akulahawkRN ADN, RN, EMT-P

Emergency Department

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All Content by akulahawkRN

  1. akulahawkRN

    Treat the patient, not the monitor

    akulahawkRN replied to offlabel's topic in Critical Care

    I did not say to ignore the monitor. I did not say "Treat the patient, not the monitor." I did say that the monitor, labs, etc are all part of the clinical picture. The above story by Helori is also...
  2. akulahawkRN

    Treat the patient, not the monitor

    akulahawkRN replied to offlabel's topic in Critical Care

    I use the phrase "Treat the patient, not just the monitor." The monitors, lab tests, and the like all tell you about one part of the patient's clinical picture. Just looking at the patient can...
  3. akulahawkRN

    I hate clinicals - Anyone else with me?

    akulahawkRN replied to basenjilove808's topic in General Students

    If you so desire to be a CRNA but not be an RN, why not become an AA or just take a bit bigger step and become an Anesthesiologist? The reason I ask this is because for CRNA, learning to take care of...
  4. akulahawkRN

    EMTs Ever Look at You Like You're Dumb?

    akulahawkRN replied to Avill's topic in School

    Fortunately many school districts have learned that their insurance premiums go DOWN when they have an AT on staff so they hire an AT. Normally, to save costs, they try to find someone that's already...
  5. akulahawkRN

    EMTs Ever Look at You Like You're Dumb?

    akulahawkRN replied to Avill's topic in School

    I worked as Paramedic for a few years before getting into nursing. Back then, while I have met many excellent nurses, I have also met more than a few that just were absolutely clueless. I have had...
  6. akulahawkRN

    American River College Fall 2016

    akulahawkRN replied to Daryap's topic in School, College Programs

    SCC usually does send their acceptance letters out before ARC does. That being said, expect that ARC will also send their notices within a few days, given that SCC has now sent their acceptance...
  7. akulahawkRN

    Why don't nurses consistently take patient respiratory rates?

    akulahawkRN replied to PhillyRNtoBe's topic in General Students

    With CHF and COPD, the rate you might get could very well be 34 when you took it and 24 when the RT took it. If the patient's breathing isn't normal, I generally will record the number and make a note...
  8. akulahawkRN

    Why don't nurses consistently take patient respiratory rates?

    akulahawkRN replied to PhillyRNtoBe's topic in General Students

    Policy where I work (and probably most) is that vitals are to be actually counted. That would include respiratory rate. I know we do it consistently if there's a problem... however if the patient...
  9. akulahawkRN

    Nitroglycerin in MI

    akulahawkRN replied to nurs1ng's topic in CCU, Coronary, Cardiac

    SL nitro isn't contraindicated in inferior MI... nor is it actually contraindicated in RV MI situations either. That being said, there are times you do NOT want to give SL nitro. The right heart...
  10. akulahawkRN

    Is Handover Still Necessary?

    akulahawkRN replied to willegan's topic in General Nursing

    Aside from being a trauma center, I was in a very similar hospital about 3-4 years ago, except for the "trauma center" thing. All the charting was done on paper, there were paper MARs, and so on. I...
  11. akulahawkRN

    ED as a new grad?

    akulahawkRN replied to Maverickm808's topic in Male Nursing Students

    I got my first (and so far only) nursing job in the ER as a new grad. I was lucky in that I was given a relatively long orientation, about 6 months before I was set off on my own. I still have a...
  12. akulahawkRN

    Un-Registered Nurse in Ca

    akulahawkRN replied to Mdeltagio's topic in NCLEX Exam, Programs

    If you've been getting the good popup (after inputting your credit card info and NOT getting billed $200 each time you do it) for several days, chances are very good that you've actually passed. Any...
  13. akulahawkRN

    California BreEZe RN

    akulahawkRN replied to bradycardic's topic in NCLEX Exam, Programs

    It's been quite a while since I tested, however I believe I received an ATT letter from the BRN. They receive a list of graduates from your school and then the BRN matches that list up with received...
  14. akulahawkRN

    Trauma nursing

    akulahawkRN replied to YourFaveNurse's topic in Critical Care

    Trauma Centers are basically identified by capability. They range from Level I to Level V, lower numbers mean greater capability. Here's one resource that I found in about 3 seconds that probably...
  15. akulahawkRN

    Is Handover Still Necessary?

    akulahawkRN replied to willegan's topic in General Nursing

    Disclaimer: I'm an ER Nurse... but mostly the bolded stuff above are reasons I want to get at least some kind of report about my patient assignment. When I get report, I just want to truly know only...
  16. akulahawkRN

    How to get to NCLEX ?

    akulahawkRN replied to abyvadakkan's topic in General Students

    Your school will have to send their records to the state showing that you have completed their program and have graduated from it. This means you'll have to jump through their hurdles to reach that...
  17. akulahawkRN

    I failed...med surg

    akulahawkRN replied to mariarose's topic in General Students

    I failed a class and had to repeat not just one course, but TWO courses, setting me back a full year from my expected graduation date. Why did I have to rotate back 2 courses? Course content was moved...
  18. akulahawkRN

    Lied to in Interview

    akulahawkRN replied to westieluv's topic in General Nursing

    If an employer straight-out lied to me about the working conditions I would be subjected to, and if I'd had another offer that's closer to my dream job and that other job was basically up-front with...
  19. akulahawkRN

    OK to piggyback IV potassium?

    akulahawkRN replied to MeganC012's topic in Patient Medications

    This is why I hang two primary lines, the primary being a carrier fluid of NS and the other being KCl, both on their own pumps, and the KCl Y'd into the carrier below the pumps. I don't hang KCl as a...
  20. akulahawkRN

    OK to piggyback IV potassium?

    akulahawkRN replied to MeganC012's topic in Patient Medications

    Where I work we have pumps that can be programmed to have a secondary bag but "above" the pump it's like a regular gravity setup. Setting up a secondary potassium drip on one of our pumps would mean...
  21. akulahawkRN

    NP/Crna vs MD

    akulahawkRN replied to FutureNurseKelvin's topic in General Nursing

    My thinking is this: you've got some very ambitious goals of both NP and CRNA. You need to look at at the ultimate cost of doing this vs going to Med School. The reason I say this is very simple....
  22. akulahawkRN

    IV Benadryl

    akulahawkRN replied to kmrn1737's topic in Emergency

    There are quite a few drugs that can't go with NS. In the case of valium, you can give it through a running IV line. It's not listed as being Y-site incompatible with NS, LR, D5, etc but you don't...
  23. akulahawkRN

    IV Benadryl

    akulahawkRN replied to kmrn1737's topic in Emergency

    Yes! The reason the patient wanted (and was seeking) a specific side effect that happens when you give IV Benadryl too quickly. I bolded a couple of keys that should clue you into this. If you'd...
  24. akulahawkRN

    Compartment Syndrome

    akulahawkRN replied to maddyakers's topic in Nursing Student Assistance

    What happens when compartment syndrome occurs? Walk me through what you know of compartment syndrome, why it's a problem and what is done to deal with the
  25. akulahawkRN

    Med Error

    akulahawkRN replied to marriednurses's topic in General Nursing

    My take on this is very simple... if the med error is an actual error, then the delay isn't truly a problem. On the other hand if the med error was something that was OK at the time and was...