Benton

It could be a non-pharmaceutical pill. Best bet is to get your hands on one and take it. This will tell you what it does. Okay, just kidding!

As a new grad had this happen to a pt. A confused middle-aged man in a semi-private room got up (broke out of his Possey vest) in middle of the night looking for a place to pee. He shot a stream of pee on the chest and head of his roommate, an early twenty-something recovering from a MCA. We heard the F word shouted and ran in the room to find the young man being marinated.

Intractable hiccups...Thorazine 25mg PO

Past the crush, if you want to date an available doc try this and you will. Be spunky with them! Disagree with them on something that you can backup. I've noticed a trend over the years and it also relates to my own experience with dating a doc. A lot of these guys are not accustom to someone standing up to them and when someone does...well, it intrigues them. It also shakes their confidence. Yes, the right time and tact is required, but it's not that hard to do. I had no desire to date a female MD, yet when one asked me out, I thought, "Why not?" It all started after I called her a wimp! We dated for a time, but I got tired of her hours. I wouldn't do it again, yet someone who is looking for a lifestyle and not a life may want to date/marry a doc.

Enjoy what you see and be in that moment. Don't worry that you are missing something or you will...that moment. Have a great trip! PS: Nurseunderwater posted the canoe rentals at State Park in Ocala (Junniper Springs). There are gators on the back-half of that seven-mile canoe trip, don't tip the canoe! The springs are beautiful, though.

When it comes to nursing school instructors, "Love the one you're with" and after class plot which student will run her down in the parking lot.

This subject matter reminds me of an interesting thing that happened to me. I had a CNA come to me and tell me that one of my pts was starting to cardiac tamponade. I assessed my pt and sure enough. Later, I thanked the CNA and asked him how he came about the excellent assessment skills. He told me he was a practicing MD in Cuba and he couldn't pass the USMLE. His younger brother passed the USMLE and works as a OB/Gyn in the states...the CNA has his income supplemented by his MD brother. It just shows you never really know the qualifications or background of who you are working with. On the other hand, I once worked with a non-US trained nurse who I watched trying to do deep nasal-suctioning with a Yankuer. The poor pt was in four-way restraints and thrashing his head from side-to-side while she shoved this very nasal-unfriendly tool up his nose. When I stopped her and asked her what she was doing, she said, "No, I need to do this, doctor ordered deep nasal suctioning." Then again, I witnessed a US trained RN, in an attempt to adm heparin, stab a pt in the gut with a 1 1/2 inch, 18 gauge needle. She really used a stabbing motion and this is what caught my attention. The injection cored the pt and punctured her intestines, resulting in sx for the pt. The RN's reason for the 18 gauge needle, the cart in the pt's room was out of smaller needles and she thought it wouldn't hurt to use a larger needle. The larger needle, per the stabbing/injecting nurse, made it necessary for her to put a little more muscle behind it. This same nurse was in the process of applying to grad-school for her ARNP. Bottom line for me...if I'm working with a nurse who is also trained as a MD, I don't care or need to know. A person's credentials, no matter where obtained, are only as good as the person they are pinned to.

Hi, Cali-bound! I've had travel assignments in the Bay Area of CA. One assignment was at Stanford in Palo Alto (thirty-minutes out of SF and in the heart of the Silicon Valley) The hospital, people at the hospital and the area make for a great experience. Not all units in the hospital are the same, though, and some are better than others. I think this is true of any hospital. If you do take an assignment at SUMC (Stanford) request to stay at Oak Creek Apartments. Oak Creek is within walking distance of the hospital and the complex is amazing. I'm going out to Cali in July to hike with a nurse who works at Stanford. The nurse I refer to is very outgoing and I know she would be happy to help you get familiar with the area. A caveat about one hospital that travelers hate in the Bay Area, Oakland Kaiser. I've heard too many travelers say they where treated like dirt there. I think each Kaiser hospital is unique, though. I know of travelers who loved working at Kaiser Redwood City...a short distance from Stanford. I think your interests will dictate where you want to stay. I've also heard good things about UCSF in SF. In a little more than a year I saw all the tourist things and then joined a hiking club (Sierra Singles) to see the real beauty the area has to offer. Soooo much to see and do! Best wishes, Benton

Hi, Mandi! As a former hospital nursing supervisor I learned more than I wanted to know about the conflicts that go on within a hospital. There can be units that seem to be magnets for toxic, unhappy people. It seems unhappy people are attracted to each other because they speak the same language. If you are unhappy in general, seek help. If you are in a toxic unit, get out! Remember, though, you will find unhappy people who want to make you unhappy in any given unit or for that matter, in any area of life. Make a game out of this conundrum by keeping notes on what upsets you and how you respond/feel. When a similiar situation happens again, try responding to it in a different manner and see what happens. In time, you will start to notice a pattern with people and situations. For instance, when I sense that I'm being set-up by a certain question I'll look the person asking the question in the eye and say, "Why do you ask?" I don't look-off and I stay silent while waiting for their response. They may have a ligitimate reason to ask. If my gut is right about a person having a hidden motive for a question, the person asking the question will probably say something like, "Well, I...I was just wondering." There is nothing that says you have to respond to a "I was just wondering" question, especially when it comes to your personal life. Make a game out of it and even laugh to yourself at how foolish some people can be. You can do it, Mandi! Benton