ErinS

ErinS BSN, RN

Hospice

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All Content by ErinS

  1. questions about your first code.. from a student nurse

    ErinS replied to tinker72's topic in General Nursing

    I work in hospice, and have for 2 years. I see people, including children, die every day. Today, one of my patients, a 5 year old die. And I still went to my car and bawled after I pronounced the...

  2. Hospice rn case manager

    ErinS replied to MEKAYLA's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    There is a lot of previous posts on this site about this. but in a nutshell, being a case manager means you coordinate the care for the patient. You also manage symptoms and help patients work...

  3. Do you believe in life after death?

    ErinS replied to Piecukonis's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I would actually say that nearly all my patients who are still able to communicate in any way at the end of life report or seem to interact with people no one else can see, and this is usually in a...

  4. Staff nurses and their bad attitudes

    ErinS replied to ShellyRSRN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Gosh I used to hate that stupid crap. 5 am in the morning and someone has the nerve to ask me some stupid little thing that doesn't matter. It was always something stupid that they could spend 10...

  5. Question about Seizures.

    ErinS replied to BSN 2 B's topic in General Nursing

    Ativan is used for breakthrough seizures. It comes in a liquid and tiny tablet that both can be used SL. In hospice we will use ativan instead of other seizure medication on a routine basis to...

  6. New Hospice Case Manager

    ErinS replied to AddieRN's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I manage between 12-17 patients at a time. 12 is a good amount for a new nurse. When I have 12 it leaves me with 6 visits 4 days a week and Wednesday is my catch up day and check on my sicker...

  7. Alzheimers Diagnosis questions regarding items covered....

    ErinS replied to AtlantaRN's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    We do not cover supplements in my hospice (often we do not cover tube feedings either). The reasoning for this is that we do not pay for patient food, and supplements are just a different source of...

  8. HELP!! What about what the PATIENT WANTS?????

    ErinS replied to AtlantaRN's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    This is a hard one. My one though would be- even if she wants to continue clinical trials, does she want to be a full code. We often will have patients that were determined not to be on hospice, but...

  9. Todays Most annoying pt award goes to....

    ErinS replied to Pepper The Cat's topic in General Nursing

    Another good one- took care of a mentally handicapped 30 something man who lived in a christian shelter. Sang repeatedly at the top of his lungs all night long: 'Emmanuel, lord is my savior' and 'god...

  10. Want to start traveling...any info/advice?

    ErinS replied to Carrie9RN's topic in Agency Nurses

    Google travel nurse and therapists forum and it will bring up a travel nurse and therapist forum- lots of great advice and where I figured out what agency to work with. You need to decide what kind...

  11. PEG Tube to suction..

    ErinS replied to RN2114's topic in General Nursing

    I work in hospice, so it is a little different, but we often have peg tubes placed specifically for stomach draining r/t obstruction (usually from CA). We usually use suction, but usually...

  12. Todays Most annoying pt award goes to....

    ErinS replied to Pepper The Cat's topic in General Nursing

    This is the MOST perfect post after my day today! Not my patient, but his wife. Man with end-stage neuro disease is breathing 35 times a minute and can no longer wake up or respond. Me: he has...

  13. Medication Shortages

    ErinS replied to registerednutrn's topic in General Nursing

    I work in hospice, but we have been having difficulty getting our morphine (oral 20mg/ml) and liquid oxycodone

  14. Hospice RN carrying medications in their car

    ErinS replied to 10 year nurse's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I live in Utah, but not only do the nurses carry meds in the car, but we often have volunteers to deliver medications to patients, and carry the meds in their car. Because of this, we do not...

  15. looking at my daughters medical record

    ErinS replied to Karynica, RN's topic in General Nursing

    You absolutely have a right to get a copy of your daughter's medical record as her POA. You may have to pay a copying fee, but HIPAA allows pts to have copies of their

  16. Drug Diversion

    ErinS replied to eileenis1's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Our whole team is updated on pt's that are diverting. We set firm boundaries and push for facility placement as soon as possible. Fentanyl patches are a good way to go, as is methadone. ABH...

  17. Some advice on morphine admin

    ErinS replied to pharmgirl's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I had an amazing medical director once that explained it like this. If a patient has a symptom that is uncontrolled (ie. pain), it triggers the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) which...

  18. home remedies you would NEVER try

    ErinS replied to ktwlpn's topic in General Nursing

    Peanut butter for

  19. On Call Schedule.....that is workable

    ErinS replied to onewithhospiceheart's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    We have a census of around 50. We have 3 full time case managers that work M-F 8a-5p. 1 on-call admit nurse M-F 11a-6p There are 2 full time on-call nurses. 1 works M-Th 5p-8a and Sat 8a-5p. The other...

  20. Differences in death procedures between adults and children

    ErinS replied to mambojennifer's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I have cared for many pediatric patients in my line of hospice work. In my experience children either die very quickly (usually from a heart problem) or they die very slowly. We actually had a...

  21. A typical day in the life of a Hospice Nurse?

    ErinS replied to HeartsOpenWide's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I am a case manager and my typical day is 8-10 hours. I start at about 8am, catching up on report and beginning to gather supplies and medications. I start visits in the hospital around 9 and try to...

  22. Family's request v. nursing judgment

    ErinS replied to PoetOfMyHeart's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I would agree with the other response. In my experience, patients rarely tolerate decreasing doses of medication well. The other thing to remember when assessing someone at the end of life- a low...

  23. What's the One Thing You Wish Someone Had Told You on Your First Day?

    ErinS replied to Traum-a-Rama's topic in General Nursing

    If you do not annoy coworkers with your questions, you are probably not asking enough! If there is ever a glimmer of doubt about a decision, double check. If you ask a question, and the answer...

  24. metaphysical stories

    ErinS replied to nrcnurse's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I once had a patient with Down's Syndrome who saw a cat who had died years earlier. She saw the cat for a full month before she passed away. She would introduce him, play with him, and talk to him...

  25. social worker visit?

    ErinS replied to mschelee's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Our hospice rules are 5