1. I have never in my adult life slept through an alarm clock. I only learned (realized?) that because last night was the first time ever that I DID sleep through and alarm clock.
2. I have learned the one thing that as a nurse, I hate to do most: convince patients with dementia to take their medications.
3. A bad day at work feels even worse when it's your first day back after vacation.
4. It still upsets me a bit deeply when Alzheimer's patients get shipped to us from a nursing home and they are absolutely terrified of us doing pretty much anything, regardless of how gentle we are. I know that a lot of dementia is irrational, but what if some kind of abuse really is happening regularly? It's sad.
5. My kid stole my telemetry/dysrhythmias book and notebook. He's been reading it at bedtime.
7. The coworker I dislike the most professionally (lazy, rude), turns out to be an amazing charge nurse. Pleasantly surprised!
8. I genuinely want to find a way to practice IV skills. I'm just so tired of being bad at them.
I learned that it can take 24-48 hours for creatnine levels to drop after an injury to the kidney, even if the kidney is actively recovering.
For example a friend had her creatnine level creep up from 3.2 to 3.4 to 3.8 but she was putting out almost 400cc/hr clear straw colored urine. That's just one more little tidbit of experience to put in the back of my brain.
Heck, it's only Monday. Well, LAST week I learned that you really can forget some stuff (okay- A LOT) and need a refresher. I always knew refreshers never hurt!
That your patient can still be alive with a pH of 7.083, co2 of 11.2, and hco3 of.....wait for it, wait for it..... 3.8! ***! Do you hear the Rapid Response alert?
I started doing research and now I'm not sure. I'm kind of waiting on the new t:slim G4, with the integrated Dexcom receiver. The Vibe is still a contender, but the antiquated display, and the reviews saying it actually seems to take longer for button presses to do anything, and that the CGM is running the old Dexcom algorithm... I don't know.
The Dexcom 505 software update supposedly dramatically improves accuracy, but you can only get it on the G4 Platinum Dexcom receiver. Plus the new receiver can transmit to an iPhone...
Being a diabetic nerd is hard, my dinosaur friend.
Specializes in Medical Oncology, Alzheimer/dementia.
This week I learned:
1. Just how awesome it is to have a friend/coworker who also enjoys a cocktail after working the night shift. Long islands at 0800!!
2. Having a severely depressed friend who routinely gets his cell phone service cut off sends me into a panic until he reactivates it.
3. You can't fix stupid. But I already knew that, it was just reinforced.
4. Patients who leave AMA after being admitted to our floor for only 2 hours are a huge waste of time. Never had a patient actually tell me they were leaving. Had a few just waltz off.
5. Apparently I was the only nurse for 2 weeks that gave my patient his meds/flushes through his g-tube by gravity. And according to the patient this was the wrong way to do it and would clog up his tube. I've been giving meds through the g-tube by gravity for 14 years...the way I was taught in LPN school.
1. That I can see myself improving as an ICU nurse. I'm still terrified but I'm learning how to use my critical thinking skills to advocate or anticipate needs for my patients
2. A person can go from completely flacid to kicking you in the face in a matter of a 12-hour shift
3. Going to CT/MRI will guarantee loss of IV access....on a already horrible super-hard to stick pt
4. Admission at change of shift means standing for 12 hours straight
I have learned that riding the wave during transitional times and crisis is the safest bet in maintaining sanity and a job.
I am learning to test my already aggressive assertiveness in terms of doctors "sitting" on its unnecessarily and can start dictating to providers what I want-with positive results.
-That YouTube Kids is evil. My daughter got a hold of this while I was at work and has been watching some creepy lady doing infomercials about how to play with certain toys.
My 8-year-old step daughter found that same lady, pretty sure....
Ruger8mm
248 Posts
I learned that it can take 24-48 hours for creatnine levels to drop after an injury to the kidney, even if the kidney is actively recovering.
For example a friend had her creatnine level creep up from 3.2 to 3.4 to 3.8 but she was putting out almost 400cc/hr clear straw colored urine. That's just one more little tidbit of experience to put in the back of my brain.