Virgo_RN BSN, RN

As the others have stated, you did not go to medical school. Even physicians don't know the answer to every medical question. They frequently look things up in reference books. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to know everything. You can't. ...

When you sit down to take an exam, do you ask the instructor for the answer?

I am not in the medical profession. I am in the nursing profession. And please, let's stay on topic. I chose not to answer the poster's question, and I have explained why. Feel free to address the original question, but please note that I am dis...

FYI, many students post questions here looking for answers to homework questions when they should be doing the research themselves, and many members of the general public post questions asking for medical advice. Sometimes these students and members...

Am I incorrect in my thinking that this "Vitamin D Craze" is based on the work of a single doctor in California? I'm certain that Vitamin D performs vital functions, many of which we may not even know about, but I am not convinced that Vitamin D sup...

I've never noticed that.

I'm sure that deficiency will be pointed out at my annual performance eval....

If you are a nurse, you should know this.

Agree with this, except that I did not make it a practice to arrive early. I worked for free way too much as it was, in the form of missed breaks and having to stay late to finish charting. I was not about to donate any more of my time. What I oft...

I know what it's like to be poor, and I'm not offended.

We have to fill out a questionnaire on every patient prior to an MRI. The MRI department will not take them without that questionnaire. So in this instance, it wouldn't have made a difference were you at my facility. To answer your question though,...

My Lister bandage scissors are my trauma shears. They work very well.

Me too. I was struggling with some (self-diagnosed) compression fractures in my left foot following running or extended periods of walking on concrete/asphalt. The pain was so intense, I was NWB on that foot, taking ibuprofen, and wrapping it with ...

....how do you know how you're doing? At five months off orientation, I've gotten a few "atta girl"s and "good job"s, but I just don't really know how it's going. I'm feeling like I need to solicit some feedback. What do you think, is no news good n...

The reason nobody answers your call light is because this is the emergency room, and answering call lights is not a priority here. We are too busy drawing labs, ordering CTs, giving meds for pain and nausea, and monitoring VS. We've got a nurse out ...

The ol' battleaxes (and I mean that affectionately) on my old unit (cardiac) used to use the precordial thump for tachyarrhythmias. I've never been taught the technique, nor have I witnessed it. I have successfully terminated SVT with a vagal maneu...

If the urine spec was a midstream sample or even a cath UA without sufficient disinfection of the meatus, then it could easily have been contaminated. With no leukocyte esterase or WBCs, it certainly is concerning for contamination. Certainly polyph...

I've never had an SCC patient, but I have cared for several people with chronic disease beginning in childhood, such as Type 1 Diabetes. In my experience caring for adults who have been living with chronic disease since childhood, it appears as thou...

What about Norovirus? Rotavirus? Calicivirus? Astrovirus? To the OP, the key to breaking the chain of infection is hand hygiene. As long as your classmate practices meticulous hand hygiene, then patients/staff/fellow nursing students will not be ...

I put insoles in my Danskos. While they are supportive and facilitate proper spine alignment, the footbeds are really hard. The insoles helped with that.

Compassion. In the nursing business, we hear a lot about it. Merriam-Webster (online) defines "compassion" in this way: As nurses, we are expected to provide compassionate care. But what does this look like? I am convinced that in the patient's ...

It's not that hard to figure out.

Any invasive procedure needs a consent, and no, you don't need an order.

This. You have stated succinctly how I often feel, and I never would have thought to put it that way.

I learned "quad coughing" from a man who had been paralyzed as a young adult, who had been in our unit frequently toward the end of his life. I'll be forever grateful to him for that.