TLCinCICU

It's all in semantics. I usually say something to the effect of "I'm sorry for the delay. I have another patient who has been requiring much of my time. But at the moment, you have my undivided attention. What can I do for you?" The tension leve...

The hospital where I worked prior to and just after gaining my license usually did not even hire new grads onto specific units. You had to hire into a float pool and then apply for specific unit positions as they opened. The experience you gained ...

I agree with others, report it to the ethics committee. They will reconcile the situation with your facility's "mission statement" and policies, as well as state and feceral regulations. Protecting the maker of the device doesn't even enter the equ...

Keep plugging away at it Pup. Skills do take repetition to go from novice to expert. In fact, I work beside a nurse or two who would have benefited from taking things a bit more slowly and grasping rationales behind what they do in addition to the ...

I hope all worked out well for your patient. I would have been making certain the MD was knew of the belly assessment findings and only having liquid stool. I'm thinking that they must have been trying to avoid some complication by being that aggre...

What is the size of your hospital? Is it a teaching facility? I'm an idealist among nurses. I'm actually one who wants to get the patient as soon as you have appropriate written orders that tell me what to do. Whether or not that makes it close to ...

I was very lucky as a new grad. During the orientation for new nurses, we had a 1 or 2 hour period (can't really remember how long) in a class with a physical therapist. He took everyone one of us through the importance of bed heights, leverage, ge...

I envy you guys who work units with locked access a tiny bit. Our floorplan doesn't allow for that. The only access/exit to our visitors lobby is via elevator. Due to fire codes, the doors between the lobby and our unit cannot be locked because th...

We have a maximum orientation period of 12 weeks for new CICU employees. New grads go into our critical care fellowship (without an assigned unit), which gives them classes and rotates them through the various critical care areas and takes roughly 1...

I agree with the rest of the posters in that his wishes must be respected. However, it is very likely that one day he will be unable to be weaned from a vent. Have you (as a family) discussed whether you would give or deny consent at that time to d...

I have a cardiology stethoscope too. I love it. I have no doubts that I hear things peers don't. Bottom line, though, is that I'd rather be able to hear an ant fart than have doubts that I might have missed something. hehe And similar to the glas...

Like BBFRN posted, we use a Femostop. I've heard of other facilities that actually use the patient's BP measurements in adjusting the pressure applied at the site. Our P&P is simply written that it is to be placed at 40 mmHg originally, but can...

In the situation you describe, it sounds more as if the patient was announcing the SO was a nurse. Therefore he/she was probably thinking they were explaining the SO's annoying behavior to you, possibly to help you feel more at ease. I like knowing ...

I did have a patient once who pushed me to the point I almost wanted to burst into rainbow flames at the end of the shift and say "By the way, a big ol' queen has been your nurse all day!" He was demonstrably racist and from an area of the state whe...

I'm a fairly firm believer in "What you do comes back to you". If this CNA didn't report off to someone else who could follow through promptly on cleaning up the patient, she did the patient harm (although not on a grand scale). So harm comes back ...

I'm happily another who needs to find a 12-step program for my allnurses.com addiction. hehe It's helped me see more clearly just how my unit is still better than many out there - even at its worst. Some of my peers still remember the Gloria days ...

I cannot imagine what it would be like to work the ED. (Or maybe I can and that's why I don't work one. hehe) That kind of minimally controlled patient flow - with all the complaints about waiting unreasonably long times - is just NOT for me. So I...

It's been a long while, but I have given Golytely for constipation in a chronic vent patient. It always worked very well for her and the MDs knew it. And I thought the "lyte" portion of the name meant that it was formulated to prevent electrolyte i...

We have a 32 bed unit (full capacity). The only times we DON'T allow visitors are from 6:30 to 9 - am and pm. Since we have a face-to-face report at the pods, we do this to avoid anyone accidental (or deliberate) eavesdropping and protect patient c...

I know you (the OP) have already worked hard to put this behind you, but something has piqued my curiosity - since I've now precepted 3 consecutive new hires without a break between. Where was your preceptor in these discussions with your manager, s...

I have a high arch. For me, Crocs resulted in pain before my shift was even over. Athletic shoes do the same. I've worn Dansko clogs since about a year into the profession. If you're lucky, you can even find a shoe store that gives a discount for...

Through my working life, I've been lucky enough to have worked 8s, 10s (as a lab tech), and 12s. My current facility only requires 3 days each week if you work 12 hour shifts and are full-time, not the 3 one week, 4 the next that I've also heard of....

You were definitely their scapegoat. A single error like that is not adequate reason to crucify you as they did. Zookeeper3 was right in that MI patients will get Plavix within hours before emergent open hearts and have no complications, beyond wha...

I can't help but believe that 12 hours shifts benefit our patients because of the improved continuity of care. If the nurses covering a patient are working only 8 hours each over 2 days, there have been 6 shifts (from the start of one day until the ...

I have a great aunt who had already experienced laryngeal cancer and lives with a tracheostomy. Surprisingly enough, she can speak at the level of a harsh whisper. Years afterward, she had a lump appear in a breast. On the morning of her surgery, ...