Has anyone completed the RN to BSN online program. I would like to get opinions on the program. I have searched and have not seen many reviews posted. Any opinions please?? I am thinking of starting this fall.
starcandy replied to starcandy's topic in Home Health
I just started last week in home health. I did my first SOC with preceptor last friday. Monday, I was given 10 more start of cares , with the addition of 14 new patients that need recerts, discharges and regular visits. I am new to oasis-c and overwhelmed. My manager says I should progress and be able to do 5 SOC a day.
How many are can you complete in one day?? How many for one week?? I am new and feeling very overwhelmed. It takes me 2 hours just to finish the interview
I will keep my regular job and use the agency for supplemental income only. I know nurses who contract with agencies and have full benefits. This is a good way to go because the nurses will contract with a hospital for a certain number of days and the hospital has to use them or they are cancelled with pay. A con is that you will not be able to get the continuing education that a regular job will offer you such BLS ACLS or telemetry classes.
There is an agency Critical Resource Inc. that pays 42.00 /hr. They are located in Brighton but you can fax all your info to them. I am thinking of going per diem with them to make extra money. I am in the process of looking for other agencies also.
starcandy replied to SuesquatchRN's topic in Nursing
I have never been able to get a handle on "Nursing Time Management" I have searched books that specifically address this subject and have not found one yet , or I have very generic information . To be brutally honest after 3 yrs of being a Rn, I am still overwhelmed at times. If I can begin a shift where everyone is fine and I can finish assessments , vitals signs and charting in a timely matter it would be great. Most days this does not happen.
This is what I did I gave the morphine and pt was sedated resps decreased from 30's to low 20's. It was ordered q 1 hr prn. I know the goal is to maintain comfort but I did not want to be the one to speed up her impending death. I assume terminal weaning wwill be discussed very soon.
70 year old pt CHF, ESRD on a vent with dyspnea , b/p 70/30 currently on comfort care only. Dr ordered ativan 4mg/ morphine 4 mg IVP . Due to the difficulty in breathing I gave the morphine dose but was leery of giving the high dose of ativan also. I as afraid of pushing him over the edge with such a low bp. I realize the vent would breath for him but was nervous giving both meds at the same time. Was I wrong in feeling this way? Is this a normal practice with comfort care only pts?
starcandy replied to firstyearstudent's topic in Nursing
My first job was horrible with gossip and rudeness to new grads. I was having a hard time staying a year. The shift wars were crazy. I remember I worked dayshift and had a pt with a GIB. Dr wrote order for a stat CBC and a type and cross. I sent the blood to lab and notified next shift to look for results. THe results were Hgb was 6.5 and afternoon nurse had a busy shift and did not call the Dr. He reported to midnights and she did not report it because afternoons should have done it. I could not believe what I was hearing. I come back on dayshift and hgb 6.2 now and ended up tranfusing the patient.
I have not seen a policy in writing that is why I asking others experiences. I haven't received a good explanation for the NS primary line. This is a best explanation so far I've heard. But wouldn't the heparin concentration(25000u/250ml) be further diluted with the NS,taking a longer time to become therapeutic?? I have been running the heparin alone and during report the following nurse always adds the NS due to "policy" that I cannot locate and have asked pharmacy who didn't even know the answer. I think that heparin should run alone and get a second IV for other meds/fluids to decrease errors and the temptation of adding other meds to maintenance fluid.
