patwil73

patwil73

ICU/CCU, Home Health/Hospice, Cath Lab,

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All Content by patwil73

  1. Nurse needing Dental Care

    patwil73 replied to anj1995's topic in General Nursing

    You might check with your HR department and see if the they have a medical spending account - basically it works like this: Determine how much money you will spend on procedures the coming year....

  2. New mom looking for suggestions

    patwil73 replied to Can't Wait's topic in General Nursing

    Depending on the area, my hospital has a unit "Joint Center" which opens Monday morning and closes Friday evening. Endoscopy also tends to work M-F as well as Cath lab, but both usually have an...

  3. night shift (7 on 7 off) 12 hour shifts

    patwil73 replied to ibmaryann's topic in First Year After Licensure

    I currently work 6 on and 8 off 12hr shifts. I find it much easier than having a day or two off in between since I am sleeping all day during my "off days" and having no time for the kids. Now I...

  4. change of shift report in hallway

    patwil73 replied to payatot21's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    The purpose of bedside reporting is to 1) involve the patient in their care and 2) visually confirm any problems or issues such as empty IV bags, overflowing foley's, etc. If the patient is asleep you...

  5. 8 hr shifts/ 12 hr shifts....and childcare?

    patwil73 replied to prairiegirl's topic in General Nursing

    I work 6 straight 12 hr nights (7:30-7:30 plus 2 hrs of drive time total). My wife works 8 straight 8 hrs shifts (11pm - 7:30 am plus 2 hours drive time). She works Wed to Wed and I work Thu through...

  6. Use of IV push antihypertensives on the med surg unit

    patwil73 replied to will robinson's topic in General Nursing

    I'm from Washington. We do push other cardiac drugs - but he had asked specifically about antihypertensives. We push digoxin and atropine (not sure about vasotec - I don't think so but I don't have...

  7. Worried: have to spend 5 hours doing IV sticks tomorrow.

    patwil73 replied to locolorenzo22's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Lots of good advice here - i'll just throw in my 2 cents! Look at both arms and decide which vein you want to go for. Then tie your tourniquet around that arm. Next, get comfortable. Pull up a chair...

  8. Do you feel like your screw up a lot?

    patwil73 replied to blondy2061h's topic in First Year After Licensure

    I have been a nurse going on 7 years now - a couple of weeks ago I picked up a shift doing IV. At the end of the night I felt like the most incompetent RN that had ever picked up a needle. I swear...

  9. Use of IV push antihypertensives on the med surg unit

    patwil73 replied to will robinson's topic in General Nursing

    At our facility we can push labetolol or metoprolol on the floors. We will take the BP/HR prior to pushing and 5 minutes after (or should). If we have to push these medications frequently that would...

  10. Night Shift?!?!

    patwil73 replied to pitbullkcm's topic in First Year After Licensure

    You don't have to let night shift ruin your social life - but you do have to manage the schedule. I currently work 6 12's in a row - that works best for me as I then can spend the next 8 with my...

  11. HELP! Newbie nurse need your advice!

    patwil73 replied to Dawn_M_74's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Good luck on finding the right place for you. I would caution you about LTC for looking at working on the basics. If you feel you are overwhelmed now - try 30 patients with a 3 day orientation...

  12. really bad IV skills...suggestion?

    patwil73 replied to beachgirl01's topic in General Nursing

    Big veins do tend to roll a lot more, however any vein can be locked down, just apply more pressure and pull upwards more. I also tend to go straight down into the big veins rather than the sideways...

  13. Rude to pt's family?

    patwil73 replied to RiverNurse's topic in First Year After Licensure

    A little devil's advocate here! How we interact with our patients and their families often means a great deal to them. They are scared, unknowledgeable about the million things going on we take for...

  14. really bad IV skills...suggestion?

    patwil73 replied to beachgirl01's topic in General Nursing

    I will tell you what I do when starting IV's, but the best suggestion I can give is to find someone really good at it and have them watch you do it. If people on the unit will let you practice on...

  15. HELP! Newbie nurse need your advice!

    patwil73 replied to Dawn_M_74's topic in First Year After Licensure

    I would second going to your nursing manager and asking for another preceptor and more time. Although I would disagree with the "only stating our communication styles don't mesh". I would start with...

  16. Almost made 1st med error. Who's at fault?

    patwil73 replied to TangoLima's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Not really race but skin color. The darker the skin the harder it is to pick up the blue of veins. If you take someone like me, somewhat overweight but rather pale- you can't feel a lot of my veins,...

  17. A year in and its not getting better!!!

    patwil73 replied to PiPhi2004's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Switching is very difficult on the body. When my nights weren't straight and I had a few days off between shifts it was horrible as I tried to accomodate a day shift for my family only to switch back...

  18. Should families be present during a code?

    patwil73 replied to paperdreams's topic in General Nursing

    I too am for family presence during codes. I have often found in the situations where the person really shouldn't be coded - family presence often diminishes the time of the code. There is no way...

  19. Oral thrush

    patwil73 replied to 2bmalenurse007's topic in General Nursing

    You can see it quite often with older people (or even younger) with poor oral care. It is mainly caused by a decrease in native bacteria in your mouth usually caused by long-term antibiotic use....

  20. What do young single nurses do on their days off?

    patwil73 replied to chichimitchi's topic in General Nursing

    When I was single I lived in a big city (Seattle) and mostly walked the city seeing new things. I would visit a museum or art house or my favorite spending the day in the library reading. I would...

  21. I feel dumb. re: talking to doctors and patient's family.

    patwil73 replied to file03's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Talking with doctor's and families can always be stressful. To help with this always be truthful in what you know - don't try to make things up (or stall as you look them up). If the doctor asks...

  22. Nervous About Clinicals...

    patwil73 replied to laxxrickLPN's topic in First Year After Licensure

    First off congratulations on getting in and welcome to a brave new world. Second, just imagine nursing as a type of sales job - you need to "sell" the patient on the fact you know what you are doing...

  23. Child care for the single parent nurse

    patwil73 replied to solneeshka's topic in General Nursing

    Although not single, my wife and I work the same night shift schedule and we have two young boys at home. Our solution was a nanny. Granted it cost a bit, although a live-in can be cheaper. Also...

  24. IV Vita K

    patwil73 replied to chenoaspirit's topic in General Nursing

    vitamin k given iv or im can lead to: severe reactions, including fatalities, have occurred during and immediately after intravenous and intramuscular injections of phytonadione. these severe...

  25. Is It OK for Nurses to Do These Things?

    patwil73 replied to Plagueis's topic in General Nursing

    I have given mainly controlled drugs from someone else - situation like this: pt arrives in ICU from ER crashing. Pt not transferred in computer yet - so unable to pull out meds under their name....