Cabbagehead

Pt: "Whaaat, honey?! No one told me I wasnt supposed to remove my foley, IV, and monitor, then sneak down the back stairwell wearing only a polo shirt, so I could 'get some fresh air'!! Sheeesh.":brb:

"GuessdaVitals" ~The highly technical craft utilizing a unique blend of a pt's recent values, emotional status, and what kind of snacks he got overnight to determine: B/P, temp, resp, etc ~

When I return to the floor after running to the gift shop for candy and no call lights are on, AND no one fell OR died!!

I hope I dont find...both ladies on the floor; one in the bathroom sitting indian style and stating she "fell", and the other tangled in her iv tubing near the foot of her bed!

I think there should be a set number of times, per shift, a patient may ring their call bell. When they've reached their allotted max, their horn should be revoked. 😬

I am starting on a telemetry unit at Northside Hospital in the next few weeks. Was wondering if anyone had comments (general or otherwise) about the place? I'm relocating to Tampa from Virginia so, everything will be new for me.. :heartbeat

I am applying for jobs and am not sure what types of patients to expect on a Complex Medicine floor. Is it the same as Med-Surg? Thanks for any help!

]I am in my 1st year on a telemetry unit. Frequently, I go home feeling like I've failed. In the back of my mind, I know that good things have happened over the course of the day. But the mistakes and shortcomings seems to overtake my memory of the day. I start off in a good mood; I do love nursing. But as it progresses I feel like nobody is helping me (techs, charge nurse) and I become a chicken with its head cut off. I try to do everything myself, and I end up feeling like shortcuts were taken, key symptoms missed, and patients/families disappointed. One of my problems, I think, is that in the beginning of the 12 hr shift, I am relaxed and take extra time to talk to my patients. I can almost always make a connection, and I love that! But later on in the day, as things start piling up, I really think they feel shortchanged and neglected since I cannot provide minute-to-minute attention. They seem to become more needy.. and dont seem to understand that I have 3 other patients. The end result? I leave furious & frustrated with patients and family members, as well as my fellow employees. I feel they are also angry with me. My 12 hrs of work seems somehow nullified because it's all colored by those last few hours. Can anyone relate to these feelings??

I'm a new grad still working with a preceptor. The end of orientation is rapidly approaching (2 wks). As expected, increasing my patient load has stressed me a great deal. I focus on my mistakes and may or may not realize my victories on any given shift. There is not too much positive reinforcement on the unit, and I wish there was, especially when it comes to putting patients before paperwork. I found myself grabbing meds for two patients at once.. carrying the one set in my hand and putting the aspirin for another patient in my pocket. I found myself charting an assessment... not remembering the date and/or gauge of their IV site, so defaulting to the previous shift's assessment. (lesson learned: they can be wrong).. anyway, I spent the last 10 minutes of a busy shift trying to contact radiology to confirm they were sending the oral contrast for a patient's CXR. it was the weekend and i could NOT get thru to anyone. i tried 5 different numbers, let some ring forever, got a hold of a couple people who just redirected me.. called the operator... the night nurse was aware of what was going on, but it was my responsibility to get everything settled. I thought otherwise- wouldnt she take care of it? I just wanted to go home and couldnt take any more. my preceptor intervened and got on the phone, trying another number; finally getting through. i was embarrassed and worried as she pointed out that you cant just leave like that. i'd simply given up! i'm worried because now is the time i should have tons of energy and willing to stay late, etc. But i wanted to leave. I had my jacket and bag with me-- literally walking out the door-- when i spotted my preceptor on the phone; finishing the job that was mine. how could i do this? frustrated with my attitude...

That makes sense. It was hard to tell what was going on with this patient since she had other pain/discomfort issues. The urine was clear and yellow, so no problems there. In the case of a UTI is the catheter removed?

Hi- I am a new grad and inserted a foley cath in a female patient yesterday. It was my second time doing it, so I was nervous. Anyway, I got immediate urine return, advanced it, then inflated the balloon. About 7cc's into the inflation she started to yelp. Said it was burning. My preceptor was in the room and told me to just continue inflating to 10ccs. I advanced a little more and the patient still had pain. Urine return was evident, so I'm just wondering if there's something else I did wrong. Thanks for any suggestions!

Yeah, the work commitment plan is a good one! The loan is Sallie Mae's Tuition Answer Loan. Good luck!

Hi there, I live off of loans to pay for school and my rent, etc. I will graduate in December from a 2nd degree accelerated BSN program, but have racked up quite a bit of debt in the process! Unfortunately it was unavoidable. My school is also a very expensive private institution. I would probably recommend a state school, but they may not do BSNs. The loan I chose, besides what the govt. allocates, works well since I can always apply for more if it runs out. Some schools also have scholarships that become available once you have demonstrated a few semesters of high academic performance and have a great financial need-- this will be evident by virtue of filling out the FAFSA. The good news is that student debt is "good" debt in terms of your credit rating. Mine is still very high even though my student loan debt is over 30k by now. HOpe this helps!

Hi, I am a 2nd degree nursing student and I graduate in December. yay! At the end of april my father (58, and w/ no previous diagnoses and in good health) had emergency CABG. He had 5 bypasses. They took his radial artery. I have two questions if anyone can help! For the past few months i have been looking at the literature and asking opinions in regards to his treatment course. I havent been able to find out too much about what happens when the graft, which is said to last "15-20 yrs" , ceases to be patent. I read that the radial artery is better to use than the saphenous vein... maybe it lasts longer? Anyway, I know he is afraid to ask the question, but I would like to try and find out. he has also had a-flutter since the surgery. he's been on coumadin this whole time as well as amiodarone which i understand could be serving as a chemical attempt at cardioversion. well, i guess it hasnt worked. the doc says he needs to keep his coumadin at 2 for 4 weeks straight and then they'll do the cardioversion. my dad is skeptical about it because the doc said it may not work and they'll have to repeat it, then if that doesnt work there will be a lifelong course of undesirable drug therapy, or something. I tried to assure him that he should definitely opt for the cardioversion and that 95% of the time it works on the first shot. I hope I wasnt misleading him. Any opinions welcome!! thank you ~Liz:heartbeat

Hi, I am a nursing student and I have a not-so-deep question about OB patient charts. Here is what it reads: G5, P2, T1, P1, A2 E0, M0, L2 So.. Gravida 5, Para 2, 2 abortions? zero miscarriages? Please help! Thanks:confused: