ErinS

ErinS BSN, RN

Hospice

Member

  • Content

    347

  • Visitors

    7,046

  • Followers

    0

  • Likes

    5

All Content by ErinS

  1. Masters in Nursing- which specialty to choose?

    ErinS replied to jo1010's topic in Post Graduate Students

    I think you are missing something about being a professional. Every job will require what you refer to as 'ass-kissing' if you want to develop professional relationships. I do a lot of...

  2. Anyone have experience working for a DME supplier?

    ErinS replied to Amanda.RN's topic in General Nursing

    Some of my best friends work for my company's DME department. THings they like: it is pretty laid back and they have a lot of flexibility in their hours. They also do not interact directly with the...

  3. I wasn't hired because I failed the personality test???

    ErinS replied to loveishope's topic in General Nursing

    Oh God. The next thing we know we will be sending in headshots with our resumes so that they can ensure we fit their expected 'aesthetic

  4. Who is supposed to police the mean girls?

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

    A nurse who is not a team player, is not an asset, but just a pain in the ass. There is a difference. Management should be keeping an eye out for this, but if the team as a whole is upset with this...

  5. What is your reward?

    ErinS posted a topic in Nurse Management

    Hello out there! I am currently finishing my MSN, but my focus has been in nursing education. I am young enough that I am not sure what I want to do, and have the time and money to get both the...

  6. Missed my pump training again!!!

    ErinS replied to Peeker19's topic in General Nursing

    My question was what the heck is so complicated on an IV pump that is going to take 3 HOURS?! I am trained on the alaris pump- my training was about 30 minutes with a skills passoff that took another...

  7. Social Worker on call 24/7?

    ErinS replied to CANRN's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I work for a largish company and have never had official 24/7 sw coverage, although I can sometimes get the MSW to go above and beyond when

  8. Please help as my clinical instructor won't answer my questions...

    ErinS replied to anastasia158's topic in General Nursing

    It is called 'capping' because they are referring to the 'heparin cap'. Usually you will hear "hep cap the iv', but this is probably a regional wording. Hope this

  9. Could this be my specialty??

    ErinS replied to heathert_kc's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    It can be devastating to care for someone who is young, or children. But I think a lot of people who work in hospice and do it for a long time are very good at being dedicated, knowledgeable...

  10. Calciphylaxis

    ErinS replied to ErinS's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    It is not a result of long term dialysis, but it happens almost exclusively in end stage chronic renal failure (so of course, most people have been on long term dialysis). I am not sure they know...

  11. Calciphylaxis

    ErinS posted a topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I have now seen 6 patients with calciphylaxis. This is supposed to be an extremely rare disease, but I feel like we see a lot for this disease to be 'extremely' rare. Just wondering if any of you...

  12. NEW Hospice Case Manager & SAFETY ?'s :0) Need input from EXPERIENCED hospice nurses!

    ErinS replied to ShimmaShimma0304's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I do what another poster suggested- I don't carry a purse, I keep my stuff by me and ready to go, and I have the families meet me outside if I am concerned. Honestly, although there are shady areas,...

  13. Neurontin decreases the effectiveness of PO pain meds?

    ErinS replied to TeleRN311's topic in Patient Medications

    Now I am a hospice nurse, and so we do things a little different. But how much dilaudid did they try? 1mg? 2mg? I find that often in hospitals they are unwilling to increase narcotic dosages past...

  14. nurses VS doctors

    ErinS replied to iamann's topic in General Nursing

    We absolutely can and should question orders. I have had situations where pt's would have DIED if I had just followed orders. I think there is a way to do it that is professional. I would always...

  15. Ideas for a career track?

    ErinS replied to UMB2011's topic in Nurse Management

    Well, I am finishing my Master's, which in my state is pretty much a requirement for management. I have asked my manager at work to be my mentor, and so she gives me projects to manage on my own...

  16. How do you deal with suspected addicts?

    ErinS replied to OhioCCRN's topic in General Nursing

    One of the hard things about being a nurse is that as a pt advocate we are constantly fighting for good pain control. Here are my thoughts: 1. I would call the MD and say "Mrs. Jones has had 40 mg...

  17. Send a nurse now or we will call 911.

    ErinS replied to SoCalRN1970's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Amen! We have also gently encouraged patients to look into another hospice if we are not meeting their "needs", which are usually more like demands. Another conversation I have had with families is...

  18. Disturbing POA's

    ErinS replied to MommaRN86's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Where are your POLST forms? In our state every facility pt must have this form, which is essentially a MD signed living will. If pt is unable to make decisions, the POA absolutely can refuse...

  19. Job interview tomorrow...will my clothes make or break me?

    ErinS replied to purple_nomad's topic in General Nursing

    I conduct interviews all the time for nurses. I don't really care what someone wears, as long as they look nice. It matters far more that they have a likable personality, answer my questions...

  20. Deathbed visions **UPDATED**

    ErinS replied to ag_man's topic in General Nursing

    Oh boy do I have a lot! Just last week we had a pt start to dramatically decline. He started talking about missing the train, waiting for the train, the train was coming, etc. He just about drove...

  21. How Soon To Specialize

    ErinS replied to NearlyanRN's topic in First Year After Licensure

    If you are interested in forensic nursing, I would try getting into an ER setting. If this is not possible, stick it out on a med/surg floor. I have a friend who wanted to specialize in psych, and...

  22. NEW Hospice RN Case Manager Question!!

    ErinS replied to ShimmaShimma0304's topic in Home Health

    It is important that the facilities you work with understand your expectations. When we first go into a facility we have an IDT with our whole staff and the facility DON. We lay out our expectations...

  23. Hospital policy?

    ErinS replied to mom4josh's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Not only does this happen, this is a medicare requirement. You must allow pt's to have choice. I work for a large healthcare system, and actually most of our patients end up using other hospice...

  24. head and neck cancer end of life care - advice needed.

    ErinS replied to jonga's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    The only other thought I have is to have some subQ meds on hand to sedate pt. We had a pt with neck ca and we kept ativan and morphine in the home in prefilled syringes and taught caregivers to give...

  25. Theme music

    ErinS replied to LegzRN's topic in General Nursing

    For the terrible things my patients are going through, for the days when the medicine does not keep the pain away, for the day when I come and tell them there are only days left, for the children...