jayne109

Always trust your gut! You did what you needed to do and for that you are a great nurse.

Relax! The more you worry about it, the more nervous you get and the more likely you will fail. Explain to your Charge nurse that you need practice with skills. Have them look out for procedures for you so you can practice. Also, tell your Orientor that you need help. See if lab will let you go along for lab draws to practice. I was the same way. I came out of nursing school with few skills. I got a job with a small hospital on a med-surg floor that handled everybody from babies on a bili blanket to hospice cancer patients and all the surgery you could ask for. I was nervous. I hadn't started a successful IV, put in a foley, hung blood, and so much more. In the course of a year, I had a good variety of skills that was able to help me get a better job at a bigger hospital. But first take a deep breath and relax. Skills will come. Hope this helps, Melissa

Really fun but kinda gross when you really think about it!

Our policy was everyone gets a BP because of "screening for HTN early". The other ER I worked, it was just if the DR wanted it (rare). I really did them if they were bigger kids and were adult sized ( you know who I am talking about). Just my 2 cents

I am thinking Lobster and Crabs! Or whatever other VERY expensive taste you have! I couldn't do hospice so I salute you!

you can buy RX safety glasses. they have the rx lenses in them so you only have one pair of glasses on. The Trauma doc that I know that has them said they are expensive but if you need them all the time or most of the time (RE OR, Traumas, EMS, etc) then it is worth the investment and you can use your cafeteria plan for them too! Hope this helps.

My pt is a 5 month old and her two modes are screaming and sleeping. So I chart Pt sleeping or Pt fussy, whatever. Mom always checks my charting so I am sure to chart what she is doing EVERY HOUR. Just my two cents.

"They are't doing anything" until they notice "UH Mr. X is having a run of V'tach-uh Make that HE"S IN V TACH CODE CODE!" and it is the family member of MR. X that was complaining! That will change their TUNE a BIT!

Okay, after reading these mine tricks are not bad. 1. We moved into a new ER with new everything and about 1/2 dozen chairs were not put together properly and they were high chairs. I seemed to "seek" these out and fall from them every time! they were put together so that if you sat on them, they pitched forward and pitched you out! I wound up with a sprained shoulder in a sling and a bruised ego. 2. Getting off at 0300 in a city like mine, you carry Mace. Well my mace was new and I was testing it. It didn't spray-it glopped right into my eye. Thankfully, my contact spared most of my eye from burns but I still wound up with 2 of Ativan and 2 Morgan lenses hooked to saline. That was an interesting experience.

STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP!:smackingf Your patients need you to put this on hold, go be the best nurse you can. You would not be a caring nurse if you did not worry about it but try to put it to the back of your head until your shift is over. GO Rivernurse!:anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom::anpom: :dncgbby::dncgcpd:

Because they are the ones that will review the chart IF there is a lawsuit. By letting them know and asking advice, they are aware and can help you.

I would give a call to your Friendly Risk Manager and let your nurse manager know as well. They can advise what to do and help the situation and let the doctor know that that was waaaayyy inappropriate. Keep us updated and please don't be so hard on yourself. Live, learn and save the next patient's life knowing what you know now!

I am not sure that the doctor should have written for you to be written up in the chart. that is a little extreme and can open you for a lawsuit by pointing a finger that you had done something wrong. that rates up there with writing "incident report written" in the pt's chart. Might check on that! We are all fallible. just learn and go on.

I have to ask-if you pick the toilet tree before the toilets are fully grown, do you get the baby toilets that you find for preschoolers and little kids? HE HE HE:p

Thanks! I was wondering that as well! It had been a while since I had been on the site.

Can I get one too?Wonder if that was a Basic package or the top of the line? Any other features? :)

I have a same dislike for that one! I guess it is just where you came from and how you were taught. I also dislike sonogram vs ultrasound! that is just me, though! Great thread!

Today was my first Private duty shift (started at 0530) and I was greatful for my laptop because not only did I play when she slept, I was able to stream music on it and she was quieter when the music was on than when it was off!

Our ER found that they make wonderful under car and in engine lights! we even had someone call and ask where they could get replacement light bulbs for them! Stupid people!

At the Level I hospital I came from, discrepencies are checked every shift and count is done on Wednesdays. My current hosital, pyxis count is done daily on night shift.

I agree with ClairBearRN: we have a registration clerk that puts the information in the computer. I can do it as well but I only do it if the clerk is busy. I definately do not do it on a rush patient. If someone says chest pain, and they are at the age or have a cardiac history, family can give the info, I take the pt straight back. I am a dedicated triage nurse, only a few people float up to triage if there are not one of the 5 of us dedicated nurses there. This is the way it was with both the Level I ER I left and the Level III Er that I am in now. The other thing is, I tell my pts that #1 I don't need their insurance at the time of registration and #2 I am not allowed to see it. SO when they digging for this info, I wave them off. We may need a SSN but it is not required to find the person in the computer. and it is not necessary if a pt is in distress or, heaven forbid, arrest. hope this helps. M

I worked my first year on a med surg unit at a little hospital. this floor took everything from itty bitty babies to the hospice pt. I worked there for a year then went to a neuro-trauma step down unit )hated it) then on to the level 1 ER for 4 years and now back to the little hospital where I started only this time in the ER. I think I have my calling.

In our ER, the triage level 4-5's go to ACC. Triage nurses are responsible for this. We do, however, see the patients that are borderline ACC criteria. they "vomited one time" or "coughed to make them vomit". We have cleared those to go back to ACC. This helps because they don't have to wait 4 hours for something that is trivial and can be turned over faster. We have not had the problem with those that have stopped vomiting or are relieved of pain. We found that people are happier and tend to be more patient in the waiting room and are more likely to stay when they are seen by the doctors. We also have discharged those that have stopped vomiting and are feeling better.

We have recently (last July) started a program similar to this called Physician Expediting. I am the main nurse that does it and what we do is pull the patient back if there is a wait, Get a basic history and chief complaint, start IV's, draw blood, get urine, get ultrasounds, Start that patient drinking for CT or order a CT if needed, order vascular dopplers and in some cases, clear a patient to go to the Acute Care Center (urgent care) or even in a rare case, discharge them. We also may do an EKG if it a Young Chest pain and we send them for plain x-rays as well. Here is what we DO NOT DO: Give IV/IM meds, give IV fluids. We have no way of monitoring these people (yet) because we send them back to the waiting room. We do give PO Zofran ODT if warranted, narcotic PO meds,-basically anything PO we give. About your concern about IV's Walking out-I have had a few IV's walk out but most people do let us know if they want to leave. I also use my judgement as far as putting an IV in someone that looks like they will walk out or are a shooter. I am the dedicated nurse that does this. Triage has 2-3 other nurses that actually triage and I help whenever I am not busy. I also float to ACC and to the main ER if needed. I hope this helps and Feel free to PM me for any other questions.

I work at a level I trauma center but I know that even the little hospitals in MO do this:Radio is called to us PTA or if it is minor or something odd, the medics call report from their cell phone. Either way we get a report. Depending on how busy we are, we assign a bed or hallbed and then the paramedics give report to the accepting nurse. If We are swamped, the medics will tell us it is appropriate for triage or not or we just ask. Headaches, belly pains, back pains, knee pains, stuff like that, we will triage out front. We do rely on the medics to give us a good enough report to make that decision though. Do they not radio report where you are? Hope this helps. Melissa