bear_mom

We have the Alaris pumps and all PRBC's are supposed to be infused with the pump. I like it better than the gravity tubing we used to use. Emily

During my externship I really learned a lot, my preceptor allowed me to grow and learn. Also during that time the manager of the floor I worked on liked what she saw and offered me a position. On the other hand, the manager determined that she did no...

Doctors can't write an order like that anymore at our facility, the order would be like this: Darvocet N-100, 1 Q4 hours for pain 1-3, 2 Q6 hours for pain 4-10. When we are discharging patients on Vicodin or Darvocet, then we write out their discharg...

Here too. I might chart "Pt with lg emesis, Zofran given", but that isn't a given. Emily

Loyola University has an on-line bridge progam.

Am I the only one who works at a facility that has a policy regarding social networking sites? About a year ago, the hospital came out with it and while I don't remember the specifics of the policy, it does mention termination if staff are found to h...

We have a roatation set up, each nurse works one summer and one winter holiday. Rotations are: Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, 4th and Christmas and Labor Day and New Years. So every three years you rotate through the holidays. We are changing our sc...

Career Uniforms in Saginaw has a decent selection scrubs, shoes and equipment. I buy my shoes other places though, as I like the Dansko and none of the scrub/uniform places around here carry them. Emily

How do know how to treat? Sliding scale is based on a pre-meal blood sugar, not a blood sugar taken after eating. Emily

If they don't have a PIN number then I don't give out any information and cite patient privacy. If they don't have the PIN number and the patient is A&O or there is family in the room, then I will offer to transfer the call. Emily

Holland is a great area to live in (personally, I much preferred living on the west side of the state). Holland has a smaller hospital, but you are fairly close to Grand Rapids which has several larger hospitals. I'm not sure of the job situation the...

You can still carry flushes around???? Since the beginning of the year we haven't been able to carry extra flushes, you can have one in your hand if you are going somewhere to use it. Apparently they are considered medication and have to be kept loc...

We are going the opposite way, in the last few years they have been phasing out LPNs at our facility and going to primary nursing. In Sept we going to a new staffing model of 1:5 for RNs and 1:12 for techs/aides (we currently don't have techs/aides o...

I worked as an extern before my last year of school. The program I worked at was great - it was 12 weeks long. For 9 of the weeks you followed your RN for 2 days and on the 3rd day you got to go to a specialty area (OR, ICU, Cardiology, ER, Gamma Kni...

Ours is overtime, requests, on call, turns. We have been getting HR'd frequently lately (that will change greatly as just had a voluntary seperation and lots of nurses left) and full time/part time doesn't come into play. I'm part time and I was hire...

I have an ADN with a BS in enigneering. I have been accepted to, and started a bridge program for my MSN. I only had to take 2 undergrad classes before starting my masters' classes. I don't know about making it easier to get a job, only about 1/3 of...

She said she was out of PACU. I know they don't give anything to the patient in the recoovery room, but she said she was in another room and her spouse was with her.

I don't understand the no water thing, espically as an outpatient. I work on a surgery floor and almost everyone can at least have ice chips when they get back on the floor. The only ones who can't are the bowel surgery patients and they come back wi...

I almost always take my breaks - the first two at least, dinner not always (I eat again when I get home anyway, so I then eat two dinners). We get three breaks, 2 15 minute breaks (breakfast and dinner) and 1 30 minute break (lunch). When assignments...

It is probably different for every state/hospital, but when I was a nurse extern I was with a preceptor. I was able to do anything my preceptor was comfortable with, except pass meds. I did assessments, charting (with her co-signing), NG tubes, IV st...

Ours depends on the surgeon. Two use Coumadin. Two use Lovenox. One uses Arixtra. One uses just aspirin. Most use TEDs, one doesn't. All of them use some form of compression boot. Emily

I'm currently doing a bridge program where I only had to take two undergraduate classes and as long as you pass with a 'B' then you can go on to MSN classes. If you go straight through it will be 7 terms (I started in Jan '10 and would graduate in Ma...

Goal is 4 patients per RN when working alone, but occassionaly we have 5 patients is there is a large influx of ER admits/unknown OR patients. If we are team nursing (with a LPN) we can have 8/9 patients. We don't have aides/techs/CNAs. Work days in ...