mackrn

When I worked in California, Texas and Florida had several patients make remarks about my pronounciation was awful, so I told them that they were right and would only speak english in the future.

I ask why they need more chairs when there is a sign stating only 2 visitors per room and there are already 2 chairs in the room. Then go to the room and request all but 2 visitors leave.

I was a patient in a Kaiser hospital in Los Angles and less than 2 hrs. after returning to room from OR after having a ruptured appendix removed, was put in a w/c and taken into a room to assess a traction set up. Was recognized as one of the orthopedic instructors from LA County Hospital/USC Medical Center and since they didn't want to bother calling in the ortho tech, asked me. Told the unit manager the next morning (who couldn't beleive they did that) that had so much MSO4 on board it could of been upside down and still said ok. The same hospital stay (in a semi-private room) had 4 roomates die in the middle of the night. Seems like everytime I turned around they were coding someone in the next bed. Asked to be discharged so could get some sleep

Have a couple that would like to share. #1) Many years ago right after passing boards was working the night shift on a med surg floor. We had a pretty violent patient on the floor and I suggested that he be assigned to me due to my size. Well the elderly nurse on his wing said she could handle him as had him the week before. Was sitting in the station when I saw her coming down the hall with blood all over her and she was laughing up a storm. Thought he had attacked her, but she was pumping up the pressure bag for a tranfusion when the blood bag exploded. Had to move the patient out of the room as it looked like a scene from a Freddy Kruger movie!!! #2) I was replacing a vac dressing on a patient in the trauma unit that had caught a shotgun blast in the stomach. Had quite a few nursing students observing while I was exploring the abdomen before placing the sponge. She had a stab hole on the other side of the abdomen and I stuck my finger from the inside out saying "Well you don't see that every day". Had a nursing student and 2 med students pass out on me.

Some of my favorite t-shirts (that the hospital hates when I wear) that should be on post-its. I am here to save your ass, not kiss it! Your HMO has refused your enema, so I am here to slap the **** out of you! Do you want the doctor in charge or the Nurse that knows what is going on? Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy nurses can handle the pressure. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy nurses do it deeper.

Was reading the H&P on one of my hyperbaric patients and found out that the patient was a 43 y.o. black male. This surprised me as I had just put him in the chamber and one of the means of identifying him was his birthdate (he was 48 y.o. white male). Called the doc to let him know and he sent his PA down to the unit to get the H&P, but less than 20 minutes later the patient had a oxygen toxicity siezure in the chamber and had to be sent to the ER. When the Doc and the PA showed up in the ER and I had given them the report, pointed out that this is what happens when you tell someone that thought he was white that he is black after 48 years.

Depends on the hospital. IMO my current workplace really caters to crazy family members and does not support its nurses. Last year we were having a celebration for the nurses on our unit that we paid for ourselves. It was catered and was set up for us ahead of time, but by the time we got there a family of 350 lb. visitors (4 women) had come in and eaten all the food designed for 26 people. The hospital didn't want to do anything about it due to the bad publicity, but as the coordinator I called the police and had them arrested for theft (meals were charged to us at $15/person so was well above the petty larceny amount). Suggested that if it wasn't a big thing the hospital would pay for their "snack" insted of the herd of visitors. Not only did they spend the weekend in jail due to not being able to post bail, but they had to pay us back with interest. They were in the lobby last week as one of them was up in the ICU with an MI, demanding to be wheeled up to see their sister as it was too far for them to walk (waddle). Then they complained to administration that ther were not enough double wide chairs in the waiting area for all of them to have seats at the same time. My only fear is that they are diabetics and might need hyperbarics in the future!!!!!!!

Iwas fresh out of the Marine Corps and starting nursing school, while working in the ER as an orderly. Was going to get a motorcycle for the commute due to bugetary concerns, but after a month there and seeing head injuries, spinal cord injuries and the assorted other traumas associated with riding a bike, deceided to keep my datsun. Of course now have other descriptions for bikes: Kawasaki = Kidney doner in Japanese. Motorcycle = Gift you give your son for his last birthday.

I have been a Nurse for 25 years, I am male and would not trade the term for anything else.

I have been involved in hyperbaric medicine for over 20 years and have started up units all over the country, published in articles and one of the contributing authors for the only textbook on Hyperbaric Nursing. The best staffing of a unit is a mixture of RN's and RT's, with an emphasis on RN's to be more cost effective. In addition to dealing with critical care dives where a nurse has to be present, dealing with IV's, wound care and patient assessment is more of a nursing domain and not in the scope of practice for RT's. Hyperbaric medicine is highly effective if used properly and patients properly evaluated before treatment. Have treated patients from all aspects of the hospital continuum, with a heavy emphasis on non-healing wound and radiation injuries,

Or one that recently became popular here (used it before when in the Marines). BOHICA- Bend Over Here It Comes Again

Yes, as stated in my post a CO2 one.

I have removed JP, hemovacs and just about every type of drain that you can think of patients having inserted. Of course have been a trauma/ortho nurse off and on for over 25 years and have been in hyperbarics and wound care for the last 15 years. Piece of cake actually and sometimes a lot easier than waiting around for physican to show up. Have removed some retention sutures, but usually when placing a negative pressure dressing on the wound and they are in the way of getting a good seal over the dressing.

I have the opposite problem, being 6'1" and 270 lbs. In addition to whacking my head on the traction all the time, when I work with my co-workers doing dressing changes end up with a back ache as can't raise the bed high enough for me to be comfortable and still have them be able to reach the patient. When I first walk into a hospital the first question is "do you want to work, ortho, neuro, rehab or the ER?" And most of the patients would rather have someone with smaller delicate hands doing some of the required nursing procedures (although do get a lot of compliments on my ability to decrease the pain in the injections and dressing changes that do on a daily basis. Another benefit of being smaller is the statistical fact that smaller people have the potential to life longer due to decrease stress on the cardiac, vascular and musculoskeletal systems.

Knew I shouldn't of responded to this thread as this week have treated two hospital employees for migraines (1 from OR and the other from Trauma Unit) after hours in the chamber. Since we cannot charge for the treatments as the insurance will not pay for I usually do not clock in, but both were back to work in 45 minutes without any discomfort. Just wish they would of called earlier in the day when still there as both stated had been hurting since after lunch.

I have CEN, CCRN, ONC, CHRNA and thinking of going for the wound care certification. (CEN- certified Emergency room nurse, CCRN- critical care registered nurse, ONC- orthopedic nurse certified, CHRNA- certified hyperbaric registered nurse- advanced). The last hospital used to pay an additional 0.50/per hr/per certification and included ACLS and PALS into the formula until I arrived. Then it was was a max of 2 certifications after they found out how much extra I was pulling in, especially with the overtime I was doing at the time.

The first time I took care of a frequent flyer that came in with maggots on his leg it took 2 hours to clean the wound. The second and third time it took 45 minutes using a little bottle of ethyl chloride (a freezing solution) that made cleaning them off easy. The last time he came in used a CO2 fire extinguisher and it was finshed in 5 minutes and he never came back.

You might want to check and see if there is a hyperbaric unit in the area. We have a couple of nurses and doctors that have problems with migraines and have found that an HBO tx works great on them. Usualy able to return to work with in 30-45 minutes,

Mine isn't quite as interesting, but fairly gross. I was working on the triage desk of Tampa General Hospital when a pick up truck came roaring up and the driver started screaming for help as his was was in the back and she wasn't breathing. Called for assitance and climbed in the back to assess her and she wasn't breathing but had a heartbeat (this is back in the late 70's where you didn't use PPE's) and started rescure breathing. Just as I was about to give my 3rd rescue breath she projectile vomited and got a mouth and facefull. Apparently the reason she wasn't breathing was that she was postical. When the code team made it out ot the ramp I was hanging over the wall puking everything that had eaten for a week (on the hood of one of the attendings BMW parked illegally- was really p.o.'d about the paint job). After 2 gallons of mouth wash was able to return to work, but to this day just a wiff of puke makes me nauseaous.

Well I started refusing to cover for her or letting my schedule be altered to accomodate her and she then called in 2x so could be available for events she had asked for, but was supposed to be on call. She has given notice.

Although don't have snow emergencies here in Savannah, last year we were on hurricane alert multiple times. We have teams that alternate being in the hospital for alerts so no one person is supposed to get stuck with being at the hospital for extended periods. The only persons in my area were nurses with families that had to be with them during the alert so the single staf were stuck there.

TWA- traveling with angels

I am one of the nurses that gets stuck when my co-worker has a family emergency and has to stay home with her daughters. We looked it up on the schedules over the last 2 years have had to come in, stay late or change my schedule 41 times to accomodate her family needs. I had one and that was for my fathers funeral earlier this year. She complained that she missed a basketball game so told her would not change schedule, stay late or cover for her anymore. She has since given notice. As for affecting promotions, never have seen it affect promotions or pay raises. My question is, should we only hire single nurses without dependants so can decrease the excuses of not covering in times of need? I am sure damn tired of being the single nurse that is supposed to cover for the mother that has to stay home with their children.