George_MSN

One of the nurses at our (very busy) outpatient dialysis clinic recently worked from 5A to 1A (the next day) - 20 hour shift. I put in my first 18 hour shift. We're somewhat better staffed this month. Great thing is that time goes fast! Some of us have been working 70+ hours/week. Work ethic of the nurses I work with is amazing. Most of the nurses are non-American and their husbands are stay-at-home fathers. They always said dialysis was a different world. So as far as shift work is concerned, it's not very predictable.

This this week's Time magazine - the cover story is about Twitter, and the conclusion was that the web will become "twittified" :typing in one way or another (not just within Twitter).

:yeah:Exactly! And another thing she should be thankful for is working by herself. No politics or interpersonal grief and friction... Remember the old expression about the only difference between psych patients and the staff is who carries the keys . Not sure if the same applies to a prison, but you get the idea. There is something to love in everyone (theoretically). Nursing is often like a ministry or mission. Be a blessing while passing those meds. Smile, but report anyone who is inappropriate. If it's anything like psych nursing, they know their boundaries, and they know the consequences of stepping outside those boundaries.

Well, my first "tweet" on Twitter.com. Joined at the behest of Allnurses.com founder and fearless leader! And my first tweet was about C. Diff - go figure... > I have the same handle on Twitter (George_MSN) as I do on Allnurses. There is a cover story this week in Time magazine about Twitter. It concluded that much of the current web activity will become "twittified" in coming years - so that must include Allnurses!!!

Fairly recent news stories about Ambien use in England: Many front desk workers at hotels were instructed to keep towels on hand because of the high rate of nude sleepwalkers in the lobby (British men apparently have the tendency to sleep in the nude). Ambien sleeping pills linked to bizarre sleep walking behavior , including unconscious driving of vehicles and wild hallucinations. New York Times article, "Some Sleeping Pill Users Range Far Beyond Bed," reporter Stephanie Saul tells the story of a registered nurse who took Ambien before going to sleep one night in January 2003. Sometime after falling asleep, she went out into the Denver winter night wearing only a thin nightshirt, even though the temperature was only 20 degrees. She got into her car, caused an accident, urinated in the middle of the intersection and then got into a violent altercation with the police officers who came to arrest her. In the matter of one night and one sleeping pill, her traffic record went from exemplary to tarnished with a reduced charge of careless driving. Interestingly enough, she says she remembers nothing of what happened during that Ambien-influenced night. Also, there have been other instances of DUI for "sleep driving" while on Ambien. As if sleep-walking wasn't bad enough.... http://www.naturalnews.com/019413.html

Remeron (mirtazapine) - Nursing 2010 Drug Handbook, still does not list the off-label uses, and this is the most used drug handbook (but not necessarily the best). Many patients of all ages (even those in late teen years, a black box warning age group) have found this effective after trying many other anti-depressants which came up lacking. In addition to being effective for the labeled use, it has helped many with anxiety, insomnia, and anorexia. It even works great for anorexic animals, ask your vet! Great comments by all, and as always, a very helpful learning experience.

Remeron (mirtazapine) is not just for underweight insomniacs (as far as the off-label uses). Even when used as an antidepressant, many users find it to be more effective than Zoloft w/ less ADR's (adverse drug reactions).

Way to go Brian. This is a splendid way to raise public awareness of nurses & nursing! Let your peeps know when the goal is achieved.