gal220RN BSN, RN

Okay: I need HELP! After over a decade in peds nursing, 7 in PICU, I have just changed hospitals due to a move. I have never encountered such a group of snobby, cold people in my entire life. This unit, I just found out, is notorious for not accep...

I can strip my clothes off at the drop of a hat, not that anyone is very excited to see me do it. Patients are outsiders in the circus ring of activity called healthcare, often clueless about what is wrong with them and what we are doing about it. We...

I have had some questions burning in my mind over the past few months and would love some input from my PICU friends. Since I changed jobs to a PICU with a large cardiac population, I have seen some children who have broken my heart and challenged m...

You are obviously thinking seriously about this transition and I congratulate you on that. Best wishes as you enter the PICU world. I will give you a few of my personal thoughts on your questions: 1. In a general PICU, respiratory issues are some ...

No, they hire new grads. But one question, why Duke? There are other great hospitals in the area. Check them all out before you make up your mind.

We live on the Durham/Orange County boarder- but technically in Durham Co. The schools are a problem, I am sad to say. However, Chapel Hill is much more expensive, so you will get less house or apartment for the money. There are some great neighbo...

Congrats on your new profession! I am sorry to report the salary ranges for new grads are not comparable to those in NJ. When I moved from another state in the southeast to NC with over a decade of nursing experience, I was offered a base rate of...

After many years working as a bedside nurse, I entertained the idea of going back to school for my peds critical care PNP. I have worked in units where they are utilized aggressively in patient care, with responsibilities equal to a Fellow. However...

Hi there! I my experience, we use both sedation/pain scores (RASS,FLACC,FACES) to assess the adequacy of our sedation/pain management. We also require any means of restraint (soft wrist, Welcome sleeves) to be discussed and reordered every 24 hours....

In 15 years of nursing (all areas from ED to critical care) I have never eaten in a break room. I don't have a problem with those that do (you all probably have a much healthier digestive tract), but I always feel I am putting an extra burden with m...

1 Before you even touch the kids, make sure you have EVERYTHING you need in mulitples in an organized fashion on a table, blue pad, easily visable. Open you alcohol wipes - lots, flush all your lines AND MOST IMPORTANT, HAVE YOUR SECUREMENT DEVICE ...

There are no accidents in this life, I believe that. I also believe for every trial, every tear, there is a purpose- one I might never understand in this life, but it is there nevertheless. Just because we do not have answers to our struggles does...

As long as she acquired the immunizations legally according to the laws of her state, she is perfectly within her practicing rights as an RN to administer them. She should have notified dad of the injections for appropriate monitoring and interventi...

"Although it is not a nurse's place to discuss prognosis with the families prior to the physicians doing so, it is my belief that DNR orders have many implications for nursing practice on an ethical level." First, let me say how impressed I am with y...

It sounds like an appropriate dosage of Tylenol, but written in a dangerous way that could be misunderstood. She should have either a scheduled dosage or prn, but not both. Ativan is purely for anxiety. You are right to consider her liver function...

You will probably have to go to the RTP area and look at Duke or UNC. Both are good programs. Do you want to work in a hospital or outpatient?

That story made me smile! Sometimes no matter what you do, you just can't win.:chuckle

Update on my post: As I am sitting here typing my update, I have come to realize my new career is as a Barista at Starbucks! What a happy job that would be! Nothing new to report, just more of the same, more isolation. I have emotinally left this p...

I believe you are correct. In order to drain the EVD, the stopcock would have to be off to the transducer, in which case your numbers on your monitor would not reflect your true ICP. Did your nurse following you go postal because the montitor alar...

Hi everyone: Sorry it has taken me so long to get back- I have been too busy having a nervous breakdown. I love your comments and encouragement. It is so amazing how much support you can get from a bunch of strangers- only you are not strangers, you...

What wonderful, encouraging words. I hope you never loose your passion. You are the kind of person that will give nursing an excellent reputation for being a caring profession. Keep the kids at your center and you will never stray from your purpo...

Oh Jan- you are so wonderful and have an amazing capacity to do the right thing- I can hear the kindness flowing out of you. I am already out of orientation (4 weeks), so there has not been lots of time for details. But your example about using In...

What do you use to take report? Do you have a standard sheet? I have seen nurses make their own specialized form on Word, including a time slot for each hours vital signs, I/O, meds due, prn's given, reminders for that hour and any exceptions/inter...

If you tilt the syringe at a 45 degree angle, the fat will also fall with the rest of the milk. Been there are done that.

Motor Mama: You know, I think it really depends on the situation. Trauma is much harder to deal with because of the suddeness and violence involved. Often there is not an opportunity for closure for families. Abuse is also terrible. There is noth...