elizadream

Right on, girl! I like what you said, I'll keep that in my database :)

Haha, great comeback! Sorry it took so long to get back!

Ah, yes, those little nurses that shroud their hostile, suckfull comments during report! I caught one in the act of throwing my coworker under the bus one morning. As she was giving report to me she immediately started telling how the previous nurse "never even bothered to bring up a DNR " and SHE had to be the one to initiate it. In the report she was insinuating the previous nurse was being lazy and not addressing the real issue! I know my coworker was busting her a$$ all day to stabilize the patient yet it seems the night shift nurse still wanted to find fault. She and the other night shift nurse made a big stink about it and reported this nurse to the supervisor. I called this nurse out right then and there, defended my coworker. She then tried to backpedal saying the FAMILY had been the one to wonder why the nurse hadn't approached them about DNR. I felt good about calling her out and told my boss it was sheer professional jealousy. Those 2 night shift nurses knew I had caught them being unprofessional and I wasn't backing' down!

Thank You for the reply and rationale.

Get your estrogen patch on, STAT!

Patients don't want to be turned after surgery so you must first medicate to ease the move. Lifting is an every day occurrance in my unit requiring at least 2 staff members and using modified trendelenburg (you may also use a Hoyer lift). The morbid obese patients require alot of staff to reposition so you need to have a strong back to work in ICU!The transferring and accompanying patients to Cat Scans/MRI's or to to step down units are the worse on your back! So you are required to be strong!

CLOTH tape

The report is now called 'SBAR' -Situation,Background,Assessment, Recommendations-that's how your report should flow to anyone involved in your patient care and is now required for Joint Commission. Since we are in a critical care forum, SBAR is expected from you and is being encouraged. It just keeps you focused on what is important. eliza

If it's a sudden cardiac or neuro event, the patient's family needs time to digest and accept the events that are unfolding. But regardless of how YOU feel, it's the family's decision-sometimes there is money involved-a government check maybe, or a family disagreement-but I have found regardless of how YOU, the nurse feels, It doesn't matter, and you are to continue on with what the FAMILY wants.

Languishing through your story was like reading "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" except you gave it a decent ending.

You may be right! There was a case in my own ICU where an 81 yr old man , after exhausive tests, was HIV +

I want to tell you I was a "full grown woman" (>35yo) when I ventured over to Nursing after being a Respiratory Therapist for 4 yrs.- and the first year of nursing was HORRIBLE. It was so demanding and demeaning! You must have a THICK skin to survive the abuse and a QUICK brain to prevent errors. You know that if anything happens, the NURSE is responsible for EVERYTHING! Go to your ICU or ER/ PACU/ Nursery/ and see if you can hang out with a nice nurse to see if that may be your place. Being that you are young, you may find a more satisfying (decent) career that will fulfill you and make you happy in your life.

"If your friends work somewhere else (the floor especially) the degree of intensity is so different that it's not necessary to compare yourself to them. In six months you'll know so much more than them about gtts, vents, codes. YOU'LL be the one they look to when their patients are crashing." Oh, so you don't think that floor nurses caring for 10 patients have any idea about "DEGREE OF INTENSITY"...so what about gtts (u don't have to figure it out any more..smart pumps..:-{ ) codes..all your coworkers help..YOU're not THE HERO. THE FLOOR NURSE IS USUALLY BY HERSELF with 5 other pts...when one of her pts. codes...they don't have the luxury of tele monitoring.. try a stent at being FLOATED up to a FLOOR and see how YOU will be be the one looking to THEM to help YOU! Eliza, rn ccrn

I think the post was for us peons..RN's...of course YOU would be happy ..GTO:yeah:

Thank you for some ammunition to post in my unit's "lunch room". Eliza

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was working a Christmas eve when 2 male family members came in demanding to look at their mother's chart. The pt was an elderly bed bound female with gross gangrenous bilateral lower extremities and was living at home with family members. Ems brought her into our ER. Upon admission, she was sent to CT due to AMS. During the scan a "mayday" was called. She came to our ICU where the verbal violence broke out. The 2 sons (both with etoh on their breath) started yelling at me to let them see the mayday record. One of them had a cane and was jabbing it in the air towards me. I called a code yellow and some male staff members from pharmacy arrived. Then the so called security came in and could not control them. I finally called 911 and one cop arrived...when the abusers saw the cop, they were apologetic and started saying they were just emotional, esp. since it was Christmas time, blah, blah, and were sorry. I was not fired and the incident was never brought up-not even by my manager. NO ONE IN UPPER MANAGEMENT EVER QUESTIONED ME! I lost a lot of faith in humanity that Christmas- Eliza

I liked that expression "johnnies" for hospital gowns-never heard it before-but I'm gonna say it to my New Englander friend at work to see if she gets it. She likes to tell all her friends that she is from Conn. and NOT from SouthKakalaki! I think the male pts. would rather us call the gowns johnnies than gowns. Very colonial sounding.

Rebz, you are so right. My husband is involved in simulation programs for medical care and he says it's the geeks's lack of "human factor". I have to say it's getting better here but they post in the lunch area each employee's percentile of correctly scanning for the world to see. It still takes alot longer but Admin. doesn't care cause they want Magnet status.

You sound like you are very patient, and unspoiled nurse. You've got what it takes, iheart, keep going..... Eliza

Sounds like ya gotta little crush....enjoy! Eliza

"How are the patients? Is it a real busy ICU or are the patients not that sick. What types of trauma do they see? " The sickest of the sick, honey chile'. Come on down we need your expertise! Eliza

In my L & D rotation, a c-section baby was delivered and brought over to have apgars checked, and was found cyanotic and listless-then the Rn's discovered that the flowmeter was off the whole time. Eliza

Initially, I address my pts. as "Mr. or Mrs" but after that, especially if they are elderly, I will address them as "Miss Betty", or "Mr. Sam". This is a Southern way of expressing respect to them as being older and is an acceptable form of greeting in the South. Eliza

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Tora, Our hosp just went with Mckesson for Admim for meds..everything is scanned and most of the time it doesn't work..IT SUX ..Your patient care IS GONE cause you are fixated on your COMPUTER! YOUR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES JUST SEE NURSES LOOKING AT COMPUTERS NOT REALIZING THEY ARE TRYING TO COMPREHEND DOCUMENTATION. but they are right that patient care has been forfeited