juliebean4u

A great nurse is one who finally gets to the point where he/she can see past all the hundreds of tasks at hand, to the patient as another human being, and talk to them as such. It's someone who finds just a little more to give deep down, remembers to keep a sense of humor, and doesn't take themselves too seriously. A great nurse is someone who takes care of the serious stuff in a skilled manner, then sits down and paints X-mas decorations with one of her patients. And a great hospital nurse begins thinking about teaching/discharge planning with the patient and family upon admission. (Big pet peeve of mine-sorry!)

"Pain Crisis" is a legit reason to squad a hospice patient to the ER/hospital. No, it's not really necessary to take vitals, but an experienced nurse will know that if bp and pulse up, pt is probably still in pain. If bp down and pulse up, pt is approaching the end and the heart is speeding up to accomadate the low bp.

This system is pretty common in the Midwest, and I've dealt with it for years. Yes, it is legal, and yes, it can be creepy and punitive. I was fortunate that this was not the case in the facilities I worked in. There was a light above the patient room doorway in the hall, and it actually was convenient to just glance up the hall and know that if the light was green, there was an RN in that room, yellow for LPN, etc. The few horse's butt managers who tried to use it against the staff were often sorry. The staff could retaliate with..''well, why were you just watching the moniter when you could track how busy I was..why not come help?'' Or..''you can see how high-accuity these patients are by the # of times we go in their room, and how long we're in there. How about another nurse?'' :Crash: :beer:

Oh my gosh!!!! I never even thought of starting a thread for this. I am 39 and was dxed 2 years ago after a discussion with my son's psychiatrist. My son has it too.. I just thought I was either imagining things, or had killed too many brain cells in the 80's!!!! Found a used book in the library called "Adventures in Fast Forward - Living with AADD" and if that ain't me, don't know what is!!! Also saw a show , maybe Jane Paulie?- about this dx. Had some VERY successful, rich people on the show who were creative, very social and well-liked, and had used their "disability' to their advantage. None of them wanted to go on meds and change how they were. I have embraced the advantages I have found with ADD. I am creative, people seem to flock to me because I'm different, and have found humor in my "deficit." So glad there are more of us "special" nurses out there! MY LOVE TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!:kiss :kiss

:confused: It is so ironic to see this post!!! I have been toying with the idea of compiling nursing stories, and very recently decided it should not be a negative rant on the cons of nursing, but on the UNSEEN and often unacknowledged aspects of it. Would love to use some of these great stories! PLEASE PM ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO "TELL ME A STORY!!!"

Wrote laxative protocal he thought he required, along with what he thought the other patients should have. Wrote himself an ativan order when he was feeling "edgy" or irritable. Wrote orders for PSYCH EVALS on the patients he couldn't get along with. His daily ambulation turned into doing "rounds" on the other patients, who all thought he was crazy. Hey..at least he got the exercise! He really was a cutie:p

Had a pediatrician once who had senile dementia. Got irritable sometimes if the staff couldn't understand what he was trying to tell us. I finally started bringing him "Doctor's Orders" sheets and he'd write the orders for what he wanted. He was really a hoot. Then a retired nurse went into the room across from him and they fought for awhile, then really bonded. In fact, they "bonded" do well that the doc's wife divorced him!!:imbar Also, have any of you ever had to take care of a Dr's MOTHER? WHAT A NIGHTMARE!! The primary would order something, and this doc would come in to see her and end up writing his own orders that were exactly opposite! The other nurses decided it should be ME that had a talk with this guy! It actually went suprisingly well...... Oh! And there was also the quadraplegic nurse who retired from being a state surveyor...but you can imagine how that went... :rolleyes:

My husband had this, though he wasn't sure if it was chest pain. Went to a cardio M.D. and he dx'ed, and then treated it by drawing a tiny circle on hubbie's chest right over the inflammation, and GIVING HIM A CORTISONE SHOT directly into the area. Took a couple nurses and the doctor sitting on him to get the job done, but it worked. Was caused by strain of cough from acute bronchitis. He still shudders about it, and berates me for hanging over him and yelling "COOL" when shot given.

I have done agency nursing for about 10 years now. Sometimes full-time, sometimes only here and there. I have met so many wonderful people and had some of the best experiences of my career as a result of this. My nursing experience includes everything from acute psych to research nursing, wellness and flu clinics in tiny little communities and big cities, to setting up discount clinics in a church basement for the elderly. My self-confidence has flowered immensely, I am more outgoing than I ever could have dreamed, and as a result of my assignments in so many different areas, I have been able to keep a pretty steady clientele of private duty patients!!! Yes, there are lean times when it comes to getting hours, but it's worth it to me for all the advantages. Give it a try!! Best of luck!!!