vanillaskye

Run, run, run.

Its not just in the hospital, its everywhere. I had a patient refuse to be admitted this past weekend to home health, unless she could request a certain nurse. I didn't admit this person because there was no need for home health. My agency takes pretty much everyone that other agencies refuse. Guess I'll have some explaining when I am asked why I didn't admit this person. Eventually, I suppose I'll have to learn to stop caring what others think maybe.

Just feeling your pain motorcycle mama. Like you, I am somewhat new to the vac. But I get more comfortable doing them as time has gone by. I had a patient recently where the black foam was stuck to the wound bed and the patient had to get it debrided out. The vac was in a very awkward spot-almost impossible to get a good seal and it was hurting her. The local ER sent the patient home without any treament. I just kept calling until I found a Dr. that would really look at the wound. The patient by that time had developed an abscess between the wound and the outer area of skin. And yes, she is diabetic. As for the family members that hover like buzzards, sometimes you have to clear yourself a space. Tell them that you need to concentrate on what you're doing and that you'll answer questions before or after, but not during. Sometimes there is no greater relief than leaving a patient's home. Good Luck in what you're doing.

Is there any way to concentrate the iv med so that it runs on a CADD pump? Levels daily? Jeez! Any co-workers who live closer to his home? I feel for you.

My very first nursing job was in an allergist's office. A client had come in for a second round of tests, having previously having skin tests on the forearm. The second round of tests were done intradermally in the upper arms. There was nothing in the first set of tests that indicated any major allergies. The office assistant told me to hold off on doing the second tests because the Dr. wasn't in the office, but the nurse orienting me told me to go ahead and proceed because as long as the Dr. was in the building it was OK. I was a little less than halfway through testing when the patient started saying that she didn't feel right. She coudn't tell me anything specific. I did two more injections, then realized that she was probably starting to have a reaction. I stopped testing and called in the nurse that was orienting me, she said "Get out of here, I should've known something like this would happen!" The office assistant paged the Dr. I went and drew up the Benadryl and steroids. The patient was ok, thank god. But the nurse orienting me lied, denying that she told me to proceed with the testing. Needless to say, I quit that job shortly after all of this happened.

I have been working prn in a LTC facility. There are two nurses on the wing that I work. I just have to vent about what happened to the other nurse last week. This woman returned back from the Dr's office with her Mother, and that other nurse was on the phone, straightening out an order with the pharmacy. So, I talked to that patient's daughter. She gave me a prescription slip and I gave to to the other nurse who was on the phone with the pharmacy. I asked the patient's daughter if they had sent a green progress note back, and the daughter said no. She then said that she wanted to talk to other nurse and would wait for her to get off the phone. I went to pass some meds. I guess all hell broke loose while I was gone. Apparently, the woman did go back into the patient's room for a few minutes, then returned and began to go off on the other nurse, accusing her of being rude, etc. The other nurse did need to finish her phone call with the pharmacy because they needed to send out the meds before they closed. The other nurse claims she was on the phone with pharmacy for 10 minutes. She said she apologized for the wait. I heard the patient's daughter cursing and throwing things in the patient's room. Before I could ask the other nurse what happened, the daughter came out of her mother's room and threw the wadded up progress note at the other nurse and told her that she would be in the DON's office losing her job. She continued ranting for a few more seconds and then went into the patient's room and resumed her temper tantrum there. We called up the house supervisor, who said she was too busy to come, but then she did show up. Turns out that she knew about the order that the other nurse was on the phone with pharmacy trying to straighten out, but didn't tell her. She came up to put the order in the sheet in the chart. She heard the ranting and raving and asked what was up, but wouldn't try to talk with the daughter. She told us that it was all no big deal, that the patient's daughter was all blow and no go! So imagine my surprise when I get a call a week later to come in and talk to the DON about what happened! I gave my description of what I saw. I talked about how we notified house supervisor. Turns out the house supervisor denied getting called to the floor, denied being up there that night. The other nurse did get written up for being rude to the patient's daughter, and she is looking for another job. I asked the DON what should have been done in this situation and she said that he other nurse should have gone to the med room and used the phone in there. This particular daughter is verbally nasty to everyone. At one time, the facility was going to call the state hotline for elder abuse of her Mother. I am thinking seriously about telling my agency that I don't really want to work at this place anymore. I did consider calling the cops and making a disturbance complaint.

When I worked in LTC, I took care of a lady that was a bit of a pest. She was always throwing herself on the floor, messing up items on top of the med cart, etc. However, when her grandchildren from out west came to visit, there was a peace that came over her and she stopped her attention getting behaviors. Since she had dementia, she would roam at night. Instead of using the BR in her room, she would use the main BR in the hallway where the baths and showers were given. She fell in there a few times. So after she fell she would be on fall assessment. I noted that when I first came in that she wasn't around, and asked the nurse giving me report where she was; she was still in bed napping. I told the CNA that I would handle the first fall assessment and we would alternate until the fall assess was over at 8 pm. I went in about 3:30 and checked her. I asked her if she felt OK because it wasn't like her to be in bed so late. She assured me that she was OK and would be getting out of bed soon. I found no abnormalities during the assessment. Before I left the room she told me that she was sorry that she had been a pain in the butt, that she was grateful to me and the girls for taking such good care of her. I thought this was really strange, but continued on my med pass. 10 minutes later, the CNA told me to get to this patient's room quickly. I entered the room and the patient's skin was gray, hemiplegic on one side, SBP 50/no diastolic, HR 26, irregular. And she was a full code. The paramedics got there in 4 minutes, since they were practically next door. She passed away shortly after the ambulance was leaving the parking lot. Another patient was notorious for not wanting to get OOB in the afternoons. Since the workload was heavy between 4-8pm, the NH would put an extra nurse on the floor. I was extra that night. Me and my co-worker went in to coax this lady OOB. We got her up into her w/c and were leaving her room and she told us,"You two B*&^%$# are going to kill me one of these days. After dinner, she told the CNAs that she wanted to remain up in the dining room for a bit longer, instead of going to bed immediately. Totally unlike her. I was passing meds with the other nurse and happened to look over in the patient's direction. Something made me walk over and check on her. No breathing or pulse.

Heya Michelle! Looks like not much has changed. :uhoh21: I graduated from the LPN program in 93'. Live in the Midwest now. Ya'll get any snow?

Lots of military connections here!:) Met my husband while I was a military cop and he worked cryogenics. Now I am an RN and he makes different gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, helium, etc.

No way. Not with the the Road Warrior mentality of the majority of people out there.