bellini

Not an American, so does not apply. Good luck with that, though.

We signed up for this. We signed up to take care of sick, infectious patients. If you feel that is I is "defeatist" to do what you were (presumably) trained and hired to do, maybe you and your "younger ones" would be better off in some other, less demanding "profession"..

Thousands upon thousands of people are without a stable income now (think of those who work in businesses that have declared non-essential and small business owners). Nurses at least have a source of income to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Also, if nurses will not step up to provide service in a time of global crisis, how can we claim to be professionals? It seems to me that those who are demanding "hazard pay" are the usual chronic shirkers and malingers who do not deserve what they are getting now.

Yes, this still exists. With some doctors, you have to be careful to not seem to be making a suggestion or to be voicing an opinion, because if you do you will be slapped down hard. And I say this as a master's prepared RN with two specialty certifications and thirty years experience. And it saddens me to say that this occurs most often with female physicians of a certain age.

Exactly. And why rigorous nursing education and training as knowledge work should be the first line of defense. This task-monkey orientation to nursing practice is the greatest threat to patient safety there is.

You are the voice of sanity that we need in this profession.

What IS the point, then?

Sorry, don't find many of the comments as "with" laughing. I find many of the comments to be of the "look at what this moron did!!" variety.

Agree. This is mean-spirited and self-righteous. I will wager that every one of us can identify something bone-headed that we have done at some time in our careers. That said, if licensed nurses are doing things that are so dangerous,life-threatening and egregious then there is something lacking in training/education/supervision that is allowing such things to happen. That is where attention and effort needs to be focused.

Hilarious. We had a patient's family member say "I know as much as the doctors" because he had been at the bedside every afternoon for a couple of weeks. He had been able to be at the bedside because he was basically unemployable and had no family of his own. I yearned to say, Fool you don't even know a millionth of what I know. We had another patient's family member who had seen a poster for ACLS while waiting for an elevator and thought she was qualified, based on having sat at the bedside, to do an ACLS course. We encouraged her to apply.

You handled this bad situation with professionalism. I admire you.

I wish I were a Nursing Sister of Yore; i.e. a nun. Then I might be able to deliver this. \

This just not exist anymore.

What a wonderfully kind and thoughtful response!

Like this X 1000

I agree with a previous comment that you need to adopt a systematic approach when you are learning rhythm interpretation. I think you are getting tripped up because you are using a pattern recognition strategy...that is appropriate for an expert who got to be an expert by first systematically analyzing hundreds or thousands of strips but not for a novice. I recommend Gail Walraven's "Basic Arrhythmias", Seventh Edition. It teaches a systematic approach to interpretation, and has hundreds of practice strips with the answers so that you can check your work. It also addresses 12-lead interpretation at the end, but I agree with another comment that you should first make sure that you have mastered the basics before you tackle 12-lead.

Can't like this enough.

Seniority is a necessary but not sufficient criterion for promotion. To be qualified for a management position, you need a lot of clinical knowledge and experience and charge experience...and you cannot obtain that knowledge and experience without having put the time in. But... if you have spent twenty-five years doing the bare minimum to avoid being let go-and we all know some of those-then you should not feel yourself entitled to promotion and you shouldn't begrudge anyone else.

And how could there be a control anyway? How can you be certain that no one is praying for patients? Or if knowing that one is being prayed for is thought to be the salient variable, then how, ethically, do you tell a patient that no one is praying for him, even is he is an atheist?

Except that that kind of makes it seem as though the nurse was somehow at fault for this.

Agree. The current safety culture dogma greatly underestimates, if not outright ignores, the importance of nursing knowledge.

Basic Arrhythmias, by Gail Walraven. Hundreds of strips to interpret, which is what you need when you are learning.

To add to what others have said, a systematic body systems approach is helpful so that nothing is missed...I like the mnemonic Could an RN Want to GUess What's GoIng on for Circulatory, Respiratory, Neuro, GU, GI. Then finish up with a review of the labs and meds, and orders for your shift.

I would recommend "Basic Arrhythmias" by Gail Walraven. A 7th edition is now out.All editions provide hundreds of rhythm strips to interpret.