ErinBSN

I was an accountant. I also did a stint as a dental assistant and Loan shark. I went right into ER after nursing school so it's all the nursing I ever know. But while I'm saving your butt I can do your taxes!

Rocephin can be pushed in a small concentration too. I always run Levaquin on a pump just because of the side effects. However, you can run the Ancef open if needed. I am a firm believer if you need to know ask, and run for the time recommended by pharmacy if your not sure. However, Some things are just WOW with pharmacy so that is why Drug books are vital. Heck I have one on my iPhone.

I'm in touch with this emotion! some techs will just disappear, than they make the other techs mad because they don't work. At my previous job, I actually called a tech out due to her being lazy and I nearly missed EKG time. The tech turned to me in the middle of the hall (in front of patient rooms) and cussed me out and called me everything from a B word to a C word. I was SHOCKED! I had to go to the manager about it. Where I'm at NOW the MAJORITY of the techs are great(there is the one or two) that disappear, ignore things they could do or other wise do nothing. So i'm assuming it's a problem across the board

My best friend has a hearing deficiency and wears hearing aids she's an ER nurse. There are specialized molds that can be made for stethoscopes to accommodate hearing aids. She just slips hers out and pockets them prior to using her scope (she has small canals and has a HARD time getting hearing aids to fit let alone the molds to fit correctly) I have another nurse with total hearing loss in one ear so she compensated with the other.

I hate the people who say they are a hard stick and than point out only 2 veins your "permitted" to stick. The other one is you start to swab them with Chlorprep and they start screaming and pulling away or FREAK about the tourniquet. I have had people freak so hard on the tourniquet that they hyperventilate. It is tight, and not pleasant but really I don't like to leave it on your arm for extended periods of time. As far as the "I'm a hard stick" IT frustrates me its' like your either 1. REALLY a hard stick or 2. You generally freak so you clamp down causing your veins to constrict and make it impossible to pass a catheter. As far as the Butterfly comment. I have sat MANY a patient down and state "Butterfly's are a style of needle, they come in a variety of sizes" They usually look at me like I'm crazy but than I show them and they go "OH!" I think most of the issue with IV starts are lack of education.

My rules for my new grads 1. The only stupid question is the one not asked. 2. When in doubt ask, look it up or call pharmacy. It's overwhelming to be new. it throws a lot at you in a short amount of time with orienting to the floor. I would rather Stop, answer a question with a new grad than have a negative outcome. Especially with Medications. I basically look at it this way. We are bestowed the power to heal with knowledge obtained through school. However, it's a lot of knowledge in a relatively short amount of time. We are also bestowed the power to kill a patient if we are not careful. HECK I EVEN CALL PHARMACY! Just keep that in the back of your mind and memorize pharmacy and lab's extensions. Be nice to them as they are invaluable resources!

I know I spoke around Christmas about getting a new job in a new city in a new ER. Well I'm HERE! I went from a 16 bed (plus 6 Fast track bed) ED. The fast track was never open, we were ambulatory and I was scared to death of recieving ambulances as I hadn't in 5 years! Well, first I love it! Second it's a culture shock. My old hospital was a pilot. So everything was new, supplies unlimited and it was like a little cushy ED in the middle of a busy area. I'm not in a rural ER that has been there for 100 years. nothing is new, supplies are always short and I have had more people die in the month I've been here than I have in my entire career. That being said, I'm working hard, stretching myself. I appreciate the old job, but I love this job. I get to USE My skills. that sounds so cliche but I have ACLS and PALS for a reason. There is not the rumor mill/gossip like the old job, We just don't have time! I have a great team and my opinion is respected. I'm not categorized as "ditzy" like I was in the other. I'm not doing anything different I just do my job. I actually feel good about myself when I leave. Which is a first. I would come home and cry because this one was jealous and would trash me and that one would start rumors about so and so. etc. I got what I wanted, I go to work, do my job, walk out and leave it behind me :) I have sore feet, and sore legs and sore arms. It's the way this should be.

The convo went like this "Dr. Justgotoutofmedshoolandhasbeenaresidentaweek, Are you SURE you wrote the correct order for morphine and it's not 0.8?" Baby Doc replied "Do you see my jacket, it says M D, Of course the order is right, What do you think I am stupid?(several explicatives were used during this answer)I'm the doctor your JUST A NURSE, you do what I say Well Sir, the baby is 6mo old and I'm not giving that much morphine baby doc than replied "You give it or I write you up for insubordination" No, I'm not, if you want to kill the baby you can do so your self. I than turned and went to the attending. I told the attending the problem and that I wasn't comfortable euthenizing (sp) a baby due to baby doc incompentce. She agreed. She also chewed him a new butt. Hence the baby got 0.8 due to the attending overriding. -My spelling is horrid today, forgive me I'm going to bed

If the bleeder is pregnant, or possible ectopic, that would be #1. The abdominal pain would be my 2nd choice. If the vagi bleed was a bleeding for several days etc I would bump down for the abd pain. The abd pain would depend on where the pain was whether n/v/d was present. The arm as long as it's a stable fx not a compound would be a low man on the totem pole.

I love my CP's MI's and CVA's. I don't like the "discharge" Urinary, or ETOH Withdrawls (had 4 this past week)

I wear the good old fashioned croc clogs. Mercy Crocs are close but mine are like 4 years old. I need to find a new pair. I also rock the allegria's I tried Dansko's I hate them. I also rock New balance or Fila's.

6 month old with femur fracture 80mg of Morphine IVP. Told the resident if HE wanted to kill the baby go ahead, but I think he wanted 0.8 and I was NOT giving 80mg of morphine to this tot.

Why were you watching me LAST NIGHT! Just kidding, we laugh it off and the next night come back and bam your IV God

Okay, the SCALE is 1-10. Don't tell me 20, 50, 100. Also vomiTing does NOT have a K in it. there is no such word as VOMIKING! and if you use the word excruciating to describe your pain you better be writhing on the floor. If your drunk. Don't get beligerant. Just dont I don 't appreciate it and I dont' want to wrestle you down with a b52. Thank you. (I just came off 12 hours of drunk wrestling, so forgive my typos!)

Well, sometimes I love it. My husband got a job in a new city, I have to leave my "home" At first I was like YIPPEE no drama! (we have internal drama out the ying yang) But than I thought, this ED has been my HOME for YEARS. OH NO! I interviewed with a few ED's in the new city, one I really am praying, crossing my fingers hoping I get. The manager seems to mesh with me and we have much of the same philosophies. She' a big proponent of education so I want to go there. But I'm LEAVING HOME! I'm going to go somewhere and be spoiled. I will have respiratory therapists, interns, residents etc. I have NONE of those where I'm at. That's scary. I want to go "I can do my own neb, breathing, bagging, vent, ABG's" but than I'm like whew It would be nice. but than it's scary in the same respect. So I'm scared, nervous and excited about a new journey. Wow.. I feel like I Felt when I left for college 20 years ago..