Emma Peel

On busy days, I used to run into the kitchen/coffee/ice room and start a pot, tell my fav CNA when I passed her in the hall "New coffee, 7 minutes, meet you in the kitchen!" We'd meet, throw about 6 oz each over ice, raise our cups in "Cheers", chug ...

Knew I was a nurse when my bf had been sleeping restlessly for 2 nights (Lyme disease is like flu aches X10!) and is finally sleeping really soundly. The alarm in my head goes off "He's too quiet" and I am checking pulse and looking for chest rise! E...

On the opt in/opt out subject I like Illinois' approach: When you get a driver's license in Illinois, part of the process is signing a yes/no form about organ donation. I'm pretty sure the form is part of getting an Illinois state ID as well, since t...

This is true. As I remember it, what is dangerous about antifreeze is the by-products when the body breaks it down and metabolizes it. The receptors that bond to the antifreeze are the same ones that bond to booze, and they prefer booze. So, you give...

Some people who get migraines get relief from caffeine, so coffee enemas may also be given to people with severe migraines when they can't keep down p.o. meds. I think the migraine drug Cafergot used to come in oral or suppository form for this purpo...

Same here. My family are donors going back at least two generations. Since this was before organ donation was possible, we donated our bodies to science. So now my wishes go in order: 1) organ donation if at all possible. 2) tissue donation if possib...

OK, best answer I can think of under the circumstances...explain to the patient why the care is necessary and that there is no female nurse available at this time. If the patient still refuses the care, DOCUMENT the whole thing, explanation, refusal...

This doc needs a psych eval, STAT. Holy cow! Emma "get the Haldol!" Peel

I am sorry you have had to go through all this. There is no excuse for them not investigating the whole situation. I don't know what else to say except good luck with your case against them. I hope they have to pay for the damage they have done you b...

I am a new grad and I do come in early to read charts before I clock in, and sometimes stay after I clock out to finish up what I couldn't finish during the shift. I only clock out before finishing if what I am finishing is regular charting I know I ...

I have also never seen male nurses "trying to get out of doing nursing duties". Sometimes they will ask for help, chaperone, or for a female nurse to do private area care, usually at the pts request. One of the things I have seen on the floor is tha...

It is a shame, but I am sure it is true, especially for male nurses. We are supposed to think of the patient first, but in this litigious society, we have to take care of ourselves. Pity. I WANT to think of the patient first.

While I definitely think that people should be held accountable for false accusations made, I don't think that incarcerating two older women with psych issues would help anyone. I agree with the suggestions here about communicating with you manager/f...

I think if you ask any risk manager or hospital legal expert, they will tell you that the best way to avoid lawsuits and accusations is to have a good nurse-patient relationship. If the patient feels that the nurse truly cares about helping them, the...

Your post reminded me that medicine and nursing are always changing. All we can do is try to keep up with the changes, know why we do the things we do, and evaluate whether they are working well. We can go push forward, but we must start from where w...

Sometimes it is hard to keep from feeling insulted or angry when I believe someone is trying to deceive me (lying about pain to get meds). The voice inside my head says "I can't believe s/he thinks I'm stupid enough to buy this BS..." As a nurse I kn...

My mom also had chronic pain from 25 years of rheumatoid arthritis. Mostly what worked for her was never missing a dose on her methotrexate/prednisone schedule. I remember being with her at doctor's appointments where they would ask her how often she...

In the words of Bart Simpson, "Ow, quit it!"

One of my nursing instructors went to St Xavier and she said it was a wonderful experience. The private schools are more expensive than state schools, but usually their financial aid depts are VERY helpful, because their enrollment numbers depend on ...

If you are sure you want to live in Illinois, you can get licensed in Illinois even though you have gone to school somewhere else. The NCLEX exam that is taken after graduation is a national exam, but the individual states issue licenses to work. Th...

Regarding previous post: "If your blood type is O+ and your husband's blood type is O-, and your baby's blood type is B+, don't get mad when your pediatrician tells you and your husband that the kid isn't his... and don't threaten to sue the pediatri...

Hi, I graduate from school in 10 days, so I'm not sure about which PPE I would require, but yes, I would supply my own if I could find it. I would want, no wait, EXPECT to be vaccinated. After all, If I am sick, I am just another patient and part of ...