applewhitern BSN, RN

ICU

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All Content by applewhitern

  1. applewhitern

    First patient death as an RN

    applewhitern replied to julz68's topic in General Nursing

    Don't beat yourself up about the family going home; sometimes a patient will "wait" until they are gone to
  2. applewhitern

    ekg certification worth the time and money?

    applewhitern replied to northmississippi's topic in General Nursing

    @Been There, Done That: Oh, yes, we interpret them all, including 12-leads. Five days after I graduated from nursing school, I was charge nurse of a telemetry unit. Way back then, we got out of...
  3. applewhitern

    Terminated! Now what?

    applewhitern replied to BellaaSoleil's topic in General Nursing

    I simply said "maybe this nurse thought you over-stepped your boundaries." How did you turn this around to me being in agreement with the nurse? Our nursing assistants put in their vital signs,...
  4. applewhitern

    special treatment for patients/residents with demanding families

    applewhitern replied to marsy82's topic in General Nursing

    I currently work in a small hospital. I soon found out that there are indeed very special people in this world, who are to be treated very special. We have patients who are kin to someone, or are...
  5. applewhitern

    Terminated! Now what?

    applewhitern replied to BellaaSoleil's topic in General Nursing

    You stated you "knew how to utilize the computer and check orders." Maybe this nurse felt you over-stepped your boundaries. She was the nurse, not you? You had not even taken boards yet? If you...
  6. applewhitern

    Writing multiple times?

    applewhitern replied to loriangel14's topic in General Nursing

    Yes, those taking the NCLEX multiple times has bothered me, too. When someone says they have "test anxiety," it makes me wonder how they will act in a code or some other emergency with a patient. I...
  7. applewhitern

    Need Advice... Nurse stealing non-narcotic medication

    applewhitern replied to JSSCELI's topic in General Nursing

    I still say that just because a medication is available in the pyxis, under a patient's name, doesn't mean the patient is charged for it. It must actually be given to the patient; if you charge a...
  8. applewhitern

    Need Advice... Nurse stealing non-narcotic medication

    applewhitern replied to JSSCELI's topic in General Nursing

    The patient is only charged with whatever medication that you documented was actually given to them. Just because it is in their med drawer, pyxis, or somehow available for them, does not mean they...
  9. applewhitern

    Completely enraged!!!

    applewhitern replied to Elizabeth Renee's topic in General Students

    I agree that if that is all it takes to "completely enrage" you, you might have a hard time being a nurse. Also, I agree that you do not want your scrubs too small. They need to fit loose so you can...
  10. applewhitern

    Ugh so upset!!

    applewhitern replied to brycross33's topic in General Students

    Actually, a thyroid replacement medication CAN do harm. If it is a large dose, it can cause atrial fib, among other side effects. If we have a patient who is low, we are very careful to not bring...
  11. applewhitern

    ekg certification worth the time and money?

    applewhitern replied to northmississippi's topic in General Nursing

    I interpret EKG's every day. Other nurses even bring me their 12-leads to "read" for them. I have never had an employer "send me to class" to learn them. In every job I have had as an RN, I have...
  12. applewhitern

    Sorry state of Nursing ...

    applewhitern replied to Howardhughes's topic in General Nursing

    @Wooh: yes, you are right. Hardly any unions here in the deep south, plus most people won't listen to you talk about unions, anyway. Nursing salaries may be kinda low, but in my state, so is the...
  13. applewhitern

    Signing your title in everyday signature

    applewhitern replied to NurseGhostHunter's topic in General Nursing

    I rarely have to sign my name at work, and certainly would not sign it with a title outside of
  14. applewhitern

    Are we tyrants?

    applewhitern replied to Bortaz's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I worked pediatric ICU for years. Nobody was allowed to touch the babies and kids but the RN's. We did all lab draws ourselves, all blood gases, all vent changes and suctioning. When radiology...
  15. applewhitern

    Resigning from a job before being asked to leave?

    applewhitern replied to JoshuaTree's topic in General Nursing

    Heck no, don't quit! You still have a couple of written warnings before you get canned so don't sweat it. You have worked and earned unemployment compensation, haven't you? So if you quit, you...
  16. applewhitern

    BUY OUT./MERGER... will i be fired?

    applewhitern replied to RNOTODAY's topic in General Nursing

    I have survived two "buy-outs" due to hospitals I worked for went bankrupt. Hardly anything changed as far as staff, etc., went. Only "laid off" a few nurses, mostly LPN's. Stop worrying, and stay...
  17. applewhitern

    Smokers need not apply?

    applewhitern replied to RainMom's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    We hire tobacco users. We are a no-smoking campus, so the smokers must leave the premises before lighting up. I am allergic to the smoke, and when the smokers get near me, I instantly start tearing,...
  18. applewhitern

    Purple;or, I'm Not Barney

    applewhitern replied to Bortaz's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    All of us wore purple in the PICU, both male and female nurses. Even our stethoscopes were purple. Some of us wore hunter green with the purple. It looked great on everyone. All different brands;...
  19. applewhitern

    Wow...just wow.....

    applewhitern replied to OhioCCRN's topic in General Nursing

    I took care of a little boy whose mother had Munchausen's by proxy. She kept bringing him into our PICU and allowed him to be poked and prodded constantly. He had a central line and she was caught...
  20. applewhitern

    RN to Pt ratio-- Stepdown

    applewhitern replied to RNMomma22's topic in General Nursing

    Ours is 4:1. I worked it for 5 years, with no nursing assistant. It was horrible. I never sat down, ate, or anything else. I am back in ICU now, and believe it or not, the patients are much...
  21. applewhitern

    Family Complaint... Why am I so bothered by this?

    applewhitern replied to Alex87's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    At my hospital, you would have to obtain a doctor's order to give less than the ordered amount. Like, you couldn't just give 1mg instead of the ordered 2mg, without a doctor's order. (It is all...
  22. applewhitern

    Checking A Patient's Blood Glucose In His Earlobe?

    applewhitern replied to Dazglue's topic in General Nursing

    You really shouldn't stick a diabetic patient's toe. Some diabetics already have a decreased sense of feeling in their feet, plus circulation issues, and a stick there could cause
  23. applewhitern

    Pneumonia Question

    applewhitern replied to jamd11's topic in General Nursing

    Some nurses place ice packs in the axillary and groin areas to cool a patient with a high temp. This used to be quite common. Now of course we have cooling blankets. Actually, back when I was in...
  24. applewhitern

    The student loan bubble is starting to burst

    applewhitern replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    Esme, just a note: It makes me sick how hard it is for someone who is truly disabled to obtain disability, like the nurse you mentioned who paid in for 40 years. My son died of cancer; it was already...
  25. applewhitern

    80% BSN staffing by 2020

    applewhitern replied to jadelpn's topic in Activism, Healthcare

    Well, I just read the article about Vanderbilt nurses having to clean rooms now, so I wonder if any BSN programs are going to start adding a housekeeping class to their