V. Nightingale

I aspirate, and what's more, I have gotten blood return! On one patient the needle apparently hit a little vein beneath the surface of the skin; I was glad I checked, because my SQ injection almost became IV.

I'll be the voice of dissent here; I don't necessarily think that you need to go off work just yet. I worked in the ER up to delivery with my first, and worked my last shift there last week (I am scheduled for a c section on Monday). That said, you...

In my dreams I am a: successful novelist FBI agent stay at home mom

I've worked in places where none of us got together after work, I've been in places where a group would go out, and one of the nurses at my job now has becomse one of my best friends. We get together every few weeks on a day off and shop or go swimm...

I think a lot of us feel the same way. When I was floor nursing (I'm in the ER now) I carried a clipboard and wrote down everything, much like geekgolightly. The first thing I did each day was make a list of what each pt. needed -- lab result to be...

Legal in Alabama, and I'm fine with it. Mothers who, for whatever reason, can't handle caring for a child are provided with a safe place to leave the infant. It's not about punishing or not punishing 'bad' mothers, it's about keeping babies safe.

"Hi there, my name is Valerie, and I'm one of the nurses who will be taking care of you today. I understand you've been having some (insert chief complaint here). Tell me a little about that." I also make a point to explain anything I'm doing. "Fi...

Leave the container of charcoal (pre-mix) in a basin of hot water for a few minutes -- the amount of time it takes to perform a gastric lavage is just about right. Softens the stuff right up.

My last shift (I work ER) was 2 days before my son's birth. I maintained my regular work schedule throughout the entire pregnancy. I avoided psych patients, fever/rash of unknown origin, and extremely heavy lifting, but other than that had no restri...

My baby was born on Feb 1 of this year; I worked a 12 hour shift on Jan 29. It was rough! I found myself getting very tired and extremely cranky during the last 6 weeks or so. My coworkers were great about helping me with things, but it was really...

In my experience, drunks aren't usually too bad. Irate family members are usually more likely to create a problem, or patients who didn't get what they wanted. Family members pitching tantrums are the worst; they'll shout, swear and threaten violenc...

well, she swallowed the spider to catch the fly. . .

My husband bought me a G-Shock watch for Christmas 2 years ago and I love it. It's solar powered, hooked into the atomic clock in Colorado so the time is always right, and it's practically indestructible. Instead of metal or fabric it has a resin b...

A surgical mask or non rebreather applied to the patient's face works wonderfully to discourage this behavior I work in ED and we use restraints for both patient and caregiver safety. Mostly they're applied to keep the pt. from falling out of bed ( ...

A patient bit me on the hand yesterday! She presented with AMS and we were trying to obtain labs/urine, she went berserk. It took 3 of us just to keep her in the bed because she was screaming, kicking, and flailing her arms. I grabbed her wrists (...

CPR is brutal, for both the patient and the caregiver. The first few times I did chest compressions my arms were very sore the next day! Frankly, if you aren't breaking a few ribs (on the patient!) you probably aren't doing it right. It's very tou...

I had a patient last week with a hematocrit of 5.2. She was alert and oriented, although he behavior was a little strange, and had a systolic pressure of 112. Darndest thing I've ever seen.

LOL. . . It only gets worse. I happened to see part of an episode of "Dr. Vegas" the other night and thought I was going to have to claw my eyes out when they started doing CPR. I don't expect every tiny detail to be perfect but good grief! stop c...

LOL. . . It only gets worse. I happened to see part of an episode of "Dr. Vegas" the other night and thought I was going to have to claw my eyes out when they started doing CPR. I don't expect every tiny detail to be perfect but good grief! stop c...

bonemarrowrn has it right, of course; keeping the patient breathing is pretty much the point. My main complaint (this really happened to a patient of mine) was that 15 liters O2 was the first thing EMS tried for a patient whose sats were something l...

Most of the EMTs/paramedics I work with are AWESOME. We tend to see the same guys bringing pts to the ER every week, and I try to maintain a good relationship with all of them -- after all, I've cared for some of these guys in the ER, and who knows ...

My personal favorite. . . "fel like i fin to fall out". I think what he meant was that he felt a little faint. . .

20 something newlywed presented in the ER with a golf ball up the, well, you know. Apparently she and the new hubby had been "playing around" and the ball got stuck in a skin fold of the vagina, created a suction, and they couldn't retrieve it. Aft...

Oh, wow, codebluechic, that's an awful thing to have happen. My heart goes out to you. Plesase don't take this question the wrong way, but how did the patient get 8 units before anyone noticed a reaction?

Had an attending extubate a CHF patient in the ER; ya'll know the type of patient -- the kind with NO neck that it was darn near impossible to intubate the first time. His logic was "Her Sats are fine now." Yes, Dr. Moron, that's because she's on t...