StarBrownRN

I wonder if we work in the same facility... I almost died of laughter when I saw a sign saying "Do Not Defecate" Like how do you even enforce something like that?? Poo-police??

The FA told you to push back, but didn't say they would address it?? That sounds suspicious. Have you spoken with the clinical coordinator? And I'm curious as to why the LPN and Charge RN are cutting patient times when the patient is in your pod??...

Many times you won't even know the patient's HIV status. Like TwinMom said the biggest concern is HepB. It's more virulent than HIV. As for internal disinfection, biomed usually handles that. You may want to consult with them.

I think everyone should experience both, but I find that nurses who are really nurses and into Evidence-Based practice and critical thinking like acutes.

You can make all the money you are willing to work for, but how long can you work 60+ hour weeks?

I'm not sure how things turned out for you, but please RUN AWAY from any FA position that requires you to work the floor. That's a red flag. That clinic likely has staffing, management and retention issues; and probably a lot of productivity and fis...

May I ask why you are doing this research? Might I suggest you conduct a thorough literature review...because all of your questions have been answered and are almost common knowledge

I hated chronics with a passion and couldn't wait to get to acutes. Then the unpredictable long hours of acutes started to wear on me. So, I went back to chronics on a PRN basis and I find doing both helps me. It makes acutes less grinding and chron...

We were out of urinals, so the patient peed in his reusable coffee mug--while on a hemodialysis machine. (He could have asked to pause the Tx and go to the restroom.) And that mug of cloudy pee sat chair side for the remaining 3 hours of tx. After Tx...

The effects of Epo on blood pressure is in the medication's prescribing info. Hypertension is one of the side effects in patients with CKD/ESRD. You can visit the manufacturer's website for a copy of the prescribing info. Epogen has many contraindic...

I feel your family's anguish. My family faced a similar decision when my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer at 81 and already had CHF with frequent episodes of pulmonary edema. We had to ask ourselves was it worth putting him through radiation, c...

You may want to consider joining ANNA, if you have a local chapter that is active. They have some great educational and professional development resources. It's also a good networking tool. (And what's a medication nurse? I had to leave ICHD altoge...

Where I am, sodium modeling has been discontinued and exact dialysate temperatures are not prescribed. There is a temperature range, but we can use nursing judgement to adjust within the allowable range. Truth be told, using temperature to manage BP ...

I have had the same experience with scrubs and other clothing. In my dry clean only items, I use dress shields. In scrubs and other things, I spray the pit area with white vinegar right after I take them off. If you can, you may want to consider a ...

Be diligent, but don't be scared. A patient prescribed a 3k and ends up on a 2k will most likely not go into cardiac arrest after one 3.5hr treatment. When I was in chronic, we switched to using only the most common concentration among our patients f...

Also, because you will be new to dialysis, you will most likely be required to perform the work of the techs and the nurse for the first six months before you are eligible to be trained for charge nurse duties. More than likely, you will not have an...

In my area, Dialysis Nursing's hourly rate is higher than most Hospitals--but there are no paid holidays (unless you actually work on the holiday), no shift differential and often you do not get 40hrs per week. If you are in a clinic that is short-st...

SmilingBlueEyes makes some good points about the unpredictable schedule of acute care. I was fortunate to work with great techs that I trust; but at the end of the day, a tech--no matter how experienced--is not a nurse. Yet, they do a lot of nursing ...

I'm sorry to hear of your difficult experiences. To be a profession of caring, nurses can sometimes be very cruel to their colleagues. And chronic dialysis can be especially grueling. As long as you are doing your job according to policy and the nurs...

Auto insurance, full tank of gas, groceries and a pair of Jimmy Choo pumps :)

It's a individual decision. However, just from a liability standpoint, I'd rather be an RN in acutes than chronic. In chronic you are responsible for too many patients and too many techs. It isn't possible to safely supervise that many people simult...

The big 2 hire and train people with no experience all the time. Even people with prior dialysis experience still have to undergo training on the employer's specific policies. There's a lot of turnover in this specialty. So, there always seems to ...

In Maryland, you will have to obtain a CNA first, then be trained in an approved DT program. The DT programs are basically the training CNA hires receive when they are hired by Dialysis clinics; after the training they can take the CCHT exam and appl...

I went to nursing school with someone who was 70. So, to me, 58 isn't old. You have 10 years to retirement. And if you are in good shape, you should be ok. I say it's never too late...sort of. Once you get to a certain age, you have to ask yoursel...

YES!!! ABSOLUTELY!! I find myself buying full price from the thrift store. Before nursing, I only bought when it was 50% off. I even freely indulge in goodwill online and eBay. (Actually, I bought all my first scrubs and lab coat from the thrift ...