West_Coast_Ken BSN, RN

Well it does take a LONG time to get hired. The position I applied for had a closing date of January 22, 2010. I was interviewed Feb 3. I've been doing their "additional paperwork" (referal verification, VetPro, etc) since they said they were inte...

Checking the link on the VA Travel Nurse Corps web site for "Open Positions" returns the following message: "We're sorry. You cannot apply to this job as it has been removed from the site." So it appears the hiring freeze is here, also. Additionall...

Hi Pacificwhales, Thank you for the well (whale?) wishes! I'm moving downstairs to the ER next week so I begin orientation all over again, but at least I have the cardiac part of ER pretty well under my belt (I know the basics, can read a rhythm, kn...

Bingo, it's called a union. However, don't get all excited. Hospitals are strong and agressive, too (ever notice?). Try to find someone to clean a pt (CNA) or even a damn janitor to clean a room. They have cut support staff to near z-e-r-o and d...

Same at our hospital. All critical labs, which include cardiac enzymes, are called to the floor from our lab. We then have 15 minutes to report these to the MD following that pt (I know, we don't always call, it depends if it's the second/third and...

i'm in the last semester of my rn program in california and an issue came up at one of our clinical er sites regarding forced blood draws for dui (driving under the influence) and i wanted to get input from other rns regarding their state, hospital a...

Even if you are not a "cardiac girl"?? How about the "cardiac boys"? I thought it was very funny. Regards, Ken (a cardiac guy)

Be careful, be very careful when using any product. READ the manufacturer's instructions and FOLLOW them. We had a pt who had a Fem-Stop applied and it was contraindicated (don't know the specifics; I was not involved) but I did attent the staff meet...

a map will tell you distance but won't tell you a thing about actual commute times. if you are working 12 hour shifts you might get lucky and miss the horrendous traffic problems on one side of your shift but not on both sides. a commute from sf t...

hi gitterbug, i don't know where this notion came from (probably docs) but just because docs aren't on the payroll and nurses are, doesn't change the overall picutre of profits for a business. the only reason i jumped on this one is it sets up the i...

that is utter nonsense! pts bring the money to the hospital, not doctors. also, pts are in the hospital for nursing care, they can be seen by their docs anywhere, but they can only receive nursing care in the hospital (except for home health, i kn...

Just graduating soon here, but I think you'd see a lot of stroke pts. It could be any kind of neuro issues that require telemetry, too.

Hi Cattitude, no flame here but another perspective. If someone is in so much pain, sick, hurting, depressed, etc, that they want to KILL themself, is it possible they can not think of the pain of others, too? This is why the use of the word "selfis...

You are quite welcome. Few people saw this movie in the theaters because it wasn't shown for very long and only in a handful of theaters. I haven't seen the documentary nor did I see the 20/20 piece but I have heard the buzz about it and rather than...

i am stunned by how few posts there are to this thread in over one month. suicide is a serious and large issue and for the most part no one wants to discuss it or if they do it is given a quick comment and nothing more. i am looking forward to fina...

i feel for you. i've had many group projects in college and i hate these almost as much as finals. there really isn't anything you can do but keep reminding them over and over the deadline is coming due and hope they come through on their end. it's...

I just want to add to what swtooth said: the reason isotonic D5W becomes hypotonic in the body is because the glucose is broken down once it is in the body by insulin so this is not an immediate change but it does happen quickly.

oh, please. another "conspiracy theory"? the only reason i even take up this issue is because when my son was diagnosed with add (not adhd) i did tons of research and attended lectures by nationally recognized mds on the subject and had to wad...

The Feingold diet has been discredited YEARS ago in more than one study. If someone's "ADHD" is "cured" by this method, then they had a food allergy, NOT ADHD (and this is extremely rare anyhow). Those touting this old, tired, incorrect notion ("it's...

Good for you!! No one deserves to be yelled at by anyone. I'm not quite there yet, but I didn't work this hard to be any whipping boy for an arrogant SOB. The ones that crack me up are the "Oh, I don't want to call the doctor in the middle of the...

If this worked for your son, he did NOT have ADD/ADHD and you are quite right this is a "quack" thing as you said--period.

Here's a link to a story and picture of a 19 year old student. Not sure if it's the same story as you mention, but it's pretty powerful. http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2005/12/07/local_news/02news.prt

Wow, I don't know whether to say "Thanks" or cry. This stuff is giving me a headache already! Honestly, Thank You!

Nope.

Yippie! I've accepted a position as a New Grad RN (I graduate in May) in a 12 bed Cardiac Telemetry unit at Mercy Medical Center Redding, CA. Just wanted to share this news. Ken