wizap

Rural Nurses stretch and grow!!! Never know what you will be doing next!!!! LOL:lol2::balloons:

Practice, practice, practice...that's how you get good at IV's. P.S.- messy ones aren't bad ones, sometimes they are very good ones! Also, do not pass up the chance to start children and the elderly. Not everyone has big beautiful veins.... Good luck, and remember, starting IV's isn't all there is to ER nursing!!!

People can be rude and crude. Especially drunks who just ran their car into a tree and are trying to get out of their spider straps and off the back board. It is your job to keep them safe, even if they have a "potty mouth" Do not take anything they say personally. I will never forget, it was change of shift one night. I went in to introduce myself to the patients and to tell them I was taking over their care. One jerk said, "Thank God, I don't want that f** B**** any more." I said, "That f** b**** is your physician, and if I were you I would treat her with the kindness and respect she deserves!"

Rozerem works for me. I got free samples from my MD. I take it only when I need it. It works better than Melatonin. I do not wake up feeling drugged like I did with diphenhydramine. You do have to find out what works best for you. Sleep is very important, and lack of sleep can cloud your judgement. Good luck finding what works!!!

Working with great people can make all the difference...and being there for one another! Knowing that you are part of a team where everyone is working for the welfare of the patient...that makes all the difference, in how you feel about yourself, your co-workers and your job.

Keith, I am a frontier nurse. As one, I have never had to work on a tele unit as you describe. Our cardiac patients are all sent out to larger hospitals. By the way, I can read an EKG ... and I can tell if my OB is a 7 and 90% effaced. And incompatant nurses can receive more training, The problem is you can't fix a nurse that is unfeeling.

NO....Wasn't, pinned, wasn't capped, didn't go to graduation... and I feel like a REAL nurse! Wow.

I'm a Charge Nurse working 12 hour night shifts in a frontier hospital. At night there are only 2 RN's working. If it is crazy, it is hard to cover for each other. I think meal breaks are important, they should be taken, for all the reasons stated above. I think it is part of being a team that you "look out" for your other team members. You depend on one another, as do your patients... It is easy to be kind to your co-workers..."The Golden Rule" does apply also at the workplace!

I turned 50 this year. I am a Charge Nurse at night. I work in a Frontier Hospital, and pretty much do whatever comes in the door. I love my job!

I wear scrub pants, a matching Tee shirt- in the winter a long sleeve turtle neck, and a jacket. I do not have tatoos to hide, but I do feel very comfortable wearing cotton. Most scrubs are polyester...They're OK for pants...

Sorry if I was ambiguous! We have been using DTaP instead of the older dT on patients who present with lacerations, or other complaints that need tetorifice boosters in the ED.

We are starting to give out DTaP shots to adults in our ER instead of the traditional dT shots. I am not sure how I feel about this. Yes, there are breakouts of Wooping cough, but should we be immunizing everyone? What do you think? Is this being done routinely in other ED's? Thanks for your input!

I usually do three 12's in a row. I have done 5 in a row. I will refuse to do that anymore...it is unsafe!

I will routinely draw blood off my Chest Pain patients who have big bore IV's, and have done this for years. The ER doc's know we do this. However, I will not draw from a 24g. in a toddler. I don't want to loose my site!

My mom had quadruple bypass at Mt. Sinai in New York two years ago. I traveled from Montana where I live to New York To care for her. I am a BSN, RN who practices in a frontier hospital. The hospital would not discharge her, she refused to have home health nurses come to the house. They discharged her to me. They did not ask to see my credentials. She was one of the most difficult patients I ever had, until I learned to see the world through her eyes! I would suggest that we walk to the park bench. Mom would reply, "No, I don't feel like it!" I then said in passing,"...I wonder if Macy's has a pocketbook that would match my shoes, I was unable to find one in Missoula..." It is amazing how you can strengthen a fresh post-op by checking out whats new around a mall!!!! Yet she wouldn't walk to the park!!! As it was getting time for me to leave, I made her show me that she could pick up a few items at the grocery store and the drug store. My threat was, "...if you can't take care of yourself, you will have to come home to Montana with me! Oh, by the way, I have two brothers and a sister who live near Mom... and are hopelessly helpless!

:nurse:YES...I think that being a nurse is an important part of who I am!!! :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

I love my Danskos. I have one pair for work, and 3 pair for fun! I find they really work for me!

6.3 miles, but part of that is on dirt roads!

You are so right on the money! Rural nurses depend on one another, we do become good team players, and we learn the weaknesses and strengths of our co-workers. I do not worry at all about being marketable in a city hospital, from what I have seen, it is only learning the new equipment...the skills are the same no matter where you work!!!!

We had a Heroin addict who became septic with MRSA from injecting herself. She went home with a PICC and came in as an outpatient for her Vanco. After each dose we had to tape each port with our initials, date and time, then wrap the site with dressings. I never saw evidence of tampering. I truly believe she deserved the best care, just like any other patient. If we saw any evidence of tampering, we were to go to her physician with that information. I am glad she finished her course of antibiotics, had the line pulled, and is doing well.

I have had Depression most of my life. I stay on my meds and usually do fine. This spring I was diagnosed with Panic Attacks and PTSD. I have a Primary Care Physician and a counselor who communicate well with each other, and are sharp cookies. Be aware that PTSD has triggers, and do ask for help from your co-workers. Having the support of your colleagues is essential. Support of family and friends is essential. I also find hobbies are very therapeutic. We all have wonderful contributions to make, and sometimes "being there" gives us sensitivity and insight for reaching patients in the same boat, and making connections with others.

Well, I had 2 years of college under my belt... but I had been a wife and stay-at-home mom for 13 years. We had no health insurance...and private health insurance is expensive. I was torn between going back to school to be a teacher, or a nurse. I needed fewer credits to be an RN. I graduated with my BSN in 1993, and have worked full time ever since. The surprise is I AM a Teacher, as well as a nurse! Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. What an amazing profession I am in!!! I work in a rural/frontier hospital. I love what I do and I am still evolving!

Hi, I also work at a critical access hospital. We have 4 ER beds, 2 ICU beds, 2 OB beds, and 13 med/surg beds and 1 negative pressure room. We have 2-RN's, 1-CNA and 1ward secretary on at night. Lab and X-ray are in house 24/7, and surgery is on call at night. Strokes and AMI's are sent to the 200 bed hospital 80 miles away by lifeflight. ...when the weather is OK.

I would feel the same in a city I am sure. Here my patients are neighbors and sometimes friends, and sometimes the town drunk.....

Rural MT nurse here... we have no public transportation in our community, no Bus passes...No taxi vouchers. We do not have taxi's or buses. Sometimes Pastors will drive Patients home. Sometimes staff will drive them home at change of shift.