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I've been working with an MDS Coordinator on a skilled 32 bed transitional care unit with a high turnover for the last 4 months. We did over a 100 MDS's last month alone. I love this position and can see myself doing this for a while. I recently paid...

Examples of trauma flow sheets: (You could probably google any state & "Trauma flow sheet" and see examples) http://dphhs.mt.gov/Portals/85/publichealth/documents/EMSTS/trauma/cmctraumaflowsheet.pdf http://dphhs.mt.gov/Portals/85/publichealth/doc...

ICU nursing is focused, constantly reassessing, 2-3 patients at a time (usually), detail-oriented. ED nursing is different. You have anywhere from 2-5 patients, and you don't know what's wrong with them usually. You get your patient in the room whil...

I'm assuming one of those appointments was to see the doctor for her shingles? I hope so...shingles in the eyes can be nasty and lead to long term effects. The MD can write for an antiviral (probably too late now).

Ugh...not a frequent flier but I had an elderly patient demanding that I give her an enema before discharging her for her chief complaint of neck pain for last six months. Never mind that she had no problem having an extra large bowel movement while ...

I think you made the right decision. Some of the ED nurses I work with (we're at a level II trauma center) came from tiny EDs in the middle of nowhere. They are able to be so independent because they literally have to do it all in these tiny EDs unti...

In your shoes, I think I would have documented your report, as well as what you said in quotes. And then I would discuss it my manager to see what she feels, if anything, needs to be followed up with regarding the other nurse's charting. I can see wh...

Artemis Safe Dose Pro iPhone app is my go to app for double checking peds meds before giving them. I've caught overdosages with it. You just enter how many kgs they weigh, the med you're giving, and it tells you how many mgs to give, and figures out ...

I drew up Valium and put it in a 10 cc syringe of saline. Immediately it precipitated, turning into a nice cloudy mixture. I had to waste the syringe and put the second dose in a 3 cc syringe. I had no precipitate in the pts line when I flushed with ...

And I'm curious...if this pt is on room air and is so sob he can't get out of bed and is on palliative care for copd why is he not on oxygen?

Keep in mind that this resident will have anxiety related to the sob and not just the death process. Try breathing under your covers for two minutes and you might be able to empathize with this anxiety from being so sob. I had a resident like this du...

I'm sure this topic has been hashed and beaten to death, but it's new to me, and definitely not something i can vent about to Facebook or even my family (non-medical)...I started working in the ER setting in January, in the "Minor Care/Fast Track" ar...

Just curious to hear some of your stories regarding orienting nurses (either new grads or transfers) to the ER and when/how you know if someone is cut out for the ER or not.

I just wanted to share something with you. I've been HOH all my life (it was hereditary). I've always worn BTE and did a little lip reading. I really never had problems until it came to using the stethoscope. I tried amplified stethoscopes, but they ...

I love kids, but this is my first time working with them. My preceptor is awesome and has been giving me tips to try (eg getting a rapid strep swab on a 5 yo and asking her if she has a dog, can you pant like your doggy to reduce the gag reflex and d...

My preceptor (she actually is fairly new as well) and I were starting an iv on this sweet high school girl. I had no problem getting flash, but her skin was so tough that I couldn't get the cannula to thread. She didn't tan (which I know makes skin l...

XmasShopperRN and Rhi007, those were the exact kind of things I was looking for...tips and tricks that I wouldn't find in a typical pediatric nursing text. I completed PALS today, and picked up a few more good tips and tricks. You all probably know t...

Wow, thank you so much for your time and effort with your reply! I really appreciate it :) I've started in the "minor care" part of our ER (soft 3's, 4's, and 5's) and will take PALS Monday, and am required to get my ENPC within 2 years (starting to ...

I just started in er (minor care to begin, then hopefully advancing to the main er in a year or so) after working a rehab type setting. I loved my brain sheets but quickly learned the way I used to do it won't work in this setting. I started using a ...

I just interviewed last month (got the job, start tomorrow, so nervous!) for an ER position. I was asked a question along the lines of what I would do if I had an order that I needed to start a Foley catheter in one patient (received that order first...

I am in the exact same boat as you! I love this position because it is so flexible (I have a 4 month old baby at home) so if I don't have daycare, I just come in when my husband gets off work. I think this job is great for just starting out because ...

My nursing instructors made it clear from the first day of class: They are there to make good nurses, not to coddle us. They had high expectations, because they did not want incompetent, unprofessional nurses taking care of their children and loved o...

I would be especially careful about who I vent to, regardless. Family members and close friends are the only ones I'd vent to...during clinical, I've had a patient's family member ask me what I thought about my nursing program and teachers, only to f...

I would look at your program/school handbook regarding this situation and whatever infraction you "committed" that they're upset about...if there's nothing in there your instructors can use to back their admonishment up, then they can't really punish...

When I was in school we were taught to draw up the med with one needle, then change to a fresh needle to "be nicer to the patient". When I worked as an IV tech in my hospital's pharmacy, there wasn't anything wrong with switching out the needles (es...