cancer.sucks

cancer.sucks

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All Content by cancer.sucks

  1. OCN exam quandries

    To get the OCN test blueprint and booklet that includes recommended resources, go to the ONCC website. However, if you just want to know the primary book to study, get the most recent Core Curriculum...
  2. Do you dream about work?

    I rarely dream about work. However, in the early years of my career I had to carefully choose an alarm clock that would wake me up, but that did not sound like any of the alarms at work. If my clock...
  3. Becoming a RN

    Transitioning to a career from college causes anxiety regardless of the degree. I really think that it is compounded for nursing because you are acutely aware that how well you do your job directly...
  4. AJN magazine

    I prefer to subscribe to specialty (oncology) journals. However, if you are a med/surg nurse facing a multitude of diagnoses, then it can be a valuable tool for you. If I remember correctly, the...
  5. One of our pet peeves

    Pain is defined as what the patient says it is occurring when the patient says it does. That is a fact. While we as nurses have a tendency not to believe the patient that is asking for pain meds...
  6. IV Push Medication

    but there are medications ie. chemo meds given IV push but are required to be administered over 15mins. When a chemotherapy medication is given IV push blood return also has to be frequently assessed....
  7. Epic Charting System

    Epic is set up to be user friendly regardless of where or how often the patient enters the healthcare system. If one of my oncology patients shows up in the ER, the ER staff can very easily how long...
  8. ONS BOOK

    Be careful about using an outdated text. The OCN exam is evaluated every 3 years for outdated information questions and anything referring to outdated information is thrown out. If you use an...
  9. Port Medication

    The reason for using a 10ml syringe to push medications through a portacath (or a PICC line for that matter) is because of the pressure caused by pushing a medication. The smaller the syringe the...
  10. Dealing with the sad parts

    I love that you said that SoldierNurse22!! I have been primarily in adult oncology, but come from the land of St. Jude Hospital although I do not live there anymore. When an adult patient loses their...
  11. Dealing with the sad parts

    I hope that you can find a way to value all of the experiences that you have with your patients--the good and the bad. I have told many people that there are few things in this world that I do well....
  12. Pregnant Oncology Nurse

    I gave chemotherapy through 2 pregnancies and all was fine. I consistently use chemo cloves and gown, but have not ever used a face shield or safety glasses. Both pregnancies were uneventful and...
  13. ADVICE NEEDED

    If you can learn to cope with your feelings, you have much to offer a patient that is struggling with a difficult diagnosis. You are a cancer survivor as much as your wife is because you have seen...
  14. How to take action when a bone mets patient has pain

    There is rarely going to be an individual answer to the quesiton of managing bone metastasis. A combination of long-acting and short-acting opioids, anti-inflammatory, and steroid is usually...
  15. Did you know? "Code Brown" means tornado. . .LMAO!

    Code Brown was a bomb threat at my previous hospital. I really thought it was
  16. Tell me about your first pt to code...

    The most memorable code that I was part of was when I had been a nurse for 2 years and I was in charge. The patient was "feeling funny" according to his wife and he was walking to the bathroom. He...
  17. Chemotherapy/blood transfusion via PICC

    I also agre with what SoldierNurse said. The one coment that i would add is that if the chemotherapy and blood will both be running simultaneously, best practice would be for the chemotherapy to be...
  18. Computerized Documentation

    I am not familiar with that computerized documentation program, but I have been involved in initiation of 2 different computerized documentation systems. I do not know who long you have been using...
  19. They didn't teach me that in school

    I have been an oncology nurse for 28 years. I know that I was called to be an oncology nurse straight out of nursing school. My plan was to go into labor and delivery and then become a midwife. So...
  20. Cumulative Dose Monitoring

    It is much easier and more reliable to track cumulative dosing levels in the electronic world. There are several electronic documentaiton systems that provide ready access to the number for bedside...
  21. How do you cheer yourself after a bad day at work?

    You call out for a shift just because you had a bad day? That is interesting. No one can define a bad day but you. I would encourage you to take the "bad day" as an opportunity to learn about how to...
  22. Becoming One with Your Coffee

    I am really glad i can program my coffee pot to automatically start 5 minutes before I get out of bed. I barely open my eyes before i get my first cup. The hospital does not have good coffee readily...
  23. TMI at Dinner

    What gets me is that my family cannot get enough blood and gore at the movie theater, but if I talk about an IV start or a dressing change it is more than they can