glimpses

Here is an update from yesterday's newspaper: http://www.twincities.com/ci_15073785?nclick_check=1

I also am searching for RN positions in MN, but nothing seems to be open. I worked internationally for 2 years and now am back in MN and not able to find a job here. It seems there are a few positions along the Iowa-Minnesota border, but that's all I've seen for acute care...but that's quite a ways from Duluth. All the HR people I've talked to at various hospitals say to wait a few weeks and some positions may open up. Good luck on your search!

The website lists several countries where NRP is active internationally: http://www.aap.org/nrp/intl/intl_index.html.

Either gender is fine okay, as long as they are competent and caring. In general, I have found many male nurses provide as good as (and some even better) nursing care as female nurses do. And certain male nurses have "gentler hands," as one of the posters above mentioned, and more compassionate care then some female nurses.

I also am interested to know opinions/experiences on MSN vs DNP. I am looking into grad schools right now, and it seems like many schools are transitioning from MSN to DNP programs. Looking towards my future career as an NP, would it make sense for me to go from BSN-MSN, or should I think about going directly to a DNP program?

I am also looking in to grad programs, either ACNP or CNM at this point. I don't know if I want to limit myself to just one specific area, yet don't think FNP fits for me - anyone know of dual MSN programs with more than one area of specialty?

does anyone have information on NRP courses offered internationally?? has anyone done the NRP course online with a clinical instructor check-off portion done later?

my least favorite patient is probably the one with end-stage liver disease...frequent sticky lactulose messes with noncompliant patients or down clogging NG tubes, frequent loose stools, decreased LOC often with patients becoming noncompliant, worried and stressed relatives...

I also would like a Kardex copy if possible. I tried to pm or e-mail but was not able to by clicking on the username...is there any other way to do that? Thanks!

New Delhi also has had hundreds of cases of dengue fever in an outbreak over the past few months.

I cared for a patient, a young woman, a few years ago with Stevens-Johnson, a reaction to some medication. Don't remember her primary diagnosis, but she was quite ill. Skin raw and peeling off her entire body, all her hair falling out in clumps. Also many mouth sores, and so was on TPN too. She was with us for weeks and weeks.

I've heard several docs highly recommend the ALSO (Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics) course for L&D nurses. Here's the link: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/aafpcourses/clinicalcourses/also.html Has anyone ever taken ALSO and what were your experiences? Was it helpful? What is covered in the course?

We mix Fortwin and Phenergan as one IM dose, but I don't know about Toradol. You can give Toradol IV with very few side effects.

In any class, what really helps is to know your learning style. If you're not sure how you learn best, I know there's free sites online that give a short assessment of your learning style. For me, an anatomy coloring book was very helpful, as I'm a very visual/hands-on learner. Also, repetition and re-writing/going over notes after lectures and labs helps to process the information overload. Study groups (in addition to self-study) with one or two classmates can also be very helpful, as they may have picked up something in their notes or reading that you might have missed.

No, it's not me, but that is great! Do you know where in India they will be?

Thanks for the article. Learning to improvise when there are limited resources is always a challenge...it may not be "sophisticated," but many times it works well when there aren't other options available.

Thanks for the reminder about scope of practice. I am familiar with the rules/regulations here. However, I am simply trying to find ideas to improve the services the hospital already offers, and to provide some additional edication for the nurses. Sorry if it came across differently in the post. There are two family practice physicians and an array of nurses with various training that work with all the patients, including those in our newborn nursery. I am just looking to see if anyone has any personal tips or resources for improving the quality of care that is already available here for our neonates. We already have the basics (as you said, about phototherapy, etc), but know that nurses working elsewhere sometimes have experiences and suggestions that can be helpful, or may know of more recent research and evidence-based practices that we could implement. Thanks.

I am working as an RN at a small mission hospital in village India, and need suggestions for educating the nursing staff and setting up a small NICU. The hospital has fairly limited resources (in terms of technology, meds, etc), and the patients we serve are very poor and uneducated. Our main patient population is maternal-child, and we deal with many complicated cases of eclampsia, premature births, placenta previa, placental abruption, birth asphyxia, maternal anemia (hemoglobins as low as 1-3 gms at times), neonatal sepsis and tetorifice, etc I am not a neonatal nurse (I mainly worked Adult Med surg in the US), and would love any suggestions from NICU nurses or helpful websites about neonatal nursing care: 1. I am looking for good, fairly simple neonatal assessment charting forms that could be modified and used by the nurses here...physical assessment at birth and the following days, intake/output, etc. 2. What are the common protocols/medical management of premature newborns?...concerning feedings (when to start, method, frequency, etc), positioning, and IV fluids and meds 3. Respiratory status: tips for assessment, dealing with apnea, etc. Along this line, we are considering getting a neonatal CPap - what are the indications/contraindications for its use, benefits of its use, settings, etc? 4. Jaundice and phototherapy Thanks!

Morning delivery of 1 kg baby, 2nd twin IUD. Post-op pt with burst abdomen and Hb 5.4. Elderly man admitted, malaria and Hb 5. More blood transfusions. Two snakebite pts discharged, peritonitis pt admitted with pain. OB pt with PROM in early labor. Starting more IVs. Shift in mission hospital in rural India.

Hi from India, where I'm volunteering on a medical mission for 2 1/2 years. There are so many good organizations that take medical volunteers, all around the world. A really good search engine of mission organizations is www.missionfinder.org - they have medical, dental, orphanage, etc volunteer work. Also, if you need CE credits and are interested in medical missions (short-term or long-term), I would recommend attending the Global Health Mission Conference, held every year in Louisville in November... www.medicalmissions.com If you want to know any specifics or have questions, feel free to ask...