Buckeye.nurse

That's crazy Emergent!! I can't believe the medical staff doesn't have the various codes covered during their orientation. Code blue seems universal, but some of the other codes vary from state to state. For instance, Code grey was also used for a ...

The "Q" word is right up there with bored. Neither are allowed to be spoken during a shift!

I agree with Klone. The place you worked doesn't sound typical (or safe) TexasLVN. My employer has a policy/procedure database with a clear link on our intranet. You can view the policies from the default settings, or log in and save your most use...

Thank you so much for the article link, Neats. "How Doctors Die" is a truly eye opening essay.

There has already been some great advice given. I'd just like to add that, at least in my line of nursing--hematology, often times patients are grumpy, gruff, upset, or anxious because of underlying fear. They're scared out of their minds and have ...

I don't think that the 2 week notice has gone out of practice at all. Like a few previous posters, I've only left a handful of jobs (I've resigned a total of 2 times in my career). The first was my CNA job at a nursing home. They knew, months befo...

I agree with all of the previous posters about monetary donations. One unit that I worked on had a significant number of homeless patients on a regular basis. We noticed that social work generally would drop off scrubs and flip-flops if clothing wa...

Is there a nurse educator who manages your orientation? Do you meet with a manager to discuss your progress at set points during orientation? I'm a bit worried that you are at week 4 of 6 and only taking half an assignment. Do you work 12 hour or ...

Just my 2 cents on delegation of vital signs. The PCA (patient care assistant/associate) is responsible for the *work* delegated. IE. they were checked off in central orientation on the actual task, then checked off again during orientation on the ...

I know nurses who have taken both the AMSN and the ANCC med-surg certification exams. From what I've heard, the AMSN focuses more on body systems and disease processes, while the ANCC has questions related to delegation, collaboration, ethics, patie...

Many years ago when I worked on a general med-surg unit, we had a psych patient on our floor who was a medical hold until a bed opened up at the psych care facility. He was convinced that he was a rapper, and was furious at us for keeping him from h...

Thank you for sharing your story Ruby Vee! I too was in an abusive relationship in my younger years. I went to the same ER 3 times for injuries (twice for a severely bleeding nose that I thought was broken, and once for a broken hand). I was never...

Many (think hundreds) of potentially serious or life threatening medication errors occur at hospitals across the country yearly. They are often related to IV pump programming. Most of us would question giving 100 pills...and would call the pharmacist...

I'm so glad you made it through your illness alright. Yes, everyone should get the flu vaccine!! In addition to the Leukemia and Lymphoma website, cancer.net also offers excellent advice to cancer patients regarding the flu and vaccination-- How to ...

I work in the hematology-oncology world. Most of our patients have central lines, but occasionally they have PIV's. We use the peripheral IV as much as we possibly can for blood draws, especially since many of our patients are difficult to access, ...

This reminds me of a book on my to read list : "Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult. It's quite sad that a situation such as this is still happening outside of fiction. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

I believe almost all of the NPs at my facility were RNs in oncology before finishing school. At least a few of them worked in the outpatient clinic though, so I think either outpatient or inpatient RN jobs are viable for the experience you seek. I...

I second everything Sour Lemon said. At my current facility, there is a visitor/staff/non-patient ERT we can call for any non-patient who needs medical attention. We can then begin first aid, v/s check, blood glucose check (there is an emergency vi...

This post is a few months old, but I just got the nicest compliment from a patient this past week. She's been a nurse at another large hospital for many years. She told me that when she is well, she wants to apply for a position on our floor becaus...

The above tips are great. Know the experience and background of your orientee. The expected orientation schedule of a new grad is much different than that of an experienced nurse (16 weeks vs. 8 weeks at my employer). There's also a difference bet...

This is identical to our hypoglycemia protocol. We also have a prn accu-check order that is entered with the admission order set on all of our diabetic patients. This lets the nurse obtain an accu-check whenever and however often she/he feels is ne...

We have yearly peer to peer evaluations as part of our performance evaluation. There's a few key differences from the format currently being suggested on your unit that are worth pointing out. 1) Our reviews are not anonymous. As many others hav...

Here's a short video from the Oncology nurses society that outlines what is known about hazardous drugs and reproductive health. There is a reference list at the end of the video if you want to do more research. Knowledge is power. :) https://www.o...

Hello YoBee, Sorry for taking a few days to respond to your post. I don't get on Allnurses every day. The resource nurses are part of our float pool, and our nursing supervisors try very hard to staff 2 resource nurses around the clock. It doesn't...

I've had many a dream when I worked night shift (and slept at night on days off), where I would sit bolt upright in bed, panicking that I hadn't checked on my patients in awhile. Probably the craziest dream I had occurred while I still worked in pedi...