All_Smiles_RN

I've heard they are doing away with techs and going to primary care nursing. There are also some floors that do team nursing. Not sure about the pay though.

I recently transferred from a large teaching hospital to a small town one. One of their "rules" is that night shift must call the nursing supervisor after 2200 to get permission to call the dr. What kind of baloney is this?? I'm not one to follow ridiculus rules, and this is one of them! Anyone else have this "rule"?

I wouldn't say necessarily med-surg. Telemetry, PCU, cardiac step-down, etc would be better options in my opinion. Good luck in whatever you decide.

If no one speaks the truth, how are things ever going to change?

So maybe that is your reality. Why subject yourself to an abusive employer like that? Why do employers continue to understaff? Because people allow it by continuing to work for those abusive employers. I hope you choose to move on to a safer environment. Not only for your patients, but for your health and well being also!

For starters, for all those people who replied and said they manage 20+ patients normally, I think they're blowing smoke. That is by far not the norm. Please don't think it is. In my most overworked, dumped on days as a tech, the most pts I ever had was 16 and that was ridiculus. Where I work now 6-8 is the norm, even on night shift. In the rare instance that all but one tech calls off and the tech has a floor of 24 pts to themselves, the rules change. The tech does the call lights and the nurses do their own vitals, blood draws, etc and help out wherever else needed. It's all about team work. I'm sorry they dumped on you so badly. You're house pool or per diem? I'd let the pool coordinator know how badly you were treated. And I wouldn't go back to that floor either. You're right, no body needs that.

Not an ED nurse here, but I just wanted to pass along some empathy and disgust. ;-) You guys are just way too busy to stop and write a little love note every 30 minutes. Come on now management, if you want us to have time to care for our patients, quit with cumbersome requests like this.

I know all about the dry chapped cracked hands... I avoid using the alcohol sanitizer in the doorway and opt for good old fashioned hand washing at work ;-) At home I use hand soap with moisturizers (like Dove) and moisurize frequently (Eucerin is my fave). Avoid the scented perfumed stuff. For a good overnight mouisturizer, load your hands up with some vaseline and wear gloves.

They are very similar devices. You get sent home with one for a few weeks up to one month to monitor for arrythmias. You wear a loop monitor continuously other than showering. When you feel lightheaded, dizzy, etc, you press a button and the unit will save the previous few minutes of your heart rhythm. When you're done, you'll send the loop monitor back to your physician so the saved data can be analyzed. The event recorder, from what I understand, is not worn continuously. When you experience symptoms, you connect the event monitor and press a record button. You then send the info each time you save it over the phone to be analyzed. I think the event recorder has the limitation of not being able to catch all arrythmias. They can be fleeting and by the time you get hooked up, it may have passed. The disadvantage to the loop monitor is having to wear it most the time. But you're more likely to catch the arrythmia. HTH.

On my PCU floor, we take set gtts and titratable gtts for rhythm and rate control. If titration is needed for BP though, they go to one of the units.

My teenage brother and my school age child are both cardiac patients. Both see a pediatric cardiologist. Do you have any childrens' hospitals in your area? Nurses specialize in the field as well. Good luck to you and your son.

After I completed my first semester of the RN program, I was able to be hired as a PCT. No testing required, just proof of schooling. You learn most the skills you need for tech work in your first semester. Then I oriented with an experienced tech for two or three weeks before starting on my own. Tech work has a lot of great benefits; time management skills, getting comfortable with patient care, getting used to how the hospital works, etc.

A good orientation with classroom style learning with time set aside for the new nurses to talk about different experiences they are having on the floors and where others can offer insight as to what they might do next time, etc. Having workshops, such as IV starts, documentation, time managements skills, and stress management. How about the unit manager or an appointed staff nurse takes 15 minutes with the new nurse once a week after their preceptorship to discuss any challenges they may be facing and offering ways for these new nurses to overcome these challenges? When you're a new nurse, you're insecure and having these little reminders that others are here to support you will go a long way, in my opinion. Specialty: Cardiology Location: FL

How long before you get the results? I'm hoping for the best for you!

If she really stole the meds, I highly doubt she would pursue anything that would draw more attention to her behaviors. My advice though, seek advice from an attorney.