ejonesrn

Do you think you may have run into the old "I pissed her (preceptor) off because I was right about how to administer liquids" and now she feels that, as an older, and more experienced nurse at that facility, she has taught you a lesson? The old adage "Nurses eat their young" Young being new grads or new employees. Just a slightly bitter observation!!

I would suggest that you ask about the different kinds of "restraints" at that particular facility. Do they use actual physical restraint? What about chemical restraint? How often is it used, and for how long? What is the reasoning behind the restraint? How do YOU feel about the different kinds of restraint?? We had a lady come to our facility - 92 years old, 85 lbs, 4'9" if she stood erect. She drew blood on 3 of us the first night! The FIRST thing we did was take the cane off her!! Wicked swing with that thing!! Took 5 of us to give her a loxapine injection - very little effect. Our facility does not use restraints. Understanding that she was terrrified, confused and VERY unhappy, we spent a few weeks getting to know her and allowing her to get to know us. She still had episodes, but much fewer and WE learned how to deal with her - and all of us became much happier! The incredible change of lifestyle new residents to LTC undergo is terrifying. From a home, with a bed shared with a spouse for 30+ years, your own space, even your own towels! to a small room with a single bed shared with a stranger and strange people trying to give you your pills - and make you eat your meals when THEY want!! It is an intense learning curve! Sorry if I babbled! LTC is great...if you like it!! LOL!!

Remember the fact that you DID have a conversation with him - albeit a..."wait for a couple of minutes for your water" conversation! If you had gone to get the water yourself, wouldn't that have taken 10 minutes as well? You had no inkling he was going to die....at least someone spoke to him before he did die....My 2 cents....

What if you don't know their DNR status? In LTC it's tough to remember everyone's changing status (83 residents), in a hospital the patients/clients may not be there long enough to have a particular nurse for more than one or two shifts - who the h*ll remembers???!!! If you call a code and it's justified...may have saved the patient, if you call a code and the patient is DNR, you have time to check the chart before the Team shows up....a pain for the Team, but they aren't the priority, are they? Please forgive me if I sound snippy or snarky or....damn, what's another "s" word??!! OH! Snide!!