shrinky

shrinky

Hospice, Palliative Care, OB/GYN, Peds,

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  1. Older RN Student considering Hospice Nursing

    Normally they like you to have one year of experience before going into Hospice because it is such and independent work environment. However you do have the life experience and feel the calling so if...
  2. Absolutely not, I am near retirement and have been a nurse for a very long time. For me it was a calling and I am quite happy doing what I do now. My jobs have not always been easy nor fun and some...
  3. No I do not get yearly TB tests, I am allergic to them after all these years in nursing. If they promise me, which they can't, that I won't have an allergic reaction then maybe. But to make it...
  4. Palliative Care Specialty Questions

    That pretty much says it. I am a Hospice nurse turned Palliative Care nurse, but I am on the Inpatient team. We also do Outpatient Palliative Care in the homes. We get most of our OP referrals from...
  5. Any advice / direction for a new Hospice DON

    I agree, having been on both sides of the team. I would not want to be a manager again, but I respect those who do want that job. Our team is like a family mostly, but you'll always have one or two...
  6. Amazing responses and it could not be answered better. I find the greatest barrier to referrals to our Palliative Care program are surgeons and cardiologists. Surprisingly the Nephrologists and...
  7. A few questions for hospice nurses..........

    It is a very rewarding job for those who love itand as said can be emotionally difficult. Some nurses burn out quickly when they become too close to a patient and give so much of themselves. I wear...
  8. Passed CHPLN Certification Exam!!!

    Congratulations on passing the exam. I have not taken it yet because of the cost, at present we do get some compensation once a year in the NERD program but next year it will help on the ladder...
  9. Definitely agree with the other replies. If she is taking that much Roxanol she needs the MS Contin now in addition to Nebulized Morphine which will not be absorbed as much as oral. We have also...
  10. Feeling Guilty- Desperately Need Opinions

    Sorry for your loss, you did an excellent job caring for her. Some of our nurses give out their cell and home phone numbers to patients which is not my practice. There was one patient I gave my...
  11. NEEDING Some HELP??

    First of all I need to know what she is on for pain medication already. There are a multitude of pain meds, some specific for bone pain, nerve pain, etc. Sha may need a combination of meds. Have...
  12. You may have to be wiiiling to relocate to find that first job.. I just looked at ouy RN job openings and found at least one in every department and we hire new grads. We are located in SC and there...
  13. Narcotic management in the home

    We are also a hospital based Hospice but we get our meds from our Cancer Center where we have our outpatient pharmacy for Hospice. We also count all meds each visit as we have to reorder their meds...
  14. Usually people will praise me for doing what I do and tell me that it takes a special person to do the job that I do.. I simply tell them that it is a calling that I am honored to be a part of. I...
  15. Death stories?

    My stories are too numerous to count but I will say that as people are getting ready to leace this world they become closer to the spiritual world and do see what we cannot see. Most of them see...
  16. I've had this happen once for the same diagnosis. We have to call the coroner when a patient dies and give them the diagnosis and the patient died of Liver Cancer with Hepatitis and HIV as co...
  17. Taking a leap of FAITH

    I had that same feeling while I was out on medical FMLA for 3 weeks after lap chole and R-CTR and was writing evals and reports with my left hand, I am R handed. I didn't want to go back to my job as...
  18. Here in Orangeburg, SC our hospital recently hired 30+ new grads in all areas of care. It is a good place to get experience and we are not far from the beach and mountains. Go to www.trmchealth.org...
  19. Is this bullying?

    It is amazing that in all my years of nursing the one thing that has not changed is that we are our own worst enemies, meaning nurses. We should support each other and be professional enough to...
  20. Trouble finding RN job

    In all of my 40+ years in Nursing I have seen shortages, then an over abundance of nurses so many times. There are jobs out there, we just hired 30+ new grads at our hospital. You may have to be...
  21. How do you handle bad odors in a clinic setting?

    Oil of peppermint is very effective for bad odors, cancer and gangrene are the worst. When I change cancer wounds I use Vicks under the nose and it helps. A bottle of the oil with a diffuser or...
  22. Geriatrics has been a specialty that requires 2 more years of residency but he may get some in the next years. The founder of the Palliative Care Service at New York Mt. Sinai did a residency in...
  23. Entirely off topic, short, vent!

    I can relate, my grands threw a book ,one at another, and guess what? It hit the screen of my laptop and fractured it. I do have insurance that covers it but I have to drive 40+ miles to take it to...
  24. I am a nurse. Venting about how I feel.

    I am the comforter and help your pain by giving meds, holding your hand, singing to you or just listening when you are anxious. I am your family member when you have no one who visits you. I am...
  25. Some do and some don't and most fail to utilize services available to help them manage their patients. Most have never had a lecture let alone a course in pain and symptom management yet they think...