angelbsn

Leave-em-dead (Levophed). I love giving Adenosine!!! Nothing like asystole for about 15 to 20 seconds!!

I would raise long-haired dachshunds on the beautiful white sands of my own private beach on my own private island. And photograph them. Come to think of it, Richard Branson's place would do just fine, if I could get him to move. Anyone wanna loan me a few million??

In our ED, if a NH refuses to take a pt back after an ED visit, it's a big no-no...too many legalities around NH "dumps" (which we get often). Our ED docs are great at calling the pt's doc to straighten things out on both ends. The pt goes back, & it's up to the doc to speak with the family during more normal hours to arrange alternate care. On a side note...while I'm sure there are many good NH out there with qualified, caring staff, it's rare that we receive a pt from one of these facilities. Most of our NH pt's truly are "dumps" in deplorable conditions. Makes me furious :angryfire to have a pt come in unkempt, with dried you-know-what everywhere, decubitus everywhere, gravy in the foley, with no one whatsoever involved in any aspect of their poor lives.

:yelclap: Dusktildawn: I couldn't have said it better myself. After 8 yrs in critical care/trauma, you just gotta have a sense of humor!

OMG...if you can't take a moment to laugh once in awhile, you'll burnout really fast. What irritates me is people who have to be so d*&^ serious 24/7. Lighten up, you'll live longer.

Well duh...I'm in ED, shoulda known the answer to that question before I asked. Chalk it up to 12 long hours and a blonde moment. Thanks, Zenman

tia/brain damage/blonde roots all contributed to me screwing up this original response

Sorry, but I fail to understand how knowing the difference between RN, LPN, & CNA are relevant to vetinary medicine?

I just find this so sad...nursing is a difficult enough profession without nurses turning on each other. I knew when I became a nurse that I wouldn't be making enormous sums of money or be cannonized for my bedside manner, but that's not why I became a nurse in the first place. Sure, it's rough working 12 hour nights in a busy ED; being confronted by drunken, combative pts; parents who don't know what Tylenol is for; 4-6 hour waits to be seen; ambulance after ambulance; trauma after trauma; and well, you get the picture. It's thankless at times, disgusting, (esp. certain body fluids), and physically and emotionally draining. But... I love being a nurse, esp. in ED/trauma. I'm fortunate that I've been exposed to a wide variety of situations which have led to enhanced skills and education, and I utilize this knowledge daily. I love performing ACLS and TNCC skills; I love "snatching someone from the jaws of death", to coin a phrase, but I also love communicating with family members; educating an otherwise ignorant public perception; assisting families with their grieving process; holding infants/children when they come in for tummyaches, earaches, whatever; and so on. Sure, I've had really bad nights when I've felt like chucking it all and working at Walmart, but I stay, because I love what I do. I've had bad employers, thoughtless managers, and rude docs, but I'm assertive in standing up for myself and advocating for my pts. And, if I've felt my principles compromised, well, I've got two feet and a set of car keys. I'm also fortunate to work in a facility where our manager really cares about her nurses (and ancillary staff); coworkers who fully understand the concept of teamwork; a majority of ED docs who support the nursing staff, also understand the concept of teamwork, and are willing to work with the nurses toward the best interests of the pt(s). If I had to do it all over again, I'd still struggle through the university while raising my children on my own, and I'd still follow the career path I've chosen. Call me idealistic, but being a nurse isn't just what I do, it's who I am, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

It's a personal decision. . .if you find you're compromising your principles or becoming physically ill at the thought of going to work, you should change--pronto. However, if you want a wide variety of experiences, try agency work. I started in a high-acuity CICU & went agency after almost 3 yrs. This gave me a strong background in critical care (all the ICU's including neonatal & burn) & I've also spent some time travel nursing to different parts of the country. Now I'm strictly ED/trauma in the hospital & work part time as a clinical instructor for 2nd yr ADN students. I've been in my current position almost a year now, although I've been nursing almost 8 yrs. I've only left 2 positions in less than a yr, & they were both because I felt I was compromising my value system by staying.

I was a hairdresser for 12 yrs before I became a nurse. At least now when my "clients" have an emergency, it's usually an actual emergency.

Funniest c/o I've ever had: :rotfl: Passed out while sleeping :rotfl:

:angryfire :angryfire Call the police!! Press charges yourself!! I worked as an agency RN for a couple of months before I decided to go staff at the ED where I'm currently employed. I was giving Ativan IVP to a drunken, combative female in 4 point leather restraints when she got an arm loose & punched me right in the face. Good thing the charge nurse happened to have positioned herself between us at that time, or I probably would have hit her back. This helped me think a little more clearly. Being agency at the time, I told the charge nurse I was calling the police & filing charges, which I did; unfortunately, she was not arrested, as the ED doc decided he wanted to admit her, but then discharged her home a couple hours after I got off shift. I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork with the hospital & my agency; then I heard from the legal dep't at the hospital. The woman I spoke with couldn't understand why I would possibly file charges. My answer: "She shouldn't have hit me. Anyone hits me, I'm filing charges." Assault & battery is assault & battery, whether you're assaulted at work, in clinicals, or on the street. Call the police. File charges. Nobody has the right to put their hands on you, period. :angryfire :angryfire

I went five whole years as an RN before I made my first real med error...and it was a doozy (it's been 2 yrs & I'm still dealing with the state board). Thankfully, the pt suffered no lasting ill effects & recovered quite nicely, but this taught me a very valuable lesson; check, check, & recheck again to ensure you are following the 5 rights. I have passed this lesson on to my students (I'm a clinical instructor for 2nd yr ADN students as well as an ED nurse) by ensuring that after checking the MAR & the meds, they ask each pt each time they walk into a room what the pt's namae & DOB are while checking the name band...even if they were just in that room 5 mins before. Can never be too careful.

undefined I could probably write a book on that one, but the primary lesson I never learned in nursing school is that I can be, will be, & have been assaulted by patients.