shrinky

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 you are able to ride with a Hospice nurse to get ...

Dear Santa, my wish is for me to be able to retire real soon, I am tired. I like the tropical paradise idea too, without kids and grandkids; could I also have a rich hubby too? I don't think that I am asking for much.

So many times we question our actions, but always try to do what is best for the patient and family. I am working with a family now helping them make a decision about removing their mom from the vent. They have realized that she did not want to be ...

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 have been downright cruel. However I know that th...

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 mandatory, no way, I will retire first.

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 the Oncologist to assist with symptom management ...

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 who don't play fair. We have fun days every once ...

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 Oncologist refer most often. It is difficult to even ...

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 scrubs because they wear well, are loose and comfo...

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 program. I heard from others how hard it is and I am c...

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 used nebulized Lasix when none of the above help.

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 number to, but her caregiver did not call me after hou...

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 you tried Lidoderm patches to the are rather than th...

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 are a lot of sick people here and we did get raise...

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 for our next visit. We ask the family to keep a re...

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 tell other nurses that this is what I went to school ...

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 loved ones who have passed on and others see angels, t...

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 morbiditites. The coroner chose to put all on the death ...

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 a manager, hated reports, time sheets, etc. I we...

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 and there should be a job link. Good luck.

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 confront one another rather than going to the boss and ...

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 willing to get experience at rural hospitals, the Nav...

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 gauze strategically placed should do the trick.

I think that too often we overlook what is important to the patient for their emotional and spiritual well being. I think it is so sad when my docs in the hospital write that the patient is hallucinating on my Hospice patients when they are doing a ...

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 Geriatrics before she changed to PC and is now head of...