JoanKayRNBSN

If this has already been addressed - please forgive me! Is a fall risk assessment a standard part of your initial assessment in home health? I want to add one, and I’ve been told it’s not needed. If yes - is there one geared towards home health? How often do you do it?

You are right - it is not safe, but I have seen it happen.

Is the insulin given based on the amount of carbs eaten per meal? The hospitals where our students go has started to switch to this type of dosing. Add to this room service and host/hostesses who do not understand carb counting - and you have a perfect storm of inaccurate insulin dosing. When it works, it works well, but there are many stumbling blocks to make it even more difficult to explain to students.

I generally work on the weekends - PT/OT are as precious as rubies and will only come for trauma cases. I was hoping to have a great new idea for transferring patients that would not involve me hurting myself. I guess I'll go back to finding someone else to lift for me.

I like the idea of asking the patient - because that puts them at the front of the care decisions. Most of the patients that I work with need 100% assistance to transfer from bed to wheelchair. My concern is the expectation that I am - even with the assistance of 1-2 people - expected to fully lift pts ranging in weight from 150 to 350. I am hoping to learn about safe ways to use a lift or another means of transfer that does not involve me having to lift a patient. I do not have a back problem - and I want to keep it that way.

I have a general question - On the floor I work we have several patients that have had flap repairs to coccyx/buttocks (patients with paraplegia) that are on a specific schedule of assiting to chair 3-4 times a day. I am getting push back from mgmt on the use of the lifts to transfer these pts. (I have actually been told not to use a lift.) What have you done to move these patients w/o hurting your self or the patient? If the traditional sling cannot be used due to the location of wounds, do you have any recommendations for alternative types of slings - material, cut, construction etc.? thanks, JoanKay

All students come to nursing with challenges to providing patient care. It may be that they have learning disabilities, mobility issues, or other things that might make nursing care difficult. I had no problem showing a student who was missing several fingers from her dominant hand how to adapt the equipment to be able to insert a catheter using sterile technique, and adapting other skills for all students is just part of what I do. I would also like to say that as a floor nurse I have worked with many nurses who are obese, but when I think about them I think first of their pharm knowledge, or ability to work with difficult families, or who they are as people. Regarding smoking students - I do tell that they cannot smoke in their uniforms or prior to clinical. I ask that they be respectful of the patients in their care.

I was in tears over this this weekend. Calls to mgmt to report understaffing of 2-3 nurses are not returned. They must think we are like the check engine light on the dashboard - if you ignore it the problem will (hopefully) just go away!

My user name is to honor my mother who passed away a few years ago. She was very surprised when I told her i wanted to be a nurse, but she was also the first one to buy me a stethoscope and I still have a card from her congratulating me on my success at graduation. I will always remember her every day I am working as a nurse!:redpinkhe

I saw an earlier post regarding the presence of mgmt on the floor as a ghost story. Made my day to see that I am not the only one who sees these things as frightening!

RNs can wear navy blue, white, or prints that are mostly navy or white in background. I am one of the cheapest people that I know, so I ususally just get my scrubs at a discount store and only solid colors. I would love to wear all white.... but I am not brave enough.