wannabecnl

wannabecnl

PACU, presurgical testing

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All Content by wannabecnl

  1. At what point do you stop feeling stupid?

    wannabecnl replied to LETRN's topic in First Year After Licensure

    I was going to ask the same question tonight. I've almost finished week 11 of my 3-month intensive orientation on the PACU, and as a new grad the learning curve is steep. Today, though, was the...

  2. Medicating PONV vs. watchful waiting

    wannabecnl replied to wannabecnl's topic in PACU

    Thank you for the responses! To clarify, our patients routinely get 4 of Zofran in the OR. People who screen at high risk for PONV during pre-op assessment are given what I call the 4-gun salute in...

  3. Never placed an IV!!!!!

    wannabecnl replied to LoriZ342's topic in General Nursing

    Sorry, can't edit my post but realized something wasn't clear in the last paragraph. Starting an IV is not the same as giving drugs through a PICC (despite my over-bookish but allegedly impractical...

  4. Never placed an IV!!!!!

    wannabecnl replied to LoriZ342's topic in General Nursing

    My nursing program did not teach us to start IVs. We did many other skills in the sim lab, including suctioning, placing and removing Foleys, placing and using NG tubes, FSBS, etc. I used some of...

  5. Do your PACU RN's also staff your Pre-Op area?

    wannabecnl replied to boyzmomrn's topic in PACU

    At my acute care hospital, nurses in the phase 1 PACU do post-op care for everyone coming out of the OR. We also do the pre-op for patients who are already inpatients. Phase 2 nurses do a.m. admits'...

  6. Nurse Dracula overqualified

    wannabecnl replied to Brian's topic in Nurses Rock

    SycamoreStudent, you stole my line: I was going to say that if nursing didn't work out, he could always become a

  7. At scene of fatal accident yesterday...

    wannabecnl replied to jamieslovingmom's topic in General Nursing

    As others have said, TALK TO SOMEONE. Do not go through this alone. Find a professional counselor, an EAP person at your workplace, or someone like that to help you with this. I am sure that your...

  8. Check for Bowel Sounds?

    wannabecnl replied to All4Seasons's topic in PACU

    I tell them (particularly parents of pedi patients) not to serve anything you wouldn't want to see come back

  9. Too quiet to be a PACU nurse?

    wannabecnl replied to kath<3's topic in PACU

    Kath, I'm happy that you made a decision you are pleased with, and if you feel that Hospice nursing is for you, I have no doubt that you will do a great job! So congrats. I did want to weigh in on...

  10. What do you think about nurses and PA's being called "Doctor"?

    wannabecnl replied to PalmHarborMom's topic in Activism, Healthcare

    My dentist is a DDS, and I call him Dr. so-and-so. Same with our vet, a DVM. Doctorate-level psychologists are absolutely called Dr. If my husband were a professor, he would be Dr. with his PhD....

  11. Which comes first: PACU or ICU?

    wannabecnl replied to wannabecnl's topic in PACU

    Update 2+ years after my original post... I did end up visiting the PACU and LOVED IT. Loved it so much that I applied for and got into a PACU clinical immersion for my 2nd year of school (and...

  12. Which comes first: PACU or ICU?

    wannabecnl posted a topic in PACU

    I'm in my first year of nursing school, and so far I have loved the ICU, the CRNA was my favorite role in the OR, and I'm hoping for a full PACU day but have taken 2 patients to the PACU and loved it,...

  13. Accept per diem job?

    wannabecnl replied to baubleRN's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Per diem means different things at different places. One hospital near me requires a minimum of hours during a 6-week period, either 32 or 48 depending on pay and holiday obligations. Another is the...

  14. Can I vent? Just a little... you can vent too if you want, I won't tell...

    wannabecnl replied to GonnaAmazeYou's topic in General Nursing

    I don't know about volunteering in an organization like a hospital when you hold an RN license, but I know that at least in NH, where I live, I can volunteer with the Red Cross and get training to be...

  15. Do you give back-rubs and foot baths to your patients?

    wannabecnl replied to silt's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I gave a backrub to one patient on a stepdown unit who had chronic low back pain along with her acute surgical pain in her abdomen. She used oral opioids at home, so what we were giving her for the...

  16. I just can't find a job.

    wannabecnl replied to SugarSugar15's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    I don't know if this will help, but do you know what area of nursing you really want to do? As in, if you had your pick, what would it be? The reason I ask is that you seem to be applying...

  17. Only Charting "The Good Vitals"?

    wannabecnl replied to whitecat5000's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    My experience with this has been limited by department. In the CV surgical unit, RNs did all the vitals, manual B/Ps, real one-minute apical pulses, etc., because of the nature of our patients'...

  18. Please quit wasting my time: Interview Advice from Hiring Manager

    wannabecnl replied to Teacher Sue's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    I share the sentiments of so many posters on this thread. I'm left with this observation: either applicants have a desire to fit into the unit and learn it, or they expect the unit to mold to them....

  19. how to ask patient for pain scale score correctly?

    wannabecnl replied to 7feetunder's topic in Emergency

    And for a little humor, check this out. To focus on pain assessment, fast forward to 4:20, but the whole thing is pretty funny.

  20. Help Finding a Watch

    wannabecnl replied to Mbbales's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    I have (or rather had, as I have recently lost it when moving ) a Timex Indiglo that I adore. It has a nylon webbing band and can be washed with soap and water. The face lights up pink, but the...

  21. how to ask patient for pain scale score correctly?

    wannabecnl replied to 7feetunder's topic in Emergency

    I must have asked this question at least a thousand times as a student in the PACU; we did 15-minute assessments and had to reassess for analgesia effectiveness, so it was a frequent discussion. With...

  22. What Kind of Patients Do You LIKE Most?

    wannabecnl replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I also love taking care of elderly men, grumpy or otherwise. I don't know why; I used to think it was because I had an older father (WWII vet, 47 when I was born, looked like one of the Rat Pack...

  23. What are you really good at?

    wannabecnl replied to proud nurse's topic in First Year After Licensure

    In school and in my short-lived first job, I was always complimented for being smart. I know it's a gift/how I was born and not something to brag about, but I'm grateful for it; it makes it easier to...

  24. What patients/behaviors/illnesses/injuries do you HATE the most?

    wannabecnl replied to JZ_RN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    "By contrast, the patients I LIKE best are grumpy old men......I love to spend time with them and listen to their stories. It almost always turns out that there's a heart of gold underneath the...

  25. New Grad applicant walked on a unit today...

    wannabecnl replied to BotoxBaby's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    I'm not a good cold-call person or even much of a salesperson; I have often joked that the only people who would every buy my fundraising crap from school were my parents, back when we were allowed to...