catshowlady

I agree wholeheartedly that a good sitter is worth his/her weight in gold. That said, just to point out another side, I have had some sitters with pts that really were not terribly helpful. Rather than try to help meet the pt's needs, such as comfor...

I didn't mean to suggest that med-surg nurses are not capable of thinking critically. If it came across that way, I apologize. What I was trying to point out was that it seems like med-surg nurses seem to get their hands smacked, so to speak, for ...

To my mind, this leaves you open to a lawsuit for failure to rescue.

felineRN: I think you would enjoy ICU nursing. We have more latitude to do some of the things you are describing without getting griped at. As you pointed out, it's about what the patient needs in that moment. In fact, I'd be a ****-poor ICU nur...

Are the earpieces on your stethoscope angled correctly to direct the transmitted sounds towards your eardrums? I find I have to direct mine forward to hear well. (Drives me nuts when I have an isolation pt and I can't get the cheapo isolation steth...

Think about what you would accomplish by reporting them to the Dean of their medical school. Could you get them reprimanded, or kicked out of school? Maybe, maybe not. How would you feel later about that? Is that the goal you are trying to accomp...

WARNING: RANT AHEAD... To the tech that bounced me about a property list that wasn't done (which is primarily our techs' responsibility anyway) as I'm staying an hour late after my shift to chart: Yeah, I didn't get the property checklist done. I'm...

I also apologize when I have to call repeatedly, or for "dumb stuff". Example: we have certain lab results that our policy requires we call within 1/2 hour (critical results). Even though the result doesn't need to be treated immediately (like a l...

I took care of a Down's syndrome pt once. She was rather long-lived for a Down's pt; she was in her mid-50's. Her O2 sat was always in the upper 60's/low 70's, and she was alert, talking, normal activity, although her skin color was always on the b...

I would have left it alone if she was comfortable, could follow commands, and was not grabbing for the ETT. Why snow them? I think it takes them longer to wake up if they are constantly snowed. I do turn the sedation up and snow them during their ...

For the lighting of the lamp, we did "Light Your Candle" by Kathy Troccoli (sp?), which has been sung by Chris Rice. It talks about giving our light to those in need. It does have one stanza which is overtly religious in nature. I still tear up ev...

I'm ICU, not PACU or OR. We use Versed & Fentanyl gtts to maintain sedation in intubated pts. That said, I have given up to 300mcg/hr of Fentanyl and, oh, around 33mg/hr of Versed. We dose Versed in mg/kg/hr, and we max out at 0.12mg/kg/hr. So a...

What about a really nice pair of trauma shears? Even if he isn't going to be doing trauma, they work to cut just about anything. They have a blunt tip so you can use them to cut off dressings, too. I always carry a pair. :paw:

If you are working and going to school, you may be experiencing some burnout. I worked full-time as a PCT on a busy intermediate unit and went to NS full-time, and I burned out doing it. I was cranky and I hated my job. Now that I am out of school...

I would like to point out a legal distinction, just as an FYI. The FEDERAL government is (theoretically) limited in its powers to govern only the situations laid out for it in the Constitution. They've really expanded their powers in more recent hi...

I actually really like my Koi pants. They have held up really well for me, much better than Landau or Urbane. The most popular one has a drawstring waist, and they come in petites. Some of the tops are thin (which helps give them their pretty, del...

A couple of thoughts: Try to reinforce good behavior rather than punish bad behavior. Be the "hand hygiene fairy" and hand out a little reward any time you see a staff member clean before & after pt contact. It could be a coupon for a free drin...

Full face, everyday at work and any day I am going to be out and about for more than a few hours. It's very understated, though; very natural/light eye makeup (well-blended!), foundation, light blush, and powder. Except lipstick. I don't really ne...

You absolutely should have written her up. What lousy behavior, she has no business being in a position to care for vulnerable people. It might be different if she were sick or had a family emergency. Do you have a corporate office above your DON ...

I'm not a vet tech, but I breed and show Burmese cats. I give my own shots, SQ fluids, deliver kittens, I can tube feed kittens too. I have also been asked to help restrain my cats at the vet's, especially my stud males (who are NOT mean but wiggly a...

I have also had problems with my work with calling wrong or old numbers. I changed my cell phone number when I split up with my ex just over a year ago. I gave them the new number twice. I also specified that I want the cell phone number called first...

Have to agree with feeding pts. It's easy, but it's often time-consuming, and I just sit there thinking about all the other things I need to be doing. Supper time I don't mind as much, because I can pass 1800 meds, clear pumps, and straighten out t...

I have a 4X4 Jeep Cherokee (my daily driver), and a ginormous (and ancient) V10 Chevy Suburban, also 4x4. The Cherokee does great on the roads, but don't know that I could get out of a ditch in it. The Suburban can drive out of a ditch (as me how I...

I had a pt like this once also, although not S/P CABG. When I took over as his nurse, he was on a Nipride gtt. The Nipride wasn't really controlling his HTN, but he was barely able to follow commands when I assessed him. It was my first experience...

I hate to say, but I have become one of those bitter people. I don't spew negativity (at least I hope not), but I don't go out of my way to care about anybody else's problems anymore. I'm also done with being other people's doormats. I used to be mo...