Those Things I Learned in Nursing I Use In My Daily Life.

[CaLLaCoDe]

have you gleaned skills in nursing you use in your daily life? like me, i'm sure you have! it can't help but trickle over to household and family etc etc etc.

i for one use the law of threes when i am about the house doing chores. i will write a list of three things to accomplish at a time, that way i don't get too overwhelmed.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

I wash my hands a LOT more than I used to.

If you haven't bled out at least a pint, don't expect me to get excited; a little blood goes a long way. BNS (before nursing school) I would have been freaking out.

If it's wet and it didn't come from my body, I'm not touching it without gloves on. Blows my mind on TV when there's a blood drop and a cop checks it with bare fingers. Girl at the local diner sliced her palm open (in all fairness, she did whack herself pretty good, and I know her and her family socially) but I made them give me gloves before I touched her.

I have first aid kits in car, kitchen, bathroom and workshop. And I check them monthly to make sure they're stocked and nothing's expired.

If you've fallen down the steps at church and you're holding your ankle and screaming, you've got an open airway and positive blood pressure. No, you are not dying, and yes, your husband can take you to the ER in your own car; I'm getting you an ice pack, not an ambulance. And if it was a weekday, I'd give you grief if you didn't go to your doctor's office instead. Before nursing school, I'd have been right in the middle of the drama.

When I'm cooing over a new baby at church, I also discretely check the fontanels and the babinski reflex.

My phone calls to my parents usually have the phrase, "so has the doc changed any of your meds recently?" in them somewhere.

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

I would also like to add that "I only had 3 beers" is code word for "I lost count after 6" and "I only smoke about half pack a day" means nothing short of a pack!

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

:yeahthat:

Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one doing that! It's sorta like pharmacology class. 1 stated shot = 1 full bottle, 1 beer = 1 12 pack, 1 quart per day = 1 gallon per day, etc.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

1) If it's warm, wet, and not mine, I don't touch it without gloves. That includes my grandson's diapers and the dog's Tootsie rolls.

2) I, too, wash my hands more often than the average human, which is probably why my immune system is strong enough to fight off the squirrels in the back yard while everyone around me is dropping like flies.

3) If it's breathing, has a pulse, isn't gushing blood, and there's no bones protruding, I don't get excited about it. (I learned long ago---much to my amusement---that this is a source of dismay for children who want to stay home from school.)

4) I have discovered that I really AM a patient human being. You have to be in this business.......otherwise I'd have strangled some MD or a PITA family member long ago and be writing this from prison.

5) Don't sweat the petty stuff.........and if it's not life-threatening, it's ALL petty stuff.

[bollweevil]

Hygiene issues;

how to talk to doctors by exchange and never go to ER while still breathing, not hemorrhaging, and not having compound fractures;

realizing that teaching does not equal learning and that learning isn't really on me - people learn when they are ready, sometimes with my help, sometimes not.

you can never please some people;

no matter how nice people are to your face, they are probably laughing at you or badmouthing you behind your back;

I have learned that are some truly nutty people out there and they might be dressed as doctors or administrators;

Your job is only as secure as your last good day.

Some managers should not be among the human race, let alone managing.

What matters most is me. Not meant selfishly but I think you probably know what I mean.

Excellence isn't always necessary; often, good enough is good enough.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I am trying to learn to care for myself in order to have energy to deal with everything at work. I purchased Nutrition for Dummies, which explains things better than any textbook ever has, and am trying to encourage my family to eat better, I hired a cleaning crew months back to organize my house and do the best I can to keep it up for health reasons. I am always looking at situations the way that a nurse evaluates things as well. Haunting, really...LOL

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Oh, and also, I try to have things in my house in case of emergencies; benadryl, sterile water, tape, sterile gauze and other little goodies.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I have learned to switch off the panic button and actually think and perform in real emergencies.

[CVICURN2003]

I have taught all of my children (except the three year old) CPR and the Heimlich. I am confident in my 14 and 9 year olds ability to do it on anyone..my six year old...maybe. go through the motions. BTW my nine year old is 5ft 2 inches and 165lbs and wears a size 10.5 man's shoe..so he knows how to muscle into a compression.

My six year old said two days ago "Mommy, Big Brother's tummy is moving up and down...so he's breathing" Education is everything.

I also tend to roll my eyes at anyone's dissertation of their health problems.

I watch how everyone walks and breathes. And for the veins in their arms.

And I say to people who tell me they are going in the hospital...Tell your MD if you drink, smoke or take a benzo..we don't care, but it will help us take care of you. and I also say "Do you have a living will?: way more often then I ever thought I would.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I've learned that when you're doing the job....you do what you HAVE to do, the extras are nice, but when you're going on a 18:1 tech ratio....as long as everyone's breathing, they're ok.

Learning what everyone "thinks" they know is often way more interesting than actually teaching them.

When you come to the floor, and you're able to eat/drink/and pee....getting your family member a sandwich goes way down on my list of priorities.

The only person who controls how I react is ME.