TanyaBRN

You can get refreshers on a lot of skills just by searching YouTube. I did that when I wanted to show my husband what a wound vac was, and there is lots more on there that I haven't watched yet.

What people do in their personal lives is NOYB, I agree. But if a nurse was spending time in the supply closet having oral sex instead of taking care of patients, then it becomes your business. The issue here for me is coming to work stoned. Nurses should not come to work using *legal* narcotic pain medications, much less illegal drugs. And BTW, the Supreme Court found all "sodomy laws" (IE making oral sex illegal) unconstitutional in 2003. Sodomy law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia When the Supreme court says that it is OK for nurses to go to work stoned, we can have this conversation again. Until then, this nurse needs to be reported. What if she's the nurse for your mom some day? Or your child? Unacceptable.

I suppose most OBGYNs don't work as L&D nurses before finishing their education...then again they also go to school longer.

You've gotten a lot of good feedback already, but I want to answer the question of "is it wrong to do nothing." It is my impression that you are still in nursing school (sorry if I am misunderstanding), so this doesn't apply to you yet, but it will soon enough. Once you are a licensed nurse you become a Mandated Reporter. Basically that means that if you suspect that a vulnerable adult (and yes all of her patients by law are considered Vulnerable simply by being in the hospital) is in danger, you must report it. I would start by calling her supervisor, and if nothing comes of that I would call the board of nursing. I know if it were me I would never forgive myself if she makes a med error while stoned and someone dies. Why wait until something bad happens. As nurses our focus should be on PREVENTING bad things from happening. As far as her children go, I agree with whoever said that it sounds like she's not a very good mom but it doesn't exactly fit the definition of abuse or neglect. Once she's under investigation by the board of nursing or her employer she should start getting the help she needs and the situation for her children will improve that way. I wouldn't call child protection just yet. Good luck, I don't envy you the decision you have to make but I trust you will do the right thing.

I think the worst symptom in my mind is apathy. If a patient doesn't care about their health anymore they are most likely not long for this world. All of the above are manageable but they require the patient to cooperate and follow the plan of care when they get home, if they don't do that they'll end up back in the hospital, dead, or in a nursing home.

I think from a professional standpoint I would have found a polite way to end the conversation and found a different patient to talk to. People dealing with mental illness often become overly attached to their caregivers, and I would be concerned that he would seek you out in your faith community and possibly continue to pursue a date with you. I encourage you to bring this up with your professor also. Unless you have a signed HIPPA release form with the names of everyone in your community on it, don't talk to them about your patient. He gave you verbal permission but if you don't have it in writing it doesn't matter, he could have a change of heart and you could get in big trouble if he claims that he never gave you that permission.

You guys should try home care in Minnesota. It rocks. Really. Gravel roads with 6 inches of snow and 10 feet visibility, not to mention I drive a pontiac sunfire. Staying home is not an option when you are the only nurse this patient will see all week. Sometimes we have to prioritize which patients we will see and which we will leave until the weather improves, but staying home altogether is not an option.

I think people put it on here just so other users know their educational/work history. You wouldn't put it on your nametag at work, though.

Thanks guys that is so encouraging you have no idea!

You could also look into if there are any group homes in your area that offer respite care where he could stay for a few weeks until his hip heals. Does he have a county case manager? They should be able to help you.

I think this is a chronic problem in both long term care and homecare. I have never worked in a hospital but I hear that there is much more teamwork there, probably by necessity. I am quitting my homecare job just as soon as I can find somewhere else to work and I suggest you do the same. People can only treat you as badly as you let them!

I get the feeling with a disabled child you're probably a pretty light sleeper as it is

You've gotten lots of good advice so far. There are some alternatives to restraints you may want to consider that you can buy from a medical supplier. A pressure alarm to go under his mattress on his bed would sound if he tried to get up at night, for example. If he has a wheelchair or another chair he sits in a lot you could try a wedge cushion underneath him that makes it harder for him to stand up on his own. Getting some homecare services, especially a nurse and an occupational therapist (to help with some of this equipment) would be a great idea too.

What kind of experience did you guys have before applying to Frontier? I have 2 years in group homes and 6 months of homecare, nothing even a little related to midwifery but I SO BADLY want to be a midwife. It is the only reason I went to nursing school! Do you know anyone in the program without mom/baby experience?

Wow, never really thought about that...probably basic nursing theory and some adult health stuff, the stuff I know the best. I just remember all of my nursing profs had hospital experience, except maybe the public health teachers, but I don't have public health experience either.