nlb0101

I work in corrections. I responded to an emergency where an offender was lying on the floor, unresponsive and covered in ice. I explained the situation to the doctor and why EMS had already been called. The man would cease respirations, his pulse would slow, then cease. We were in position to start CPR. Then he would suddenly start breathing again for a min or 2. The cycle kept repeating until the narcan kicked in. Then he got up and walked to the medical cart. I explained to the doctor that custody had called because CPR was being initiated. I tried to explain to the doctor that the man had most likely overdosed and of course he wouldn't say what he had taken or how much. We had no way of knowing how long he was unresponsive like that. So it would probably be a good idea if we went ahead and sent him to the hospital to be checked out. The doctor stated, "Well I don't see what's the emergency. Just because you use Narcan doesn't mean it's an emergency. I mean if you give anyone Narcan it probably gives them a boost. I mean, give me Narcan and I'll jump up too." He then went to talk to the paramedic. He asked the paramedic what had happened and why were they on the scene already. He told them to leave and said. "I think somebody jumped the gun here." In a crowd full of nurses trying to explain to the doctor that this man needed to go to the hospital, the doctor finally said, "Alright, bring them back. We'll do an EKG and see what it says, which I'm sure it'll be fine." The EKG looked awful. He went to call his on-call Medical Director and spoke with him, came back and announced we should go ahead and send him. Afterward, he came to me alone and tried to explain his logic. Then he said, "I had no sooner gotten on the phone and told Dr. D that the man was found unresponsive and covered in ice and he cut me off and said 'Send him'." Good call, doc.

ad astra per alia porci. This was John Steinbeck's personal stamp. Though I have since found out the phrase is technically incorrect, it doesn't make the meaning any less powerful. It is meant to say "To the stars on the wings of a pig". ♡ Pursue your dreams. Do the impossible.

First off, the HBO show called Getting On is by far the most realistic medical comedy I've ever seen. I love DiDi. First off, she's an LVN, so I love that we LPNs and LVNs finally get some recognition. Second, she's by far the sanest person on the show. LOVE YOU DIDI♡

Are you telling me you won't give me antibiotics? I told you it's a sinus infection!

I told you to be here on time with my meds! You just wait til I fill out that survey!

Bring the doctor in RIGHT NOW! I'm tired of talking to nurses who have no clue what's going on!

Bring the doctor in RIGHT NOW! I'm tired of talking to nurses who have no clue what's going on!

"Who wants to play cards?"

"Seriously? I left my poker tournament for this?"

"Do you think he's a fall risk?"

"But did you die?"

I have no idea if you would be interested, but correctional facilities hire a lot of LPNs too. It's stressful and would be difficult as a new grad, but it's an option. Also, you tend to see really interesting cases and often get to perform procedures and treatments you wouldn't do as much in a clinic or LTC. I never drew blood on the job until I worked at a prison. I do it fairly regularly now. EKGs, responding to emergencies on a golf cart are a couple other things I had never done before coming to a prison. ?

Agreed with the above posts. I see this topic is a few days old, but as this is LTC, this will probably be an ongoing issue. One thing I didn't see anyone address was mentioning the consistency of said XL BM. If the patient is having ongoing complaints of needing laxes, I would especially monitor and document the specifics. Was it watery, color, etc. You want to make sure the patient isn't having liquid stool coming around an impation. When defending your rationale for not administering the PRN, I would also note an assessment of bowel sounds, distension, etc. Also, does the patient have hemorrhoids? I've had dementia patients with bad hemorrhoids who constantly felt like they needed to have a BM because of their hemorrhoids. I would also note this for the provider to check into the next time the patient is seen because there are lots of different laxes, stool softeners, etc to choose from. Perhaps the patient would benefit from a different type of medication.

Nursing school vs 5 years later

Newbie Nurse vs Seasoned Nurse

Is that a "doctor's" stethoscope I see?

When you have no idea what to wear if you're not wearing scrubs

I once had a patient with schizophrenia and dementia. She was often non-compliant with her meds because of her paranoia. I tried to give her meds one night. "No. No. No. I can't take 'em." "Why not?" I asked. "Cuz Jimmy needs to go to the bathroom." She proceeded to hand me her son. AKA a stuffed snowman. I asked if he could go to the bathroom himself. "Of course not! He ain't got no shoes. Can you take him?" I then proceeded to take a stuffed snowman to the bathroom. I even flushed the toilet for good measure. And sure enough, she took her meds.

So I didn't always believe in DID, aka multiple personalities. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that someone could legitimately have more than one personality... Until I met Kayla (obviously not her real name). She would be walking down the hall, holding her hand up to her ear as if she had a phone. She had conversations with her other personalities ALL THE TIME. "Yeah, I know girl. That's what I said." One of her personalities was a baby. She would hug herself or feed herself like a baby. Or crawl. She once dropped her "phone" behind a couch and demanded the staff move the couch to get it. They were not happy.

Muggles be like: "EBOLA! SCABIES! BIRD FLU!" and I'm like, "Sir, could I interest you in a tissue, perhaps? Is there anything else I can do for you? And, by the way, how is your pain?"

Nothing. An empty room. Who pushed the call light? A ghost? Ain't nobody got time for that.

I have been an LPN for 4 years. It was always my goal to continue my education, but life has always gotten in the way. I am now at a point where I feel I desperately need to start on my continuing education journey. Here is my dilemma: I am debating the "step-by-step" method of obtaining my ADN then continuing to BSN vs going straight into a BSN program with other entry level students. Obviously the first approach would be cheaper. ADN programs are cheaper and I could possibly get an employer to pay a majority of the BSN cost. However, I am drawn to the second option because i feel my LPN education was woefully inadequate and would like to "re-learn" the information. I am competent in the field I'm in, but my eventual goal is to pursue advanced practice nursing. I have looked into the LPN to ADN programs in my area and they will only amount to a few extra classes. I also got "burned" in my LPN program, as it was a for-profit program and lacked the professionalism and depth of education I was accustomed to in a university atmosphere. I was just wanting to get some advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation. Which route did you choose? Were you happy with your choice? Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated.

Congrats on your new job. Every facility is going to have different policies and different populations (i.e. more dementia, more rehab pts, etc). I would try to find out what types of patients you will be dealing with and try to focus your review in those specific issues. Of course a general review of anything you had issues with in school would be beneficial. But to be fair, I don't feel like nursing programs fully prepare anyone for the reality of dealing with their first job. You will have more patients and most likely will have to supervise CNAs. A few tips: trust your instincts. I had issues with that as a new nurse. Just because a nurse has more experience than you doesn't mean they're always right. If you think something is wrong with a patient, do what your instincts tell you, regardless of whether a more experienced nurse says they're fine. Take advantage of your orientation. If you see a med or treatment you're not familiar with, research it so you won't be flying blind once you're on your own. Get to know your staff. Who are the people who have been there a long time? Who is reliable to help you with tasks? Who is willing to answer any question you might have? Mostly, know you will be slower when you first start. Your meds may be a little late. You may see nurses running circles around you. That's ok because when you're first beginning, you need to take your time so you don't make mistakes. It will take time to get up to speed. Don't get discouraged that you can't keep up. You will catch up in time. Just concentrate on the fact that you are still learning and you are making sure you do your job correctly.

Forgive me if I'm overstepping my bounds, but it sounds like you have anxiety in general. You stress out just going into work and carry anxiety with you even when you're not at work. I will tell you this is exactly my personality and I know I have issues with my anxiety. You seem to like your profession. Here is my honest opinion and I apologize if it insults you, but I feel like you should look into therapy or something similar to deal with your mindset before making any rash decisions. If you can get in a better place mentally, you may find that you really enjoy your job, or at least nursing in general. Perhaps a new environment would benefit you as well. For instance, I hated working in nursing homes for the usual reasons. I stumbled on a facility for people with developmental disabilities and I actually really enjoy it. That had never crossed my mind as an option for my nursing career, but it's much more laid back than where I've worked before. Just my two cents. Feel free to disregard them as rubbish if you don't agree with me. I hope you find what you're looking for in life. Good luck :)

I recently used nitrous during my labor. I don't know the specific regulations at the facility as I wasn't an employee there. However, I know there was a nurse in the room at almost all times. The only time she left was to call my doctor.