vampiregirl BSN, RN

Are you under the care of a rheumatologist or podiatrist? If not, especially with your young age, this might be something to consider. Establishing a good plan of care now could be important to your future comfort and mobility. One of the amazin...

My thought process has always been that if the patient is on a unit which I am working on and my assistance/ care with a patient for whom I am not specifically assigned is needed, then it is appropriate to look in the chart to obtain or verify the ne...

I don't have an MSN, I have a Master's in Palliative Care. I assist the education department at my agency as needed but work in another position full time. Not sure if my responses fit exactly what you are looking for... 1. I use a variety of te...

I would agree this is unstageable:) The slough completely obscures the wound bed. Pressure injuries are either over a bony prominence or caused by pressure from a medical device/ something else. It takes time to consistently accurately sta...

You've gotten some great suggestions and perspectives from other posters... Additional information that might help your decision: How long a typical SOC takes at each agency (different charting programs and different processes at differe...

Another thought... if the patient was having an inferior wall MI an EKG could have made a huge difference due to the risk of hypotension with nitro.

Alegria is the brand that works best for me! Comfortable, easy to clean and well constructed. I have flat feet - no aching. Recommended by a friend who is a hospitality manager for a camp/ retreat center and is on her feet all day on hard surfa...

Kudos for investigating something further that you're not familiar with! Have you looked into the policy or procedure for administering Kyprolis at your workplace? If I can't find a specific policy or procedure regarding something, typically my ...

I'm another nurse who got a good skills foundation in SNF. I encourage you to take every opportunity to learn. Look things up, take every training opportunity available. Don't discount all the informal non-technical skills you've gained as a cha...

Agree with above poster. Also recommend (if you haven't done so already) to get your scheduled hours and compensation in writing. Not sure what your caseload/ visit load is or your geographic area is. I work a 48 hour weekend position...

Parkinson's patient's can be tricky to accurately assess if they meet the life expectancy criteria of 6 months or less if the disease process takes it's normal course! Some of the considerations our team presents to our providers in order for th...

It takes time to get faster. Learning to keep yourself organized and getting a process in place can help. Little things like figuring out a system for yourself to order refills. Making sure the med cart had all the required supplies including fresh w...

@hppygr8ful - Nope, I don't think you are old and out of the loop. Especially in the psych setting, professional boundaries are crucial as is following policies. Consistency amount staff is also crucial to maintain a therapeutic milieu in that enviro...

Agree with above posters recommendations for most settings. I work in hospice though so "gurgly" breathing is not uncommon with some disease process progressions (either cardiac/ respiratory or aspiration). SpO2, HR, RR can be helpful. Doe...

Please be kind to yourself! Safety comes first. Making sure you are learning steps to ensure patient safety in the processes you perform is critical. As you build muscle memory, you want to make sure all the safety steps are in your process. Whi...

Aspira drain is another system that can be used for recurrent ascites (as well as recurrent pleural effusions). Typically starts out with Home Care upon hospital discharge but I have had family members who have been trained to perform this procedure ...

I was in a similar situation years ago as a new grad RN in a nursing home! This was during a time when nobody wanted to hire new grads though so I was kind of "stuck". I quickly figured out which LPN's had clinical skills that I trusted as well...

Regarding work/ life balance, that is going to depend on several factors. The most important one being is the company you work for. I'm fortunate to work for a company that promotes work life balance and self care. Another piece of the puzzle will be...

A couple of thoughts... Have you looked at said policy yourself? I've found situations where "everyone" thought something was an actual policy and we were all wrong! One person taught another and eventually everyone were all doing wh...

I love Littman's - I'm on my 3rd one! I've progressed from a lightweight to a Classic 2 to a Classic 3 through my career. I also really like the Ultrascope and find it as the most clear through layers of clothing and to filter out background no...

This thread has been pretty quiet this year... I'm a volunteer camp nurse at a YMCA residential camp. I'm a hospice nurse so this environment change is refreshing and reenergizes me (although I love being a hospice nurse). We are enjoying o...

Everyone learns differently. If your charge nurse and preceptor see you taking the initiative to learn things and you are asking great questions to clarify/ increase your understanding, they may assume that this is your preferred learning style. ...

Could it be that your supervisor is concerned about losing you from that role and that impact to the unit? There may also be other considerations you are not aware of. Something to think about is that if you are not getting communication respon...

Another good resource. The 4th edition is available:) https://www.amazon.com/Symptom-Management-Algorithms-Handbook-Palliative/dp/1888411228/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=241622826236&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9016266&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e...

My favorite resource is the AAPHM Primer: https://aahpm.org/self-study/primer