MelEpiRN

MelEpiRN

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All Content by MelEpiRN

  1. Nursing, Hurricanes, and Floods.

    MelEpiRN replied to CardiacDork's topic in General Nursing

    Been through a few. Some will plan ahead, others will not. Be prepared to pull a double or some kind of extended shift...despite all the warnings there will always be people who call in saying "I just...

  2. Experienced RN's cannot get new jobs!

    MelEpiRN replied to duca's topic in General Nursing

    New Orleans needs nurses badly. Come to the Big

  3. Advise wanted. Considering 2nd career as NP

    MelEpiRN replied to elmtree's topic in Advanced Practice

    Consider looking into a master of public health degree. You can specialize in women's health, community health, health education, etc. NPs get paid a heck of a lot more, but based on what you wrote, I...

  4. Medical Quackery: Let's talk.

    MelEpiRN replied to Spidey's mom's topic in Nursing News

    I had an app for my recent pregnancy that had a community forum. There were so, so many women on this app that were convinced essential oils, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil cured darn near...

  5. New nurse on a Stroke Unit

    MelEpiRN replied to JerseyNurse87's topic in Neurological

    Congrats! I'm sure you'll have plenty of mandated courses. You can go ahead and get certified in the NIHSS (stroke scale). It's free- go on stroke.org and click on Healthcare Professionals. It'll...

  6. Do you give mag off pump?

    MelEpiRN replied to BellaInBlueScrubsRN's topic in Emergency

    We're changing to the 4 hour time on Zosyn too. I forget the details, but it absorbs/ works better if infused over 4 hours. I suspect it will catch on elsewhere

  7. Public health vs. Nursing

    MelEpiRN replied to tdhuy's topic in General Nursing

    I have a BSN and got my masters degree in public health. I agree with the above posts, you can absolutely do public health nursing. The biggest notable difference is the model of healthcare that's...

  8. Patient smokers!!

    MelEpiRN replied to Lahryn04's topic in General Nursing

    Yup, check your policy. It may be considered AMA/ elopement if the patient leaves the floor. I learned the hard way...it's just not worth it to have a patient start screaming at you because you tell...

  9. Dad just doesn't understand...

    MelEpiRN replied to kool-aide, RN's topic in General Nursing

    To quote a friend of mine's recent facebook status: "$83,000 for a third year of med school? *sigh*" Multiply x 4...I'd much rather be a nurse than worry about paying that off for the rest of my...

  10. How valuable is speaking Spanish in health care?

    MelEpiRN replied to edwindelahiggins's topic in General Nursing

    Learning another language is always beneficial. The use in practice definitely depends on where you live- I used to practice in D.C. and for every Spanish speaking patient we had Greek, Portuguese,...

  11. STOP! Or somebody's going to get hurt!

    MelEpiRN replied to jjhc2006's topic in General Nursing

    I think it's a generational thing...but stay off the damn smartphone. If you have time to surf the internet, update facebook, tweet or whatever, you have time to be cleaning equipment, stocking...

  12. Why do some Medstudents love to belittle nurses?

    MelEpiRN replied to LPNweezy's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Hahaha the beauty of facebook...you can very easily send that 'nurses are dumb' rant to their Dean. In fact, I think you should. That'll likely put a stop to it

  13. Tuberculosis Exposure

    MelEpiRN replied to kritter01's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    I would never say TB is "highly contagious". You must have prolonged exposure with an infectious person coughing in your face a whole lot to catch it. A lot of variables come into this as well- how...

  14. Change of shift- acute patient issues?

    MelEpiRN replied to Trubie's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    A) Always report chest pain to the MD, ESPECIALLY if the patient has no history!! I never worked in LTC but seems to me that's considered a reportable change in status. B) I hate to say don't trust...

  15. Ever write up an attending for yelling?

    MelEpiRN replied to mskate's topic in General Nursing

    I think you did the right thing. Too often MD's get away with yelling and intimidation and it's not OK. I complained to my manager once when a neurosurgeon (one who was known you don't call, don't...

  16. Is this unusual?

    MelEpiRN replied to Spritenurse1210's topic in General Nursing

    The notion that doctors are being called too often is absurd. When you go to med school, that's what you sign up for. It's inexcusable they limit the timeframe you can call them. To be honest, you...

  17. medical records

    MelEpiRN replied to neleh's topic in General Nursing

    Ha, your coworker is an idiot. It is without a doubt illegal. NOBODY is allowed to access a medical record unless it is a "need to know" basis. It's a massive HIPAA violation. We're talking...

  18. hoiw long the indwelling catheter can keep for a patient ?

    MelEpiRN replied to mikhy's topic in General Nursing

    Yup, depends on a few things. There are lots of policies available online. Basically, the risk of infection increases daily with indwelling caths. The patient should be evaluated for necessity every...

  19. not sure of my niche

    MelEpiRN replied to LookForward's topic in General Nursing

    Am I reading this correctly? New grad with 8-9 patients mid-way through orientation??? I've been a nurse for 8 years and I wouldn't function well with that. It's overwhelming for a lot of people....

  20. Mad cow disease- how can you get it??

    MelEpiRN replied to Epona's topic in General Nursing

    Thank you, brownbook! Well said. I'm reminded of when I was a new grad and I got in an arguement with my patient- she refused to take her colace because she truly believed she'd get mad cow from the...

  21. Now, if you saw this on a chart, what would YOU think?

    MelEpiRN replied to AngelfireRN's topic in General Nursing

    Oh I have found many gems in my chart auditing- including my favorites "pt has typing diabetes", "pts mother deceased from all summers disease" and "pt allergic to statins as they cause polio"....

  22. Smelly Body Wipes

    MelEpiRN replied to OhioCCRN's topic in General Nursing

    What do you think that bar of soap and water on a washcloth does? Check out the latest lit on basin baths. If the cloths have CHG in them it kills the bacteria, not "pushes it around". Don't have...