RNx2

Can a PowerPort (or any other implanted port) be used to obtain accurate central venous pressure (CVP) readings? Does anyone have experience with this?

i would be leary of using ethanol in vascular access devices nowadays as some are made from polyurethane and ethanol degrades polyurethane. below is a link to a commonly used port from bard that discusses this issue. powerpiccs are also made from polyurethane. however, other piccs are made from silicone (per-q-cath picc) and ethanol is not a problem. you might want to check with the literature for the product first. :nuke: http://www.bardnordic.com/inc/getfile.asp?fileid=53&filetype=file

Well stated! Since this is the purpose of all central venous catheters (and a PICC is considered a CVC) nothing else needs to be said. Solutions that are not y-site compatible, are not a problem when infused through any type of CVC.

Home Healthcare Nursing had an article in the Sept 07 issue that may help your friends understand about peripheral IVs and central lines, like PICCs. Here is a link to the article at Nursing Center. http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=745323

Bad parts? Ugh. There are no bad parts where we live currently. What areas should we avoid? We have looked at an area called Hereford. Is that ok? I don't see how we can make a good decision about this unless we try to get a travel assignment there and spend time checking it out. Anyone have any idea how easily 2 nurses can get such an assignment? I'm sure we could get one in Tuscon, but it would be better to be south of that.

We are in the Spokane,WA area. Prices for homes have really escalated in the past 5-6 years. Fortunately we bought before that so our home is worth more. However, we really want land and warmer weather. We can afford the land here, we just dont WANT to afford the land here, you know? We don't want a HUGE mortgage each month and be slaves to it. And I'm tired of shoveling snow.

You will find many more job opportunities in the CDA and Spokane area than Moscow. Spokane has Deaconess Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, Sacred Heart Medical Center, and Holy Family Medical Center. Coeur d Alene has Kootenai Medical Center. All have web sites you can apply for jobs. Great opportunities for nurses in those areas. Moscow is isolated and limited.

Thank you both. That actually was helpful. I've never lived so close to the border. Is is going to be a safe place to raise kids? I've looked at the crime statistics and the theft is much higher than in our area. We work in a 300 bed hospital and have worked at a 30 bed hospital, so we think we will deal with the size OK. The wage seems about average doesn't it? But the housing is much cheaper than where we are at. Also, it looks like land must be cheap because the houses all come with acreage. Even in a neighborhood it looks like many have an acre+. Does anyone grow grass there? Are there water restrictions on that? Are utilities higher than normal? I can't imagine how often our central air would have to run in a place like that! Is central air better than swamp coolers? It does seem "at the end of nowhere" and that was well said! But it is only an hour or so from Tuscon, which is just what we are looking for (near the big city but not IN the big city). It sure is different from where we are at though! Thank you for your input, it is very appreciated.

We are a husband wife RN team (always work at same hopital) looking to relocate to Arizona in the Sierra Vista area. We currently live in the Pacific Northwest and have never lived in AZ. However, we want to move to a warmer area, but not too hot like Phoenix. We think Sierra Vista will work for the climate we are seeking and smaller size town. We like animals, biking, camping, and outdoors. However, we don't know what to expect from the professional aspect. We both work in critical care areas (ICU, ER, CICU, etc) and will likely seek that type of position. We may try a travel assignment before listing our house for sale and buying in AZ, but we're not sure since we have 2 kids. Has anyone worked in that area? What kind of wage can we expect? What sort of issues/ irritants might we face living in that area that we might not have considered coming from the north?