goannain

No, I did not get an inservice on the equipment. We have RTs at our hospital and they manage all that stuff. It sucks, and I would like to know more about the equipment...but receiving training on RT equipment was just not available to us. Anyway, I also felt that the pt was stable enough to go too, but I work night shift. So I didn't have a say as to what happened in the day time and why the docs felt like he shouldn't go. My assignment got changed and I actually didn't get this patient back after I found out he didn't get to go for that reason. It was very frustrating!

Everyone has great points! The patient came in for a upper GIB. And you guys are right, it was a J tube so the stomach would have been empty. I work noc shift and it wouldn't have hurted for me to call the on-call doc to see if I should hold the meds. I didn't think it was that big of a deal though to call the doc in the middle of the night about a muscle relaxer and antidepressant, I would feel silly. Unless it was like antiarrythmics or antiseizure meds (etc.) I definitely would have called. To brownbook, thanks for your response. The nurse had actually sent me an email telling me I should have given these meds because I was off. So I felt like, "OMG I did something wrong!" And I kept thinking about it and I did feel dumb. But you're right, different docs would've told me different things. Like I said, if I did call the MD, it would have been an on-call dr not the actual doc that was seeing the pt.

Pt had an EGD in the AM and he was NPO. He had a J-tube and got all his meds through there. It was 4am and I held 3 meds, it was medication for depression, muscle relaxer, and one for neuralgia. I thought that since these weren't critical meds like cardiac meds and since he was getting an EGD, his stomach should be empty. Meds via the J-tube would require flushing the tubing with water. I thought what I did would be ok. Then he can get his dose when he comes back. The nurse that had him after me said that I should have given him his meds. Was that wrong of me? Thanks for you help.

I had a patient recently that was supposed to go for a procedure in the morning. He was getting O2 and the setup was 4L O2 with FiO2 at 28%. He had a trach so he was receiving O2 via a T-Piece and was connected to a nebulizer. The Dr. didn't want him to go for the procedure because "he was on 4L O2." But if the FiO2 was at 28%, was he really getting 4L O2? If we were to compare this to a patient on nasal canula, what would it be equivalent to? Maybe 2L O2 nasal canula? Thanks for your help.

Hey all, I just got my LPN license three weeks ago and I am having a helluva time finding a job...and I am actually going back to school in September for the RN program. I would like to work as an LPN but am looking for part-time so that I can survive when I go back to school. A lot of places that are part-time is looking for "experienced" LPNs. I haven't found any part-time positions in nursing homes. Plus I'd HATE to have start a full-time job and then move to part-time in only a couple of months, because those couple of months is probably mostly training! I wouldn't even have really "worked" as a nurse yet! Geez...where is a good place for me to look? Would it be advisable for me to state in an interview that I'm going back to school for RN? They might look at me like..."She's definitely NOT going to be long term! Why should we hire her?" I need job experience!!! Thanks, LPN in Washington