belle87RN

Thought of another one... If you've ever said, "This patient's history reads like a textbook."

When you can change your dust ruffle on a full size bed using the same technique as doing a bed change on a total care patient. You have night mares of taking care of 8-9 patients after a night of chaos and getting 4 admissions. You know for a fact that if anyone wanted to torture you for information, that all they need to do is stick you in a room with a beeping IV pump that you couldn't turn off. You can watch shows like Bones, CSI, NCIS, Body of Proof, etc. while eating a meal that just might include spaghetti sauce and feel perfectly normal.

Why was he giving in and giving her Dilaudid, if he knew that she is a drug seeker?

You guys all have great stories. Mine is from when I did a shadow day in the ER as part of my new nursing orientation. I had previously worked in the ER as an aide before I graduated nursing school so to be honest I didn't expect to see much else than the usual. Boy was I wrong! We had a patient collapse outside the ER doors, diaphoretic, bad color...looked like the typical MI patient. So we get him into probably one of the smallest rooms our ED has because it was the only one available and hook him up to BP cuffs and an EKG. The EKG was normal, BP was low though (I forget what it was). We then get the story that this guy was drunk the night before and took a tumble down the stairs (and even broke the railing). He got himself up and just went to bed to sleep it off. That morning he really didn't feel great so he drove to the ED, while in the parking lot he coughed or did something and felt a 'pop' in his chest and felt slightly better so he turned around and went to work. He comes back in a couple hours later feeling worse and we pick up again with him collapsing outside of the ED. Chest x-ray shows huge hemo-pneumotorax. We are not a trauma hospital so we start the process of getting him ready for transfer. It just so happened that one of the pulmonary docs was in the room next door, they did an emergency Chest tube. The doc didn't hook him up to the drainage canister before unclamping the tube, blood went EVERYWHERE! They finally got him connected, started blood and called for transfer. In about 15 of being in the ED with the CT in place he put out 2 liters and the canister had to be changed before he was transferred to the other hospital. The whole time he was in this room there was about 5-10 nurses and staff, and this room was tiny! Not t

Ouch! That had to hurt. Nubain and I are not friends. In my OB rotation in nursing school I went it to my patient. It was my ever REAL experience with an ampule and was supposed to be my first ever IVP med. Well I broke the top of the ampule off the wrong way, a small spike was left on the edge that sliced my finger. I ended up having to go to the ER and got 3 or 4 stitches. I was so embarrassed, my nursing instructor had to give the nubain. And before I left to go get my finger stitched up she (my instructor) was doing her best to patch it up with gauze and tape to which she exclaimed "I can deal with women pushing out babies, not with cut fingers!" It made me laugh so hard!

I'm sure this topic has gone around this place a few time, but I have yet to really find a pair of shoes I love. When I worked in a college kitchen for a year I had a pair of shoe called Klogs, they were the best shoes I ever owned, not pretty but definitely practical. We aren't allowed to wear that type of shoe, so I can't get them. I've tried Nike Air, Nike AirMax, and Adidas. We can't wear crocs, we can wear Dansko's but I recently tried on a pair and wasn't impressed at all, they were heavy and hard on my feet. What are your suggestions?

It frustrates me that we don't have a little more leeway. If I'm sick, I don't think I should be taking care of any patient, let alone the surgical patients that I was supposed to take care of. I was sick for 3 weeks and kept working, my body just couldn't do it any more. But we are almost forced to work when we are sick because we don't want to get any warnings. And I've been in the process of a possible transfer and we can't have any written warnings if we want to transfer and that includes after the interview and before the transfer takes place.

It probably wasn't the best idea to call off, although I don't blame you. No nurse, no matter how experienced you are should ever have to deal with that kind of mess. The charge nurse was definitely wrong in telling you flat out that she was calling off because of the staffing. I can't really say anything though, I called off today too. I have been sick with a wicked sore throat and cough. I knew that our staffing stunk tonight, we were supposed to get 13 post ops on the floor I was to work on. But I just couldn't fathom working again sick. We have a stupid call off policy, you can only call of 3 times in a rounding year. I felt bad about calling off but I didn't think it would be the best idea for me or my patients to work while sick.

What are you facilities call off policies? I think my work stinks, if we call of more than 3 times in a rounding year we either get a verbal or written warning, or suspended if it's more than 5. The only exceptions are if you use medical leave or are one of those grandfathered into a previous policy they had. Doctor excuses mean nothing to our hospital. So basically you have to come to work sick so you don't get in trouble, and patients have told me that they don't want sick nurses taking care of them. What are your policies and how would you change them? If I had a say in the matter, if you have a doctor's excuse stating the illness, treatment and when you saw the doctor, it should not be held against you.

Warming up their fingers or a little finger tip massage to get the blood going. Although the later isn't really recommended. Also make sure you aren't too far off to the side. Sometimes the sides of their fingers won't bleed well. Get it right in that middle space between the pad of the finger and the side of their finger.

I CAN NOT stand epistaxis! Ugh, so gross! Especially when they have clots built up in their throats and they are hacking it up. I volunteered to help out in room 7 in our ED (our ENT room, without thinking) The guy had a massive bleed he'd had for a couple of hours. I stood there with a basin as he hacked up blood clots and spat blood in it and everywhere, I swear he got some on me. When I emptied it, I was very close to losing my lunch. GI bleeds are gross too. The smell is awful, I didn't realize this as a nurse aide when a nurse asked me to empty a patients bedside commode. I did and really almost lost it. Then the nurse said "oh I thought you knew it was a GI bleed." I was like "No, I just got here, and I had NO IDEA they smelled that bad."

I can't believe it! I took the NCELX yesterday and only had 75 questions. I was so nervous and didn't know what to think. But I got my results this morning and I passed! I was so excited, one of the nurses I worked with when I was a nurse aide gave me a huge hug when I told him that I passed. He was one of my biggest and best mentors the last two years and it meant so much. Good luck to all of those still looking to take it. I used the kaplan book and remembered to use their strategies as I took the test.

You are able to specialize in emergency medicine here in the states. There is something called a CEN or certified emergency nurse that you can earn (not sure how yet cause I'm still in school). But definitely try out emergency nursing first, some people do find it a little overwhelming, but if you love that type of situation you'll do great. Good luck on passing your exams in the Philippines and here when you come!

I love the patients that come to the ER thinking the have "amonia" One time a patient came in complaining of pain in his "wing muscle" I said to him "you mean your shoulder?", "No my wing muscle, right here." he said as he pointed to his shoulder blade. I went into the ED to hand the chart to the nurses laughing, it was really funny! And one time I had an older gentleman say to me, "You have a pretty smile, are those your real teeth?" It was really funny!

The above two are correct, you will be taught the best ways to give injections in schools and the patient rights. I was scared at first too but there are a lot of ways to reduce pain with injections. One of the best ways to reduce discomfort is to switch your needles. Use one need to draw up the medication from the vial and another to give it. I usually use an 18 gauge (a large bore) needle to draw up a medication cause it's a lot easier, then use a 22-24 gauge to give the med. Those are my suggestions, but don't fret you'll learn everything you need to know in school. And if you can start working at a medical facility now and find a nurse to take you under their wing. I have nurses at my work that have done that for me and have really helped me out through school, their encouragement and support has meant a lot to me and I have learned so much from them.