TorsadesDePointesRN

It's been a year and a half for me doing 3 12s back to back and it still kicks my a$$ after every shift. I plan accordingly.

I have found the majority of patients in the cardiac population to be grateful and overall pleasant human beings. There's almost always at least one or two (okay, sometimes 4 out of 6 haha) in a bunch of patients that are hard to tolerate but that is...

I tell them funny stories, ask them how they are feeling, talk to them about their medical condition and in conversations look for teachable moments to educate them. I also try to stay a few steps ahead by making sure they have all the meds ordered ...

As of 8 weeks ago, I am a cardiac post-op AND neuro nurse. Our hospital shut down the neuroscience unit so now I am responsible for everything from pre/post CABGs (with insulin gtts, amiodarone gtts, etc.), acute MIs, pre and post cardiac caths, bei...

Show me a new grad proficient in all those things and I will be looking at a LIYAH. that's just it though.. I never set out wanting to do all those things but I set out wanting to care for patients. Sometimes mastering those skills become a means ...

PT never interested me. I'd rather hand someone a sandwich after a cupful of meds and be on my merry way. *tongue firmly planted in cheek

IV starts, foley insertions, hanging IV meds (titration, checking compatibility, dilution of K when it's not a central line), analyzing ECG strips, knowing what various labs mean for each patient, how to flush PEG tubes, set up tube feeds, insert NG ...

Nursing school teaches you how to learn how to be a nurse. Working in med surg gives you a lot of valuable experience in a wide variety of areas. All of that said, as you should know from the NCLEX.. if the word never is in a multiple choice answer...

Some great points are being made.. this is very helpful, thank you all.

I can't afford that kind of pay cut right now. (school nurses in my area make about 1/2 what I do)

The q1hr checks are the first 4 hours after admission then q2 for i think 6 hrs.. then q4 for .. I don't know 2-3 days maybe(?) (I follow a form so I'm going by memory). We do have a safety committee. I may have to join it. The neuro docs are *****...

As a charge nurse on my floor once put it "nurses are a dime a dozen", finding someone willing to do the job of an aide- and do it well- for the amount of money they make is truly a monumental task. I definitely get the sense from our manager she val...

I have been wanting to work in hospice since nursing school.. this might be my cue...

Up2nogood, that is actually an awesome idea... I may have to conspire with a few other nurses and get them in on it. Administration likes their paper trail and I can't think of a better way to bolster our case than to start cranking out incident re...

I think legally it is 6.. but not all stroke pts. are tele, so I guess that's their loophole. I would love to leave, but I'm weekend program and I make very good money.. the job market is a disaster in my area and the local market is flooded with nu...

I know we are not supposed to send anyone home with their hospital insulin pens/inhalers, even though they will only be thrown away by the hospital afterward, but can anyone tell me exactly *why* we aren't supposed to? I've been telling patients that...

I have never seen "whine" spelled that way. I looked it up and the added g is the British spelling. Learn something new every day!

What is whinging?

Ah okay.. that spells it out much more clearly. Telling patients I am prohibited by law from doing something makes the hospital sound like less of a "bad cop", too. Thanks!

There is an incredible bias against very obese people in the hospital and it sickens me to hear otherwise perfectly reasonable, caring professionals lash out in the break room (for example) about the very large patients. Yes, it's hard to move them. ...

Check the cath site (for oozing or hematoma) and also check the pedal pulse on the cathed side. (compare L and R pulses to compare quality)

It depends on what I'm doing in the room. I always wear gloves but if I am not having any contact with a patient other than handing them a few pills, I don't bother gowning up. A respiratory therapist ripped me a new one on a particular morning yelli...

A friend owns a company and they would like to use my image in a national ad campaign for a health supplement (a fortified drink.. basically a vitamin water, nothing like red bull or anything). My question is, I work as an RN on a cardiac floor. The...

I'm a little unsure because I don't know exactly what the ad is going to be like (still in planning stages).. I could be dressed as a nurse but if nowhere in the ad it SAYS I'm a nurse for real, people will assume I'm just a paid model, which is real...

Very good points.. the nurse angle was kind of an afterthought to using me in the campaign (I have done sporadic modeling in the past), but I was a little uneasy about it and couldn't put my finger on exactly why when they brought it up. The product...