YumCookies BSN, RN

If the patient is alert and oriented, is able to elevated the HOB themselves, and has been educated on the fact that the HOB must be at 90 degrees with eating/drinking I see no problem with it.

Depends. In general, I prefer the forearm and will look there first. In the ED setting: If I need a large bore, labs, and something quick, I like the AC (unless I can find a juicy forearm one). I will go right for the AC if I suspect the patient may ...

I've had patients at risk for urinary retention who ended up having >500cc in their bladder and needed to be straight cath'd when the previous shift tells me "Oh he's peeing all the time." Yes he may be peeing frequently and the patient may tell y...

I do. I pushed IV vitamin B once. I couldn't find a push rate in my drug book so I pushed it over 5 seconds or so. I thought "Oh it's just vitamin B, it probably doesn't even matter." Wrong. The patient yelled bloody murder because it burned so bad ...

Hi all, I've been a nurse for about 3 years and have worked at my current position for about six months as a float pool nurse. Most of the charge nurses I work with are fantastic and supportive, however, there are a few that I feel micromanage. How c...

I just started doing float pool nursing a few months back - I float to the med surg units (telemetry and orthopedics), ICU, ED, adult psych, detox floor, and day surgery and will take a full assignment on those floors. Most days it feels like I'm fly...

I would never accept a patient friend request, no ifs no buts. As far as the name on the ID badge, our ID badges have our full names on them with our credentials. I have covered my last name with a sticker for my privacy - anyone can Google YumCookie...

A few months ago, my 80 year old lady rang her call bell to tell us that the patient next door walked into her room, peed on the floor, and left. She was a good sport about it - she laughed and said she just wanted to make sure he was okay.

I go by the mL amount on the tube.

Thank you for posting your experience. The worst med error I have ever encountered was when I had a patient that had an insulin drip on one pump and on another pump had IVF and apparently had an IV med run as a secondary during day shift. When I was ...

Interesting - I would've done just this to cover my own behind. I don't want to be at fault if the patient's BP happens to tank after getting Dilaudid.

I would've waited until the patient was back in bed for the above reasons.

About one week, sometimes two weeks. I would keep doing what you're doing.

I read your other post, and I think the bigger issue you need to tackle is your anxiety. How long have you been a nurse? Have you recently started a new job?

I don't know about an ice pack - all I can really think of is bringing ice cold drinks to clinical to keep yourself cool. If personal hygiene is a concern, you could bring a travel sized antiperspirant.

Depends. I try to medicate and meet the other needs of my patients before leaving the floor. However, there are certain situations where I may not necessarily do that (i.e needing to eat something ASAP because I am dizzy, seeing black spots, and not ...

I had a nurse forget to give me report once - she gave her report to me on the phone, we laughed about it, and moved on. NBD

Honestly I don't blame the RN - I would say anything to my psych patient to get the psych med they need for both their safety as well as my own. xD Instead I might've said something like "this medication will help relieve your symptoms" or "it'll mak...

Both classes are very work intensive. If you absolutely need to take both in the same semester, keep the rest of your workload light.

I don't run into this too often - I am pretty open with my patients and don't mind talking about my life story briefly and in general terms. If I happen to run into a patient who asks questions about my religious, political, or sexual preferences, I'...

I would've done the same. You covered you behind by notifying the surgeon, and you did what you were instructed to do. The day nurse was in the wrong here by d/c'ing that central line without an order. Your coworker sounds like a moron - don't even w...

I'm not sure how much orientation you've had, but I do have some tips: + Patient safety is #1. Is everyone pink and breathing? Are your confused patients bed alarmed? + Chart as you go. + Cluster what you can. Give your 8/9/10am meds at 9. While you'...

Depends on a lot of things. If my patient says he/she takes oxycodone, tramadol, and Ativan every night before bed when at home, I would give all three together to maintain their routine as long as their vitals are stable and the patient is alert - t...

At my hospital, q24h is considered best practice. I usually change them when they come off or if there's a lot of artifact.

You are definitely not alone! I was extremely anxious and depressed for the first two years of being a nurse. I think a lot of it had to do with working nights - to this day I can only get 3-4 hours in between my overnight shifts. For a while I wasn'...