hcox1975 BSN, RN

Don't beat yourself up. Every job in nursing takes organizing your brain, it's not just in the nicu. It's also very frustrating when other nurses treat newbies that way. Try writing out your report near the end of your shift so you won't forget anyth...

I'm curious to how other nicus access their central lines. Do you use sterile technique with hat, mask and sterile gloves? Do you clean the port with betadine and then access? What is your infection rate?

We do not do kangaroo care with touch me nots. We use these things called dandle Roos. They are awesome because the swaddle the babies and the also will position the arms so they can't self extubate. I have found that oscillator babies have to be re-...

I work in a level 3 nicu. We use Manual of Neonatal Care by Cloherty, Eichenwald and Stark. It's awesome!

Here is what I have concluded in my scrub quest. I am a petite (5'2) and weight is around 120. I am shapely with large thighs and butt. I also am narrow in the shoulders and some of the tops swallow me there. Cherokee are ok, they run big though an...

Alegria hands down...

I too wouldn't take the harder patients when I first started. If you can choose your assignment, I would listen to report and try to choose a patient that you were comfortable with. I also would try to go back to the same assignment if possible becau...

I too hate to be interupted but this comes with nursing. Take it as a learning experience. Being interupted will prepare you for what is to come. It takes time to establish your way of doing things. Everyone gets stressed during orientation.

Personally, if I knew where I was delivering my baby didn't have a nursery, I wouldn't have my baby there. I have never even heard of this until I read this post. This doesn't sound safe.

You also have to be aware of drug interactions, correct medication orders, and lab work. I work at a teaching hospital and sometimes the doctors aren't familiar with what is needed for the patients. Once you are familiar with the type of patients you...

The hospital I work at, you can wear whatever color you want. I personally don't like the cartoon prints but that just me. I do like the idea of color coding. Or name tags with your title in large print. All of our doctors wear white coats so we are...

I think these strong ladies will make wonderful nurses. They will be able to have compassion for the harder to deal with patients. Kudos to these women and I pray that they will continue to have productive and happy lives.

This whole story about this child breaks my heart. There is no way possible that a child can be diagnosed with bipolar at 2 years old.I am not a psych nurse but this topic really upset me, so I had to get on my soap box. As a mother of five and someo...

I like to know why we do certain things too, and there are people on your unit you will learn to trust. I also carry post it notes in my pocket and write things down to look up later.

Sure you can email me. No problem, glad to help.

I have worked in LTC and ICU and I encounter this quiet a bit. There are plenty of people out there that are nice and civilized. Remember to always show them respect and if all else fails, try to make them laugh. Sure there are patients that will dri...

If you will email me, I will send you a report sheet I made up. The other RNs on my unit like it so much, they asked me to please leave it with them so they can use it in rounds with the doctor. I work in Surgical ICU. So you can tweek it to your spe...

I once took care of a very large patient in clinicals that took 5 staff members to turn her. When we were through, I asked her if she would like me to turn the tv on. She couldn't move her rather large arms so I offered to turn the channel for her. W...

Clear your IV pumps at the end of the shift when you write your input and output down. Check access when you first lay eyes on your patient. This is wonderful to know when your patient crumps 15 minutes after you get there. If your patient is coher...

I also take my work home with me. My husband asked me to please spare the details. He knows that when I have a patient die that I am different and to please bear with me. He listens but I try not to bring these things home with me. I have friends tha...

I worked in a LTC facility and we had this issue. A girl got fired for dogging the adminstration about how they treated another employee. She was there 6 yrs. now I work in a hospital and during orientation, they said they didn't even want us to ment...

Is Kaplan even accredited?

Try a long term care facility. This is a great place to start!

Relax, everyone feels this way when they first start. Take a deep breath and don't panic. Ask questions if you are not sure of what to do. A nurse who asks questions is way less dangerous than one who thinks they know it all. I prayed a lot when I fi...

I have seen this in my unit after someone had surgery. They took the patient back to the OR and did an ex lap. Sure enough it was a fistula.