kdodge

Smart! Does anyone know if I could do this on my infant boy patients to make sure they don't pee on me while I'm changing them?

Try placing a diaper, if you have it, around him so that he urinates into that and you don't have to place a brand new chuck right after you've already moved him? Or you can fold an extra chuck and do the same thing... saves you some extra time, rolling, and your back.

Two words... draw sheets. Honestly, these have saved me and my back so many times over the years. While the best way would be to have help from another person, even a family member, draw sheets can be your saving grace when trying to turn a patient solo and still being able to worry about their airway. My advice is to take two unfitted sheets and fold them in half so that you have plenty of room to grab when you're on the opposite side of the patient. Place one under their hips/butt and the other under their shoulders/ upper back. When you go to reposition/turn them, set up your pillows on the side that they need to be placed, move the "handles" of your draw sheet so that you can grab it when you go to the other side of the patient. Work on one major area at a time... normally starting with the shoulders. Grab the drawsheet and pull so that you rotate the patient enough to reach over them and place the support pillow under their shoulders or hips and then let them relax back into position. Mind you, this works best if there are no pillows supporting the side that you are trying to turn them to. You can place pillows on your side (if there are side rails make sure that they are up) so that the patient doesn't hit the rails. Doing it this way means that you can easily assess and fix any issues with the trach/vent that may occur during repositioning because you're on the same side as your patient.

Hi all, I've been a nurse for a bit over 4 years now and love my job as a peds hem/onc/bmt nurse... but I'm restless. I've always held 2 jobs since I got out of high school to help put myself through college/nursing school and that continued after I got my first nursing job because I love having a diversified experience and being able to see different sides to nursing. I'm firmly ensconced in oncology as my primary profession, but I'm looking to grow in other areas... I'm just not sure where. I've tried reaching out to other nurses on LinkedIn who have more experience than me and have run into mostly pitches for MLM sales jobs or silence. I really want to explore positions that allow me to work with patients long term outside of the hospital, those with chronic conditions like diabetes, sickle cell disease, etc... maybe as a nursing health coach... but I don't know how to get started or even if this a viable career. Any advice or guidance from those who have been doing this longer or who have felt that same itch to know more and do more would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Always give notice. It's a professional courtesy that will follow you wherever you go. Our professional world is small and you don't want to give anyone any reason to remember you negatively as you grow in your field. Next, please, please, PLEASE make sure that you chart to CYA. I've worked in a facility where I felt like I was putting my license in jeopardy whenever I walked in and have been on the other side of the table when the company is trying to find a scapegoat for something that shouldn't have happened resulting in a patient's death. Thankfully, I had a great team (RN, LVN, CNA) who documented every interaction regarding this issue... it saved all of us from the firing line. I have seen RNs, LVN/LPNs, and CNAs fired because something happened and there was no proof to keep them safe. You worked long and hard to get your license, make sure you work to keep it safe. And yes, put down your nursing experience. As long as you leave in good standing, experience is experience. Practice answering the question "why did you leave your last job?" or "what caused you to leave your last position?" so that you can be ready during your next interview. Never badmouth the company you left, despite the reasons... this makes you look petty and vindictive. Be humble about the opportunity they gave you and how it felt like the time to move on will win you big points in any recruiter's book. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Ctruon1, First of all, congrats on graduating, getting your degree, and more importantly... your license!!! You've overcome so many hurdles to be here and you shouldn't overlook what you've accomplished. Second, as a former CA grad who was looking for a job in an oversaturated market a number of years ago, it's amazing that you have the offer of work so quickly. Please never forget how valuable the right contact/relationship can be, it has opened up a door for you that so many wish for. Finally, the other posters are right. I had an opportunity for a job that would throw me into the shark tank, but teach me more than almost any other job about being able to handle the worst of the worst nursing situations (think supplies running out, power shutting down, codes every other day, patients who are so sick that they can't go home for more than 6 months)... and a brand new relationship with someone who has become my partner and other half. He had the option to move and get a new job and wanted me to come with him... but he was amazing enough to not only stay with me but help me through my first year of nursing so that I could pursue my dream of being an Oncology nurse later. True love does not ask you to sacrifice your opportunities in favor of theirs, they will amend their lives to support you. If he understands how much this opportunity means to you, then he should be willing to support you either by moving to be with you, or waiting and not pushing you to give this opportunity up. Good luck, and I'm hoping that this all turns out for the best for you.