Levitas BSN, RN

I've been reviewing different vein finding products this morning, and it seems the cheapest route would be a red LED flashlight. The problem with them is, they work better in lower light settings. So you can see the vessel well enough in the dark, bu...

I ended up buying a pretty powerful/compact LED flashlight that has white, and red LED's. It works great! I used it today on a patient with no palpable, or visible (beyond the flashlight) veins, and successfully started her IV. I'm beyond thrilled :)

Lol. Don't worry, I've got thick skin. The idea of using the light/markings is towards those who are difficult sticks. I've only 18 months experience, but I'm pretty proficient at starting IV's. When someone needs an IV, I'm usually first up to vol...

It seems like most of which you wish to learn more about will come simply from experience. Am I correct in assuming that you haven't had orientation yet? If so, you'll likely be paired up with a preceptor, and it's their job to show you the ropes. T...

If I am ever unsure of what is, or isn't compatible, I simply call the Pharmacist. If they're unavailable, I look it up. As others of said, you'll eventually start to memorize what is, and isn't compatible. But until then, use your resources, that's...

I've seen fellow nurses struggle with similar situations. When asked what do to, I always ask them, which decision would you regret less? Will you, a couple of years from now, regret it more if you didn't take the Med-Surg chance? Or would it pain y...

Couple of questions: I know that you need to be in Med-Surg for at least 2 years before taking the test. It doesn't matter that 3 months of those 2 years were orientation, right? Meaning, if I started a Med-Surg job on March 5th, 2 years later on Ma...

I'm willing to wager that a great deal of your experience this last year has indeed stuck, more so than you might realize. I imagine you know medication a great deal more, organization, stress management, the ability to correlate care between all as...

As many of mentioned, this type of anxiety associated with our position is quite common, especially if you're still relatively new. I've been in Med/Surg for about 18 months now, and though my anxiety levels are no where near as high as when I first...

I've been working at my hospital for over a year now. It was great when I started, because there were so many people I went to school with working there as well! Our hospital and school are linked financially, so they tend to hire new grads from our ...

There are always the basics that will likely apply to most patients. Risk of Injury Knowledge Deficit Ability to return to previous living arrangements Some others that could apply to your patient: Infection Risk of infection Nutritional deficit Al...

If you really wanted to do correctional nursing, then go for it. However, I see an advantage of taking the Med/Surg position, and that is, if you didn't like it as much as you originally thought, there (might) be the possibility of transferring to a ...

Nurse glorifying, and nurse cynicism, neither bother me really. Honestly, I think we've earned a bit of glorifying. The idea that what we do every day is thanks enough really is fine with me, but working day to day in a relatively thank-less job, I ...

^^ What should be, and what usually is, varies in almost every environment :) I don't have a problem getting vitals, I just don't like waking up the patient. And the charting, mang. Nurses usually chart their ADL's every other hour, and the techs in...

If I'm doing primary care, yes. If we have a PCT on the floor, I still wait for my vitals to pass meds... Unless they only have something like Protonix, or Insulin. But pain meds, cardiac meds, etc., definitely. In fact, we had to primary 5 patients...

Good, keep vigilant, it will serve you well. After some time, it'll just be another part of your schedule, and you'll handle it no problem. You'll always have nights where objectives are seemingly endless, and piled up, but you'll get through them. ...

That seems to be a growing trend. More work, less staff, big wigs save money, we reap the consequences. Our hospital sometimes has a low enough census where we do total care, vitals, etc. Usually, they'll allow us up to 5 patients to total, but we'v...

I'll draw from a peripheral line if I just inserted it, but only if that person is a ridiculously hard stick. Otherwise, unless a central is present, I just find another vessel. Sorry, patient's.

This is why I love my crew on weekends. We work together, help one another, and we're fair with each other. When I'm charge, and we have equal teams, I generally always volunteer myself for first admit, just because it helps everyone, and I don't mi...

Okay, let me begin by stating that I do not like to complain about my assignment at work. I just don't. I feel like we're here to help people, and my preference of patient should never determine my attitude while taking care of people who need me. T...

If they have antibodies, it takes additional time for the lab, as they have to figure out what those antibodies will attack, and then they have to procure blood that doesn't have said element in it so that we can safely transfuse without a reaction. ...

Not always, but a lot of the time... I find that those patients that are especially needy, or those who expect the call light to be answered immediately, are sometimes placated if their immediate needs are given into within the first couple hours. ...

Is it a HIPAA violation to mention a procedure done? I thought that, in order to violate HIPAA, you needed to reveal patient identifying factors, such as their name, age, address, etc.? Don't worry that some peoples are shocked at your question, reg...

Funny end to this; the patient involved confronted me the night before she went home and said to me: "Hey, you're married? That's too bad, I was gonna flirt." I can't help but think she was being genuine, but she was old enough to be my Mama.

Absolutely!