ErinS

ErinS BSN, RN

Hospice

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All Content by ErinS

  1. What is an easy caseload?

    ErinS replied to cosmicmama's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I work in a hospice with a fairly young and acute population. There are weeks where even 12 patients would put me over 40 hours, and I have done this for 3 years. 12 patients is the max we try to...

  2. How should nursing schools pick students for admission?

    ErinS replied to dudette10's topic in General Nursing

    1. Experience as a CNA- at least 1 year. This would weed out a lot of people who are uncomfortable with personal care. 2. Personal interview- there are some strange people who get really good...

  3. Big Brother

    ErinS replied to mrr5745's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Yuck! Move on to a company that trusts its

  4. Verbal orders and Hospice?

    ErinS replied to Kimberly71's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Amen to the previous posters. We just had 2! nurses fired for writing orders and they are darn lucky that they were not reported. NEVER write an order without an MD okay. In my state we can call in...

  5. Medicare Fraud

    ErinS replied to bwsvs's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Actually, it would depend on if you were actively involved in the situation they are being investigated for. If the company is being investigated for false billing, and your documentation supports...

  6. New student considering Burn Unit..PLZ Read

    ErinS replied to 1manwlfpk's topic in Burn

    This is just my own perspective, and I am not a burn unit nurse, I am just lurking on this board. I think it is hard to go into an area of nursing that you have personal experience with. Not...

  7. Funny thing client said

    ErinS replied to NurseLoveJoy88's topic in Addictions

    Just think of the possibilities- you could put it in baked goods, use as an ice cream topper, make it into candy. The new slogan could be: METHADONE: putting the fun back into

  8. Interview questions for Hospice.

    ErinS replied to lumbarpain's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I don't ask trick questions in interviews, but we do ask questions trying to determine if people are comfortable with autonomy, prioritization, and working with difficult...

  9. Resigned with a text message!

    ErinS replied to Hospice Nurse LPN's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Good riddance! What a flaky thing to

  10. Continuous Care for unMANAGED symptoms?

    ErinS replied to TLDey's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Using CC for anything other than "brief periods of crisis as described in Sec. 418.204(a)" is MEDICARE FRAUD. Definitely not to be used for 'education'. We have used continuous care twice in 3...

  11. What are keys questions in a interview for Hospice Nurse?

    ErinS replied to lumbarpain's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I try to ring the doorbell, knock, and then I call the pt's phone. If that does not work, I will call the primary contact in the chart. If I still can not get in, then I will reschedule the visit...

  12. COPD and no BM for 40 days!

    ErinS replied to Vtachy1's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I always wonder when this happens with my patients- are they having sneaky bowel movements? Maybe there is someone who has changed a bowel movement brief, but did not know to report it. I am always...

  13. We will NEVER treat any patient better....

    ErinS replied to Medic/Nurse's topic in General Nursing

    Well, I went to work today and snapped at the doctor I work with (I was really tired, I actually love the doc I work with). He just told me to go back to bed. Otherwise I was treated well by several...

  14. Imposing compassion?

    ErinS replied to TLDey's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    The hardest thing I have ever done in my career as a nurse was walk into a pt's home who was losing so much weight her tailbone was literally showing inches out of the skin. She had severe pain, but...

  15. Hospice nurse with no nursing experience

    ErinS replied to misia84's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Honestly, unless you are in a inpatient setting I think this agency is setting you up to fail. Hospice is VERY autonomous, and you really have to be able to assess and predict what is going to happen...

  16. Intubated Pt's Using Bedside Comodes

    ErinS replied to EDrunnerRN's topic in Critical Care

    In my hospital system it is an EXPECTATION that pt's in the ICU that are recovering get up to the chair and ambulate as soon as possible. This is based on best practice. Our ICU's are also well...

  17. Extreme anxiety

    ErinS replied to Vtachy1's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    That reminds me- it is fairly unusual but I have seen restlessness related to fentanyl. This has happened to me twice and both pts did well when the narcs were changed. I ditto methadone- it is a...

  18. types of co-workers/patients to be aware of. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE?

    ErinS replied to tater.jake's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I have actually seen a ghost. Not so much the manager... I am just kidding, I have had the privilege to work with some great managers. They don't last long. The old staff that do a crappy job hate...

  19. Hospital career after hospice nursing

    ErinS replied to mharden's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I work in home hospice in a busy metro area and we have lots of young pt's. I have learned more working in this setting about medical procedures, meds, and disease process than I did in 2 years of...

  20. Abuse in the home

    ErinS posted a topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Tell me about your experience with abusive caregivers. What have you done when you have had patient's suffering from physical abuse- I mean your agency, not the legal reporting requirements? Have...

  21. Extreme anxiety

    ErinS replied to Vtachy1's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I have had good luck with seroquel, trazadone, or haloperidol/risperidol. These can all cause some sedation, so we just start really low doses. Sometimes I have found that by the time someone is on...

  22. if you are a sensitive or highly sensitive person.....

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

    I agree- my only OR experience was in nursing school clinicals, but it was honestly fairly traumatizing to see a pt become nothing more than a slab of meat, treated with little or no respect. It is...

  23. The "dirty" side of nursing...

    ErinS replied to jordanl's topic in General Nursing

    Mostly it gets easier, but I think you will find most nurses still have something that grosses them out. I can handle poop, genitals, necrotic wounds, and even bugs on people. What I can't handle?...

  24. crisis care nurse

    ErinS replied to PurpleViolet's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I believe it is recommended you have 2 years of experience prior to taking the certification test. You should also look into whether your employer would pay for it. Having been in hospice for 3...

  25. Standing orders

    ErinS replied to jyhn's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    We do not have standing orders, as my company has interpreted Medicare guidelines requiring an individualized plan of care as not allowing standing orders. This does not lead to a delay in symptom...