belfry

Belfry was the nickname my grandpa gave me. I was an extremely picky eater as a child, and once for breakfast I ate 2 eggs...unheard of for me....and he called me Belfry Two Egg after that. Weird, I know.

A bottle of wine! LOL. A gift certificate for a massage....a phone charger....Kleenex....those little toothbrush things, wisps, I think they are called....nuts or pretzels......water......a little tool thing with a screwdriver and a knife, cause you just never know....one of those little flip books about wound care....a good map.....

Good idea...but the guy had all scripts so prescribing was not the issue, and our MD never dictates what is covered, it is a nursing call. All good until we run into uncharted (LOL) territory, then the MBAs get their panties in a twist since the dollar signs are so big. because we all want an MBA and her niece the gum smacker in billing who thinks nurses are paid way to much to make those medical decisions.....

Thanks, everybody. Maybe this will get us a little help for next time we have a CF admission, so nobody makes the same mistake! Oh, I just realized I need to change my profile....I now have a big FIVE years exp, 4 of those in hospice!

Thanks...I had a Friday pm admit on call, one hour before pharmacyclosed...no meds at home, 6 weeks in pt, MD nor admin available for consult....had a bunch of meds prescribed on dch from hop....I approved most of them, as I had no formulary and so went with my heart and nursing judgement....so all lung meds, allpain meds, all digestive meds, all pancreas relAted meds..then got busted for over approving. Didn't help that the poor little guy passed 4 days later.

I work for a smaller hospice, and we recently admitted our first (and so far only) CF patient. I wondered if anyone out there has a list of commonly approved meds, I didn't have a list when I admitted and went overboard approving, because to me, all the meds he had seemed to be appropriate for hospice payment. I have looked online to no avail.

No no union here. And I am not asking for more than they were giving me, just to make it equal, if I am not getting the PTO, just reimburse me that same amount. What they are offering me is a ten percent cut for the same work!!!

I have worked for the same hospice as a case manage for 4.5 years....love it, love to patients, staff, and have good evaluations. Was full time, for the past 2 years part time /PRN. With the economy like it is, nobody has gotten raises ina couple of years, and mileage reimbursement is not great. But...good place, good people, etc... Anyhow, suddenly upper management decided I should be straight PRN. Well, i say okay, but if I will not get PTO I need to have my pay adjusted accordingly....which is 10 percent as we get one hour per ten worked. They wuss around for a week and then tell me they will give me 50 cents more an hour. i just stared at my boss, and he said is that not going to cut it? I just said "no" and walked away, i was afraid i would cry or cuss. Well now i feel like I just need to go, if that is what they think of me. i have been there longer than anyone except one other nurse, I take full time call tho I am part time, I do anything they need, work FT when someone is out sick or on vacAtion, do after hours stuff, and evidently all that matters to the powers that be is cutting corners. I am angry, hurt, and sad that i feel like I have to leave to keep my self respect. Responses???

I work hospice...and we have had several gay men work with us. No problem, ever...and we are in the rural deep South, with all that it entails! As long as we all do our jobs and help each other out as teammates, there is no friction whatsoever. I could honestly care less. The only discomfort occurred when my coworker was not comfortable sharing with us, and that made for an elephant in the corner...if you avoid the issue, or dodge it, it becomes fodder for gossip. And looks like you are ashamed or afraid of saying who you are. Is he?? Isn't she??? Just be straight (pun intended) with the facts, saves time and tiptoeing around an issue that should not be an issue! :redbeathe

no worries! as a home health/hospice, we see stuff like that all the time...usually the patient is so eager to get home the hospital nurse is rushed and forgets... Beth (psst..bethany, is that you? miss you on the mom group!)

On Old Olympus Towering Top A Famous Vain German Viewed A Hop (doesn't make sense but somehow I have remembered it for years!)

I learned by White on the right Clouds over grass (white over green) Smoke over fire (black over red) and poop in the middle (brown)

I was an older student, as nursing is a second career for me. I did one year med-surg tele on the floor, and then went to hospice. For me, hospice was a $3.50 per hour raise, add to that flexibility, no weekends, and no aching feet and legs, plus the pace is so much healthier 99% of the time. Where I work is flexible, when you see your folks you are done, as long as you keep your phone with you all is well.... It is rough emotionally at times, but look for a place that has good support for the staff and you will find that peer support counts for a lot. I, too, hated the "keep them alive no matter what" mentality that I saw at times at the hospital. But to be perfectly honest, I do miss the hospital too...did a lot more "nurse-y" stuff and I did like that....IV's hanging blood, learning about tons of different stuff all the time. It's all a trade-off, I suppose. But hospice works for me, now. And I do feel that what I do makes a difference, both to patient and family. Lots of time to educate and support.

Oh, for Pete's sake! Less than a year experience on ICU and you are an expert in dementia care??? Part of being a good nurse is being open to learning from others' experience and getting off your high horse occasionally to see that people who have been dealing with dementia patients longer than you have been alive just possibly may know a thing or two more than you. Before I became a nurse I did counseling on an inpatient geropsych unit, worked with HCFA on a grant with non-institutionalized Alzheimer patients, worked as resident care director in a LTC facility, and was on the board with the Alzheimer's Association, leading workshops for families with a new diagnosis and also led a monthly support group. So here is a news flash...what you read in a book last year and heard a lecture on one time does not make you an expert!!! Experience is the teacher here. You can benefit from the experience of others or you can wreak havoc in the minds and hearts of the most vulnerable of patients....whatever feels 'right' to you. :argue:

I disagree! I had a kidney stone earlier this year, and had 10/10 pain, vomiting, elevated BP/HR/R, the whole nine yards. I was given toradol + phenergan...didn't do a thing but make me drowsy...still in the same pain, still vomiting. No change after the second dose. After a bit they gave me something else (don't recall, was either demerol or dilaudid) Knocked the pain (and me) right out. So now I am concerned that if it ever happens again I will either have to be inappropriately medicated for an hour until the other drugs prove ineffective, or look like a drug seeker when I say, "Um, the only thing that worked was something that started with a "D"." Tell me that won't get me a special note in my chart! So be careful not to judge too quickly. I am not a drug seeker under normal conditions, but that pain made a true believer out of me...I would slap your granny to get drugs under those conditions!