vampiregirl BSN, RN

Hospice

CHPN, WCC

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All Content by vampiregirl

  1. vampiregirl

    What is a day in the Life of a Hospice Nurse consist of?

    vampiregirl replied to Jerry 75's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I'm new to hospice world from LTC and I love it:) I work a combination of 8 hour and 10 hour days. I also share the on call responsibilities so in a two month period I work 2 weekends and five...
  2. vampiregirl

    best way for a nurse to manage cuts on her fingers?

    vampiregirl replied to RNexplorer's topic in General Nursing

    Ugh, not fun. After a lapse in common sense this summer that resulted in 3 stitches, I had the same concerns as you. What worked for me was wearing a glove for any patient related task (including...
  3. vampiregirl

    No briefs?! Is this an ICU thing?

    vampiregirl replied to paramedic-RN's topic in Critical Care

    Years ago I worked in an LTC that didn't allow briefs while in bed. I recall a few cases where either d/t special situations or family request it was care planned to wear briefs in bed. We also had...
  4. vampiregirl

    Follow Your Gut Being Productive and Choosing to Withdraw

    vampiregirl replied to NeoNatMom's topic in General Students

    Not sure if it's option for you to consider, but is just taking a class or a few at a time an option? It took me a while to complete nursing school (6 years), but I worked full time during the entire...
  5. vampiregirl

    How many of you RNs started in LTC, SNF, or rehab environment and moved on?

    vampiregirl replied to Cynnie24's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    There are a lot of stereotypes related to LTC nursing unfortunately. LTC can be a great learning experience and there are some managers in other departments who appreciate this when interviewing...
  6. vampiregirl

    When entering orders, please remember....

    vampiregirl replied to RNBearColumbus's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    How about assessing O2 Stats q
  7. vampiregirl

    Nutrition concerns for student

    vampiregirl replied to GatezRN's topic in School

    Is there any chance that the child is trading away what was actually packed in the lunch box by the parent? I only ask because it's mentioned that the sibling brings healthier
  8. vampiregirl

    We in hospice have a lot of educating to do

    vampiregirl replied to duskyjewel's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Well, it looks like I picked an interesting time to start a career in hospice nursing:) I just finished general orientation - tomorrow will start my clinical orientation. I have so much to learn! I...
  9. vampiregirl

    Expressing gratitude and appreciation to co-workers

    vampiregirl replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    Great food for thought:) I'm preparing to start a new adventure in a different area of nursing for me. One the factors that led me to accept this position is that there is a strong sense of teamwork...
  10. vampiregirl

    "Right" way to pulls meds from cards?

    vampiregirl replied to Pat_Pat RN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    In Indiana, "taping" a narc is considered tampering with a med by the ISDH. This is something that the state surveyors checked for during our last
  11. vampiregirl

    Dealing with your feet

    vampiregirl replied to WonderousIvy's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    Thorlos are very good, but Smartwool is my favorite. Both are expensive, but properly cared for last a long
  12. vampiregirl

    Dealing with your feet

    vampiregirl replied to WonderousIvy's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    Probably a trip to a podiatrist would be your best bet so you can get properly diagnosed/ treated. If foot problems aren't addressed properly, they can cause huge problems in the long run (I learned...
  13. vampiregirl

    Continuing professional development opportunities for nursing staff

    vampiregirl replied to suztaylor's topic in Nursing Educators, Faculty

    I schedule all of our inservices to be offered at 1pm, 2:30pm, and 9pm to offer convenient hours for all shifts. I try to vary the days of the week that I schedule these between Tuesdays, Wednesdays...
  14. vampiregirl

    UltraScopes?

    vampiregirl replied to TSgtRodrigues's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    Love the look of the ultrascope and great sound quality too. Never had a problem with an ultrascope "growing legs". However, I am back to Littman as I had issues with the ultrascope head falling
  15. vampiregirl

    crazy orders we have to have them to apply a band aid.

    vampiregirl replied to Jwheelo's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    We are allowed to apply a bandaid aka "a dry dressing" without an order. But along with the bandaid, we must: complete an incident report r/t whatever we are covering with a bandaid, complete a...
  16. vampiregirl

    Geriatric magazine

    vampiregirl replied to Lundazi's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    I'm a member of National Gerontological Nursing Association, their magazine has been a great source of info for me. I work LTC - I don't know if there is an organization that would offer info more...
  17. vampiregirl

    Acetylcysteine

    vampiregirl replied to MedTrans68's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    I work LTC, we have suction on the crash cart for each unit. I have occasionally had orders for mucomyst. On the several patients I've administered it to, I've always first administered an albuterol...
  18. vampiregirl

    Excelsior.. to do or not to do...

    vampiregirl replied to mylesm238's topic in Excelsior College

    ASN 2010. Grandfathered in as an EMT. Took me about a year to pass all the nursing exams (I took all the other courses through a local community college) including the CPNE. I passed all on the 1st...
  19. vampiregirl

    Learning Packets

    vampiregirl replied to torema67's topic in Nursing Educators, Faculty

    I not familiar with learning packets, but I am familiar with the experience of being "initiated" into staff development:) My suggestion is that you tackle one thing at a time. Most of my "upgrades" to...
  20. vampiregirl

    What "bad habits" are LTC nurses known for??

    vampiregirl replied to Nola009's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I would ask the DON what she meant:) I work for DON who has a similar philosophy and for us, it's a good thing. Our DON is tough, but I couldn't imagine working for anyone else. Her expectations are...
  21. vampiregirl

    Per diem nurses

    vampiregirl replied to pebbles049's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    We do not mandate PRN staff. We have a mandate calendar, so everyone knows ahead of time what day they can be
  22. vampiregirl

    The face of LTC is changing????

    vampiregirl replied to Quinn1234s's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Agreed that there is a lot of charting. Thankfully where I work we have computerized charting. We have a lot of "assessments" to select from that we complete that capture all the required elements....
  23. vampiregirl

    How does your facility do the following:

    vampiregirl replied to TigerxLiLy's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Oxygen changeover is completed by noc shift nurses on Wednesday at our facility. We have EMAR, so no MAR changeover. We don't hire people for PRN positions, but allow current employees to drop down to...
  24. vampiregirl

    mandated overtime?

    vampiregirl replied to sharkbacon's topic in LPN, LVN Corner

    I work in a facility that does implement mandated overtime, when necessary, to ensure we have adequate staffing to provide quality care of our residents. We have a calendar so everyone knows ahead of...
  25. vampiregirl

    Allergies and running codes

    vampiregirl replied to usetimewisely's topic in Patient Medications

    Another thing to consider is that some (or in some cases many) of the medications that are listed as allergies are meds that patients encountered side effects with - and in some cases expected side...