nursejami

My #1: Tiene dolor? (Do you have pain?)

If you have an order from the MD, why would it be illegal...? You're just transcribing the order, just as if he had told you the order over the phone. Now, whether it's against facility policy is another question entirely...

Re: the metoprolol, why was his blood pressure in such a good range? Was it because his BP meds were keeping him there? :) How does he trend? Also, you always want to look at the history. WHY is he taking the metoprolol? For BP management, HR managem...

I floated to ICU after 6 months. I was scared, but felt comfortable as they gave me patients that had orders to be transferred to my floor anyway (just no available beds). After one month, there's no way I would've felt okay doing that.

Bottom line: IT WILL GET BETTER! Speed comes with time and experience. In a month, you'll feel better. In 6 months, you'll feel great! :) You're not alone. I felt the exact same way when I first started as a CNA, and again as an RN. You'll get throu...

Two weeks of "classroom" orientation, random scattered residency classes while orienting on the floor, 4 weeks of floor precepting. I was a tech and LPN on my floor previously also, thank God, because 4 weeks of orientation is ridiculous. Also, I hav...

I don't think I can say anything that hasn't been said. I love being a nurse and couldn't see myself doing anything else. Even on the worst days, I know I've made some sort of difference in someone's day and their health outcome.

Yep. If they're lower, I'll give a bedtime snack. People often drop in the middle of the night...

I think you pretty much cover it! I also work nights, and my typical shift goes something like... Look up orders/vitals/hx Get report Assess patients Obtain vitals from tech Give meds (scheduled and prn) Sign off tele strips Look up more info on pati...

I've heard them called vital carts before...VC?

Working as an RN is not a pipe dream! :) However, you are smart to be realistic! *There ARE shortages. .. just not everywhere. You may need to b relocate after school to get a job. * You probably won't get your dream job right out of school. Peds ...

Stick it out for the year! You'll feel more confident in yourself as a nurse, which will look great for you when you transfer to the new department. It'll also look better on your resume! Trust me, you'll get it down! It just takes time! One day you...

Better safe than sorry, every time!! :)

I think you hit the nail on the head that the patient is probably being charged for the medication. THAT is the biggest issue here, to me.

I was just going to comment "if work doesn't, school will!" I see I'm not alone in that! In addition to the professionalism issue, having extra holes in your face probably won't be very good for your health. If you're planning on working in a germ-f...

1. State you work in: WI 2. Years of experience: 8 mo. 3. Specialty/unit and work setting (clinic, hospital, prison, etc): Med/Surg 4. Hourly Pay (base rate) or salary: $22/hr 5. Differentials (if any): +$3.00 night shift 6. Union?: Noooope

Also: take the opportunity to practice your skills whenever you can! I see so many nurses complain about being bad at IVs/NGs/etc. and then just ask charge to do it. You won't get good if you don't practice. :)

I work in acute care, so my answers are a little specific... Show initiative. If you notice something out of place, fix it (ex: I can't tell you how many times I walk into a room at night to find a patient SCD's are off. I love it when I have a CNA ...

Parental pressure, haha. My parents are very much against loans, and my dad was an alumni of the local community college. In the end, it was worth it because I graduated debt free and am working as an RN while working towards a BSN.

I married an engineer. We're high school sweethearts, so we're a little outside the norm. :)

I don't know how I would feel about this. I'm a newbie, and thank you notes to patients are a weird concept to me. I've only ever worked for one hospital, and this just isn't in our culture. I guess in theory this would just be a new, high-tech way o...

This is what we did. The idea of also printing it on the program is a great one. I'm not sure if my dad really got to hear my thank you as we were both more concerned with him not stabbing me with the pin! It would have been nice to also have it in ...

The director of our lab actually lists this as rationale for wiping away the first drop of blood (in addition to alcohol contamination). The trauma caused by fingerstick causes the first drop to be contaminated with extracellular fluid. The glucose i...

Here in Wisconsin we're booming! My hospital has been at full capacity for weeks, which is so unusual for this time of year!

When I was in school, we were told to start applying a few months before graduation. Many hospitals go through hiring cycles around the end of semesters. If you wait until you pass the NCLEX, you will likely miss the hiring cycle. However, my only ex...