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mammac5

mammac5

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mammac5's Latest Activity

  1. mammac5

    Documenting insulin pumps

    mammac5 replied to mmc51264's topic in Endocrine

    We use an Insulin Pump Self-Management agreement. A provider has to deem the pt is fully capable of self-management...we determine this with various questions and we expect the pt to show us his/her basal settings, tell us how many units:grams of CHO they bolus, what is their correction factor, etc. They sign the form that states Nursing will check CBGs on our machine, the pt will inform the RN how many units will be bolused based on the CBG and anticipated PO intake. That is scanned into the chart. There is a section in our EMR (under therapeutic monitoring) where the bolused are charted by RN. The basal pump settings are documented under home meds, then that is carried over to curren meds so this is in the EMR. We change this if we adjust the rates while in hospital so the correct doses/rates carry over at discharge. We have a Diabetes Mgmt Team (NPs/PAs) who see most of the pts with pumps which means not everyone has to be familiar with them. We are available to RNs (even overnight call) when they have problems, don't know where to document, etc., so they can contact us.
  2. mammac5

    Being an NP in NC.

    mammac5 replied to swarren88's topic in NP

    It is beautiful here. There is so much to enjoy in the mountains OR the coast. Great food! High medical needs with very high rates of diabetes and hypertension. Large immigrant population. Rural needs as well as Native American healthcare needs. We we live close enough to SC that it's a quick trip to the coast there for a weekend. But the taxes are high, practice is restricted, and hospital systems are all scared right now.
  3. mammac5

    Being an NP in NC.

    mammac5 replied to swarren88's topic in NP

    In many regards, NC is a great place to live. It's not a great place to practice as an NP. I am an ANP living on Western NC (worse area of the state to work from a pay perspective) but moving is not an option for a few more years. So here I am, pushing for higher pay, knowing that when the system I work for increases pay for NPs, pay will necessarily increase across WNC. I like to think I am making a difference in my little corner of the state. My husband's job prohibits our moving at this time. The NCBON is notoriously difficult - restricting practice, restricting educational opportunities for anyone who wants an out-of-state education, etc. I hope they will catch on...with so many states passing regulations that allow NPs independent practice, it seems all states will eventually follow suit as they see patients are not suffering I'll effects of our "free range" practice!
  4. mammac5

    Maximum Lantus & NPH doses?

    mammac5 replied to Pachinko's topic in NP

    I work in both inpatient and outpatient DM mgmt. There is theoretically no limit to the doses of basal insulin...no upper safe dose to prescribe the way we think of meds like METFORMIN. Having said that, I normally will have pts split a large dose into 2 injection sites for better absorption...say, if they are injecting 80 units total I would have them inject that into two sites, but they can do so at the same time. Patients who require 200 or more total daily units of insulin may do much better with U-500 insulin since the volume injected is much smaller and seems to be better absorbed/assimilated. I live/practice in an area of the country with high insulin resistance and actually use quite a bit of U-500. We still use NPH for some patients, as well. Especially since it is dirt cheap at Walmart pharmacies...not as great a basal insulin as LANTUS or LEVEMIR (which usually should be dosed BID) but cheap = the only way to go for many patients.
  5. mammac5
    So, back to the original question... My experience as an NP without RN experience has been fantastic. I was hired one month after graduation as part of an in-patient research project funded by the DoD. Did I have a steep learning curve with my lack of RN experience? Yes, I did. Would I have had a steep learning curve even with RN experience? I believe so. The research study led to a permanent full-time position in the same hospital. The contacts I made there led to a part-time job in an outpatient practice...I work both jobs now and really enjoy both. My path to a great career where I get to help people every day was different than what a lot of others had, but I hardly ever take the same path as anyone else.
  6. mammac5
    Hard not not to take that personally with all the all-caps and holding. I pursued NP education/training rather than PA training because I prefer the nursing model of care over allopathic medical training. I knew I wanted to care for people in a very personal and intimate way; I knew I had no desire to do procedures and PA training is usually procedure-heavy. I am glad you are proud of your ICU experience. I am quite proud of my life experience as a medical assistant, full-time wife & mother, home-schooling mom, former fat & prediabetic lady who decided to completely change her life. My patients seem happy to benefit from my experience as well. I work full time in a hospital (my first job out of school was inpatient care...without previous RN experience) and part time in an outpt setting. I am thankful someone with your type of bias was not included in my interview process.
  7. mammac5

    Call pay

    mammac5 replied to marinp's topic in NP

    $3 an hour for overnight call
  8. mammac5
    I never worked as an RN. I had many years of experience as a medical assistant in outpatient practices, had done some teaching in medical assisting programs in a local college, etc. I completed a bridge program and had no trouble getting my first NP job, mostly due to contacts I made on my clinical rotations.
  9. mammac5

    collabrative physician

    mammac5 replied to cymalice's topic in NP

    Check your state BON site to get the answers you need.
  10. mammac5

    Anyone Else with Pay/Benefits Cuts?

    mammac5 replied to mammac5's topic in NP

    I appreciate everyone's input here. Normally what I hear is how everyone's salary is much higher than mine, how they have better benefits, etc. Even though I'm sorry others are suffering from financial cuts, I guess I'm satisfied to know it's not just me. I've been feeling very disrespected by my current situation but do not want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Ride it out? I'd like to open my own practice but it definitely does not seem like the timing is right.
  11. mammac5

    Lantus BID

    mammac5 replied to SteveDE's topic in Endocrine

    Pts should not NEED a snack. If snacks are routinely needed, the insulin dose is too high.
  12. mammac5
    The requirements are probably different state-to-state (unlike for physicians whose rule are pretty standard across the USA) and your BON probably has a format they suggest you follow. I live in North Carolina and the BON has a form you can download to use for documentation. Our requirement is only every 6 months and the doc does not cosign my charts. As for our actual meetings...varies. Usually I document a situation where I've gone to the physician to ask about a case (something new to me or a complicated patient she saw in the hospital who I am now seeing in the office) and then ask her to sign it after I've typed it up. This happens with enough frequency that we have never planned a specific meeting time/topic.
  13. mammac5

    First Job for New Grads

    mammac5 replied to mistaFNP's topic in NP

    1. What type of clinic? Hospital - inpatient diabetes management 2. 3 Pros 1) limited scope of practice made my new job less terrifying 2) I did not have previous hospital experience, so I really benefitted from working in that environment 3) great schedule and work hours 3. 3 cons 1) low pay 2) this particular hospital does not hold NPs in high esteem 3) OJT was intense...computer systems, hospital culture, how to find info I needed, etc. 4. Would you have done anything differently? No, I think this was a good first job for me (still here 3 yrs later) but looking for other opportunities now. I don't like the thought of changing jobs, so perhaps have already stayed longer than I should!
  14. mammac5

    Anyone Else with Pay/Benefits Cuts?

    mammac5 replied to mammac5's topic in NP

    I am taking a few days to think things through, vis a vis my options and whether or not I have any. I'm trying to put any ego I may have aside to make solid, fact-based decisions rather than bad moves based on emotion. Although I know the grass is not always greener on the other side, a loss of several thousands dollars does not sit well.
  15. mammac5

    Anyone Else with Pay/Benefits Cuts?

    mammac5 replied to mammac5's topic in NP

    Is this happening elsewhere or is it just NC? We are one of the states that did not expand MCAID under O-care.
  16. mammac5

    Anyone Else with Pay/Benefits Cuts?

    mammac5 posted a topic in NP

    I work for a hospital system but don't want to be more specific than that. Tough financial times at my workplace - some paid time off was frozen for a few months of the year, meaning employees did not earn time off for weeks. Jobs have been cut, departments downsized. It's become a very stressful environment due to morale, rather than due to the actual work. Recently the the providers were informed we will no longer accrue time off to use for vacation, sick days, etc., and we will no longer have time off set aside for CME purposes. This equates to a pay cut of several thousand dollars for me since our time off used to accrue and could be cashed out annually (with restrictions, of course). It seems like a no-brainer to say - Go get a new job! I get that. But what I want to know is whether you are seeing things like this in your workplaces or geographic areas. Are you being told that cuts are being made so others' jobs can be saved? And how would you feel about all this when your hospital continues to build and expand? I feel like I need some perspective on this from others.
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