Clementia

About a week ago, someone started a thread to discuss the Brittany Maynard assisted suicide case. The discussion became rather heated, and one of the posters tossed out a comment that disturbed me greatly. This poster suggested that patients with de...

I don't care whether Heidi is too inexperienced to know better, too in love to see the probable consequences, or too self-absorbed to care about any consequences. I don't particularly care about any mitigating circumstances in the MD's life, either....

Some time ago, the topic of spousal abuse came up on this site. A member told us the story of her abusive marriage. When she was eighteen, she met an older man who told her that he had abused other women in the past, but things would be different w...

Just to clarify -- I don't believe anyone in a domestic violence situation "deserves" to be harmed, much less "wants" it in some twisted way. I'm just trying to understand the situation, as much as possible, from the insider's point of view.

Chevrolet -- Can Hear Every Rod, Valve, Or Lifter Every Time.

Do's: -Develop a personal shift schedule that works for you. I used to draw up my own worksheet every shift, where I jotted down all the little details I needed for each patient -- blood sugars, vitals, turns for total care patients, etc. -Develop a...

My grandmother graduated nursing school in 1947. She used to tell stories of a polio epidemic that hit sometime in the '50's. The hospital where she worked was so full of children in iron lungs that even the hallways were lined with patients...So g...

Yes! There is a conspiracy! Didn't anyone tell you? We all meet at midnight in the secret war room in the hospital basement... Seriously, though, I hear you. It's terribly frustrating when you work so hard to help patients, using treatments that ...

I admit that the obese are not my favorite patients. I'm not going to label someone as "bad" or "irresponsible" or "lazy" because they happen to weigh 350 pounds. But when you work on an ortho floor, as I did, then a 350-lb patient who's just had j...

It sounds to me like the OP is simply frustrated with patients who are rude and demanding, and who don't choose to realize that one nurse cannot give meds to fifteen or twenty people at the exact same time. Admonitions to "put yourself in the patien...

I think the units I've worked on wouldn't have a problem with someone who was transitioning, as long as that person did a good job as a nurse or aide. Myself, I admit I would find the whole situation unusual (but then I'm from a small-town Midwester...

I never address anyone as "honey" -- or as "ma'am" or "sir" if I can help it. I just look directly at the person and say something like, "Hello, what can I do for you?" It's respectful, doesn't step on anyone's toes, and keeps me from having to re...

How do you boil water in a styrofoam cup (without a microwave)? You get a fire going, then push aside some of the burning wood so you have a clear spot next to the fire. Fill the Styrofoam cup almost to the brim with water, then set it in the clear ...

I believe in special creation. That said, it would be nice to see how origins relate to nursing in the first place. Whether you believe that you were created by God, evolved from a soup of sterile chemicals, or emerged from sea ice under the licki...

Hmmm... Big plastic garbage bags (emergency ponchos/shelter/storage, etc.) Isolation gowns, to keep me warm and shield me from spattering blood and gore. Masks to filter out the toxins floating in the tainted air. Blankets. Bottles of irrigation solu...

The fact that you were told "no one else would hire you" and that you were a "bad nurse" pegs that place as abusive just by itself, without even having to consider all the appallingly unsafe practices you describe. I find it disturbing that a superi...

So you're a student nurse about to give your very first Lovenox shot. You sashay into the patient's room and, while casually making small talk with them, lift their shirt and jam in the injection. Patient gives you a relieved smile -- "Why, that di...

My favorite was the little old man with dementia who kept calling me into his room on night shift. He was absolutely convinced that there were bad guys roaming the halls, just waiting to catch us nurses and murder us brutally. I finally told him th...

My husband and I had been having a run of car trouble. When one car wasn't in the shop, the other one was. On top of all that, we were short of cash because I was staying home with a brand new baby. A friend of ours walked up to me one night at chu...

I'm a Christian, and I think you were right not to participate. No one should be pressured into a religious ceremony they don't want to be part of. And look at it this way -- if the family requests another nurse, it doesn't mean you're a bad nurse,...

I left because when depression meets burnout, the result is not a pretty sight. I was blessed with funny, helpful, positive, supportive co-workers, decent hours and pay, and nurse managers who kept close tabs on all of us and weren't above pitching ...

Upon entering any public building, one of your first actions is to look for the AED. You assess elderly passersby in Walmart. "Hmmm...uneven gait, favoring left leg...looks like bone-on-bone DJD to me...I'll see you on my unit after your hip replace...

By the way, a sincere "I am very sorry to bother you, doctor, but..." goes a long way too.

Always call, no matter whether the doc is "nice" or not (by the way, sometimes the tetchiest docs are also the best surgeons). But only call for truly important issues, and always make sure you have all the pertinent information ready to hand. At ...

Call off if you're still sick, and don't feel guilty about it. You can't give your patients the best care if you are ill yourself. Besides, what if you pass your illness on to your patients? If the manager gives you grief, perhaps a doctor's note ...