Simonesays

I am actually curious: what is the objection to wearing a mask in public? As a general rule, we do things or don't do things all the time that are in the interest of public health and safety. Granted, covid-19 is a novel virus and our understanding of it is evolving. However, if the current evidence supports wearing face masks to prevent transmission, why is it so unacceptable to wear one?

Firstly, CONGRATS on your new baby boy! You are amazing for being pregnant and giving birth during this pandemic. I can't imagine how stressful that must have been. I agree with the other posters that have said to take the extra time with your baby. I was lucky to be able to take extra time when my baby was born and I am so happy that I was able to do that. I got to see many of his first milestones and the bonding time we had together was incredible. To be honest, even if you change to an ambulatory surgery environment, there is no guarantee that you won't be interacting with covid-positive patients. Plus you might not be given the same PPE that you would be given in a higher risk environment. Furthermore, if things continue to worsen in Texas, elective surgeries might be cancelled. I hope that you don't feel guilty for whatever decision you choose to make. It's going to be the right one for you and your family. I hope that you and your family stay safe.

I think that the initial question as to whether or not protests (specifically the protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd) will lead to a spike in corona virus cases is a fairly innocuous-seeming question on the surface. However, it is also a very political question (as evidenced by many of these responses). And maybe it is being asked on the forum now because the number of people attending these protests compared to the number of people attending the lockdown protests is far greater and pose a seemingly greater public health risk. But is it the question arising from these protests that we should be debating? I believe that there is an urgency to protest the racial injustices that we see occurring on a daily basis in this country. We have video of a murder evidencing that this is an issue that can't wait. Unlike the fact that states will reopen, there is no such guarantees that racial inequality will change. I would argue that if it isn't protested now, it will only get worse. In general, I think the consensus from epidemiologists has been that there is a risk that Coronavirus will spread with any sort of large gathering where people are in close proximity to one another. I don't know what type of official response people are hoping for who are upset? There have already been curfews. And the CDC is encouraging protestors to get tested for Covid. Just as the anti-lockdown protestors have been allowed to exercise their first amendment right, so have the BLM protestors.

To be honest, I find it hard to answer this question without acknowledging and discussing the reasons as to why the protests are happening. I think it seems likely that instances of Covid-19 will increase as a result of the protests. However, that is essentially acknowledging that I believe large gatherings of people in close proximity to one another helps spread this disease. Respectfully, in order to have a more meaningful discussion, this can't be a closed question. It needs to be stated why these protests are occurring. The protests are a response to the overt and systemic racial injustices that affect POC on a daily basis. As a nation, we watched the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by police officers for the alleged crime of using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. We watched the entire arrest, which he didn't resist. We watched as he repeatedly stated he couldn't breathe. We watched as he called out "mama". We watched as he lay on the ground lifeless and not one of the police officers administered any sort of medical care despite the pleas of bystanders to check on him. We watched all of it. In this instance, the reason as to why people are gathering together and risking spreading Covid-19 matters. It matters because George Floyd's death came after Breonna Taylor's. And Ahmaud Arbery's. And Philando Castile's. And Sandra Bland's. And Tamir Rice's. And many many others. It matters because the disease that we are so fearful of catching and spreading (because it is an absolutely horrible disease) disproportionately has been affecting POC. And why is that? The reasons for these protests matters a whole lot. People (myself included) are knowingly taking a risk gathering together to protest because we feel so strongly that the injustices that are occurring are so horrific that they pose a grave threat to our society.

I'm going to admit that I was very ignorant when Covid-19 first became a news story. I also thought that it was being overblown. I likened it to one of the storm warnings that never happens. I was horribly wrong. There are lots of articles written about how comparing Covid-19 to the flu is problematic. There are numerous articles detailing why Covid-19 is different and more challenging to manage. There are first hand accounts from intensivists who have never seen anything like this in their 30-year careers. However, I don't think posting links to these things is going to change the mind of anyone who still thinks the two are alike. I work on a covid unit in NYC. I can imagine that living somewhere less impacted by this disease makes it hard to imagine what it might be like in a hard-hit area. All I will say is that It is truly awful. I'm not going to expand on this because I won't be able to say anything new about this situation that hasn't been better said by someone else. Maybe it's challenging to remember that the numbers associated with this disease are people. And they aren't all elderly people or young people with chronic health conditions who are dying or getting seriously ill (side note: I hate that this is used as a means to minimize the impact of this disease). It could be any of us. I'm sure the economic devastation or social isolation of Covid-19 seems more threatening than the disease itself to people living outside of hotspots. While these things are also awful, they can become so much worse if this disease infiltrates these places. I honestly hope that for these people, coronavirus is the storm warning that isn't as bad as its built up to be. Because it's terrifying to find yourself in a hurricane.

Mine were impacted so I had sedation. I woke up after they were removed and thought I was at work. Apparently, I was trying to get up (half asleep) and do rounds on my (imaginary) patients. I had some minor discomfort after the surgery (4 teeth removed) and only had to take one dose of my Dilaudid (uhh... side note: Dilaudid?!?) I didn't have bruising or much bleeding. However, I was a little grossed-out by flushing the gaping holes where my teeth used to be so that food wouldn't be trapped in them.

You might have experienced "bullying" if you made a post on AN with a title such as, "Fired for a mistake that wasn't my fault" or "I'm brand new and I know more than my preceptor" or "The ICU is so boring for a new grad." Just joking, just joking! We do like to give these kinds of posters a hard time, though.

Yes yes yes! Well said! Another benefit to these types of safe injection sites are that they enable health care professionals to interact with marginalized populations that can be notoriously difficult to reach. Relationships are formed and trust is established. As others have mentioned, other interventions (wound care, social assistance- i.e. housing, infection treatments, etc) can be initiated in facilities that offer a multi-faceted health care approach. I am inclined to believe that people who have a problem with these types of harm reduction interventions believe that drug addiction is a choice people are making, and not a disease. As a comparison, to a certain extent, some forms of diabetes are preventable. However, it doesn't have the same amount of blame and stigma that surrounds drug addiction. When a type 2 diabetic is newly diagnosed, they generally don't get berated for ignoring their elevated H1C levels and failing to adjust their diet and exercise habits. As a general rule, they are simply prescribed medications (along with advice pertaining to diet and lifestyle modifications) that treat their disease. It's harder to be compassionate for someone who we believe has full autonomy of their decisions but continues to engage in bad ones. And I know (I know!) that the substances the drug-addicted population consume are illegal (unless prescribed- and then abused). So my comparison is flawed. But I believe that if we could change the perception of drug addiction, we would have more of an inclination to address it, and we would come up with better methods (and funding) for doing so.

You might be beyond this site (in terms of your EKG skills) but it's kind of fun: Free ECG Simulator! - SkillSTAT

Good lord! Some of this advice seems a little bit unsafe. Please don't walk 15 miles in a snow-storm to get to a job paying you less than minimum wage. That being said, as others mentioned, you could have tried to work with your employer to come up with a solution. It seems like you were only doing the job for the patient hours, however, and you weren't too into it to begin with. If you were already thinking about quitting, your employer saved you from having to make this decision. Focus on school. In terms of a supplementary part-time job, sometimes, the relevant experience isn't always the best experience. If it's money you need, work somewhere that pays you better. And maybe spend some of your time trying to find scholarships or bursaries. There are quite a few out there! As someone else mentioned, though, this is a particularly sensitive topic for nurses. We work in a field where we are highly dependent on the colleagues we work with: to show up on time, to do the job to the best of their abilities, to work together to provide patient care. In some settings, people's lives depend on us. When we have to work short-staffed, or stay late, or come in early, we are not working optimally. We are more tired and stressed, worried that our patients are the ones who are suffering. Weather, illnesses, family stuff: of course these things happen. And in an ideal world staffing would be sufficient to accommodate these things. But, unfortunately, it often isn't. So sometimes (reasonably or not) we get upset at the colleague who calls out in a snow-storm that we have prepared for. Because that means that we have to work that much harder to compensate for their absence. And our jobs are usually already crazy enough as it is. You said you aren't going into nursing. What field are you going into? If you are going to work in a health-care environment, just be mindful of the above.

As others have said, you didn't do anything wrong. Yes- you could have kept the doc in the loop a bit more by letting him know his colleague would take care of the script for discharge but since you thought they were working together, and were communicating about these things, this likely would not have occurred to you. This is part of being new and figuring out the inner-workings of your hospital. I also have been yelled at a few times by MDs. One was over the phone and I will take some of the responsibility for it (a long story but essentially I was pestering the doc- in the name of pt advocacy- and didn't realize he was in the middle of a surgery). However, that was also a systems problem and there should have been someone covering his service while he was undertaking an 8+ hour surgery. Another memorable incident was with an attending who felt I should not have called an RRT for a patient with new onset uncontrolled afib and desaturation (with cyanosis!). The MD was on the floor at the time (I had alerted him to my assessment findings prior to calling the RRT) and he tore a strip off of me in front of everyone (i.e. Do you know who I am, I can manage this episode, etc). I calmly explained to him that an RRT was a nursing resource (true) and that as a newer RN I wanted the support of experienced staff with critical care backgrounds who could help me care for the patient (true). I wasn't questioning any of his orders but he seemed to take my initiative as an indication of this. I later found out that a nurse had recently called a code on a patient he was attempting to manage on the floor (I was on a med-surg, not critical care floor at this time) and he seemed to be deeply insecure about this. His outrage at me didn't change the fact that I felt I made the right call for my patient at that time. And if I was in the same situation now, I would do it again. Remind yourself that this episode had more to do with the MD than it did with you. Yelling at a coworker is not acceptable behaviour and should not be tolerated. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. As others have said, find a way to deal with this behaviour that works for you and your personality. Unfortunately, we work in stressful environments and chances are it will happen to you again at some point in your career. It's a human response to be upset that you were yelled at and I felt the same way in both episodes I mentioned. However, don't let this interaction shake your confidence in your capacity as a nurse.

I don't disagree with the premise that nursing staffing ratios are unsafe in many institutions within the US. A united voice begets power and can effect positive change (go unions!). However, the OP didn't phrase his concerns in this manner. Instead, he made inflammatory comments about an entire gender. He failed to recognize the way his own privilege and experiences as a male differ from that of his female colleagues and how these differences might shape our actions. And furthermore, he didn't offer any helpful suggestions as to how we as nurses can amass together and use our power to wield positive change. His divisive comments seem to serve no purpose other than to offer him a chance to make a sexist and insulting rant. (Hmm... who else does this sound like?) If the OP is dissatisfied with his working conditions and wants to improve them, he should start by doing his homework. He should look into how states like California were able to create mandated nurse to patient ratios and build upon that idea. He should talk to his colleagues and listen to what they have to say. Chances are, some of them already have some ideas in relation to this topic.

Wow!! I wish I could like this post more than once. This is such a thoughtful, well-written, and helpful post. I couldn't say it better and I couldn't agree more.

So sorry for you loss. That's terrible that they lost his DNR papers. A big yikes! My thoughts are with you and your family.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you and your family. It takes a lot of courage to be able to be present for a loved one as they are passing away and it sounds like you guys gave him a beautiful last couple of days. I teared up reading your post. Hugs to you and your family.