Virgo_RN BSN, RN

I could not agree with this more. Sometimes, being the patient advocate means saying no. No, you can't have anything to eat or drink. I know the morphine is giving you cotton mouth, but you need surgery for that open tib/fib, and so I cannot let ...

Our handoffs consist of a verbal report and include what has been done and what still needs to be done. In this instance, there was no mention of the diltiazem gtt order, even though it had been written an hour before I took the patient assignment. ...

Alcohol withdrawal can kill a person. Opiate withdrawal is rarely fatal. We have a lot of patients with chronic pain who have medication agreements on file. This is a contract that specifies what medications they will be prescribed, the amount, and...

I'd give the morphine AND the Motrin. I'd also try heat and cold therapy if not contraindicated.

All I did for 2 years solid was study, sleep, work, and go to class.

All points well taken. I think I may have combined two separate issues in my original post. One issue is with the performance of another nurse, and yes, I agree this is best handled directly with the other nurse, if I care enough about it to take h...

In a circumstance like this, I would allow the aide to chart their VS, then follow up and recheck in a few minutes and document those results. I would chart "Temp rechecked at 1615 by RN, 36.8." or "Pulse rechecked at 1615 by RN, 68BPM at rest." or...

This is why you follow up on any abnormal VS and document your assessment, intervention, and the patient's response in your narrative. The doctors are supposed to read the nursing notes, too.

The aide is correct to document the vitals that she obtained. As the RN, you are responsible for following up on any abnormal VS, and to document your assessment, interventions, and the results. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this in ...

I'm drawing up your 2mg of Dilaudid for the headache you have, and now you're asking for a snack. So which is it? The Dilaudid or the snack? Cause there's only one of me, I don't have a tech, all he** is breaking loose, and I don't have time to ca...

Thank you for sharing, Snoopy. How incredibly different your experience of nursing has been from mine! I really enjoyed reading your post.

I agree, keep your head down and out of whacking range, get through school, and then if you still want to follow through, then go ahead.

I don't even know what to say. It certainly does sound like substandard care. I hope things start looking up for your Grandma soon.

Just because you say "please" and "thank you" does not make your incessant, needy requests any less annoying.

....and thank you for cementing my doubts. :)

You know, OP, the more you respond in such a defensive way, the more I am convinced that maybe nursing isn't for you. I rarely say that to anyone, as I think nursing is big enough for many different personality types, but I'm observing enough of a l...

Nobody here has mentioned perfection as being a prerequisite for nursing. However, I do think that a little humility can go a long way, and until you get *your* attitude under control, you are in for some tough lessons, should you choose to pursue a...

None of the nurses can palpate a popliteal pulse on either lower extremity? If so, this would be an assessment finding appropriate to report to the physician.

Thigh.

One needs to learn the rules before they know if and when it is appropriate to break them. In nursing school, breaking the rules will cause you problems, up to and including the potential for dismissal from the program. In the real world, you'd b...

Think of it this way. Being a diabetic educator requires the ability to establish a rapport and gain the trust of those who you are attempting to educate. There is nothing quite like sticking someone with an IV catheter or sticking a rubber tube up...

Wait...didn't you just get divorced, or am I thinking of someone else?

Visit the "First Year After Licensure" forum here at AN.

When I worked the floor, I was much better at remembering names. In the ED, they come and go so quickly, names often don't stick.

They do get easier. You've gotten some great advice. Good luck!