least now I have my license and I am making $25/hr working registry and going to RN school. Nursing is a FABULOUS career. I am not unhappy I made the decision to become a nurse, just in my choice of schools