rnboysmom

The general public is so misinformed about hospice care as it exists today. Start by praising him for all of his hard work. Acknowledge his efforts and his wish to keep her home. Tell him that you have some knowledge about a service that can help ...

We are not worried about diversion of lasix (although I have seen some pretty strange happenings in homes with severe diversion issues). Lasix is an alternate option to consider as an alternate to morphine when there may be diversion issues in the ho...

There are a lot of short studies on nebulized lasis, some favorable some inconclusive. Lasix, like morphine works to selectively vasodilate capillaries in the lungs (same as morphine). Some of the benefits of lasix (if it works for your patient) ar...

I am an Indiana registered nurse considering moving to the Fort Campbell, KY area with family. I have researched the possibilities but am lacking the answers to the following questions: 1. What is the job market like on the KY/TN border? I have on...

Even after 10 years in hospice nursing, I keep a sing up in my office that says... "Being a hospice nurse is....waking up each day knowing your schedule is going to change!" Versitility and flexibility are two of the most important traits of a good h...

WooHoo, what a touchy topic. Responses are interesting here, even in this column. Interesting response by leslie "infections hurt and need to be treated(as long as it's not related to the adm. diagnosis)". Hmmm, I have seen too many of Leslie's respo...

My only concern with returning meds to pharmacies are your local and state laws regarding transportation of medications. In some states, the only time a nurse or other entity can transport medications is when they come directly from pharmacy and are ...

ABSOLUTELY!!! You deserve better!!!!!!

Went into home based hospice 6 months after graduation but had worked on a busy med surg floor as a student nurse for a year then 6 months as a graduate nurse. Would I do it again----probably not. I had a lot of life experience even prior to starting...

What it takes to be a good nurse is not the same as what it takes to be a good test taker. I know some co-students I went to school with that passed with 75 questions and 8 years later still have weak clinical skills--I work with a few of them. As ...

just read an article on www.advocatefornurses.typepad.com if you click on the link and read the article it states that the reason for the hold is that reporting infractions of nurses in the state of Indiana ;goes through the Attorney General's offi...

Jimminy, the pitfalls of being a hospice nurse and getting what we need in a timely manner for our patients. I think the pharm laws vary state by state. In our state, the pharmacy has to have a hardcopy script on hand within 5 days (some of our loc...

Google the terms "southerncare" and "24.7 million" and "whistleblower" as mentioned in another post on another topic. Is this the company you work for? If not, the reading is interesting and if you really believe the company you work for is committ...

Agree with the others although morphine is usually our first chice. Dyspnea, tachypnea, even mild is distressing to any patient, and should be considered a priority. We utilize roxanol 0.25 to 0.5ml every 15 minutes until symptoms resolve then cal...

at, My intent was not to gain an argument, but rather to explain the benefit. My apology is sincere. I left a better message on your profile page.

What I am saying is that "billable" continuous care has specific guidelines under regional and federal guidelines. NHPCO lists an excellent set of examples in their Hospice Operations Manual that are viable reasons for continuous care,including the f...

Very scary that you are describing continuous care hours for "hardly any symtoms or symptoms that are very easily controlled". CMS is very clear in the regs that continuous care is for short periods of crisis. Palmetto GBA describes continuous care...

Ibuprofen suppositories or Ibuprofen gel has to be formulated by a compounding pharmacy or apothecary but we have had success with both. We tend to use the transderm gel more in hospice to avoid having the family administer the suppositories as some...

Have worked for this corporation and won't comment on a public level. I can tell you that even huge corporate companies all function a little differently at local levels, so be sure that the local company practice is in line with the corporation prac...

Never have liked the term "negative charting". I prefer the term "charting toward decline". As a new grad in hospice, this may acctually be easier for you than if you were in some type of previous position that "charted by execption" or charte impr...

"Your patients probably don't ask you because they're embarassed. I'm guessing that you're not horrible and mean to your patients, and who wants to ask their provider what the heck her position is again once they've already said it? Who wants to go, ...

HaHa, I totally agree with making the grass more digestible! As a hiring manager, this is a difficult area to deal with. I would ask your company for thier pay scales, they should have a published scale if they are a corporation. And state your cas...

Our local college has a fresh start program as well. If you are out of school for so many years and make a formal written request, they will wipe your record clean of any grade less than a C and any I's. You do not get any credit for any of these ...

Just as an FYI, I am a hospice nurse and our pharmacies formulate ibuprofen gel for us to use transdermally. Hope this info helps

We do not practice this concept in our hospice even though we do have a foundation and several of our past patients have contributed (we have used these funds for everything from paying for utility bills and safety monitoring systems for patients to ...