Altra BSN, RN

Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU

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All Content by Altra

  1. Altra

    COPD patient wanting to leave to smoke

    Altra replied to chris10lsuRN's topic in General Nursing

    Are you more tolerant of smokers admitted for COPD who have private insurance? And do you know that they have private insurance within 10 minutes of their arrival to your
  2. Altra

    When did you earn your wings?

    Altra replied to Been there,done that's topic in General Nursing

    I'm not an angel of mercy, so I have no wings. But somewhere in my 3rd year, I started to feel like "a real
  3. Altra

    DKA and Potassium

    Altra replied to apocatastasis's topic in Emergency

    I work in the dirty nasty central-city ER and ICU. We probably wouldn't treat the K+ of 6.3 on a DKA patient in the ER but we don't start fluids w/KCl either. After rehydration with 3-4L of NSS, the...
  4. Altra

    Do your Managers and Charge nurses work on the unit?

    Altra replied to pilotnurse's topic in Emergency

    I'm assuming that these individuals (we have the same set up as you -- they are called Clinical Coordinators) have years of ER experience that guides them in their role as first-line dept. management....
  5. Altra

    Can you renew your RN license if you cant find a job?

    Altra replied to ilove's topic in General Nursing

    OP, did your RN program review the basics of licensure in your state; i.e., requirements to obtain and renew licenses, continuing education requirements,
  6. Altra

    Brushing my teeth at work giving me mouth sores

    Altra replied to Jamthenurse's topic in General Nursing

    Let's think this through logically ... What temperature is required to "sterilize"? What temperature is the plastic toothbrush when you take it out of the microwave? Is it likely that you are...
  7. Altra

    Potassium question...

    Altra replied to Soflo_RN's topic in General Nursing

    I once had an ER patient, in his mid-80s, who had seen his PCP for an annual physical earlier in the week and had labs drawn. His K+ also resulted at 3.4. This alert, oriented, active patient in...
  8. Altra

    What kinds of jobs involving organ donations are available to ADN educated RNs?

    Altra replied to NenaRK's topic in Dialysis, Renal, Urology

    In my experience, coordinator positions with the OPN (organ procurement network) in my region are generally staffed by regular ole RNs - with or without a
  9. Altra

    What is with a second interview? What that all about?

    Altra replied to MsBlissful's topic in General Nursing

    Common-sense truth. A second interview says to me, at the very least, that someone has put more thought into the hiring process than, "just get a warm body with a license in here". I would not be...
  10. Altra

    Do your Managers and Charge nurses work on the unit?

    Altra replied to pilotnurse's topic in Emergency

    Agree. And ... OP was specifically describing an ER
  11. Altra

    Why are ICU nurses so rude?

    Altra replied to wanderlustRN24's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Ah, got it. You don't save them all, but you get to decide who is "allowed" to die and who is not. Still sounds like pretty awesome power
  12. Altra

    Why are ICU nurses so rude?

    Altra replied to wanderlustRN24's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Laurie52, I'm just asking ... Are all your patients sick as crap? (they are ICU patients, after all) Do you really consider yourself so God-like that you have the ability to rescue them all? Is the...
  13. Altra

    Truth? or Pollyanna version

    Altra replied to Vtachy1's topic in General Nursing

    Any job can be "all consuming" if you allow it to be. It may help to step back and realize either 1) you have accepted a particular job which requires greater than what are generally considered to...
  14. Altra

    Why are ICU nurses so rude?

    Altra replied to wanderlustRN24's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Off the top of my head ... Pump: I often disconnect non-essential gtts from a pump before transport -- it's one less item to contend with. (and yes, Heparin is nonessential for the length of time...
  15. Altra

    Do your Managers and Charge nurses work on the unit?

    Altra replied to pilotnurse's topic in Emergency

    Charge in the ER is a full-time job. I have not worked in an ER where charge nurses took an assignment, except briefly on a horrendous day when all hell was breaking loose. And managing a department...
  16. Altra

    Any legal issue there?

    Altra replied to akasu's topic in General Nursing

    You could avoid it by appropriately referring people to their own health care
  17. Altra

    Unusual physician order

    Altra replied to sweetnurse63's topic in General Nursing

    Is the LTC's current plan to just ... continue to allow the patient's bed, carpeting and furniture to be soiled with urine
  18. Altra

    measurement 0.5ml same as 0.50ml?

    Altra replied to ajfm's topic in General Nursing

    Tell your supervisor it should be 0.500mL, just to be clear ...
  19. Altra

    PICC line removal, a sterile procedure?

    Altra replied to Anoetos's topic in General Nursing

    OP was asking whether removal was a sterile procedure. Sterile is not the same as
  20. Altra

    PICC line removal, a sterile procedure?

    Altra replied to Anoetos's topic in General Nursing

    Removal is a clean (aseptic)
  21. Altra

    Criteria for Giving IV BP Meds?

    Altra replied to ChristineN's topic in General Nursing

    My bigger question relates to the inability to get the active vomiting under control. In 6 hours time ... we would probably have tried Zofran, Compazine/Benadryl, Phenergan, and possibly low dose...
  22. Altra

    Criteria for Giving IV BP Meds?

    Altra replied to ChristineN's topic in General Nursing

    I agree renal failure = BP issues. But with continued vomiting, I'm not convinced that you wouldn't have been treating an artificially elevated number. My plan would be to get the vomiting under...
  23. Altra

    Criteria for Giving IV BP Meds?

    Altra replied to ChristineN's topic in General Nursing

    Having recently dealt with a nasty stomach bug, I can say this ... Next time you're vomiting - see if you feel your heart pounding. What do you think your BP and HR
  24. Altra

    Cyclical vomiting syndrome

    Altra replied to thelema13's topic in Emergency

    See, you fixed her! You've encountered a seeker, and I think you know
  25. Altra

    Criteria for Giving IV BP Meds?

    Altra replied to ChristineN's topic in General Nursing

    In an ED setting, that criterion would mean treating probably 60% of patient who walk through the door, and in half of those we would be treating a symptom unrelated to their chief