Gail-Anne

Are there any nurse advice phone lines where you are? Our province started one a couple of years ago. It's a job where you actually give advice (eg. get to emerg! or suggestions for what they can do themselves) not paper shuffle. How about your state...

Yes, you can draw labs from a "port-a-cath", same as any central line. It's also fine to leave a port with an Infusor cap between meds, it doesn't have to be left running (if that was your question). Your facility should have policies for all that st...

yes, there are safety hubers, my facility is just looking into them so can't give any hints. Just google and you should get company sites up. What I've taught people to do is think "reverse karate"! Hold site firmly and pull up firmly with other hand...

Have you looked into what will be required to work in Ireland, if that's your goal? I guess I don't see any sense in doing a course if it's not going to give you employment. (or the Irish equivalent of a green cerd)

HOLY *&%$#@* BATMAN! I would never have reinserted this PICC, regardless of what the Dr said. This is totally against any and all that I've ever read. Even doing a change of PICC (wire-reintroducer over-then reinsert new PICC) is an iffy thing t...

We require consents and I can't see that ever changing. Basic consent to be treated in hospital is fine for the basics (like a peripheral IV) not for invasive proceedures. What do the risk management folks at your institution have to say about this?

I'd probably be querying more if pt had heparin in one and platelets in the other! Remember, the 1/2 life of Heparin is about 5-6 hrs. (I used to know the time for sure...memory isn't what it used to be). I'm wondering if your question had more to do...

Totally acceptable to have your questions written down so you remember them and to write BRIEF notes. Just make sure you spend your time making contact with the interviewer not with your paper! If possible, I'd try to do most of my note taking after ...

Having called codes (2 as a student nurse), going to many codes and spending many years as a volunteer CPR instructor, I thought I'd put my $.02 in. Do we sometimes flog the perverbial dead horse? Oh Yeah. Do we sometimes revive someone who goes on t...

There are loads and loads of tips on threads, just do a search. Take home a stretch of IV tubing and a few IV needles and start kits. (Get your boss to okay this, as you don't want to be accused of stealing needles!) Tape the tubing to the counter or...

Lots of years since I worked psych... what kind of people in the group? We always had a variety of groups. Something as simple as "activities of daily living" for example. It's amazing how many people don't know how to read clothing labels and do la...

You have to remember that this site is meant for nurses to query things and vent with other nurses. If you look at the thread asking; if you'd still become a nurse if you had to do it over again, you'll see most would. Juggling family and school is ...

Are you inserting on babies only, or did you get a chance to do quite a few adults first? And how many insertions did you do with a mentor? Any particular point of insertion that seems to be the failure point? That would help for giving you advice. W...

Now that I'm old it doesn't happen... not to say people take me seriously now, but at least it's not because I look young. Used to happen all the time! I had pts think I was a first year student, loved to scare them, telling them I was in charge! Y...

I agree with the last posts. Whats so wrong with feeling stupid anyway? You are new at this. I'm concerned that you are creating a self-fullfilling-prophecy, you think you'll screw-up, so you do. Try getting someone to help you with a standard daily...

I think that flushing with the syringe sanwich method is best, as was just said. Saline-med-saline, even though you saline flushed from a bag. The syringe flush gives a more turbulant flush as well as cleaning out the port. Sometimes, if meds are ve...

I think people doing this need to ask themselves more questions than burning out in nursing....little things like: do I want to see my kids, do I want to have any patience with my kids, do I want a sex life, etc, etc! Never seeing family and being t...

I wish my site did use stat-locks (I'm a PICC nurse). There's a lot of data on cost savings, fewer pulled out lines and even less phlebitis using them. The stats on needle injuries suturing are very high. Stat-locks are also available for urinary cat...

You have to flush first if it is a Groshong valve line (eg some PICCs) to activate the valve. Open-end central lines don't need a flush to work, if we have to take blood from a Hemodialysis line we never flush as they can have a high dose of Heparin ...

PICC ACE, where are you placing 2 5fr PICCs? And I mean where in the arm....not where in the world!!! Are you tying up both arms with PICCs or using basilic and cephalic on the same arm? I'm thinking that's a lot of PICC running thru the same subclav...

We also used the term "snow them" in psychiatry. When someone was acutely agitated, we would "snow" them with meds. (I'd say "put them to sleep," but I'd have to explain that I don't mean that in the veterinary sense!) It was shown in many studies th...

I must agree with the replies that say to get to a Dr if this is continuing....I want to add... WALK to the Dr! No I don't really mean walk 12 miles, I mean get some exercise! We all think the last thing we need when we've been on our feet all day i...

In Canada, place PICCs with U/S using Modified Seldinger Technique. Work alone, place 2-3 PICCs a day usually, in-pts and out-pt (Ca Clinic usually). Only work in hospital, Rad has to read x-ray. I only do adults, Rads do the babies and kids. Some Ra...

I think you have covered yourself fine by letting Dr and Cancer people know the situation. However, the chemo nurse should not be giving chemo through this PICC without blood return, regardless of what the Dr says. Did it have blood return initially...

Work out your 2 weeks and...document,document,document! You don't want to be listed as "not for rehire", so work it out unless it's for very dire reasons. If you are concerned with safety issues, make sure you document all calls to Dr, etc, etc. Also...