gospursgo07

Thanks so much everyone! I think just hearing some reassuring words helped me realize what I pretty much already knew. I appreciate yalls input greatly. Again, thanks for all of the well wishes. Looking foward to some fabulous christmas gifts: a new baby & tackling cancer! yeah!

Hello everyone, I am looking for some advice, so if you would be so kind... Let me give you a little background. I have been a RN for 4 yrs, 2 yrs in the unit where I am now. I have been taking over the charge/nurse manager position since March when my manager was out on FMLA. Well, last week she put in her 2 weeks notice, and our Director has been talking to me almost daily about taking the manager position permanently once she leaves. I know this is a GREAT opportunuty, but I am not sure if I am ready for it. (His argument is "you have a BSN, you should wanna use it!") Let me explain, I am almost 3 months pregnant with my first child, more stress is the LAST thing i need right now. My pregnancy is already considered high risk because of some pre-existing health conditions, and I dont want to do anything to jeopardize the health of our little blessing. Additionally, about 2 months ago, we found out that my finace has a rare form of lymphoma. That in itself has been stressful to the MAX! We have been traveling 3 hrs about every other week to see his specialists. His treatments are making him feel sick, so I of course put so much time and energy into trying to help him feel better. As you can see, I have alot going on right now in my personal life; my motto has always been family first, and I am just afarid that this opportunuty has come with really bad timing. I feel like if this situation would have presented one year earlier or one year later, I probably wouldnt hesitate. Lastly, I am concerned with the pay increase. My director says it should be about 6-7% of what I am making now. As i mentioned before, I have only been an RN for 4 yrs so my hourly salary is still not very impressive. I dont want to make it seem like it is all about the money, but I think many employees lie when they say its not. This is not THE deciding factor, but it has a very large influence in my decision. If I were to take on this extra responsibility, I feel that I should be adequatley compensated for my work. Im not sure though where would be a good place (website, etc) to look for average manager salaries in my area?? (PS- i am in the south texas area) Sorry for such a long post. I apprecaite any advice you can give me. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all of your replies! So for the pre-op aldrete score..what score do you give for the BP? I thought the paramaters were +/- 20% pre-medication BP, etc? How do you give a score for the 1st BP, with nothing prior to compare to and meds have yet to be given?

Hello all! I work in endoscopy. A question came up during a staff meeting about the Aldrete score. As I understand it, the Aldrete score is used to asses the pt after sedation or a procedure. This score is used as a post-procedure tool as a way of determining criteria for discharge. Our unit director is saying that we will now have to preform an Aldrete score pre-procedure, during the initial nursing admission. Myself, along with several other nurses, found this to be strange. Do any of you nurses who work OR, endo, OPS, or any other area where sedation is given preform and Aldrete score before the actual procedure??? Thanks in advance for you time!

thanks for all of your replies!!! my mind can rest easy now! :) she is doing much better now, and should be home at the end of the week. thanks again everyone!

Hello all, I have a question for you pedi nurses, or anyone who can offer some insight... My 5 year old niece is in the hospital and is getting IV antibiotics and fluids. She was admitted Friday morning (9/12), and when I went to visit her today (9/15) I noticied that she still had the same PIV as when she was admitted. She stated it did not hurt her, but I noticed a red area above the insertion site. I worked adult med-surg for 2 years, and our hospital policy was to rotate PIV sites every 72 hours. I mentioned this to my sister, as I thought she may want to inquire about it when the nurse was available. The nurse later came into the room (while I was there), and my sister asked about the IV site and how often they are rotated. The nurse stated that "We usually don't start a new IV unless it starts to hurt, because they are pedi pts. We try to keep them in as long as possible." She also stated, "We will keep an eye on it" . I thought this was strange seeing as how the IV can become another source of infection for an already compromised pt. My niece is going to remain in the hospital for at least 3 more days for IV abx. Of course I do not want my niece to have to go through another stick, but if it is necessary, so be it. Am I crazy and over-reacting, or is there such protocol for PIVs and pedi pts? Thanks in advance for your responses!

Im an not sure if there has already been a post about this so if so, I apologize. Just about every one of my family and friends with small children have called me (suprise, suprise) in the last day asking about this incident in SC where the young boy died from dry drowning. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24982210/&GT1=43001 Everyone is scared to take their kids to the pool now. So many people are asking "what was the white spongy substance the mother found on his face?". (im guessing its lung tissue??) I have read up on what I could online, but I dont really get clear answers on causes, etc. I am very unfamiliar with this type of drowning. Can anyone shine light on the subject?....or point me in the right direction? thanks in advance.

I was looking to try home health as a change from Med-Surg (been there 1 1/2 years and the stress of 7-8 pts is killing me). A friend of mine works for an angency here in town and wants me to come see "what it's all about". My only reservation is not knowing anything about the agency itself. I know there are many companies who are not reputable, and I would hate to make that mistake. Is there a certian place you can look to see how credible HH agencies are? Complaints, certifications, etc. I dont know a whole lot about HH, so I apologize if I am not making much sense. I am in the San Antonio, Tx area by the way, if anyone knows of any good agencies in the area...I would appreciate that info as well!

from what ive been told, the other guy was giving him cigarettes in return for the meds...

yeah, i have also had a couple of MDs write orders such as "pt does not have hospital privelages". They do find a way to "sneak out" though. We one time had a pt who had a morphine PCA pump....would often go off the floor to smoke...until someone reported him. He was disconnecting his IV tubing and attaching it to one of the other patient's who was downstairs as well...he would let the other pt use the PCA button. This apparently went on for a while, until someone finally reported him. I guess nothing should suprise me anymore.

Quick question... I see PICC lines on a regular, daily basis. I work in a county hospital and deal with a lot of pt's with drug abuse issues as well, some even homeless. I have seen a couple pt's with active hx of IVDA have PICC lines placed for antibiotic treatment d/t infection. Recently, we had two diff IVDA'ers discharged with their PICC lines on home health for abx infusions. One of these pt's was homeless upon admission and d/c'd to a group home. I asked the other nurses on my unit about sending pt's with known history of IVDA home with PICC lines, many of them said they do not usually see this happen. I questioned the doctors who stated they send pt's home with PICC lines all the time (which i know...but was more concerned about the drug issue and possibility of jepordizing the healing process or causing a worse infection ) I was just wondering if any of you have seen an incident like this/ or if this is common in your facility?

Try volunteering at a hospital. I went to a private high school and we had to have so many "service hours" per year to graduate. At the time, my mom suggested I work as a "candy-striper" or hospital volunteer. I had never been in a hospital other than to see my younger sister after she was born, but for the 2 summers I helped out, I feel in love with everything in the medical field. I did not get actual "hands on" experience, but I was exposed to just about everything. This experience really helped to jump-start my decision to enter nursing. This was the ONLY medical experience I had prior to nursing school. You learn what you can in lecture, and then practice with your instructor at your side during clinicals. That is what they are for after all...practice! Don't let your lack of experience hold you back. There were many of us with little or no medical exposure prior to school. If you truly want to be a nurse...go for it! We would love to have you:nurse:

Sounds like we work at the same hospital!!! I was ready to quit last week....I do 12's and it was my week of 3 in a row. I had a group of 7 pt's; 2 with Heparin gtt's, 2 with chest tubes, one with TPN, and one with a HUGE dressing change that had to be taught to family before d/c.... I was run ragged by the end of the 1st day...almost in tears. My charge was off that day. When she came in on day 2, she said " I heard you had a rough day yesterday", and to that I replied "Yeah, I did, mostly because it seems that pt acuity has no meaning on this unit". There are 2 sections on the floor many of us call the "dungeon" d/t the fact that they are ALWAYS busy....no idea what it is, but the pt's who are in these modules are HORRIBLE.... I feel your pain; and am ready for a M-F nursing job :)

my :heartbeat aches for you and my prayers are with you!! come to texas!!! we love new nurses on our floor!!! Good luck in all you do.

hello all!!! I have been working on a med-surg floor now for a little over a year, and I love my job. I love interacting with my patients, their families, and my fellow nurses. Everyone is so nice on my floor, especially my boss. I know I was lucky to be able to start my nursing career on a floor where everyone is so helpful; I have learned so much! My only problem with my job is that i hate working weekends and holidays. I know someone has to do it, and I feel a little selfish and silly actually saying it out loud, but I do. I was looking into some of the jobs offered for RNs in the clinics owned by our hospital (M-F 8-5, no weekends, etc). I have been told by a few fellow employees that these positions take a pay cut, obviously. My questions are probably silly to most of you, but this is my first "real job" and I am not really sure how the process works. Since the clinics are within the same hospital system I currently work, I would only be filling out a transfer form for the job I desire. These are my questions: Once I apply, do I tell my boss that I have applied for another job, or wait until I hear back..get things finalized, etc? If I were to get offered this position, they must tell me the new pay rate before I accept, correct? Lastly, would it look terrible if I decided to not accept the position based on pay? thanks in advance for your help! :heartbeat