NurseyB

NurseyB has 3 years experience and specializes in progressive care, cardiac step-down.

Latest Activity

1. Asked about citizenship during triage

   NurseyB replied to inshallamiami's topic in General Nursing

   I may be wrong, but I think this might be one of the questions on the Ebola risk screening questionnaire. A "no" would prompt more questions about travel, family members with whom you've have contact, etc. Even though the rate of infections is waaaay...

2. RN Program Combined ALL Classes into One Class, HELP!

   NurseyB replied to HeatheRND's topic in General Students

   My ADN program did this, and I actually liked it because it puts everything in context. Instead of learning pathophys, management, and pharm separately, we did it all together by disorder. Learning about beta blockers is much easier when you have a g...

3. What is the Registered Nurse Patient Ratio at your hospital?

   NurseyB replied to LinenP's topic in General Nursing

   ICU. 1:2 is normal, we'll flex to 1:3 on occasion if we're short, and usually 1 or 2 of those will have transfer orders waiting for a bed, or be likely to transfer within 24 hours. 1:1 for CRRT, targeted temperature management, ARDS requiring prone p...

4. What is the grossest thing that's happened to you???

   NurseyB replied to PrincessAlexis's topic in General Nursing

   As a new grad I had a pt that needed to be straight Cathed. I'd never done it, but had placed plenty of Foleys so I thought I'd be ok. I wasn't. Face full of urine. I was giving PO acetylcysteine (mucomyst) to a pt pre cardiac cath. I injected air i...

5. Any advice on must haves for nursing school

   NurseyB replied to msheather413's topic in Pre-Nursing

   Get a decent stethoscope. It doesn't need to be top of the line, but you need decent acoustics to learn to differentiate between normal and abnormal lung sounds and heart tones. I started with the Littmann Classic II, have since upgraded but know ma...

6. When patients keep calling 911

   NurseyB replied to JJ the crit RN's topic in Relations

   My facility has it set up so 911 calls from inside lines go to in-house security, which includes fully qualified police officers who carry weapons. They place the call to fire or city police dept if the issue warrants intervention, and they get a goo...

7. Controversial Patient Odors in Nursing

   NurseyB replied to TheCommuter's topic in General Nursing

   I think the "fat people smell" that you refer to is the yeasty odor that is found in the skin folds. It is a different smell than what is found in the underarm and peri areas (hot spots). An obese person and a person with a healthy BMI can be equally...

8. Serum bicarb - CO2?

   NurseyB replied to brit_RN_'s topic in Critical

   thank you for explaining this so simply. It's one of those things I "knew" but could never articulate. 👍🏻

9. High dose insulin for Beta blocker OD

   NurseyB replied to beckster_01's topic in Critical

   I'm still fairly new, and have never seen this therapy used, but I think q15 titration needs a 1:1 if it's primary nursing. If you have techs that can check the sugars and report to you, it may be reasonable to have a second pt, provided that the OD ...

10. Nurses who don't have the "passion"

    NurseyB replied to My_toe_sis's topic in General Nursing

    Like many PPs, I chose nursing for stability and a living wage. After graduating with a liberal arts degree in a crappy economy, I needed something that I could do quickly (2 year ASN), that would allow me to be financially independent. The first cou...

11. CVP/ BP and mechanical ventilation

    NurseyB replied to lmarti10's topic in Critical

    I'll take a stab in the dark, though I may be wrong. Just thinking out loud here... For CVP, they are probably taking more, and shallower breaths (due to pain and the loss of ventilatory support), which is going to decrease intrathoracic pressure. Be...

12. Did a low test grade discourage you?

    NurseyB replied to dominiquejade's topic in General Students

    My worst two tests in school were cardiac (76) and respiratory (80). I passed boards first try, spent three years working telemetry, passed the Progressive care and cardiac medicine certification exams first try, and now work in ICU. Trust me, it doe...

13. Experienced nurse - new to MSICU

    NurseyB posted a topic in Critical

    I have 3 years of progressive care experience, with the last year and a half on a very high acuity cardiac step down unit at a large teaching hospital in a fairly large metro area. I will be transferring to the MSICU in a few weeks, and I'm wondering...

14. Nervous about night shift

    NurseyB posted a topic in Stress 101

    I am starting a new job in a few weeks, and I am really nervous about going to night shift (7p-7a). I'm very much a morning person, and I started my career on days for about a year and a half, and then rotated day/evening for a year and a half. I'm g...

15. Funny & Cute Things Our Demented Patients Say

    NurseyB replied to TheCommuter's topic in Geriatric

    96 yo F with advanced dementia wouldn't take her pills from the new grad I was orienting because she needed to ask her mother first. I advised the nurse to tell her something along the lines of "these medicines are to help you be healthy, I know my m...