worldsoulrn

Gotta love these boards! I have followed this hot topic with great interest from Oregon. A very good discussion on pain management indeed. "As a result of her own personal experience with pain management, Senator Joan Dukes sponsored Senate Bill 885. It requires nurses, physicians, naturopaths, chiropractors, physician's assistants, and psychologists to receive pain management continuing education credits in conjunction with one license renewal cycle." (By time frames indicated in accordance with the bill's implementation date, 1-1-06) http://www.osbn.state.or.us/OSBN/pain_management.shtml This is great news coming from a State that had no CE requirements for nurses to retain licenses. " Inadequate pain relief is a recognized public health problem in Oregon and across the nation." OSBN I have noted the resources listed in your posts: JCAHO, National Hospice Organization, American Society of Pain Mgt., International Pain Society, WHO, HPNA, Pain Mgt. Manual by Margo McCaffery, Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, various web sites http://www.Juneauempire.com, http://www.capitalhospice.org, http://www.silencetovoice.com, http://www.pathology2.jhu, http://www.americanradioworks.pub Each and every one of these posts from experienced nurses have provided me with valuable insight. I can take all the CE classes and read all the available literature and not get this type of hands on, been there, done that education. I applaud all of you and if I ever become terminally ill I will e-mail each and every one of you and invite you to be my care giver. I'd like to invite earle58 to tackle my doctors after I line her out with my wishes. Katallic, I hope to see the latest information from JCAHO posted ASAP as I'm not a member and it will take me a while to figure out that system. I'm not sure I have the time available for the Tele. Conferences and the purchases are spendy. Do you know if JCAHO publishes free literature? _________________________ The Journey Is The Reward

I'm sorry you feel insulted. Listening, assessing needs, empathy, teaching, and smiles are all important for the hospice patient. That is clarified well in your last post. You have received some good feedback. Don't be discouraged by some of the responses you read on the board. Posts are generally kept short and sometimes it is difficult to read between the lines. "See you in the funny papers!" :) That is, if you'll visit ME there. ________________________________ The Journey Is The Reward

"Remember that life's little things are always more important than they at first appear." "The Journey is The Reward"

Hi CapeCodMermaid, We too wondered why our residents returned from the hospital with pressure sores. Our wound care specialist advised we give the hospital as much information as possible upon admission to help prevent them. If the resident is on an air mattress in the LTC facility, ask that they order one in the hospital. If they are prone to heel breakdown, yeast infections, sensitivities to products, . . .whatever; send them a red flag. If they have existing skin issues, you might want to request an evalution in the hospital by the wound care specialist. Working closely with the hospital staff has made a big difference for our residents going out. I don't know what to think about the oral care. We still haven't come up with an effective system at our facility for good consistent oral care. If anyone out there has some advise, it would be appreciated! _________________________________________________________________ "The Journey Is The Reward"

. . . . . . . . . . .what kind of people skills should, male nurses develop to work effectively with female nurses? and what kind of people skills should female nurses develop to work effectively with male nurses? :chuckle i haven't really seen male vs female problems but i've seen a whole lot of one personality vs another at work. no worries, man. people skills work for all. you are either with the team or you are against it. it only works smoothly if all members are working toward the same goal. "the journey is the reward"

:yeahthat: A nurse, LPN/RN is only as good as the CNA that cares for the resident. CNAs have the hardest and the lowest paying position. I don't know anyone that works in LTC for the money. CNAs are awsome. I would choose many a CNA to care for me over several LPN/RNs I know. "The Journey Is The Reward"

I'm sorry. I can't see how a whole hospital could HATE MEN. What about outside of your unit? You are the only male nurse. O.K. Be your best self. Don't worry about what others may think. How you think has more to do with it than you think. ______________________________________ "The Journey Is The Reward"

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :roll "The Journey Is The Reward"

Congratulations on the job offer! I bet the patients won't care about the color of your scrubs. (So sorry about the lavender & white) Look at it this way, when those are old and worn, you, male nurse on the unit, will have some input regarding the replacements. "The Journey Is The Reward"

Yes! and a private area should be provided for consenting adults (that are able to make reasonable decisions) to engage in sex, personal gratification, or even to view Media, if they are so inclined. :stone _____________________________________ " The Journey Is the Reward"

Crash Cart? Don't have one. We have a room with both a portable O2 and suction machine set up with tubing, an ambu bag, and a CPR board. We dial 911 for a code and provide BLS. I agree that a defibrillator would be great. How many residents do you have that are full code? I've only had 1 patient code in the 10 years I've been in LTC. CPR really does work! :) "The Journey Is The Reward"

Hi surfnbeagle! I'm new to the board. Nice to meet you. Ask for help. Ask for training. Get your DON to send you to MDS training. Work at it for 6 months and ask to be sent again. The other MDS nurse can help you! She's probably too busy to notice, so wave a flag at her. She knows what it's like to be starting out. I hope you have a smaller load until you get your feet on the ground. Hang in there, it's a huge system. It will take a while to absorb it all. I'd give it 6 months to a year to feel comfortable, depending on your learning curve. "The Journey Is The Reward"