meadow85

At the top of my head: monitor vital signs (HR, BP, RR, 02), monitor for dysrhythmias, head to toe assessment to monitor for adequate perfusion and/or congestion (JVP, lung fields, heart sounds), fluid & electrolyte balance (ABGs) ... It depends ...

I have met/know of many people who are now going into/went into nursing because they were unable to find jobs with their degree. Some schools in Canada offer a 2 year program for those who already have a previous degree. I heard it is very competitiv...

Honestly I was in my final year of high school and decided to apply to nursing school after my best friend did. Boring, right? But I tell ya it was one of the best things I ever did :) I know its pretty cheesy, but I truly think it is a calling. I lo...

I'm with you. Pain is subjective. If the patient says he/she is pain then you have to assume he/she is in pain. If you felt they were drug-seeking then I would bring it up with the physician.

Well I don't see the harm of patients knowing my full name. But I also don't see the harm of having just my first name on my badge either. You should have a choice.

Educate the patient and maybe have another nurse try or use another catheter. I had a pt that required a special catheter w/ a curved tip and it was harder (Teman Catheter ?sp). Our NP was able to put it in for me. But then again if he/she was refusi...

I try to prioritize at the beginning of my shift, delegate tasks and accept help where I can get it (i.e. family members, volunteers). I like to get all my work done and then chart at the end of the day which often means I go home late, but charting ...

You should really check your policy manual. At my workplace we check for residuals q4h. If it is less than 250 cc then you return it. If it is greater than 250 cc you return the 250 cc and discard the rest, turn off the feeds and re-assess in an hour...

I've worked in a community hospital and a teaching hospital in the city and have found a difference. I learned a lot while working in the community ... my mentor has noticed my growth as well. I'm a better nurse for it. You learn to work w/what you h...

Meeting so many wonderful people and being a part of their lives even for a brief moment. And then thinking of them every so often and talking to colleagues like ... "remember Mr. so and so". :)

I'm not pregnant, but I was told that I should expect to get sick more often during the first few years I start working in the ICU. It's hard to say really ... I'm sure there have been many people who have had successful pregnancies while working in ...

Cleaning up loose or melena stool and then having that lingering smell ... ugh!

I did my consolidation at this hospital and was used to signing my name as "Jane Doe, SN" (for student nurse). I remember after I passe my boards I was signing off a chart and at the very end I excitedly wrote the letters RN after my name. It was an ...

The salary was one of many reasons why I went into nursing. I love my career, but I would not do it for minimum wage.

Although I love my job. I find it emotionally, physically & mentally draining sometimes. There are too many demands and/or expectations when your just one person. I feel like I am a jack of all trades sometimes. We should be given the resources (...

I did med/surg for a little over 2 years and it was a great learning experience. A lot of hard work & dedication. However I cannot picture myself doing this forever. I have always had an interest in critical care so thats what I am doing next. I ...

I know this might sound silly, but I just watched an episode of 'Mercy' where the nurse gave chest physio and it reminded me of my COPD/Lung CA patient who needed CP over the weekend and was not treated because PT doesn't work on weekends. It looks l...

I believe you need your bachelors. They have 2 year program for those who already have a previous degree. Well in Canada anyway!

I respect ICU nurses, but I have had bad experiences with our Emerg. Receiving poor reports, transferring unstable patients to the floor, getting upset when we can't take all 5 patients at once etc. I think our first priority should be the patient an...

Well I can only speak from experience plus I love in Canada so I don't know if this is much help. At my old job we worked four 12 hr shifts then had 5 days off. At my current job we work three 12 hr shifts then 2 off. You get OT if you work more than...

I consider myself a nice person, but I have high expectations of others and myself. Therefore I may come off as being "mean". Some students are willing to learn and work hard and I can appreciate that. Others I have serious doubts about. Would this s...

I do patient teaching when they ask me how their vital signs were and I explain the numbers on the monitor. When I give them their meds I explain what each one is. I describe what kind of procedures they are going for. I explain their blood results i...

I find some colleagues are more eager than others to write up incidence reports, yes. I like to speak to that nurse personally to give them a heads up and if it was serious then write up a report. I would appreciate the same consideration. Because th...

Yeah I suck w/C-Paps as well. I had a family member tell me the machine was all set up and all I needed to do was press the button. Easy right? RT comes around at midnight and tells me it was not connected to the 02 and the lady was sat'ing in the 80...

I do them once in awhile. T/O and V/O that is. Usually because the MD is busy with another patient and I feel my patient cannot wait until he/she is seen next. Just to get the ball rolling like someone already mentioned. Or the MD is off on another u...