This is not your home. It is the place where your doctors, nurses, and therapists will get you better to return home.
Hi new patient's family. Can you please refrain from speaking so I can ask your family member some pertinent questions?
Since this is not your home, do not expects the comforts of home, such as a luxury bed.
Those hospital beds are not the greatest. However, they are designed to help prevent your skin from breaking. You're welcome.
When was the last time someone cooked a whole meal for you? If you don't like it, bring something from home, but don't complain.
Missing your personal slave? Didn't think so. Hi! I'm your nurse and I have 4 other people to take care of in addition to you.
RN. Refreshments and Narcotics. Huh?
Your pain is at a 10/10? Really? So as somebody is cutting your leg off with a saw you make personal phone calls and laugh at a Facebook post?
Actually you do need an IV. And I don't just put them in people because I'm a sicko who likes sticking sharp objects into people. (I do like getting them in though).
If you think you can dictate which order I give your medications (which tend to include Benadryl, Dilaudid, and Zofran), you don't belong in this hospital.
I feed my patients. Not their visitors. Unless I feel bad for them.
You will be woken up. Multiple times. While you're sleeping.
Don't think you can threaten me by refusing to take your medications. Less work for me!
I asked a simple question. When did you last move your bowels? I don't need the extended edition.
Keep your arm straight if you don't want that machine to beep.
Those bubbles in the IV tubing won't kill you.
Wouldn't a family reunion be so much more peaceful in your own home, at a park, or somewhere spacious.
If you don't want to deal with me and my expectations, there's a hotel down the street.
I've never got an IV in the antecubital but I've given my blood and that's the worst IV site possible. It's meant to bend! There are other veins,why not put it elsewhere,where it's less uncomfortable?? Especially if the IV is supposed to stay for a few days. I'd get crazy if I couldn't bend my arm for days.
It seems like putting every IV in the antecubital is the norm because it's easier and quicker. I understand if it's emergent because it's a matter of live or death but when it isn't,why not put it in another site or at least discontinue it and restart it elsewhere as soon as possible?
It's the most common place for an IV in the ER because it's needed for PE studies, that may be the only vein we can get a line into easily when they are so dehydrated, and we can draw labs easily from the IV site. Initially they do work well for IV fluids even on a pump, but become more ineffective as time goes on. We also hang a lot of fluid boluses wide open without a pump. Ive had patients who were boarding in the ER, had maintainence fluids, and the pump would not stop beeping, so I started a second line.
I apologize since I hurt many feelings by posting in a nurse's forum when I am not a nurse. That was simply a mistake from someone who had only been a member for 5 minutes. Thank you to those who pointed it out to me over and over.
I apologize since I hurt many feelings by posting in a nurse's forum when I am not a nurse. That was simply a mistake from someone who had only been a member for 5 minutes. Thank you to those who pointed it out to me over and over.
No hurt feelings, just some feathers ruffled. It's difficult to give credence to an opinion coming from someone who has never, ever spent a day in our shoes.
I apologize since I hurt many feelings by posting in a nurse's forum when I am not a nurse. That was simply a mistake from someone who had only been a member for 5 minutes. Thank you to those who pointed it out to me over and over.
With respect, you really don't get to feel indignant here.
Put it in perspective: How would you feel if you belonged to a teachers' forum, which gave you the opportunity to vent about annoying aspects of your job, in the company of other seasoned teachers who know where you were coming from and appreciated the humor, and non-teachers found it perfectly acceptable to tell you how horrible you were to say such things, how you should be doing your job, teaching can't be THAT hard and oh, "by the way, my taxes go to the schools, so I pay your salary!"
Wouldn't you be a little miffed? And wouldn't you want to defend yourself and your profession?
It isn't that simple. The A/C is a large vein and is most useful in specific situations where large volumes must be infused. On presentation to the ER, most people have an IV placed on arrival, and since there is minimal information usually known regarding a person's final diagnosis, it's typically the safest and most useful location.
Trust me, it isn't for the nurses' benefit. If you think I like hearing "line occluded" beep on the IV pump, you're sorely mistaken.
I'm sure you don't like hearing it and with what you and Lev
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I'm sure you don't like hearing it and with what you and Lev
It doesn't make sense to d/c a functional IV and immediately stick for another. Now, facility policy may dictate that it does get changed within a set time- my facility states that any IV placed pre-hospital (whether from another facility or by EMS) must be changed within 24 hours; an AC site should be changed within 72 unless no other access can be obtained. Other facilities may have completely different policies.
Candice- a little perspective for the next time you're in the hospital, or staying with someone in the hospital.
First- know that your nurse should never be rude to you. She/he may look rushed, stressed, etc, but if there is rudeness- report it.
Next- I think there is a lack of understanding on the publics part of just what all we are responsible for, and that causes a lack of respect.
If the MD makes a mistake when writing an order- for anything: med, test, diet- we are responsible for catching & correcting before implementing. If the MD forgets an order, we are responsible for tracking him down & getting it. All Drs are not amenable when having mistakes pointed out and on a occasion take it out on the nurse.
If pharmacy makes a mistake & sends the wrong med, wrong dose, etc-- it's on us to catch it before it gets to you.
If dietary sends the wrong diet- oops! Carrot cake for a diabetic?? Nope! It's our job to stop it before you get it.
Those can be serious, life threatening errors.
While we are being the last line of defense for you, the patient (or your loved one), AND our other 5-6 patients, we are giving scheduled meds (usually a full pass 2x in 12 hr shift) and then the prn meds every few hours. There are dressings to change & other treatments to do. And there is a buttload of charting to do about everything we do.
And while all that is happening- the phones are ringing & the call bell is going off about every 3 min on average.
So when the patient you just told can't have his pain med for 30 min calls back in 5 min to ask for it again- it's frustrating.
When someone screams at you cuz they told you "momma wants 4 ice cubes in her Sprite & you only put 3" - it's frustrating.
Most of us try our hardest to smile the same at hour 12 as we do at hour 1-- and we do damn good at it. And the way we manage to keep our sanity and sense of humor is to come to this site & tell our stories to other people who just went through The.Same. Thing
The people who keep it inside & stuff it down are the ones that explode one day. The rest of us let off harmless steam then go & do it again tomorrow.
So take all of this into consideration the next time you want to come here & criticize us 'unkind' nurses.
I apologize since I hurt many feelings by posting in a nurse's forum when I am not a nurse. That was simply a mistake from someone who had only been a member for 5 minutes. Thank you to those who pointed it out to me over and over.
Why post on a forum that you didn't do a one minute search on to see that it is meant to be nurses/students/cna's
and not the general public??? Or maybe you did and just want to vent about nurses neglecting patients at the hospital of your father when it has no place here but rather with the hospital that the care is being provided at....
I'm sure you don't like hearing it and with what you and Lev
No. That isn't really how it works.
If a line is patent and being used, then it needs to be left in. Placing another IV for a patient's comfort is often inappropriate as venipuncture is an invasive procedure that can expose the patient to infection. PIV's must be assessed each shift for appropriateness in addition to site appearance and functionality. If a line is no longer necessary, the nurse should notify the physician, and request it be discontinued.
Candice- a little perspective for the next time you're in the hospital, or staying with someone in the hospital.
First- know that your nurse should never be rude to you. She/he may look rushed, stressed, etc, but if there is rudeness- report it.
Next- I think there is a lack of understanding on the publics part of just what all we are responsible for, and that causes a lack of respect.
If the MD makes a mistake when writing an order- for anything: med, test, diet- we are responsible for catching & correcting before implementing. If the MD forgets an order, we are responsible for tracking him down & getting it. All Drs are not amenable when having mistakes pointed out and on a occasion take it out on the nurse.
If pharmacy makes a mistake & sends the wrong med, wrong dose, etc-- it's on us to catch it before it gets to you.
If dietary sends the wrong diet- oops! Carrot cake for a diabetic?? Nope! It's our job to stop it before you get it.
Those can be serious, life threatening errors.
While we are being the last line of defense for you, the patient (or your loved one), AND our other 5-6 patients, we are giving scheduled meds (usually a full pass 2x in 12 hr shift) and then the prn meds every few hours. There are dressings to change & other treatments to do. And there is a buttload of charting to do about everything we do.
And while all that is happening- the phones are ringing & the call bell is going off about every 3 min on average.
So when the patient you just told can't have his pain med for 30 min calls back in 5 min to ask for it again- it's frustrating.
When someone screams at you cuz they told you "momma wants 4 ice cubes in her Sprite & you only put 3" - it's frustrating.
Most of us try our hardest to smile the same at hour 12 as we do at hour 1-- and we do damn good at it. And the way we manage to keep our sanity and sense of humor is to come to this site & tell our stories to other people who just went through The.Same. Thing
The people who keep it inside & stuff it down are the ones that explode one day. The rest of us let off harmless steam then go & do it again tomorrow.
So take all of this into consideration the next time you want to come here & criticize us 'unkind' nurses.
Ah-men.
And I'd like to add that none of the aforementioned goingson factors in what happens when a patient suddenly becomes unstable and the chaos that surrounds that.
Lev, MSN, RN, NP
4 Articles; 2,805 Posts
It's the most common place for an IV in the ER because it's needed for PE studies, that may be the only vein we can get a line into easily when they are so dehydrated, and we can draw labs easily from the IV site. Initially they do work well for IV fluids even on a pump, but become more ineffective as time goes on. We also hang a lot of fluid boluses wide open without a pump. Ive had patients who were boarding in the ER, had maintainence fluids, and the pump would not stop beeping, so I started a second line.