Mommavik

I loved Birkinstocks, they gave me great support for my arches and feet. Also New Balance and Nurse mates were good choices for me since I couldn't really afford shoes that cost over $100 a pair. Especially since I'd need to replace them every 6 months or so or switch them out every 2 or 3 days.

I agree, talk with your employer ASAP. Especially if they already know you're being harassed, probably they'll count this as just another episode. But if not, this is something they definitely need to know 1) so they can support you, and 2) so they can be prepared if the BON contacts them to ask about you.

That was my first thought- how many times does a nurse or tech who is a smoker get a chance to go out to smoke? Why would they now object to taking a nurse's turn who does not want to be exposed to the smoke? It's ridiculous that a nurse, tech or any person working in a facility be penalized because they object to being exposed to cigarette smoke.

Then in that case (rape or assaults) NOBODY should have any say except the woman who is pregnant as a result of that assault.

Sure, not saying his is the final say, just that he should be heard. If he is financially and physically able to take responsibility for a child, then that should be taken into account, but the mother and her doctor should be given final say.

Cinlou said I feel the father should have a say, but only if he's prepared to take all responsibility for the child he helped create

I am a Christian. I am also pro-choice. I could not have an abortion myself because I always wanted children but was only able to have one. However, I lived in the age of back alley abortions and the deaths that resulted from them. I don't want to see us regressing to that. I believe it should be a woman's choice whether she have an abortion or have a pregnancy and give birth then give up a child or keep the child. It is a very hard choice either way and a woman should be supported in her choice, not made to feel like a criminal for making that choice. There are already too many children in our overburdened foster care system, we can't safely take care of the ones we already have there. Now the government is saying you have no choice but to give birth to this child; what you do with it after is your choice. So now we're going to have many more children born who are born to mothers who either can't or won't support them, so that's more in our already stressed foster system. What kind of life will that be? Or living with a mother who resents the child she was forced to have. Abused either physically or emotionally, growing up in that kind of environment damages any child. Don't let the government or religion make this their business when it should be a personal matter between a woman and her doctor.

I think this is where we'll end up with all the bans on abortion- back in the days before "Roe vs Wade" it was illegal almost everywhere; as a result, many young and older women had so called back alley abortions because there were no other options- they WERE GOING TO HAVE AN ABORTION REGARDLESS OF LAWS. Many of them died as a result, either from infection, bleeding, or other complications resulting from the practice. Others were rendered sterile due to damage to the uterus. I personally hate the idea of abortion, but I support a woman's right to choose that, mainly due to the above facts. I want these women who are going to get an abortion regardless of the risks or laws in place to be able to do so in a safe and legal way, especially those who are pregnant at 11 to 14 years old, whose bodies are not yet developed enough to be able to safely carry a child to term, or those who are pregnant as a result of incest or rape. There is enough mental and emotional damage without having to go through forcing them to go through with a pregnancy they absolutely hate the idea of. This is the girl or woman who will ram a coat hanger up to get rid of the fetus and end up dead as a result, or commit suicide by other means because of the emotional damage this continued reminder of her pain is causing her. Give her a safe way to end that pregnancy if she chooses so that she is not forced to continue her suffering though 9 more months reminding her of what happened to her.

I also found out that after an mmr injection, you cannot donate blood for 4 weeks- it's the rubella portion of the injection that causes the 4 week wait. The German measles and mumps portion only require a 2 week waiting period. So check before you go to donate blood if you've had any vaccinations- it may require a waiting period after you've had it.

I saw on the news yesterday that there is a recommendation by the CDC that persons who were born between 1957 through 1968 be revaccinated due to "most born before this either had measles or were exposed and had natural immunity, those born after got a better vaccine. These born in those years got a vaccine that was proven not as effective" (I believe that was what was the rationale given)

I agree; I feel this is something that a woman and her doctor should be able to decide between themselves, not the government. We need to vote in some people with sense enough to at least mitigate these crazy laws that are coming out. This so called "heartbeat" law is one of them. Most women haven't even missed a period by the time a rudimentary heartbeat is able to be heard at around 6 weeks. It is basically doing the same thing and forbidding abortion at all. The states that still have legal access to abortion are having problems from the states that don't allow it. Laws are being discussed that allow doctors in another state to be prosecuted for performing an abortion; another allows prosecution of a person who gives aid to a person seeking to travel to another state for an abortion. Birth control is being targeted as well; pills and IUD'S that work by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg are now being called abortion methods and made illegal. Morning after pills that have been marketed in the past as working in this way, even though it has been proven this is wrong, they do nothing of the kind, are being made illegal in many places. It is terrifying; what is next with these crazy politicians?? This started with the so called Christian right to life movement but has gone so much farther. These people haven't thought through the consequences of this law: more unwanted children who are in foster care because they aren't "perfect" enough for adoptive parents to want. More dead women because they were willing to risk death to obtain an abortion to prevent whatever would have happened if the pregnancy continued. Sometimes an abusive marriage that would have now had to continue because the abuser now had another possession to control her with as well as another possession to abuse. Sometimes a child with many genetic or physical malformations who is now being forced to continue through a pregnancy filled with pain only to die either at birth or within a few months of life, suffering the entire time. Sometimes, as with the recent case of a rape of a 10 year old, the person carrying the pregnancy is not mentally or physically mature enough to be able to carry to term; she is risking her very life to continue the pregnancy. So many other problems that are being caused by the unilateral illegality of abortion in so many places. Some have exceptions allowed for rape, ectopic pregnancy, risk of death to mother; but only a woman and her doctor know the conditions upon which an abortion would be the right thing to do for this woman. That's how it should be, not left for politicians and people who have no medical training and often are not willing to support the women and their children who have resulted from this denial of control over her body. She is told to "get a job and get off her lazy ***"; but who then will care for her 4 kids at home? It will cost more in childcare than she will be able to make in most unskilled labor jobs. Even jobs that are paid fairly well will not cover childcare for more than 1 child, so unless she has a family member or friend willing to babysit continually for little money, she has no choice but to stay home with them as if she leaves them with someone she CAN afford and something happens or she leaves them alone (if the oldest is over 8 or 10) and something happens, she will be liable for child neglect. It's a catch-22 for her. Welfare or aid to mothers with dependent children as it's called, is always being cut down from programs, is extremely hard to get (try begging and that doesn't always work either) and the amount is sometimes barely able to support food and living, much less buying clothes for the kids, haircuts when needed, doing laundry at a laundromat, etc. So people wonder why the children are ill dressed, shoes too small, well worn, etc. Do you think she WANTS to live like this?

I totally agree! This is ridiculous, and although I personally would only abort a child if absolutely necessary, I support any woman's right to do what she and her doctor feel is right for her to do. That said, this is giving a great opportunity for those who want to control our rights. I have already said that it wouldn't be far until women having an abortion would be arrested, or pregnant women could be arrested for doing things that could harm the fetus. I recently read that THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED, even before Roe vs Wade was reversed! One woman was jailed after she fell down the stairs at home, went to the hospital, the doctor there felt her concern indicated she wanted to harm her child. She spent 2 days in jail before being released, SMH. Numerous cases of women who have had abortions or having had a miscarriage being charged with fetacide or other charges when abortion was legal due to Roe vs Wade. One woman was convicted after a miscarriage. She went to the hospital because of severe cramps and bleeding but a child couldn't be found. It was later found in a dumpster. She was charged AND convicted of fetacide (for taking an abortion pill even though none was found in her system; and prosecuters claimed the child was born alive and she left it. Doctors said that the fetus was about 24 weeks, and was stillborn) She was sentenced to 20 years in prison Her sentence was overturned after 1 year in prison. Many other cases are on the news. These women, many of whom are already marginalized, have their lives totally ruined by these accusations. Being arrested causes job loss, which causes loss of home. Other children in the home must go to other family members or foster care if there aren't any willing to step up. Once in foster care, it isn't easy for a mother to get them back, especially since she now has to get a job, earn enough to get into another home and show she can support them. This is AFTER going through one of the worst things a woman can go through! We need to fight to have this corrected! There is a 10 year old incest victim who has had to travel out of state to get the abortion she needs. Her home state doesn't care that her body is in no way mature enough to carry a child to term. She has been refused this medical care. Where does it stop? What can we do as women and as nurses?

I also want to mention that even after vasectomy it is possible to get a woman pregnant; the man needs to have a sperm count for a specific length of time after the procedure to make sure it was totally effective. This can be up to 10 months in some cases. There have been documented cases of pregnancies happening after vasectomy. The chances are very low but it can happen. There's also the chance of a failure (such as reaatachment, scar tissue showing a channel to form or even a mistake during surgery) while these are very rare, it is worth noting, they can happen and then you have an unintended pregnancy because the couple thought they were safe due to the vasectomy. So warm the men you know that in order to be completely safe, have a regular sperm count just to be sure.

I don't agree with reversing Roe vs Wade. I've seen many thought provoking posts. One which really stuck with me posits the idea that oh yeah, prevent abortions! Don't kill the babies!! Then it shows a pic showing all the unwanted children born with these same people now criticizing the women who have birthed these babies with "get a job!" Stop relying on welfare for your kid!", etc. In other words, who is going to support all these children who the government, whether the national or state, has said with this reversal now have to be born. If the mother is unable to or unwilling to care for them, it will fall to the welfare system to do so (which means foster care, social services, etc. all of whom have had budget cuts on top of budget cuts. Where is the money supposed to come from? Are the people who have been so eager to vote this into law going to fund the agencies and people who will care for these new people? Why about the babies who are born profoundly disabled due to birth defects that were discovered during early gestation? Or the child whose birth results in his mother's death due to a medical issue that made her pregnancy very high risk? Shouldn't there be provisions made for these and some other circumstances? My niece is on birth control but if it should fail and she becomes pregnant, her life is at risk due to heart valve problems. She is too young to have a tubal ligation according to the doctors as well as it being an additional surgical risk that her doctors do not want her to take. As well as an ectopic pregnancy. This is life threatening as well. So those who are pro- life; I want you to think about these things. I wouldn't want an abortion myself; it would tear my heart apart. But there are reasons that an abortion is the only solution that will save a mother's life, even if she doesn't want to have to do it. Also with abortion being illegal now, how long will it be before someone accuses a mother of causing an abortion when a natural miscarriage occurs? There is many times no way to tell what has caused a miscarriage, and in addition to the horrible guilt a grieving mother may feel, now she'll be made to prove she didn't cause it to happen?? Did this make sense to any thinking person??

So glad things are working better for you and your patients. Hope things continue in this direction. Good luck.

I agree, I became disabled at 57, but until then, when I worked as a hospital RN, or as a nursing home RN, it was the same. I was treated as a higher status maid. You know, do this, do that, seldom a please or thank you. Getting fussed at because it took too long to get something to this patient, or she/ he wasn't my first priority. As for medication rounds, always several who insisted their meds needed to be first bc they wanted to do something or needed pain meds or sleeping meds. Now pain meds I can say OK, that will be higher priority than just rounds, but the other excuses, if I go with that, it would take me forever to complete them if I agreed to them. I learned to insist on being treated how I wanted to be treated, my patients learned you give respect to get respect. (Was not disrespectful in making my point in regard to myself and my fellow nurses, and I included aides in this) Only needed to do this a few times before it improved the atmosphere on our ward.

Boy do I agree with this! Many many times I left work an hour late so frustrated with the fact it was either chart what was being done or actually go and take care of my patients; it wasn't possible to actually spend time just talking with a patient who was having a bad night or afraid of a procedure she was going to be having. I was a long time nurse at this facility, had been written up several times for not leaving on time but couldn't be the nurse I wanted to be for my patients if I ignored or passed my patients off to go to the computers (which were a lot slower etc.) to chart on 8 or 10 patients, however many I had that night. Remember, "it wasn't done if it wasn't charted" and we didn't have computers or tablets in the hall or in the rooms then. So even if I had charted everything possible at 4am, I still had all the meds, treatments, and care for each patients after then to chart, both in the computers and in the charts. Because at the time we had to double chart; we still had paper flow sheets that had to be filled out plus computer charting that covered almost the same things that also had to be charted. I went home almost every shift so frustrated that I couldn't accomplish as much as I felt I should have, or didn't get something done because there just wasn't enough time. I don't miss those days at all.

I agree totally; I definitely would be looking for another job. You've tried to advocate for your patients, but unless you've already got written evidence (from charting or notes that you took when each episode happened) you've got a she said- she said circumstance. If both night nurses are ganging up against you then unless they've had this same charge before you're going to be coming out for the worse, I'm afraid.

Thank you!

In response to Susie 2310; (Sorry I can't figure out how to copy the post) I agree; this is way more than just a medication error, like we are all afraid we could one day make. This was more than 8 times this error could have been caught BEFORE the med was given. Over 4 were before the med was even taken from the machine! I'm sorry, but even with distractions, I can't understand how she could not have seen the name of "Vecuronium" or the word " paralytic" at some point while reconstituting this med. It was on the label, it was even on the vial cap so it HAD to be seen when the needle was inserted into the vial to reconstitute the med and when it was inserted to withdraw the med from the vial. Several other points of this incident that stand out as agregious. The hospital, the doctors, the other nurse also held some blame, but there were so many things that could have been done to prevent this. (And I'm aware hindsight is always perfect,) This could so easily been prevented that it just makes me cringe for the patient, her family and yes for Radonda herself. This will eat at her forever as I know it already it. I hope she does not get jail time, because I think what she already has had happen is harsh enough. The publicity alone will ensure she never is allowed to live her life without constant reminders of this. The other point is that this trial doesn't cause a precedent that reporting a med error increasing your chance of being charged with a crime. We still need the checks and balances system of self reporting so that we can help find out why errors happen and how we can prevent them from happening again. We CANNOT let this system be corrupted to cause prosecution for an accidental error. (We all know this was not that)

I'm glad you followed your gut and reported this situation. I hope you have documented your conversations with this night nurse, but even if you didn't, I think the numbers will show what is going on. If the doctor has been wondering why his insulin orders haven't been keeping the blood sugars under control (before she called and got the basal rate changed) . Even if this doesn't go your way, I hope you don't let this stop you from reporting next time you have another situation that doesn't feel right or that you KNOW isn't right. But next time you'll know DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT DOCUMENT! LOL. Good luck.

I've never worked with paralytic drugs, so I'm not qualified to give an opinion as to the correctness of the OP's post. However, I do agree that the mistake currently being discussed is one of not even looking at the name on the vial, not one of not double checking. I agree, though, that double checking, could very well have prevented this tragedy. The problem with that is that she didn't get that she was removing a paralytic, even though it stated on the top and label of the vial that it was a paralytic. So she would not have don't a double check anyway.

You have to let the Dr know what is going on, as well as you direct supervisor. Nursing judgement is one thing, blatantly ignoring the Dr's orders is not using nursing judgement, it is usurping the Dr and making her own. How can the Dr help this patient maintain her glucose levels of he has no idea why her levels are so out of whack? His orders say exactly what to do in each circumstance, correct?. Then when she feels this is inadequate, she needs to inform the MD and ask for a change, not change it in her own.

⁰I can see how not being able to check as often as she was supposed to happened. There were things she could have done to address this; at the least, having an aide check on him frequently and report back to her. For the problem of not having another nurse there; I would have had to report to my agency that this was an unsafe situation to be in; if I worked for an agency, arrived to find that I had this many patients that I was responsible for and I would be the only licensed nurse there??? No way! That is unsafe, and I would have called to let the agency know that. It does not mean I'm leaving the facility with no one licensed there; but the manager and nurse going off shift would definitely be made aware that I considered it unsafe and was unwilling to accept. If she had done this, maybe the facility would have had 2 nurses working and less chance of this patient not getting the care he needed. At the least, she would not have been the person responsible for not having done the care this patient needed. As for falsified charting, a big no no. No excuse for that type of charting. Filing in vital signs late (they were done, just not on chart) is OK in my opinion, but saying you did something you did not do is boot ever OK.

From what I'm reading about this case, the nurse in question falsified the record to show that she checked on a patient's neurological and vital signs frequently as ordered after a patient fall when in fact she did not check on this patient at all! This shows that she knew that 1) it was important that this patient be checked frequently. 2) She apparently did not care that the patient died and could possibly have been saved if she had done the checks that she falsely claimed she had done. No excuses for this. Not something that any ethical and conscientious nurse could accept as something that would NOT require prosecution.