edimo

In a research study conducted by the University of British Columbia in Canada, half of the ICU nurses and 27% of Doctors surveyed (1,400 participants) considered quitting their jobs over moral distress. Full article can be found here: Doctors and nurses working with critically ill patients suffer moral distress, research finds Working with acutely ill patients is emotionally, mentally, physically and ethically taxing on most days. I have been in situations where there is a disconnect between the family and medical team or even the family and the patient over plan of care, and we as nurses are left between a rock and a hard place. But we can also help to facilitate these conversations. Conversations that should be happening with patients well in advance (if possible) and if not, making sure POA's are actually acting in the best interest of the patient. Have you been in situation that has caused you moral distress?

This is true at my workplace. When the higher ups started posted boards on the units with the incidents of "near misses" on the units, we (nurses) gave them feedback. Why? Because patients and families would stop and be like "what's that supposed to mean?!" and you started to have this culture of fear and non-accountability. So we changed the wording around to reflect a more positive tone and one that encourages people to report incidents and near misses and it actually worked. Now patients and families are aware that we're on "the look out" (so to speak) and they feel safer. As for the nurse that hung the wrong fluids, I would have just pointed it out to her.

I'm also a second degree student. I almost didn't attend my graduation and changed my mind at the last minute. I'm glad that I went. It gave me a sense of closure and was a really nice way to celebrate with my fellow nursing students/friends. I don't regret my decision.

When I was in high school, I took only the needed math and science requirements and didn't pursue it further and didn't think I would need it for the area I wanted to get into. Fast forward a few years and guess what...I wanted a change and wanted to pursue a nursing career. So I went back and did night school. I thought it would be awkward but it wasn't since the class was very diverse in terms of ages and whatnot. I think you'll have no problem with ILC or night class and it's probably way cheaper than doing a pre-health course. And I doubt that preference is given to high school; as long as the marks are there and hey, your life experience may even be an asset since you really know what you want to do now. Good luck with everything!

Since when have nurses been placed on this rather high moral pedestal and subjected to scrutiny and judgement? Last time I checked, I didn't have to pass a physical course to become a nurse. We leave those things to police officers and firemen who actually need good physical abilities to do their jobs properly. It is ridiculous to think that a person should not have any bad habits. We all cope with stress in different ways and nurses are unique in that we care for people professionally but probably do the same thing at home in one capacity or another.

Canadian Registered Nurse Exam Canadian Practical Registered Nurse Exam

It depends on the province that you're in. You'll have to look specifically at the college of nurses' website for your province and find out. For example, in Ontario they say you are not eligible for another exam after three attempts. Whereas in BC, permission must be granted from the college for a fourth or subsequent exam writing. Good luck to you.

You might be better off investing in orthotics. I have flat feet as well and it was becoming more and more painful getting through my shifts; felt the pain start in the foot, move to my ankles, progressed to my shins. Finally, I had had enough and went to my dr for a referral. After getting custom made orthotics, it was a little bit painful adjusting in the beginning but after two months or so, the difference was amazing! I'm still wearing them 2 1/2 years later.

Constant observer Nursing resource pools in my area hire a ton of students to work as sitters while in nursing school

I doubt they would make calls during the weekend. I wrote a few years back (3 years ago) and received my letter on July 13; I live in Toronto. My best guess is that they will follow the same type of timeline and everyone will have found out by the 2nd-3rd week of this month.

Ah, first day of nursing school...the only time we'll be seeing her running with excitement to class. We'll be pulling her out of bed come tomorrow

As Fiona59 mentioned, the 3% should be a regular part of your pay check. As for the insurance, if you are a member of a nursing union (ie ONA), they supply insurance for you. Other nursing associations, such as RNAO also offer liability insurance. I guess it depends on what province you're in...

If you coil the cord and then secure it, you'll have less of a tripping hazard on the floor to deal with. For those patients up and about, I tell them it's just like any other appliance in your house that needs to be recharged...if you're stationary, plug it in! If they forget the first few times, no biggie...I'll track down the beeping "low batt" pump, but soon enough, they catch on

With each round of chemo, orders are submitted into the med admin software program and re-evaluated by a physician and pharmacist before proceeding. The software will give a better tally of how much has been given and eliminates paper flow sheets which can get lost, may be inaccurate, and may not depict the whole picture.

Your guidance counselor would be an excellent resource on what courses you need to take to apply and to also help with the application process when the time comes

Float pools are their own unique challenge since you're being sent everywhere and it's hard to keep tabs on people. When I used to be in the float pool where I work, I was also the union rep. Is there a union rep where you are? I would frequently liaison with our union president and then we would sit down with our manager to address the concerns of the float team. Most of the time, this would have positive outcomes.

It's very common among new nurses (myself included) to feel guilty for saying no when called in during off times..but you come to learn that you need to take care of yourself first, otherwise it's going to affect your normally scheduled shifts. I hardly answer the phone when work calls and they leave a voicemail. If I actually want to work it, I'll call them back.

I am shocked and appalled that such a unit rule exists in the first place with no resistance. I don't even know your friend (my condolences to her and her family) and I'm getting angry. The shock and overwhelming grief of losing a loved one suddenly is horrible enough but to be written up for missing work because of it? Absolutely absurd and heartless! Is there a union present? If so, contact them immediately. If not, HR should be contacted. And while we're add it, why not contact the Nursing Director to see if this rule about having "ONE write up in a year = no transfer" changed. It's doing nothing for morale.

Haha we still call amphotericin "amphoterrible" mainly due to the effects on the kidney and liver...and we also still use ribavirin for RSV. We had an outbreak last summer of RSV and it could not have ended soon enough lol

I stumbled across this thread a while ago and my goodness, it took quite some time to get through all 113 pages but so worth it!! I have enjoyed everyone's contributions. So I have 2 stories; one nursing and one non-nursing... 1. Another fellow colleague told me this story and it takes place in our present workplace, a cancer centre. There was a young lad who underwent chemo treatment and his mother would stay with him all the time. There came a point where he was ready to be discharged home. He told his mom to go home and get some rest since he would be leaving the next day and would be alright. He also assured the night staff that he would be fine for the night and that he would be turning in early since he was exhausted from all the discharge teaching/planning/starting to pack his things. He also had pictures displayed in the room but had not yet taken any of those down. At some point during the night, he cut (or pulled?) his central line and bled out. But before he did, he made sure to flip over all of the pictures in his room so they wouldn't get messed up. When the nursing staff went into his room in the morning, they found him lifeless and there was blood everywhere...some described it as a scene from a horror movie. As you can imagine, all of the nurses were shaken up and they did not admit anyone into that room until some time had passed. The first patient to be admitted into the room complained of seeing a shadow in the corner and the images of turned over pictures against the wall with blood spattered everywhere. The staff dismissed it...at first. But it kept happening over and over to other patients that they had no choice but to call in a priest and bless the room. ? 2. Some time after my grandma died, I went to the cemetery to spend some time there. Problem was, her funeral was in November and I was going to visit in spring time...I had an idea of where her marker was but not exactly. As I was driving to the spot, I just stopped my car at one point...and then for no explainable reason, edged up a little further. I got out and walked around a huge area looking in the grass for her name....finally I found it and it turns out it was in a direct path to where my car was. It was a sunny day...I started talking to nana and got upset at one point. With the sun still shining, it started to rain and lasted for a few mins. I knew then that she could hear what I was saying and was with me.

We also usually infuse over 3 hours typically and always use an alaris pump as well. Anything over 4 hours and there's an increased risk of lysis or bacterial proliferation.

Me last week: "Mr. X dropped his bar of soap six times in the shower this morning...where does he think he is? Prison?"

Wait a minute...so someone who has a PICC would have to be poked anyways for a blood draw? Why?! At my facility, we use PICCs quite a bit and we normally do not flush prior to blood draw, waste 6 ml, and flush with 10 ml of saline if line is in active use. Add in heparin flush if it's not which is in a pre-filled syringe (pharmacy supplies it to us, not in Pyxis). Caps changed every 4 days but also with blood cultures

That's a slippery slope you're on...one day you're omitting information to patients and the next you're doing who knows what. We are professionally obligated to self report or report on others when there's been a clear incident involving patient safety...receiving wrong medication definitely falls within that category