patwil73

patwil73

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

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All Content by patwil73

  1. How do you deal with working weekends?

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

    8. Cath lab (some hospitals) 9. Endo Nurse (some hospitals) 10. OR and PACU (some hospitals) 11. Nursing management (mostly - odd weekends every now and then) 12. Joint Center (at my hospital -...

  2. caring for chronic pain pts

    patwil73 replied to abbysmom's topic in General Nursing

    Chronic pain patients can be very difficult for any nurse to care for. They can either be in such constant pain that they want anything tried to help them (because they have not gotten the relief...

  3. should i just give up?

    patwil73 replied to MK6babies's topic in General Nursing

    Absolutely not! Let me tell you my story. . . I loved math and science. I was very good in both subjects and got through with no problems. You know what? Didn't make nursing any easier or make me...

  4. Bad to be concerned with money?

    patwil73 posted a topic in General Nursing

    I have seen several recent threads about the salary of nurses, the amount of OT you could work, etc. At least some of the replies I have read seem to indicate that the preoccupation with money does...

  5. Who here works overtime for the extra cash?

    patwil73 replied to Future-nurse's topic in General Nursing

    At my hospital also. They have a thing called NRD hours. It goes to pay a nurse who might otherwise be low censused. I don't believe it has ever run out and it pays your normal wage - you just come...

  6. Please, I need your opinions/Advice!!!

    patwil73 replied to Jacibelle's topic in General Nursing

    I currently work night shift with 2 young boys at home. The days off between my work days are harder than just working straight - since I try and stay up to be involved with them. I will be moving to...

  7. General

    patwil73 replied to BiologyNerd's topic in General Nursing

    I got my degree at a community college - not sure of the student size but probably less than 10,000. Wait time could be none(I got in first time I applied - but had 4.0) to 3 or more months. They...

  8. Question for Nurse Managers

    patwil73 replied to glamgalRN's topic in Nurse Management

    Most places I have seen (and my facility also) will not pay for vacation within the first 6months (you accrue it, just can't use it). That being said, if the managers need more people, and they think...

  9. Nurse-Patient Ratios

    patwil73 replied to pattin13's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    Our Med-Surg floors have: Days 3-5 (less than half the nurses can have 5 or they stop admissions until they get another nurse) Evening 4-6 (again less than half get 6) Nights 5-6 (mostly 6) PCA up to...

  10. Retire by 30, thanks nursing!

    patwil73 replied to ThePrestige's topic in General Nursing

    Hello everyone, I had a lot of fun browsing through the thread on retirement by 30. So, since I enjoy math I decided to look at my hospital and see what is possible to do. So here goes. Area -...

  11. Change of shift admissions

    patwil73 replied to kittymom's topic in General Nursing

    As a nursing supervisor this is a big pet peeve of mine - when the floors delay admits at change of shift. It really creates so many problems to delay those admits. At my hospital you have up to 24...

  12. silly but please help! :)

    patwil73 replied to sweetieann's topic in General Nursing

    Yes. There are different types of primary tubing and you just come across the 2 main ones. The one you are seeing now just take the alligator clamp with the blunt plastic needle and push it through...

  13. Inappropriate sexuality...where to draw the line?

    patwil73 replied to Kunzieo's topic in General Nursing

    The CVA might have affected his impulse control - so he might know what he is doing but not be able to stop. The easiest test is to wash him with his wife out of the room and see if he tries to grab...

  14. Raises

    patwil73 replied to BiologyNerd's topic in General Nursing

    Unkown. Completely dependent on your hospital and contract. Our staff get a raise with each "step" they earn (roughly equivalent to years of service) and then the union will negatotiate a cost of...

  15. Environment of the room during a code

    patwil73 replied to RN2Bn2006's topic in General Nursing

    In my job I have the priviledge of helping to run the code with the residents. I have seen many different reactions from those involved in the code. Mostly the younger a patient is the higher stress...

  16. What's it like to be a Seattle nurse?

    patwil73 replied to pumpkin1984's topic in Washington Nursing

    Seattle has a lot of hospitals to choose from - Harborview (level 1 trauma for excitement), Swedish (open heart), Providence, Northwestern, Virginia Mason, a military one also I think, plus probably...

  17. Need help figuring out what happened to this guy!?!?

    patwil73 replied to TigerGalLE's topic in General Nursing

    My first guess would be ammonia levels also - however has his BUN/Creatinine been checked recently? Is he a chronic renal failure or perhaps new onset acute? People get used to a high creatinine...

  18. Harborview or Swedish?

    patwil73 replied to Icess64's topic in Washington Nursing

    Hello, I started my nursing career at Swedish (2001) as a new grad I was hired into their Critical Care units. I had a 3 or 4 month internship which included both classwork and preceptership upon the...

  19. NArcan drip

    patwil73 replied to sharann's topic in General Nursing

    When we use a reversal agent we have to monitor for 90 minutes. It is due (as said above) because of the very short half-life of narcan and longer half-life of the opiod. If we were concerned enough...

  20. How would you explain a family member the concept of ABG

    patwil73 replied to Shantas's topic in General Nursing

    ABG's for the nurse: In respiratory acidosis the patient is not blowing off enough carbon dioxide. As the CO2 level rises in the body it diminishes the respiratory drive causing the patient to...

  21. Patient nurse ratios for Med/Surg and Rehab

    patwil73 replied to ckalston's topic in General Nursing

    Our General Med-Surg floor currently takes 4-5 days, 5-6 eve and nights. Primarily primary. There is 1 pca to up to 12 patients. An unassigned charge. A unit secretery. Usually a float nurse. A...

  22. Nursing Judgement...A thing of the past?

    patwil73 replied to Jelli_Belli's topic in General Nursing

    It often seems like the medical profession goes overboard in the creation of forms. What was originally designed to help out gets adopted (often with little trial) and continued even though major...

  23. A little insight....... (long sorry)

    patwil73 replied to Nurse Lulu's topic in First Year After Licensure

    Actually doctors can make the determination to "hold" a patient they feel is imminent danger by walking out of the hospital. However, once that determination is made then they have to contact the...

  24. management nursing

    patwil73 replied to katieRNlove's topic in General Nursing

    This is a very difficult situation to get into as I expect they have more seniority in the building than you do. My only advice is to document specifically what happens - what does the mean manager...

  25. Is this inappropriate?

    patwil73 replied to 2shihtzus's topic in General Nursing

    I keep seeing a lot of replies indicating that this is a HIPPA violation. I think you will have a really hard time proving that. As the NM she can always look at any chart on her unit to determine...