docomo

Lets say you meet another nurse or a tech at your work that you really like and would like to date. But you can't just ask, because the other person is already in a relationship with someone else. What's would be a good way indirectly find out if she is interested or is she just being friendly without completely letting the cat out of the bag?

consider this your lesson learned. Don't work anywhere that you aren't in agreement with the quality of care being given. Move on, forget about that place and stop being paranoid.

Hey OP, no one can help you until you are ready and willing to admit that alcohol has taken over your life and your ability to make good decisions. As I read your post, it was clear that the person writing is very sad, very angry, and in total denial about how much alcoholism is adversely affecting every part of your life. If you do decide that it's time to get help, I suspect that one day you'll be thankful that someone intervened when they did.

I've been through classes on this, reviewed books, and still suck at recognizing cardiac rhythms on the fly. Any advice on how to make it easy to recognize specific cardiac rhythms quickly and easily?

NO! underpaid, overworked, expected to carry elephants on your back and stand on your feet for 12 hours, no job security.

if you are a new grad, take in everything you can, but don't presume to know enough to hand out criticism. You'll observe good nurses and bad nurses, this is the time when you'll decide what kind of nurse you are going to be. There is cutting corners for the sake of laziness and then there is doing the best that you can with a given situation. I've never met a doctor or nurse that is 100% truthful in their charting... They may think they are being truthful, but in fact there's usually plenty of wiggle room in the way things are stated in a patients chart. It's a often matter of interpretation and knowing which things are actually relevant to the pt's condition and treatment. If granny takes her pill for high blood pressure every morning, splitting hairs between 930 and 935 isn't going to matter one way or the other.

Why can't we have one national nursing license and still give states the authority to have their own nurse practice act? Isn't that what the compact state license is doing? We already have the NCLEX, so who is keeping this from happening?

Since ACLS guidelines now recommends hypothermia for stemi patients that are unconscious with return of spontaneous circulation, then shouldn't all emergency rooms have the capability to initiate therapeutic hypothermia ? Like many rural EDs, my ED is only 18 bed and doesn't have a hypothermic unit. That seems like bad news for anyone having a heart attack that gets transported to a rural ED.

is there a such thing as a "not busy ER"? take the two weeks, if you don't feel ready, don't be afraid to ask for two more weeks...

being a new grad in the ED is rough. That being said, I did it, and many others have done it. There are lots of hospitals that hire new grads, and contrary to what some people with over sized ego's will tell you, those EDs are just as good as those that don't do it. It all comes down to the person doing the hiring. There are plenty of nurses out there with good resumes and lots of experience that I wouldn't trust to care for cat. In my opinion, the things that ultimately make the difference between a good nurse and a bad nurse are the things that can't be taught in school or learned on the job, it comes mostly from who you are as a person. Being a safe nurse is all about doing your best to care for patients while knowing your limits and knowing when to ask questions.

other than the obvious, pens, stethoscope, scissors. 1. candy or granola bars. 2. "pocket pharmacopoeia for nurses". because 90% of what you do is giving drugs, and when it comes to questions like "over how many minutes should this drug be administered?" or "what precautions to be aware of?" this little pocket book will be the best $10 you ever spent. I never work without it! 3. fine tip hi-lighter, to hi-light things in your pocket drug book so looking up info on a drug you've already given will only take you 5 seconds.

nothing sucks more than a bad preceptor or being assigned a lousy nurse for new hire orientation...

Here's a my time tested IV insertion technique that rarely lets me down. Make the TQ on the arm very snug and keep arm lower than heart for the veins to puff up. (forget all that slapping and thumping, irritated veins are more likely to blow) When searching for a vein try to make your choice within 15 seconds. Remember that your sense of touch is far superior to what you see, (just like the Jedi say, use the force). If there is any doubt about what you are about to stick, palpate the vein and then release the TQ to feel the vein deflate. When you do poke, keep level of the needle as close to that of the vein as possible. (if you come in at more than 30 degrees, you'll almost certainly blow the vein by stabbing through the back side of it.) Once you see the flash go forward a tiny bit and gently push the catheter forward with one finger. if you meet resistance back up a tiny bit and move forward or tape it down where it is if its at least 3/4 inserted. (for elderly with thin skin, avoid using a TQ if you can easily find a vein without one) Finally, be sure you are pulling the loose skin on both sides of the vein towards yourself with your thumb, by pulling the skin and inserting at a very low angle, you'll never have an issue with rolling veins.

I'm a male nurse, and believe it or not, us men encounter the same problems. Last year I took a job an ER. After only a few months on the job things were beginning to look grim. On several occasions, I'd observed the ER director, a woman, being verbally abusive and bullying her nurses. (yelling at people in front of others, scolding or talking to nurses like she was their mommy) It was as if her behavior hinged on her mood, also, her bad attitude seemed to bring out the worst in some of the other nurses and doctors. Once the situation became clear in my mind, I resigned and started looking for a new job. It's just not worth the stress that these kind of people will put you through if you stay, and nothing you can do or say is going to change them. I was unemployed for a few months, but now have a nursing job that I love and I'm working with great people. My advice is for you or for anyone in your situation is to walk away from any job where the doctors or supervisors treat you in any way that is less than professional. If you feel the need to let them know why you left your job, wait until after you have a new job somewhere else, and write a professional and informative letter to someone in the executive level of the organization.

Your post is rather incomplete in that very little of the information from your resume is provided. First let me say that I'm also considering a career in nursing informatics, though I'm a RN with no working experience as a nurse. I also have a degree in information technology, but no experience as an IT professional either. It's easy to see where my resume would show some weaknesses as an applicant for a nursing informatics job. I've got the qualifying education, but lacking the ideal work experience. Upon reviewing your resume, would you say you are more or less prepared than what is considered to be the standard requirements? Most agree that the requirements for a nursing informatics job are: a degree in nursing, as well as a degree in computer science or informatics, and a minimum of 2 years of experience as an RN in a hospital. If your resume is lacking in either education or experience, then you're at a serious disadvantage to those who have both. If your resume is lacking in qualifications, the obvious solution is to get the respective education or experience needed for one to be considered as fully qualified for the position. However, assuming that you are fully qualified, then most likely all you are missing is a little polish. That means more than putting on a nice suit and smiling throughout the interview. A polished appearance means having a resume that is very well prepared and arriving at the interview already knowing your answer to any question they could possibly ask you. It's probably time to invest a little money in yourself by hiring a professional to rewrite your resume and coach you on how to do well during the interview. Good Luck!