Irish339

I think you are correct in thinking that you may smell a rat. In order for this person to be on hospice for 3 years, she would have had to show a continued decline. There are federal guidelines that must be followed when a patient is admitted to hospice. The only possible diagnosis probably was Failure to Thrive (given her alleged eating disorder). If that were the case, she would have to be severely disabled and barely able to care for herself, let alone solicit money on the internet. I'm not sure why this person would need such strong pain medications for this diagnosis. I would be very wary indeed. If she were truly on hospice and in need of such assistance, a hospice social worker could help her out. Patients are discharged from hospice when they cease to show a decline and no longer meet guidelines for continued hospice care. It's too bad if she has taken advantage of peoples' kind nature.

It's so interesting to be enlightened with the values and beliefs of other cultures. It is so important for us to remember that we are treating more than the 'sick part'. Thanks so much for the insight!

Male patient: "There is something living in my stomach" "When I lay down, I can hear myself breathe" (that's a GOOD thing, yes?) " I've had this cold now for 3 years" Why is in now, so important, at 2 am? "Enough is enough"

Oh, pigs. Excellent idea. I was wondering what size jars your pathology lab has available?

Never let a medical student cut a bloody down jacket while the industrial heat fan is blowing in the trauma room. Never try to train your pirana to eat meat from your hand. Never try to convince an ER nurse you 'fell' onto whatever object is stuck in your rectum. If you're cornering a squirrel on a power line...they bite.....*THEY BITE!!* Don't wipe your face with alcohol then open the gas oven to check the chicken. Don't use the vacuum cleaner for anything other than picking up debris off the floor. Don't call the ER to see if eating spoiled yogurt can hurt you....2 hours after you've eaten it. Don't call the ER to see if you can get AIDS from eating feces. Just don't call....don't ask make us think about things like that.

I can talk to a person with an arrow sticking out of their head...and it seems normal. I have eaten salad during ER potlucks out of emesis basins...and that seems normal. I know which hospitals around me serve red jello. We get to go to work in our pajamas. I am thankful for even mediocre coffee. I get to take the pain away. I get to make a small difference in someones' life..... Probably a difference we aren't even aware of.

Interesting program you're in. And if you have fast food experience, you should be fine at nursing. Think of the pickles as pain medication. But really, even experienced nurses have anxiety attacks when we switch to a new job, or new specialty. Want to see someone really scared? Check out a medical student. I always feel like crying when I see them toddling down the hallway in their short little white coats and backpacks.....they are clueless. But somehow, we get them through it, and 5 years later, they treat us like dopes. Have some confidence . We all had to learn. Just remember this: "LOOK AT YOUR PATIENT"...not the monitor, not the labs. The patient. ...Holding your hand from the far north "Outside of a dog, a book is a mans' best friend. Inside of a dog is too dark to read." Groucho Marx

Of course you can do it! I had two babies while I went through a 4 year BSN program. Obviously I didn't pay much attention during the human reproduction sections. ) On the up side, I went to a Catholic College, so I was very popular with the nuns. My first one got read to at 3 am from Pathophysiology and Microbiology books. Never had a problem with him washing his hands. Then I had 3 more while working 12 hour midnights in the ER of a level one Trauma Center. That was harder. Don't do that. I'm not masochistic or anything...I stopped walking around with ground glass in my shoes (just kidding). Bottom line....you can do it. And, when some 18 year old is whining about having to work too hard, you have a great story to throw up in her face. Plus, your classmates will love using you as a demo-model when you take OB. (personally, I'd charge for this). AND...an added bonus, the floor nurses in L&D will be REALLY nice to you....bring you coffee at 4 am....a PCA pump. I say....go for it!!!!!!! :cheers: "Outside of a dog, a book is a mans' best friend. Inside of a dog is too dark to read." Groucho Marx

This is a dilemma that I have dealt with myself. I assume you have tried to reson with the son regarding exactly WHAT his objection to pain medication is. Doctors aren't always as knowledgable about drugs as we think they are. Secondly, is he REALLY a doctor? We had one that was dictating his mothers' care, only to find out he was a med school drop out. So, either he is a typical egomanical fiend, he holds some longstanding grudge against his mother, or he's just scared. I have to say, usually the only way to deal with this is to have your medical director talk to him. Hospice IS about pain control. If he won't allow the staff to follow your Doc's orders, then it can become a legal issue. What kind of POA interferes with comfort orders for a Hospice patient. Obviously if the patients' husband won't stand up to this guy...we have some real family dynamic problems. I think at this point, Doctor to Doctor might be your last resort. Good luck, and I'm sorry this woman has to suffer.

It is no doubt the pre-flu. The little creeps send out scouts just before flu season to assertain exactly what we've been innoculated against, and who has received a flu shot. The only known cure is chocolate.

I think you might want to consider seeking a position in a large teaching hospital. Often there are interships available, and a preceptor that volunteers for that job, not someone who looks at it as just an added burden. Unfortunately, some people (not just nurses) are so bitter and miserable, they can't wait to pull the rest of us down into that too. If your supervisor can't/won't help, then you need to get out. Usually *hit runs downhill. So if the person at the top has a bad attitude.....run awayyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Nursing does tend to eat it's young, but we're not all carnivores! :w00t: