correctlywrong

I take an anabolic steroid by injection, and I am an RN. Of course, I am taking it by prescription for a diagnosed medical condition, under the care of my physician.

Let's talk about what YOU can do. 1) Learn from the bad example that was set for you, and when you find yourself in the role of a mentor or team member, focus on how you can do the opposite of what was done to you. 2) Consider whether it is appropr...

I've decided that my answer is to give the best care possible to the patients and the paperwork be danged. I am less protected if there is an adverse event because my charting sucks. I am less likely to have a patient experience an adverse event i...

On my unit, we occasionally get people that we consider "single shift" patients. It is understood that no nurse should have to have them day after day. Mostly they are repeat customers, so we know from the door that we need to alternate their nurs...

Nursing is really stressful. Stress does exact a price, physically or emotionally. All people in very stressful jobs are at increased risk for mental and physical health problems, depression included. There are times when I ask myself why I subjec...

Maybe you look like someone they didn't get along with once. Maybe they don't like your accent. Maybe they were offended because you ended a sentance with a preposition. Or there was some genuine miscommunication that troubled them. It hasn't ...

Try 29, 30, or 31. I think we, as a profession, use much larger needles than necessary. I give IMs in the deltoid on nonobese individuals using what my facility considers a SQ needle, 25g, 5/8inch. If the deltoid is well defined, under only a sma...

Actually, according to Watchtower Magazine, they are very strong proponents of finding alternative/synthetic blood products. Their issue is that they feel the bible tells them not to consume blood, that it is an abomination. So, blood transfusio...

I signed on for a similar contract. Some days, I regret it, but I really had no other choice. I sometimes jokingly refer to myself as an indentured servant, but that is essentially what it comes down to. It does add some extra stress every step...

The great thing about heparin is its crazy short half life. You can turn it off for a few hours and the patient's ptt will normalize. I have seen a patient get a 10x overdose of heparin with no negative outcome. The woman who died of spinal hemat...

Our hospital has a specialty unit where patients come to have seizures on purpose, while on 24 hour EEG monitoring and closed circuit TV. What I learned from the nurses there: Protect their head! Have suction set up ready to remove excess secretion...

Most common causes of fever post operatively include anesthesia reaction (rare, early), atelectasis (common), DVT/PE. Two or three days after surgery, pan culture. First 48 hours, it is something else.

Management that isn't above taking an assignment when needed. Even occasionally, when not needed, to keep skills fresh and to find out first hand what the problems on the unit really are. Nurses that aren't above team work, with each other and wit...

There was a different ethic in the last generations. There was a feeling that the company would take care of you and that you just had to work hard and be a loyal employee. There are people who retired having never called in sick, and that was the...

I am in a similar position. When I am ready, I will tell them that I will work out the next schedule, as our schedules are made in four week blocks, and then depart. As for why you are leaving, the official reason should always be something along...

I've been at Presby on a med/surg floor for a couple years and I make $23+. I like overtime, and there is a $10/hour shift bonus on top of that for picking up shifts on particularly stressed units. Which I take ruthless advantage of! =) I grouse...

You need to go to employee health right away. You don't need to tell everything about the circumstances surrounding your needle stick, but you need to have it on record that you were stuck with a needle that may have been contaminated with blood fro...

You are never liable for someone else's actions. You are only liable for your own action or inaction. If you are in a supervisory role, you are liable for supervising them and seeing to it that they perform the actions that you delegate to them ...

Breathe. It depends on the disinfectant in question, but if it was at an effective concentration level, I would think that most pathogens would have been destroyed within minutes of hanging out in the solution. If it was bleach or CHG, then almo...

There is always an exception, isn't there. As opposed to tipping health care professionals as I am, I have to say that in the situation you describe, I can see why you chose to accept. I can't say for certain that I would have done different, th...

Absolutely, positively not. People often have strong emotions about the person who provides care to them and their family, and want to express their appreciation in ways that are not entirely appropriate. I am already being adequately financially c...

I have given out motrin and tylenol to staff before. Usually from my own supply, but once or twice from the pyxis when someone was in excruciating pain and I didn''t have my stash in my locker. Motrin is one thing. Narcs are another. As others ha...

You can book a hotel room via one of the online services such as Priceline for very cheap. I got a two night stay in the Hyatt on the waterfront in Philly for under $100. You could probably arrange a similar stay in a quiet, comfortable location ne...

There is a difference between being adequately medicated to address pain and being sedated. Admittedly, you shouldn't drive on opiates. But I was not aware that signing a consent required rapid reaction time or quick reflexes. If the patient is ...

With a picc, the tip of the catheter is in such a large, turbulent vein that anything that was infusing is typically swept away within seconds. Waiting a minute is generally more than enough time. Flush, waste 10cc, and draw labs. And then flush ...