SquatsNScrubs BSN, RN

The CVICU I work PRN at uses the first device you posted a pic of (we call it a “river”) and they are wonderful for our post-op open hearts that come out of the OR needing epi, levo, precedex, fluid boluses, etc. We use the Alaris pumps so every med ...

My university health system was offering an extra $20/hr for any overtime shift picked up by nurses. This has now been reduced. I dropped from full time to casual and took a 13 week travel contract. I am bringing home roughly 3x the bacon AND I ...

CONGRATS to everyone who has been accepted! I am looking to apply for 2022-would anyone mind sharing their stats? I have an overall 3.2 GPA, 3 years RN experience (1.5 years CVICU), and should have my CCRN/GRE completed by the end of this year.

For our COVID pts that are prone, we use foam pillows that resemble a donut and rotate the head/neck q2h between left, right, and center. For arm placement, we do one arm at a 90 degree angle by pt's face, and other arm extended at side with palm fac...

24 years old, 3 years as a nurse. These replies make me realize I have LONG way to go! ?

Thank you for sharing your story! Here are my burning questions-do you think it’s necessary to feel confident in your abilities as an ICU nurse prior to applying to CRNA school? I have been an RN for 3 years (1.5 yrs med-surg —> 1.5 years CVICU). ...

@KatieMI - how are you doing?

For lack of a more eloquent title, I’ve worked in the cardiac ICU x1 year. I love it for the most part. A few things I LOVE: my coworkers/bosses, my unit’s teamwork approach, the flexibility of 3 12-hour shifts, learning something new every day, watc...

Agreed. I think keeping a patient alive by artificial means with a p*ss poor quality of life is more heart wrenching than a bad arrest.

Wow, thank you everyone for your meaningful responses! While I do have the opportunity to work straight night shift (and wouldn’t mind doing so at this point), I still have a lot to learn. There are rarely open heart pts admitted on night shift unles...

I wish you a speedy recovery from this horrific event you were forced to endure. This girl sounds like a total sociopath. I hope she remembers this for the rest of her life.

New(er) cardiac ICU nurse here. Some food for thought: 1) It sounds like your pt never made it to the CT scanner. Perhaps massive PE? AAA rupture? Cardiac tamponade? These conditions are difficult, if not impossible, to diagnose only with a CXR. 2) Z...

2017 grad here-I printed out every single PPT lecture (between 30-100 slides) to take notes on, plus exam study guides and other assignments. Some of my classmates chose to take notes on their laptops instead. You can buy an inexpensive printer for a...

I’ve been in the CVICU for 9 months, and worked in med-surg for 1.5 years prior. Our main clientele are cardiac (STEMI, CABG) and thoracic (VATS/lobectomy, minimally invasive esophagectomy) surgery pts. We also get a handful of vascular (AAA repair, ...

TPN. Always smells like cheeseburgers to me. Also, the smell of a bouquet donated from the local Trader Joe’s. When their flowers are no longer “sellable” they donate them to the nursing units ❤️

Ahhhhh, yes. “Warm cookie Wednesday” as my employer calls it!

When I had LASIK 2 years ago, I was told to take fish oil supplements for 2 weeks to help prevent dryness-perhaps this could help? Definitely check with your PCP first, as fish oil can interact with several medications.

Was changing the dressing of a pt with a non-healing foot wound scheduled for a metatarsal amputation the following day. He was watching tv and said “that’s so gross!!” I told him “don’t worry, after things start to heal up after your surgery, it wil...

Those working in acute care, do you address smoking cessation with patients if it is not initiated by them? Beyond my admission assessment, which requires me to ask the patient if he or she is interested in information related to quitting smoking, I ...

You rock.

Kalipso, I have no advice to offer. The pain and grief you are experiencing is palpable, and I hope you find peace and happiness.

IV starts! Or giving a sore post-op a quick back rub with a little bit of lotion in the AM. Or finally getting my lines untangled after 30 minutes. I can’t decide

In case you missed it: Washington Senator Maureen Walsh makes disparaging comments about nurses “playing cards for a considerable amount of the day,” suggests nurses should only work 8-hour shifts. ? https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tri-cityherald.c...

It wasn’t that along ago that I was a student nurse, but alas... In my ADN program, as long as we were being supervised by an RN we were allowed to do tasks (dressing changes, IV start, insertion of foleys/NGs, etc). At my current gig at a large teac...

Been working in CTICU for a few weeks now. Post-op esophagectomy patient is suspected to be going through ETOH withdrawal. Still NPO. Surgeon is very picky about administration of sedatives or meds that can compromise the pulmonary or circulatory sy...