bruinlaura

Make your expectations clear and be organized. The best clinical instructor I have had so far gave us a list of things we should always be doing (from check armband and emergency equip, assessment specifics, look at chart and meds, etc) and a list of...

We usually have 2 unless the patient is very critical. It is uncommon to be tripled in the ICU I work in but it does happen on occasion when staffing is poor. Usually a triple goes to a float or traveler. If not we have a list with our last time b...

Was there a reason you couldn't use the cordis? We don't put blood in any of the ports in the swan but I use the cordis for blood and fluid boluses almost exclusively. We will use the medication port for drips and the proximal port for other meds b...

I work in a CTICU and we never wedge. Apparently there was an incident a few years ago where a pt was left wedged and died. It appears that any place that has had an incident doesn't wedge anymore.

I've worked at Sinai for the past year on a CSICU stepdown. I can't really say anything about the other units but you can PM me about mine if you'd like. Like every hospital some units are duds and some are great. The picketing was done during the ...

I just took acls and they say to mix amio push 150mg with 7cc NS. however, the drip needs to be in D5W with a filter.

I'm just wondering if it is any safer for the patient when the staffing is short with nobody doing overtime vs adequate staffing with people coming in for overtime. It seems like a catch 22 to me. The safest situation would be for the units that al...

I just worked a night with a terrible case of nausea. At one point I just told my patient "pardon me I'll be right back" and ran to the restroom. Fortunately I was ok and somebody had some pepto for me to take that took care of the nausea for the r...

I lived in westwood/UCLA area for 4 years and loved it (and would be thrilled in end up in santa monica someday) but I think LA is only laid back in comparison with other big cities like NYC or San Francisco. Otherwise there are many other areas of ...

Sounds like you have a list of specific medications. I agree with anagray, organizing them by classification is a good way to start. If you know that all aminoglycoside antibiotics are nephrotoxic and ototoxic, when you have a patient on gentamycin a...

Has anyone worked with this drug? Have you found it as effective as advertised, specifically for methamphetamine addiction? http://www.prometainfo.com/pi/

this situation happened to me recently and i wish i wouldn't have ignored my gut and started looking for another job. i'm devastated. my self esteem hasn't been hit this hard since high school. if you can transfer to another floor, do so. if you ...

I wish you the best HughB! My sister has now been clean for 2 months and it has helped reduce her meth cravings ALOT.

Legionella exposure occurs through inhaling mists or droplets of contaminated water or micro-aspiration while drinking contaminated water. This seems unlikely to happen when working as a nurse unless you drink the water and you said they provide bot...

Thanks for your kind words. I realize the chances of relapse are high with meth use and I am cautiously optimistic. This is actually about the 3rd rehab program she's tried and she relapsed countless times while in the others. I'm pretty used to i...

I found this article on google. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060621/20060621005309.html?.v=1 I've been hesitant to share this but after seeing a 5 page thread on methamphetamine use I figured maybe it will help someone. My sister is a meth addict. She has...

Eliza, you start this week right? I hope all is well. p.s. I'll be joining you in september!

I would say definitely know side effects and contraindications. It is multiple choice. The calculations/conversions aren't bad. And know how to administer to different age groups. Basically if you follow the study guide you'll be fine. It's chal...

Congrats!! I had HR send my resume to them so maybe we'll be there together.

You're right, it is a treament plan. However, the main component of this plan is the medication administered. I know it is new and claims to reduce physical cravings. Has anybody worked with this? I'd love to know more. Thanks.

Anyone else going stir crazy waiting to start working? I'm in the middle of my job search and I'm getting really impatient. I have been either in school, working, or both my whole life. Free time + no money = no fun Just thought I'd vent. Feel fr...

I'm glad I'm not the only one too!

Cornell is prettier in my opinion. :) I've only had experiences at each as a nursing student but from those experiences I would have to say that the employees seemed happier at Cornell and the units displayed more teamwork. Of course I only have exp...

Wow. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I know i'm going to wish for freedom once I start working, but at this point in time I am just so bored. I wish you the best and it sounds like you are already improving and growing as a nurse. Keep ...

I also considered CSULB acc BSN program (public school is cheap plus my parents live 30min away and I could live for free while attending). After attending the information session I was really not impressed. It also just seemed more trouble than it...