P_RN

P_RN is my screen name. It's sort of complicated, but my first name is Pat and I am an RN. Ergo....

A pinch of sugar on the tongue not to be swallowed. It should stop the hiccoughs. Of course, when the kid tells Mommie she will accuse you of giving precious diabetes.

I once had a client in rehab who had a "lifetime long" foley catheter. It seems it was like a 30 or 32 HUGE one. Her mom changed it maybe 4x a year! Even though it had a large bulb, MOM would overinflate the bulb with about 30cc of air to keep it from pulling out. I'm happy I never had to be subjected to doing a removal on her.

I've been in both situations. Left my hospital job to go to day shift public health. I was an experienced RN but not in public health. I was given 1 day of watching aa film (I had to load the projector) 1 day to show I knew CPR. Then I was given peds shot clinics and WIC clinics. (Never worked peds before) Well I didnt' do something right and got called in and told to resign or get fired. OK I did. I didn't like them any more than they liked me. I went back to the hospital and stayed over 20 more years. THEN: I ruptured 2 discs and long story short they gave me FEMLA, and forgot about me after about 6 weeks. About year late someone from personnel called and said what was your last day.....I told them the date the FMLA ended and I thought all was OK. Money was getting tight and I went to the state to see about getting disability retirement...I filled the forms, got an estimate of what my income would be. It finally came to me that I was ending my career because I literally could do no NUrsing, I was nearing 60. Guess what. I was then DENIED and told I was FIRED. Long, long story short I had to sue the hospital, I had to apply for workers compensation (that too was a mess) . The hospital (what can I say.) Someone checked the wrong box or something. 3 years later Attorney fees alone were nearly 80k for that and 30 k for the Retirement disability. The hospital coughed up approximately a million-not for me-for their legals. You might just want to get an attorney's OPINION, they might just back off and let you keep the resignation.

I've been in both situations. Left my hospital job to go to day shift public health. I was an experienced RN but not in public health. I was given 1 day of watching aa film (I had to load the projector) 1 day to show I knew CPR. Then I was given peds shot clinics and WIC clinics. (Never worked peds before) Well I didnt' do something right and got called in and told to resign or get fired. OK I did. I didn't like them any more than they liked me. I went back to the hospital and stayed over 20 more years. THEN: I ruptured 2 discs and long story short they gave me FEMLA, and forgot about me after about 6 weeks. About year late someone from personnel called and said what was your last day.....I told them the date the FMLA ended and I thought all was OK. Money was getting tight and I went to the state to see about getting disability retirement...I filled the forms, got an estimate of what my income would be. It finally came to me that I was ending my career because I literally could do no NUrsing, I was nearing 60. Guess what. I was then DENIED and told I was FIRED. Long, long story short I had to sue the hospital, I had to apply for workers compensation (that too was a mess) . The hospital (what can I say.) Someone checked the wrong box or something. 3 years later Attorney fees alone were nearly 80k for that and 30 k for the Retirement disability. The hospital coughed up approximately a million-not for me-for their legals. You might just want to get an attorney's OPINION, they might just back off and let you keep the resignation.

I'm a terribly old ortho nurse, but I took the ONC in 1989, again in 93, again in 95 and again in 99. It cost me approximately $1000 each time. (Oh I passed every time with honors). I'm a good test taker but to me it was the hardest dang test I'd ever taken. Back then you had to drive to where it was offered it wasn't computer based. I admire anyone who gets that ONC, so congrats! What helped me most was remembering what the doctors discussed on their rounds. I did the book study but to me the one on one was irreplaceable.

I blame it on the 70s. When I left Nursing school in '65,to get married, have 2 kids...Caps were IN. When I returned to University to finish school (1973) skirts were up to yonder, no slips heck no bra required. Only had to buy one wash and wear uniform, instead of the 6 starch and iron ones from before... and the director actually said... if you want a cap go to XXXX uniform shop and pick out one you like. No school cap, no ribbon, just pick. So I got a catalog from Kay's Caps and picked one I liked (more to choose from). I put it in a display case with my pin, my original license and the ticket for my family to see me graduate in a sea of black gowns and mortarboards. No white dress,no cap.

I will be beating a dead horse here. The first thing *I* would do is contact my Malpractice Insurance Service. And yes, I said MY not the hospital's. Any facility that supports a system that allows what happened is not to be trusted to look out for the person compromised. That $99+ a year is well worth having as they have YOUR reputation/license et. al. to protect./

At your annual eval...do you have to sign it? I just put "I do not agree with this eval/line/comment and will not sign." I have always gotten the option of a revised paper without that comment. Just because someone hands you a paper to sign DOESN'T mean you must sign it.

I understand your embarrassment. But you missed a teaching moment. "Mr Jones, I see you need care/position change etc." Then quietly move him within sight for safety and snugly put a sheet over his lap. When you get back to the desk you probably will only have to give a look to each staff member. They know what they did was wrong, and they know what you did was right.

12 hr shifts handle the shift wars nicely. You get report from the person you will report to in the morning. I did "first rounds....I called them "eyeball rounds" you can do it walking to put your stuff away. Hi, I'm Pat, you are my patient tonight until 6:45 when I will be giving report to your next nurse. Say I have 15 patients (I know that's unreasonable)...So 15 patients, 15 eyeballs,15 patients still breathing, not on floor, not wandering in the lobby, 15 information exchanges-takes about 17-20 minutes. They can see who you are, they know you just got there (handbag, sweater whatever). they can see you haven't settled in. Believe it or not, this WORKS. I've been doing Nursing for 39 years and was a med tech for 7 years before that. Love, Pat, RN

I agree with Florence... your heart is with the child, but you have to go up the chain of command. Replacement *MAY* have info one the kid you don't have. My opinion is to let the RN/Replacement handle it.

A NP at my doctor's office would tell them they had some skin problem...for example an area near their buttocks, neck whatever and she would give them a "treatment kit" (wash cloth, large bottle of water, soap, shampoo). They also kept a free clothes closet from Goodwill, with easy stuff-T Shirt, boxers/panties and directions to the nearest shelter. She also had connections with a laundromat company to salvage what clothes they could and return them. She would also ask them if they had a problem with not feeling "fresh." No as far as YOU vs.the odor: Vicks vaporub just under your nares, oil of wintergreen with a 4x4 as a wick. Try not to open your mouth unless you are speaking...hand signals and inquiring facies can help not intake the nasty.

I just love these. Good wake-uo laugh.

The NCLEX is the same everywhere. The requirements for getting an active license are what varies. The BON where you live will be able to tell you what you need to do. I am in SC and the requirements go by the number of years out, the number of hours in that period of time that were met, Call the BON. The south Dakota re-up is a good idea if that's what your BON says you need in number of hours to re-up.

Actually Jimmy Carter was a nuclear engineer (I think I am right) in the Navy and he consistently said NUC-U-Lar. As did Dubya, Ike and millions more. *I* however say NEW-Clear as *I* live 40 miles from a NEW- Clear reactor at the Savannah River Site. Home of heavy water used in the hydrogen Bumb. Here is a quote from Wikipedia quoting from the American Heritage Dictionary: American Heritage Dictionary: "The pronunciation (noo'kyə-lər), which is generally considered incorrect, is an example of how a familiar phonological pattern can influence an unfamiliar one ... [since] much more common is the similar sequence (-kyə-lər), which occurs in words like particular, circular, spectacular, and in many scientific words like molecular, ocular, and vascular." [7]

TIE-nol for acetaminophen? O2 Satch for saturation, Beeper-Cuft for BP Cuff...oh the wonders of the school system.

Perhaps she had drawn to the wrong color tube at one time? It happens, and it is a bear to remedy.

OK Charlie stop thinking about your dream date last night. We all can see you were "thrilled and excited." Go splash some cold water, and come back and start your meds, beds and imagine you are a Nurse today. Remember IMAGINE...NURSE...OK?

Mountain Dew!! Loaded and fully leaded.

I had an uncle die with ALS quite a while back and basically what the doctor told us was take him home, let a fan blow on his face so he can feel something and he'll die pretty soon...this was IN UNCLE A's presence.Reading that even now I want to scream. My experience is a little different in that it was a high quad not ALS. At the time our hospital had say 400 beds available to general patients. He had burned out every single staff on all of them but ours-so we got him. The first thing we did was stop him from (I don't know the term) phpblttttt every few minutes when he wanted attention. We turned his bed diagonally so he could see who was passing by. Then God stepped in and sent us "A" whose daughter had died result traffic accident. She had all kinds of equipment that could be handled by turning a cheek, nudging with his nose. Then another happenstance he coughed out his trach tube. The tech with him had a child who needs to go to the Scottish Rite hospital and she saw plenty. she held her hand over the trach and said do you want this in or out. In the next few seconds he said VERBALLY SAID. Blankety blank no. The resident came up right away and she had him repeat it. From that day on no trach. An accidental empowerment or God's hand? I'm not going to go into all the rest, but we kept him there and happy with us for another 5-6 months. He got a Passey-Muir, one of the donated equipment was a telephone dialer. He became a "feature celebrity" on the country station. He got to go the funeral of his brother thanks to the volunteerism of w GREAT LPNs. He go to see the sunshine and the trees and feel the breeze. Before he left for the house built for him he was saying please, thank you, using our names without a preamble of you#$%^. I don't know if this parallels your ALS patient, but I suspect it might.

I left under such traumatic circumstances I haven't done anything with my scrubs. 13 year old ones live in the storage shed with my mother's clothes after she died. There are a couple of computers in there, a nice oak table and I am sure many other things. I don't think I can even touch the uniforms without going through the traumatic memories. Besides, they're old, shabby, out of style and no one would want them. Sorry.

By the time my body gave out and I had to retire, there were 7 others who for some reason or other (ageism) who suddenly started getting write-ups and out the door invitations. I sued..they didn't. I got a quarter of a million which did noting to pay off my surgeries and bills but it did light a fire under some of my friends. Within 3 months the nurses manager who had started the perfect storm of firings was herself escorted out the door by security. Some went back at their old rate of pay. Some retired WITH bennies. This was 15 years ago and it's sad I see it still going on across the country.

No i never quit. I went on long term disablility, Federal law says 6 weeks, but the hospital adds another 6 weeks to the long term. My doctor told me after about 3 weeks I could not return and then I waited the rest of the 12 weeks to see if another position was open. After maybe 5 weeks it had become obvious if I couldn't walk 5 minutes, pick up anything over a sheet of paper or sit longer than 10 minutes I applied for State Disability (hospital workers in this state have the option to choose this retirement plan). When I called state retirement they told me I had been fired!!!!!! 1. I was still on long term disability. 2. I was still getting sick leave checks, the hospital news letter and the credit union statements. That's when my spouse said we were getting a lawyer. I didn't have an injury that had little "bright lights and sticky stars around it" I worked a usual night and then only thing I did was help move a bed from a semi to a private room. I'd done it maybe 200-300 times over the years. I went home, went to be, next morning I couldn't move my legs and my left foot was numb. When if finally reached Worker's Compensation hearing, the judge heard several witnesses either lie or say things it was obvious they had no knowledge of how things went. She asked me and all the witnesses to wait in another room and my lawyer said she told them (he and other lawyer) to get this straighend that they had no case and were wasting her time. Then I got social security easily-no lawyer it just takes a long time. And I got disability about 3 months later is a huge check and then a weekly check-it pays some of the bills. I'm happy my husband still had a check coming in. I was making about 65k a year and now make about 23 k. But hey gas is a lot lower when you don't travel 100 mi a day 4 days a week :)

I haven't cried since Mama died in 2008... until I read this. And I remember all the times we coded patients, I remember not the names but the outcomes. And I cried in failure and later on in frustration as to WHY people have to die away from their loved ones most of the time. Thank you Butterfly-as usual you put the words down I would like to have said.