NativeTexan

Cherry, You go girl!!

Oh, and one of my favorites from 7 or 8 years ago was the guy who drank the Vicks for the vaporizer, instead of the Vicks cough syrup. That was a fun lavage. Everyone's nose was running, and that room smelled of menthol for a week.

People who won't treat a kid's temp because they want ME to see how high it really is..... "I lost my tampon"...... "I smoked marijuana all day and now I'm dizzy"......

My friend has a 2 year old that will be in a pelvic sling for the next 3 weeks. I would like to send her a package, and was wondering if any of you peds nurses have suggestions on what I could put in it?

On my last day (night) in the ER, I'm sticking every patients cell phone where the sun don't shine!

Kathy, I took effexor for about a year after having a miscarriage. It took me nearly a year to wean off it, because the withdrawal symptoms were so bad.I'd end up taking a dose to be able to work or drive. I had severe dizziness, and blurred vision. It drove me crazy. I finally took a week off work, and stayed around the house until it was out of my system. I was soooooo irritable, I could hardly stand myself. I wouldn't recommend that drug to anyone! I hope you have an easier time of it. Just try not to give in and take a dose to relieve symptoms. Good luck.

Does your facility require you to wear a certain color scrubs for your unit, and if so, do they provide them, or give a clothing allowance? Our ER is talking about requiring nurses to wear one color, techs one color...etc. However, the rumor is, we are going to have to pay for them ourselves. I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Well, I did a little research on the online edition of our newspaper. I remembered that one week ago today, a BUNCH of doctors got together and went up to the state capitol to address the issue of the malpractice rates dramatically increasing in our state. They increased for all doctors. They were really upset, though, because most of the politicians had taken the afternoon off to go see "Passion of the Christ". Anyway.....the newspaper gives these figures: For a family practitioner who does NOT deliver babies: $4,300 for $3 million in coverage. For an OB/GYN, the cost is : $22,450 for the same amount of coverage. And yes, the majority of those OB's who want to give demerol are men...although we have one woman who seems to be about as sympathetic. Maybe these doc's have never been patients...... Maybe I should remind them "what comes around goes around".

I do NOT want to be the person THAT jar is handed to!

My mom is 56 years old. She had one semester of college left and she would have had a Bachelor's Degree in teaching. But, my dad came home after 3 years in Vietnam, and she quit school, got married, and had 3 kids. She never went back to school. She makes about $9.00 an hour now, working as a clerk in our transplant clinic. She is quite content, loves her job, and has many friends. I should add that she babysat kids at our home during our growing up years so that she could be home with us and supplement my dad's income. Until very recently, I could not understand why in the world she quit college, or why she never went back. I also felt a lot of guilt over me making $30 an hour, and her making $9. But, I finally realized that she made her own choices. She is at peace with herself. She is always happy, always in a good mood. I can call her any time of the day or night, and she has a smile in her voice and is happy to talk. So, I guess what I'm trying to say, is, if you are happy and at peace with yourself, then be happy. ***Noone can make you feel inferior without your consent.*** It takes all kinds of people in all kinds of positions to make this world go 'round. I think the people you care for are lucky to have you! And for the record, I have an Associates degree, and often, I second guess myself about getting my BSN. But, it's not the right thing for me to do right now. I would not make any more money. I do not want a management position. I would rather put that money in my daughter's college fund, until the time is right for me to go back to school. And, I don't WANT to go back to school right now! I keep all my certifications current, do CE freqeuntly. I don't think it makes me a bad person to not have a BSN yet! So, I'll keep reminding myself, and you keep reminding yourself, that "Noone can make you feel inferior without your consent!"

Wow! 13 years in emergency nursing and THAT's the grossest thing I've ever heard of!!!! Whatever works!

Thanks ya'll,very helpful!

We are curious if any of you out there use lidocaine to start IV's in the ER? We don't, but often have pt's show up that really get hacked when we don't do that for them. Any thoughts?

You guys are a hoot!! You'll be glad to know I was sooooooooo nice to my security guard pt last night. I tried to take the high road and subscribe to the "kill 'em with kindness" thing. :rotfl:

Of all things....I have one of our security guards right now as a pt!! Think I should dole out the demerol for his kidney stone in proportion to how much security he provides? hahahaha

I hear ya....many of us get off at 3 am...my thing on parking lot and garage safety is..."where do ya'll think all these nuts we get in the ER come from anyway?? They come in from out there!!" eeeeeekkk!

Sometimes we will do two or three in a week, and then it might be a month before we have to do another one. This week, we had a patient come in that had already had a d&c, but was still bleeding enough to splatter blood over the ER doctor's white coat. Her OB came in and did another d&c in the ER. Another problem is the OB's never want to do conscious sedation. They want to give the pt some demerol and do it. It then turns into a confrontation between the nurses and OB doc, for proper sedation. Of course, this is after the "why don't you take this to the OR" confrontation. Apparently, it has been a much contested problem in the ER for a long time. I have never worked in a facility where this was done in the ER.

Believe me, no way could I carry a gun....I probably would use it! Our ER has no security.Our "officers" are scared of their own shadow. Like some of the rest of you, I have taken knives off people in triage, (thankfully, they were cooperative in handing them over). On at least two occassions, I have seen police officers taken down in exam rooms, one of them female, who got smacked around pretty good before she got her pepper spray out. The kicker was when a man with a gun walked up in broad daylight, across the parking lot, and into the ambulance bay. He tried to get in the double doors (which can be pried open easily, guess he didn't try that)...our nurses station is directly in front of those doors. Anyway, he didn't get in on his first try, so he just blew his head off in front of the doors. That really shook everyone up. But it's been probably a year later, that we just now get a police officer on the night shift on the weekends.No other changes at all have been made. I really believe it will take someone getting killed before we get better security. We also have no camera's in our parking garages, and I have worked nights in that ER for 5 years, and maybe twice have seen security patrol the garage at shift change. But, this morning, I forgot something, parked in a patient spot, ran in and back out, and there was a "guard" tapping his foot in front of my car. I guess you get the kind of security staff you pay for? And I wish nurses didn't have to feel so threatened that they carry guns to work. Like I said, I would shoot someone!! Not to mention "short staffed-pms-gun"....not a good combo!

Hey, don't laugh at those "pistol packing nurses". You may be working with some. I know I have worked with a few in the past. They made me feel a heck of alot safer than our "security" (keystone kops).

Do any of you have to assist with D&C's in the ER? We have to at our hospital, and feel strongly that these should go to the OR. Your feedback would be appreciated.

We had a memo very similar to that not long ago. We do try to check on people in the waiting room but when you're so busy you're running them through triage like cattle, and have a rack full to be triaged, and hunting rooms down all at the same time.......and then when you do go check on people, they eat you alive. Where's the love? hahaha I am one person, and I can only do as much as I can do!!

I worked with a very jaded nurse who always charted a frequent flyer's complaints as: SSDD (same sh** different day). When I asked her how she was going to explain that one in court some day, she said she would say "same symptom, different day". And, my best friend, who is hispanic, LOVED the Status Hispanicus!!

My theory has always been to have them sign an AMA form along with the "consent to treat" form when they register. Then when they leave, it's already signed. -sigh-

I have worked only per diem for the past five years. It's allowed me to have more control over my schedule than I've ever had. I have a wonderful lead nurse who hands us the schedule and says "fill in your shifts". I work as little or as much as I want. I think it's the only way to fly! :)