PedRN86

Happened to me on Sunday night! I went to do 0400 VS on my little friend and noted he had a big, heavy diaper. As soon as he felt the diaper come off he got me, himself, and his crib really good. Those little boys are big trouble

Well I work in pediatrics but have a few friends in mental health and your situation sounds kind of horrible to be honest. Perhaps instead of giving up on nursing, start browsing for a better managed ward. Nowhere is perfect but I wonder if you met a few managers and learned about how they do things you'll find a new (work) home that's a better fit and more supportive. Good luck!

We shower our kids with CVLs! We use whatever we can to keep it dry, my favourite is a soaker pad or diaper, with a biohazard bag taped on with waterproof tape. It works pretty well, if any water sneaks it it's usually soaked up by the pad! I've never even heard of these chlorhexidine wipes.

I work in pediatrics and absolutely love it. Caring for not only the child but the family is both challenging and rewarding, and an integral part of what we do. I feel very fortunate to work where I do; we have an amazing team and I'm really proud to be a part of it.

I noticed my new student calling them staturations yesterdays. I felt kind of awkward correcting her, I hate being picky and dashing a student's confidence! I might wait for a quiet moment to say something :) My pet peeve is when people say "owe-dansetron" instead of "ON-dansetron"

Disagree! You don't pop out of the womb knowing how to be a nurse. Likewise, critical thinking isn't something you just have or don't have. It's all a lifelong learning process.

Sounds like it might be just the career move you need! I would consider appplying, you seem compassionate, you're skilled, you enjoy children and families. I think you can get a good feel of the ward from the interview process and ensure they'll be supportive and smooth your transition into pediatrics. Let us know how things go... good luck!

Normally I would say go for the med-surg position at the bigger hospital, but if you know you love the staff (and they love you!) at the smaller hospital's ICU I would say start there. Being part of a supportive environment that you enjoy makes a huge difference when you're starting out. It can be very tough getting into ICU as a new grad and you'll be offered lots of training and experience opportunities. You may find in a few years you have the opportunity to move to the bigger hospital if you're still interested. Good luck!

I very much agree. I've never seen/participated a slow code. I've heard of them a couple times from coworkers in other facilities. In my view, it's unethical and paternalistic to assume the responsibility of carrying out only parts of a patient or family's wishes for resuscitation. It's neglecting the opportunity to have a real conversation with the patient/family about resuscitation, comfort options, palliative care, and withdrawal of care. If the patient/family choose something we don't personally agree with despite our efforts to give them all the available information, well that is their informed choice. We don't have to do the same with our family members or ourselves come the time, but certainly no one ought to have the power to strip someone of their decision just because we think we know what is best.

I wonder if they are saying these things to instill fear in you, that if you don't do something correctly, or in a timely manner, you're going to have an angry doctor come after you yelling. I've never had someone yell at me at work. If they were yelling I would probably do the same as you and tell them I don't find their tone acceptable or respectful.

Great tips! I really enjoy night shift. I love sitting around the round table on the ward on a quieter night and getting to chat with the other nurses. Night shift is just part of being a nurse... somebody has to care for those patients :)

Start by finding out how to get into a nursing school. Are there any courses you need to take to get into nursing school? You'll usually need an updated CPR, vulnerable sector screening (police check), and updated vaccinations. Once you're settled into school, see if you can volunteer at a children's hospital, have a clinical placement in pediatrics, and/or find other ways to work with kids to gain some relevant experience. We have a local pediatric nursing interest group that is open to nurses and nursing students alike - look into if you have any opportunities like that in your area. Good luck!

I get to work 15 or 20 minutes early so I can review my orders and recent lab work, and plan my day. When I take report (1:1 handover) I can actually ask relevant questions about the patients. The moment I take report, that patient is my responsibility - I don't want to be just reviewing my orders then if my patient calls out. But that is our unit culture, it's just the way it is. We don't have personal support workers to help us with our care.

I would have a fellow nurse page the doctor while I stayed with the patient to do their VS and physical assessment, especially if they suddenly deteriorated. Then when the doctor comes/calls back I have all my information to present to them.

Admit you mucked up. You brought your cell phone to try and better the situation and it ended up looking worse. You know in retrospect what a huge mistake you made. Maybe mention some suggestions on how you would have handled the situation if you could do it again and what you would do to avoid making the same mistake again.

In response to a few questions, I've never seen an RPN posting for SickKids or heard of an RPN working there. In saying that, there are hospitals like Southlake (in Newmarket) or Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital that definitely do hire RPNs on their wards.

My lab always calls us for critical values. I like it, helps it from going unnoticed for another hour or two when I get the chance to check the computer.

I would do ABX, insulin, digoxin, singulair myself. Maybe ABX, dig, insulin, singulair too.

I think first semester can be the hardest for many students. Is the content the trickiest? No it definitely gets more in depth. But you're having to adjust your life to being a full time student and balance all the pressures outside of school. I think it's a lot tougher for a student such as yourself with a husband, children, and a job. Presumably you've been out of school for a few years so it's an adjustment getting back into it. You had the drive to get into school and I think you have what it takes to get through it, too. Be open with your professors about your home-school-work-pneumonia situation, do your best, give lots of time on assignments. Remind your family things are going to be different for a few years while you're in school. You'll find your way through all the chaos. Best of luck.

I work on a neurosurgery floor so I do have to take their VS and neuro vitals if they're asleep. No, it's not nice to wake a sleeping baby, and I do try to work around their schedule (especially if they only have q6-8 vitals), but if they're hourly or even every 4 hours I only have so much time to play with. I let the family know the med and VS schedule at the beginning of the shift and encourage the family to let me know if the baby wakes up so I can cluster their care whenever possible.

Oh my goodness I remember going into second year and hearing HORROR stories about pathophysiology and how it was going to eat us alive. Everyone was so stressed out. It turned out to be my BEST class! I just thought it was so interesting and the meat of nursing knowledge, I really dove right into it. Don't let people stress you out. Just go to your classes, do your readings before class, give lots of time to prepare for tests and soak up all the learning! Get extra help if you have gaps in your learning; professors appreciate you making the extra effort. (Loved A&P as well - I just remember being more worried about patho after all that nonsense)

I can't honestly answer with any absolute confidence, but I'd guess usually patients go home with more meds. Some might be temporary (antibiotics, analgesics), some might be long term (cardiac meds, anti-epileptics). My boyfriend is a psych nurse and sometimes patients leave with less meds. They may have come in on 4 and after their stay their whole med regime is revised and they leave on 3, perhaps. It really depends on what area you're working in, diagnosis of patient (plus any comorbidities!), what they had done in hospital, etc.

I did my ACLS and joined a few professional organizations. I also went to a 3 day conference where I made some connections and landed my first nursing job! I would say hold off on the critical care certificate for right now and re-evaluate in 6 months... it's pretty expensive to do and is a lot more valuable with recent, relevant experience. Good luck!

I don't think it's ever too late. My mother is 54 and just finishing up her BScN (she is an RPN right now - completed it about 3 years ago). I think the more mature students have valuable life experience to offer to nursing.

I would interpret that as giving the bolus then start the infusion immediately afterwards, then do the level 6 hours post bolus. I would clarify with the doc/NP and the policy and procedure prior to performing either though. Never assume!