beccarner

Don't beat the sh#* out of each other just to come to the ER to obtain pain meds.

Michael, Well said.

Hearts Open Wide, You better believe it honey! Walk a mile in my sore, edematous, feet, in my shoes!!!!!!!!!

bds165, Good luck with your nursing career, cops and er nurses often have a symbiotic relationship. We know how cops deal with the stress as we do...with humor. If you can't see the humor in it it will drive you crazy!

Shystudent, I do think that the triage nurse should have taken your sons o2Sat before sending you back to waiting room. It is not that hard to grab a pulse oz and take it while you look-see a pt in the waiting room. Call it a window triage. Peds pt's are differant and can go downhill fast. However not being there don't know if your son was in immmediate distress and the nurse had a er full of pt's who needed emergent care. Glad your son did ok and God bless. Don't judge the ER until you work there for a while. Its a whole new world from regular nursing.

As posted previously, what are your thoughts as mentioned? beccarner

Very glad to hear it, thanks!

Barbara, I do agree. I did stumbleupon this book. Building Moral Intelligence. Haven't read it yet but I think the subject is just what I am concerned with. I just feel things are not like they were when I was a girl. I did not want to upset or make my parents in any way not proud of me. It seems teens just don't care anymore. I know the times are different but...how can we bring back pride of self...to feel so good about yourself that what you have is precious and it should be shared with a special guy, not just get drugged-up and do what feels good. I'm going off on a tangent. Sorry. Maybe my catholic upbringing had a great deal to do with my moral character?? I am not very good with the computer but, maybe an IM situation would work. What are your ideas for self-emplayment as a nurse?

Penneyg, Here's hoping if you get a chest pain complaint that before truck gets there you are allowed to put pt on monitor, assess if vf, defib if neccessary, O2 pt, get a line, administer asa, and nitro? All within ACLS guidelines. Two minutes is two minutes, what if truck can't be there for longer time? Here's hoping your facility is up to standards! Some folks think progressive chest pain is not an emergency and do go to urgent care. How is it at your place??

Dear SecondGen, Read previous post. One trick, if you can't totally palpate a great big vein in AC.. Use a hand blood pressure cuff, pump it up to about 200 and leave it there. If not there go to other arm,don't stick unless you palpate a really good one. Use a long angiocath an 20g or 18g. When you stick wait for the flash, if you can't proceed then take the needle out and pull back on aniocath sheath until blood comes out (messy but you get it) then advance slowly, hold pressure above cath site, put extension on, use syringe to pull blood out for lab, release the tourniquet. Can you invision this? Let me know if it works for you? Good skill...luck has nothing to do with it!!

Not to mention in a small rural hospital, we also, put orders in computer, start IV's, draw blood, mop floor, order tray's for IDDM pt's, if no cafateria open, nuke tv dinner. Clean-up various fluids, drop NG tube, suture pts, salt ambulance bays, clean bottoms, Mix and dispense meds when pharmacy is closed. Wish we had a system to educate the public on where to go when and for what!

Oh! and JBudd, Don't forget rural ER nurses also, clean up "upchuck", mop floor, clean up urine, feces or anyother fluid that is excreted by patients. Put own orders into computer, help radiology to sit up unresponsive pt for cxr. Take labs down to laboratory. First start IV, collect blood, take to lab, do 12 lead EKG, gather meds, dispense meds, mop floor some more. Help suture pt's. Drop nasal gastric tube. Order meal for IDDM pt. who has been in ER too long and needs to eat. If cafateria closed, grab tv dinner and nuke it. Feed pt if no family member present. All those niceties you get in the big city we have to also do in a small hospital.Sometimes even have to salt driveway for ambulances!!

Barbara, I am working in ER and see sooo many folks on drugs, and soo many teens that are not supervised by parents. Teen pregnancy. How could I become independant and go out and speak to folks regarding any of these social issues? Could a nurse make a living doing this? Do you think I could start out part-time and see how it is recieved? Any advice or idea's

I will have you all know that I also formally trained for my role as a Surgical Technologist back in 1970, and did clincals also. Since all I did was scrub I got very, very good at it!! Am now an RN and have more opportunities in differant areas. They are just two forms of nursing and it is an argument that has gone on for years!! Respect the role and know that as the shortage becomes greater more TRAINED CST'S will be needed. If you are an RN you would strongly benefit from going to CST training for you can never learn the depth or the role until you study it and become a student. Longer than anyone here CST;RN

The Surgical Technologist role came about during wwII when nurses were overseas. Didn't need to learn how to care for pt's on the floor. Started with student nurses at first. Evolved with todays skilled scrub tech's. In the 60's RN's scrubbed the more difficult cases (at the time) eg. craniotomy, lum lam, carotids. There were only peripheral vascular cases, no such thing as open heart. When traveling learned in some states like Virginia have trained on-the-job LPN's to scrub. The RN also scrubs when needed.

Surgnurse1, I did just that..I wrote to JCHO and the response I got was to follow manufacturers recommendation on temperature for warmers. I think where we keep iv fluids we also keep blankets for I work in the ER now. Do you think the temp is the same for both? We aren't speaking of irrigation fluids we are refering to IV fluids to warm trauma pt's. Also could not find any new changes in AORN standards for 09 in re to this question. Maybe ewattsjt will elaborate. thanks

Supplemental is a travel company and i worked for them and was very pleased.

What temperature do you keep your IV solutions? Is my hospital going to be sited by jch if our IV solutions are never discarded until they are used??

If I can be of any other assistane to your report you may email me at [email protected]

Hey I have learned alot of useful information on this thread. My favorate are: Incarceritis for a inmate whom is trying to get out of jail time. Pseudo seizure cure of amonia crusher for some folks the seizure is caused by amonia deficiency!! That to spoil the RUSH for a true drug seeker you can dilute in fifty mls of saline and drip it very slowly. You must keep an eye on pt. howerver for they will try and mess with the roller clamp while you are not looking and open the line wide. Some use one of those lock out syringe things like they use in surgery to push propathol!

Man I love that INCARCERITIS can I use that?

This is the best thread ever... Venting feels soo good. You can't make it up. If you are a nurse and you bring your family in to ER, don't unhook the monitor and unlock the break and start out the door to the floor before I (the primary assigned nurse) say it its time. Just be a daughter and not a nurse for your loved one. You can give them that tender care we don't have time to. (fluff pillow, warm blankets x 3, glass of ice water, etc.)

I have a trick. If you first get a flash and your angiocath will not advance then, take the needle out leaving the plastic sheath in and slowly pull out until blood drops out of the end, then slowly try to push the sheath in. Works everytime. Use a 22 or larger because they are longer. Can't do it with a 24. Also always start at the AC for it is the largest vein you can palpate. Practice, Practice, Practice... do follow the IV team around the hospital for that would give you practice the differance is... they only have to stick a vein and not thread an agiocath. Do follow IV team and not lab. Let me know how it works out and if this helped.

OK! What to do about these issues? We need to all band together and present the issues to our representatives so he/she can pass on the the new head of Healthcare chosen by president elect Obama, Mr. Thom Daschle. He needs to visit the Emergency Room for about a week to see how it realy is with healthcare. No one pays... No one has insurance and no one has a family MD for they probably owe them money and he will not see them again. It seems there is a continuance of welfare from one generation to the next. I will say it again... how do we break the chain and instill pride in the people and not expect free medical care for them and their children?

Boy! Isn't this posting the 64,000 dollar question in the ER. Who knows what this new healthcare leader Mr. Daschle will have in store for us. I too am very tired of the abuse of use of the ER. When gas prices where high it was a good excuse not to drive to a urgent care facility for they had no money for gas. I just wonder how we can break the chain of people who think they are entitled to receive free heathcare! When will people accept responsibility for their own?? I think reasons to go to the ER should be posted on a large billboard for all to see. Why do people not have pride anylonger. I have had pt's say to me " I have not money, no insurance, no doctor and no gas. Can I get my prescriptions filled until I can make it to the free clinic? I just want to say get a job, get insurance and get a family MD!!