letitbe_lindsay

letitbe_lindsay's Latest Activity

1. 

   Vent Alarms Ordered to be Turned Off

   letitbe_lindsay replied to letitbe_lindsay's topic in Private Duty

   I tried to explain this to my husband--God bless him, he's not medical. He wasn't understanding why I was having such a hard time with it because it sounded like "easy money" because the family would allow you to watch TV, etc. while working. I was like screw that--if something happens, I could lose my license and we could get sued for our livelihood over this. NOT WORTH THE RISK.

   • Jan 18, 2017
   • 11 replies
2. 

   Vent Alarms Ordered to be Turned Off

   letitbe_lindsay replied to letitbe_lindsay's topic in Private Duty

   duplicate

   • Jan 18, 2017
   • 11 replies
3. 

   Vent Alarms Ordered to be Turned Off

   letitbe_lindsay replied to letitbe_lindsay's topic in Private Duty

   Thank you everyone for your advice! My nursey senses were tingling that this just didn't feel safe to me. I brought up all my concerns with my nursing supervisor, unfortunately the family is not willing to budge on most things. They are willing to have an order written for the auditory vent alarms to be turned on, but the 485 still says breath sounds/neuro checks q 4 hours as well as vent checks q 2. The family still does not want the nurse in there to check on those things though. So I told my agency thanks but no thanks! Since I worked my shift in the home one other nurse has been oriented to nights--and from what I understand she told them the same thing. I think it will be an ongoing concern for night shift coverage but you know what? I'm not willing to risk my license over it. The agency is trying to find me a new client now. And it's really slim pickings. So I'm back to the drawing board in terms of finding work. I'm glad I stood my ground but I'm unbelievably frustrated right now.

   • Jan 18, 2017
   • 11 replies
4. 

   Vent Alarms Ordered to be Turned Off

   letitbe_lindsay posted a topic in Private Duty

   Hello, I am fairly new to Private Duty nursing. I just began working with a patient who has muscular dystrophy and is on a vent. She is on a continuous pulse oximeter, which alarms and if she needs something during night shift she can flick off the finger probe to get the nurse's attention. However, she is not always able to manage this movement. My problem is, the patient gets "really freaked out" according to her mother if the nurse is in the room with her at night. So the patient sleeps in her bed and I, the nurse responsible for her airway, am supposed to be in the living room. The patient also wakes up at the drop of a hat and does not like people checking on her too much. I was told to go check every hour by looking in the doorway at the pulse ox monitor. It's dark in the room so you can't see the patient and the floor creaks so she doesn't want you walking in there. Also the vent has an auto dim so you can't see that either. The patient has an order for all alarms to be turned off on the vent. So, my only way of knowing her status is the pulse ox and a baby monitor I have. This arrangement apparently works well for the family, but having little ventilator experience, this kind of freaks me out. How would you manage this situation? I want to provide good care consistent with the patient and family's wishes but I feel like most of the tools of assessment have been stripped from me. I certainly don't want to be neglectful. The family fired the last nurse for going in and checking the vent every 2 hours (which is my agency protocol).

   • Jan 13, 2017
   • 11 replies
5. 

   What did YOU do to get ready for applying to nursing school?

   letitbe_lindsay replied to CarinaBallerina's topic in Students

   Hey CarinaBallerina-- I just got accepted into the University of Arizona's RN-BSN program for Fall 2008. Consider yourself lucky to have the interview opportunity--I know it's nerve-wracking, but it's the best chance you get to sell yourself. At the UofA, all we got was a 250 word personal statement. It was quite a bit of pressure to sound amazing on a (small) piece of paper. One thing that helped me out a lot was going in to bug the nursing advisors. I went in there and asked about EVERYTHING, no matter how stupid my questions sounded (and trust me...there were some good ones). Basically I did this for the purpose of exposure...by the time I applied, the members on the admission board all knew me by name and face. This is GOOD. I might not have gotten to interview, but in the end, it didn't matter. Basically, every admission board member will tell you the same thing. Stand out. If they don't remember you, they won't pick you. Make your personal statement a piece of creative writing (while still being professional and answering the question, of course). Don't write the boring way we all think admissions boards want to read (they don't--would you?) Make it INTERESTING. Assert yourself. Don't say "if" I get in, say "when" I get in. If you believe you, they will too.

   • Apr 2, 2008
   • 9 replies