CapeCodMermaid RN

CapeCodMermaid has 30 years experience as a RN and specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

CapeCodMermaid's Latest Activity

1. 

   Do you scrub the hub of a PICC between each medication?

   CapeCodMermaid replied to Kara Hoffman's topic in Nurses

   Who said the INS is of questionable reliability? Many policies at many facilities are based on their recommendations

   • Oct 19
   • 32 replies
   • 2
2. 

   Do you scrub the hub of a PICC between each medication?

   CapeCodMermaid replied to Kara Hoffman's topic in Nurses

   Scrub the hub every time. It takes only 15 seconds and could help prevent an infection.

   • Oct 18
   • 32 replies
3. 

   DON on cart

   CapeCodMermaid replied to arainh20's topic in LTC Directors

   Interesting that the PP is an admin. I think the DNS should be the LAST person to take the cart

   • Sep 28
   • 30 replies
   • 1
4. 

   WHY?

   CapeCodMermaid replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric

   So that’s NOT the trend around here having DNSs supervise and take a cart overnight. if I were near the beginning or even middle of my career, I do something else. But I will only be working 5 or so more years. Too late to change streams

   • Sep 28
   • 9 replies
5. 

   WHY?

   CapeCodMermaid replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric

   I make time to enjoy myself at work. I don’t feel the need to supervise every minute of every day.

   • Sep 27
   • 9 replies
   • 3
6. 

   WHY?

   CapeCodMermaid posted a topic in Geriatric

   I've been a DNS for the last 18 years. My friends ask me why I continue to work in LTC when we're consistently short staffed and looked badly upon by hospital nurses. Here is why: We have a local guy come in once a week to play the piano for the residents. He knows them all by name and knows their favorite songs. I was in the room when he started playing L. Cohen's Hallelulah.. for one of the significantly demented residents. She very rarely says anything that makes sense. I always help out with the sing a long. She mumbled through the verse until the Hallelulah chorus. She went for the low note...I hit the high ones. She took my hand, looked right at me and said "I can't do THAT!" That, colleagues, is the reason I stay.

   • Sep 26
   • 9 replies
   • 16
7. 

   Non-diapering nursing home patients

   CapeCodMermaid replied to ASSEDO's topic in Geriatric

   • Sep 23
   • 28 replies
8. 

   Non-diapering nursing home patients

   CapeCodMermaid replied to ASSEDO's topic in Geriatric

   I’m sorry about your experience in the SNF-horrible to say the least. We do the best we can. We have 5 CNAs for 41 residents so our staffing is better than the region’s average, but even with that, not everyone can be toileted exactly when they want to be. It’s not just SNFs. Last time I was in the hospital (as a patient) the nurses told me I couldn’t get up without help. OK but after 40mg of IV push ladies.... my call light was on for more than 25 minutes. I got up and took myself to the bathroom. 15 more minutes later a nurse finally showed up and yelled at me for getting out of bed alone.

   • Sep 23
   • 28 replies
9. 

   How often do you wash your scrubs? :)

   CapeCodMermaid replied to RNinheart's topic in Nurses

   I would come in from work through the basement and put my scrubs in the washing machine before I went up to the house. I didn’t want to expose my kids to God knows what.

   • Aug 23
   • 90 replies
   • 5
10. 

    Reportables

    CapeCodMermaid replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric

    Lol. I ALWAYS put a time limit on my POC stuff. I have 10 more days of ridiculous audits left with the POC we submitted

    • Aug 21
    • 6 replies
    • 1
11. 

    Reportables

    CapeCodMermaid replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric

    Thanks. I don’t know why she did anything she did

    • Aug 21
    • 6 replies
    • 2
12. 

    Reportables

    CapeCodMermaid posted a topic in Geriatric

    My predecessor reported everything to the DPH. Fall with a bruise- report. Fall with a tiny cut- report. Now they expect me to report all this. I’m sure the regs says report falls with major/significant injury. Am I missing something? I’ve been a DNS for years.

    • Aug 20
    • 6 replies
13. 

    Competencies

    CapeCodMermaid posted a topic in LTC Directors

    Does anyone have a list of competencies for licensed people? I wish I had saved all my work from my last place but....I don't want to have to start from scratch.

    • Aug 12
14. 

    Acute inpatient to long-term care management

    CapeCodMermaid replied to vega's topic in LTC Directors

    It's hard enough to be a DNS if you have lots of long term experience. It's even harder if you don't know the business and the regs.

    • Aug 12
    • 3 replies
    • 1
15. 

    New Director of nursing

    CapeCodMermaid replied to shellyoo's topic in LTC Directors

    Welcome! You can only do what you can do and you only have a certain amount of time in which to get it all done. Look at the tags. The plan of correction has to: speak to how you're going to fix it for the resident it applied to how are you going to determine who else could be affected by the deficient practice the education the audits Make the plan be realistic....don't say you're going to audit every MDS every day...or whatever....enlist all the other managers to help you do audits. In Massachusetts we always do our audits for 90 days. Do you have a staff ed person? Get her on the education and have her help with the audits. You can do this.

    • Aug 12
    • 6 replies
    • 2
16. 

    Tags! New ADON here

    CapeCodMermaid replied to cna_2_nurse's topic in LTC Directors

    IJ does mean immediate jeopardy. Your facility can be closed to admissions if you get an IJ. A G tag means there is actual harm to a resident or group of residents...not something you want to get. Go to your state DPH website and the CMS website to see all the different tags you could get.

    • Aug 12
    • 2 replies