Scot21t

ER nurse. I walk 7000 to 12000 steps per 12 hour shift. My phone has a step counter in one of its Apps. A couple nurses have actual pedometers and the phone is usually 1000 or so steps behind them. Personally I think these amounts are ridiculous and I would be interested to see how much time is spent standing. How many shifts a nurse doesn't get a meal break or the mandatory labor law 15 minute breaks every 4 hours or how many shifts we don't even get to pee for 12 hours. It is a little painful after a busy day walking to my car than realizing, I didn't pee today..

Unfortunately until the organizations that make these educational programs like TNCC, ACLS, PALS, ATLS & BTLS do not authorize under the license of a doctor to perform the procedures trained during the certification. Example of a tension Pneumo treatment of needle decompression emergently. IV/IO and O2 are simple procedures that are not outside the scope but require an order or protocol even though we do them regularly. What was done was probably appropriate and even if it wasn't 100% correct - you can't kill a dead person. How bout these organizations that provide certificates back them with protocols for procedures to be added to any medical certified profesional willing to perform from protocols emergently. How many medics coming back from service are better than doctors at placing central lines, IO or intubating. Let's use our resources and let the boards of states do something more than just look at professionals with drug issues. Let them decide what is right and wrong as outcomes are changed because medical professionals are getting involved with seriously basic first aid equipment. How many Astmatics or allergic reaction outcomes could be changed because a nurse or EMT gave Epi or albuterol? Awesome job!!!

I have heard this also. My background: fire, rescue and EMS moved to cardiac interventional unit as a RN and now as an emergency room nurse. I envy you nurses who are able to educate. If I place a foley I tell the patient to return for any problems instead of how to fix easy issues. Critical nurses place themselves on the edge of nursing scope of practice and depending on the doctor can be many times during a shift. The most important skill a nurse has is the ability to listen. Every other skill mastered or mastering is helping the body to do the job it was created to do already. Critical care nurses do what I call focused listening. We only hear what we need to take us to the next step in a patient's care. My wife is a pediatric cardiac nurse working both on the step down and ICU. She is not an ICU critical care nurse by her own admittance. She has the skills but not the attitude if I may be so bold. On her step down side she is able to know the patients and family. Shares things about a clinical present that I would never hear in the ER. She sees web pages dedicated to those patients/kids and family which takes me to the other end of nursing that brings forth trouble for us - knowing and sharing information about patients as if we are protecting the nation's secrets and 5 black Expeditions with 20 men/women in black with a HIPPA manual labeled "Bible" dragging us from our home in cuffs and shackles for talking about something posted on the net or a presentation. Some of the patients end up on her unit after ice seen them in the ER for their emergency. Crazy stupid abuse of rules. As for the original point: attitude is everything. Working together to use the strengths of each makes for better patient care and outcomes which is NOT many current office or hospital patient care models being used. Certainly most of you would not be the primary lifting person of a 300lbs person if you weighed 100lbs if some new 200lbs muscle bound nurse was present? My wife left office nursing in some fear she lost "nursing skills". Real nurses aren't the ones who die with the most skills or procedures under their belt. Real nurses care enough to change outcomes to those he/she serves!! Thanks/God bless.

Simple answer is you as a male absolutely need another person with you for the procedure with a female and not because of lots of reasons women nurses on here have stated. Those same females would not want a male nurse doing their urinary cath in the ER. It's a fact. I work it and I know. Many states have requirements on examining those "areas" and patients lie. "He touched me or he raped me" without a witness on your end leaves doubt. Professional to me is protecting each other and whether boy or girl as patient or nurse, double up and have someone with you like a doctor does for the exam. Anything less leaves our profession open for the lying patient statements leaving doubt.

Yup!! It's a killer. Healthcare is so big that a small business person with a dream could not start a hospital. The greed of the established healthcare run systems and political legis causes this possibility to be something like a miracle out of the Bible. But that is what it would take to move that billion dollar mountain to start benefitting our families again. One common sense and out of the box hospital who would seperate the infectious and non infectious patients/visitors and staff. Charge rates based on what the cost is to the persons. Facilitate education to patients and staff. These are a list of items that are easily changed for being cost effective with better patient outcomes. Most are not rocket science. In fact it may be elementary school science for much!!!

I use the smallest needed. Blood goes in just fine in a 22G and if ya think a baby or toddler will take a 20g for blood than you are mistaken. 20g is my most common mostly because is the smallest CT prefers for some studies but again - 22g works well for contrast unless it is for a few tests. Pays to know what the doctor you are serving prefers as well as where they like it. I work ER which they don't care so long as they don't have to do it, PACU nurse and anesthesia docs do have preferences that are good to know.

My first comment and I hope I hit the right button. New kidneys that just had a shock of ABX are probably not filtering well to balance. The extra cellular fluid is being evaporated super quick and his/her fast resp also not helping the NA. However if the child is not symptomatic than continue what ya doing and let things catch up. Adults can loose total renal function from infections so let the kid recover. I am sure r/o of DM was already done. I'm more used to hearing about cardiac kids and adults with these issues and they both take time past R/O DM and sepsis.. God bless