After a week of deliberation on the WILTW threads, I can honestly say I'm glad for a new week! I have only worked one day this week so far, so not a very giant list to share.
This week in nursing, I have learned....
There is a very sad line between moral and legal decision-making in healthcare. When a DNR can be revoked by family only to prolong torture and a DNR not granted on an already terminal suicide attempt, we really need to find a way to make moral and legal stop being mutually exclusive.
After a month of horrible patient acuity, I'm realizing that now "normal" days actually feel a bit slow. Amazing how being pushed beyond your limits teaches you to increase those limits.
I've learned what pleurx drains are. Now I want to play with one.
It takes a lot longer to bring up a 2.3 potassium than a 1.1 mag. A lot.
I have a way about me that makes patients confess very, very strange things to me. (Apparently?)
I'm going to learn tomorrow if short hair is easier at work than long in a braid, bun or ponytail. Also, tomorrow I will get to compare my steps at work on my new Fitbit vs. the app in my phone. And..... Tomorrow is my last day in the 18-34 demographic.
I've realized that hospitals would be more mom-nurse-friendly if shifts were 9-9.
Looking at community health job postings has made me realize I have no idea how to figure out government pay scales. I understand the grade, but how does your starting step get determined?
I've included my children in the "daddy's schedule is changing, so mommy's might have to, too," conversation. It was hard to say no when my girl asked if I could "just" not work for awhile.
Crack is a hell of a drug.
Almost 1.5 years since graduation. I think I've decided I know how to nurse now. It's an amazing feeling!
How about you? What have you learned?
The weekly WILTW threads will remain in yellow as long as we remember to keep the majority of posts/comments focused on things nursing related. Students are welcome to share what they learned in their journey to becoming nurses, and of course, CNAs/PCTs/MAs and other unlicensed people who are part of the nursing team are welcome to contribute as well.
As this thread doesn't really have one single topic, it's very nature is to evolve into conversations that are off topic from individual points shared. This is okay, as long as the majority of posts in the conversations remain nursing, nursing school and UAP-related. Questions or comments on this can be shared in the site feedback thread with "WILTW" in its title.
The only unit I didn't float to this week was OB, so I experienced a lot of new things.
1. the med/surg rooms are too small for two nurses and the patient. I was cleaning a patient with the nurse, and got really hot, dizzy, and queasy.
2. an inguinal hernia can cause penile swelling. The testicles were normal size, but his member was the size of a large grapefruit. He didn't complain of pain, but it looked like it had to hurt.
3. I need to learn to read EKGs
4. I'm like a toddler, I get caught up in learning new stuff, that I forget some of the things I know how to do. A lot of the medical charting is different from psych charting, and I screw up the medical parts that are the same.
5. GeriPsych isn't my thing. Trying to keep the sundowning dementia patient away from the young borderline women sometimes meant he was 3:1 There is a difference between trying to help someone return to baseline functioning vs slowing the inevitable decline.
6. my workmates are upset for me because I floated, and don't understand why I'm not. I'm learning new things, and that keeps my brain engaged.
7. _The Martian_ is a good book. _Welcome to Night Vale_ is difficult to get into. The sentences are very short and choppy, and to create the air of mystery/weirdness they are also very contradictory. I've read 2 chapters, and couldn't tell you a thing about it. I'm just going to reread LOTR
edited to add one more:
According to livertox.nih.gov an accidental acetaminophen overdose is called:
I want so badly to like like this, but all that about the crazy person has me going eh.....
I apologize for being way over the top. I wouldn't ever say that about someone in "real life", but this girl really is one of the most emotionally draining people I've ever met. On top of more overt attention seeking behaviors, she also manipulates people to get attention. For example, she will tell two of her friends that the other said something awful about them, so that the two friends turn on each other and come to her for support. She gets people to trust her by doing nice things for them like giving them a ride or buying them lunch, and then she starts rumors about them. She needs her friends to be friends with only her and no one else. She is 20 years old, not 14. While I realize that her behavior comes from a place of deep insecurity and other issues, it is very, very draining to be on the receiving end of it. And I feel like I can't walk away from her because she'll make my life a living hell if I do.
Sorry for getting off topic, I just wanted to explain myself.
Thank you for the suggestions and the good luck wishes. I am trying not to dread going to work on Monday and hoping the weekend off will replenish my supply of patience.
People not taking personal responsibility is a huge pet peeve of mine! It uses up my patience stores at a rapid pace, so I really feel for you!
I hope you're able to get through to him/her. Dreading to go to work really sucks.
Any friend of the Doctor is a friend of mine. Welcome aboard! Explore the "blue side" otherwise known as the break room to let loose your geeky side. It's a lot of fun there too!
I apologize for being way over the top. I wouldn't ever say that about someone in "real life", but this girl really is one of the most emotionally draining people I've ever met. On top of more overt attention seeking behaviors, she also manipulates people to get attention. For example, she will tell two of her friends that the other said something awful about them, so that the two friends turn on each other and come to her for support. She gets people to trust her by doing nice things for them like giving them a ride or buying them lunch, and then she starts rumors about them. She needs her friends to be friends with only her and no one else. She is 20 years old, not 14. While I realize that her behavior comes from a place of deep insecurity and other issues, it is very, very draining to be on the receiving end of it. And I feel like I can't walk away from her because she'll make my life a living hell if I do.
Sorry for getting off topic, I just wanted to explain myself.
And again, congratulations.
That's horrible Lulu. People like that are poison. I hope you can find a way to distance yourself without her getting too vengeful soon. *hug*
I learned why OBs fear VBAC. (Which reaffirms my choice to not become a midwife.)
I learned this not too long ago also. It was by far the most tragic case I've been in, and that's including some pretty gnarly post abuse cases and tragic NICU outcomes. Having the father there for all that went down brought out some emotion in me that is normally quite locked away.
On a more pleasant note, I hope you had an amazing birthday! Welcome to my age bracket!!
I've been absent from AN somewhat because I'm really enjoying my new role but have been insanely busy learning new things and flipping from days to nights to accommodate a few classes. 2 more shifts on orientation, but a few more classes to go. I've missed you all!!
This week I learned that there really is something that can almost make me gag involuntarily. Hello, massive GI bleed. So sorry we had to meet. I also learned that I'm enjoying my senior citizen patients way more than I ever thought I would. After a couple of decades working with kidlets and families, I thought that was where I would always be most comfortable. Truly enjoying the change.
-ramazicon is the reversal agent for benzo's but in prolonged benzo users can cause seizures
It's also one of the few medications where the trade name is just as cumbersome as the generic name (flumazenil).
I've said before that I'd like to be the person who picks trade names for drugs. I had a drug rep give me this paragraph-long explanation of how they picked the name Latuda (something about lines of latitude always leading you to horizons, which you can see in the official Latuda logo). I could do that.
ThymeRN
43 Posts
The only unit I didn't float to this week was OB, so I experienced a lot of new things.
1. the med/surg rooms are too small for two nurses and the patient. I was cleaning a patient with the nurse, and got really hot, dizzy, and queasy.
2. an inguinal hernia can cause penile swelling. The testicles were normal size, but his member was the size of a large grapefruit. He didn't complain of pain, but it looked like it had to hurt.
3. I need to learn to read EKGs
4. I'm like a toddler, I get caught up in learning new stuff, that I forget some of the things I know how to do. A lot of the medical charting is different from psych charting, and I screw up the medical parts that are the same.
5. GeriPsych isn't my thing. Trying to keep the sundowning dementia patient away from the young borderline women sometimes meant he was 3:1 There is a difference between trying to help someone return to baseline functioning vs slowing the inevitable decline.
6. my workmates are upset for me because I floated, and don't understand why I'm not. I'm learning new things, and that keeps my brain engaged.
7. _The Martian_ is a good book. _Welcome to Night Vale_ is difficult to get into. The sentences are very short and choppy, and to create the air of mystery/weirdness they are also very contradictory. I've read 2 chapters, and couldn't tell you a thing about it. I'm just going to reread LOTR
edited to add one more:
According to livertox.nih.gov an accidental acetaminophen overdose is called:
"therapeutic misadventure"