KnitWitch ASN, RN

You only have to give someone the Reglan crazies once and I promise you, after that it will always go in a 50ml IVPB to hang. Also, my chronic narc seekers and frequent fliers, your dilaudid/benadryl cocktail has been added to your 1000ml NSS infus...

Our ED techs can perform straight sticks for labs/cultures, but can't start IVs for whatever policy reason. Some of our techs are amazing at the straight sticks, and if I have a particularly hard stick I'll ask them to help me find a tiny something ...

In the height of croup season I'm giving IV decadron PO more or less every night. I check with parent/caregiver to make sure the kid likes apple juice, draw up and have my decadron double checked, fill the last of the syringe with apple juice and th...

I got six months in my new grad ED program and about half of that of that was classroom (to be fair even the experience nurses had to endure the classroom portion -- good info but a LOT of it in large chunks). When I took a new job closer to home I ...

I was very pleased with the ease of EPIC vs. PulseCheck at my last hospital. Some of my change-resistant coworkers had nothing good to say, but I thought EPIC made much more sense from a continuity of care perspective than having multiple different ...

I just love when I see 'PAIN OTHER' as the CC, because it's either going to be really good ("I have a ben-wa ball in my vagina and it's pinching but I can't get it out," "I think I broke my penis," etc.) or a complete waste of my time ("I just don't ...

Stick it out. I graduated in Dec. '11, passed my boards in Feb '12, started my first ED job in Sept. '12, and transferred to a different ED (for commuting reasons) in Oct. '13. I have spent A LOT of time being the New Kid. In a lot of ways I am s...

You, my friend, unfortunately seem to be stuck in a "nurses eating their young" scenario. This is both unfortunate and frustrating. In my experience there are two things you can do. 1) Try to suss out why the experienced nurses feel threatened by o...

Nope. As long as you have a strong resume and cover letter to back up your enthusiasm you can never apply for too many jobs. If/when you're called to interview, do make sure you have a strong focus on what you want as a nurse and what you bring to t...

OR RN job, no contest. Working as an OR RN (even in a surgical center as opposed to a hospital) will be a better knowledge base and learning experience than an Epic implementation tech. Trust me. You can take that OR experience (try to get at least...

I kind of want to put this on a post-it and stick it in our fishbowl. Or maybe just tattoo is on my hand so I can easily flash it to the doc the next time we get someone who is hypotensive, tachycardic and basically septic or heading that way. 5 b...

One year is sort of the golden rule of thumb. Emergency nursing looks especially good on your resume because you're expected to deal with a variety of things and be flexible. I'd suggest polishing up your resume and floating some applications out t...

Oh man, this question hits so close to home right now. I have a year of experience in the ED, and I still dread having to drop a line in someone. Don't get me wrong -- I will never refuse to TRY, but more times than I'm happy about I try to sticks ...

Granola-type bars, nuts, apples with peanut butter or caramel, cheese and pepperoni, hummus with pita chips, potato chips, doritos, m&ms... I try to bring a variety of shelf-stable stuff and stash it at the desk so when I get hungry I can grab w...

As long as a patient is in possession of at least some of their mental faculties (e.g. not post-ictal, in the throes of a mental health crisis or suffering from dementia) I can make peace and negotiate with just about anyone. ******-off narc seekers...

I just changed jobs, and I think the move illustrates the pay difference you can get moving into a larger metro area. Former Job: 1. PA (SE but on the very edge of what could be considered the Philly Metro Area) 2. New grad when I started the job. ...

We just went from PulseCheck in the ED to EPIC housewide. There has been a learning curve but for the most part everyone has adjusted well. We have 74 beds, not counting the 2 trauma bays plus the hallway and waiting room beds where we often end up...

My casual search has shown that in general hospitals are posting more RN positions. Unfortunately most of these are still wanting experience. About 40%-50% are looking for someone with a BSN. However, when you compare this to the raw number of nur...

I have a similar query. I am a new(ish) grad on her 3rd career and working in a very busy ED. I love what I do and I love the ED -- it was the ONLY place I ever wanted to work. Unfortunately I can absolutely see a point down the road (3-5 years ou...

I work night shift and half the time I can't appropriately answer "What day is it/what's the date?"

Oh man, I get some absolutely stunning answers to this in the ED.

This pretty much articulates every objection I have to these stupid patient satisfaction surveys in a clear, concise nutshell. Essentially I won't get a raise for providing quick, competent, lifesaving care to a critical patient, but if I facilitate ...

If you're missing the A, B or C, the LOC won't matter because your patient will be done for in a matter of minutes. Whereas a patient with a decreased or fluctuating LOC can still maintain their own ABCs.

I was hoping you all could help point me towards some places to shop for two things I'm having trouble finding. One, I am looking for a badge reel that has a celtic knot design on it. I googled and only found one piece on Etsy that was kind of meh. ...

I have three pairs of work shoes I rotate through which help with different problems. I wear my Danskos for my 12 hours shifts because they completely eliminate the knee and back pain I get from standing/walking for 12 hours. The downside is that t...