Alright, friends. I'm keeping this one short and sweet because my brain is sore and my dog is annoying.
This week, I have learned....
1. There should be a time limit hospitals should have to fix a problem. If things aren't better after, say, 15 days, let someone else try.
2. I'm in the mid Atlantic of the US with spring travel plans to Florida, and I'm actually feeling nervous about Zika. I had a guillian barre syndrome patient in nursing school. On his way driving home from work, his chest felt off, so he course corrected to the ED. When he pulled up and walked to the doors, he struggled with leg weakness. After he was done in triage, he couldn't stand. He was intubated, and completely paralyzed, before he left the ED for ICU.
3. A patient on neuroleptics will still have detectable epileptiform patterns on an EEG.
4. A good neurologist knows no matter how crazy the patient sounds describing symptoms, what they say is legit and will stay the course for diagnosis.
5. My favorite doctors to work with are the ones who will sit and talk patho with a nurse and enjoy that the nurse legitimately loves to learn.
6. Sliding scale coverage alone for inpatient management is not currently supported by research.
7. If working day shift doesn't eventually make me check into a psych ward, nothing will.
8. The GI doc who left me scrambling to save a guy's life (what felt like) single-handedly by doing no intervention before he got dumped on us (actively bleeding out 2 points of hemoglobin over 8 hours and maintaining a BP that won't leave 70s-80s) has suddenly become cautious enough to send a perfectly stable (hemodynamically, symptomatically, and on CBC) rectal bleed to ICU before meeting or scoping her after I've literally done all the work needed on her for the shift. And of course, I was rewarded with an end of the shift admission.
9. The Florida Man Collective has evolved to include its latest - Wrinkles the Clown. He is a scary-looking clown who is for hire to scare anyone you want, for any reason.
10. The more you annoy the doctor about the same thing, over and over and over, the more likely it is they will listen and maybe put in an order.
I have nothing else right now. My broken brain is feeble!
Thanks so much!! This has been a definite work in progress over 3 months to get this job. I'm really excited to be taking on this new adventure. I really think it's going to help prepare me for nursing. Because right now, I feel totally unprepared!!!
I survived my first week on the floor. My body hurts and I'm still exhausted. Will I get used to it? My preceptor is awesome! She lets me spread my wings but is also there if I need her.
My first day I only took one patient, second day....2 and they both got discharged at the same time and then I got an admit from ED. Yesterday I took 3 and then took over another patient around 1500. I kinda hit the ground running and got behind on charting. 2 of my patients had procedures so I was constantly taking phone calls.
I finally got to insert a foley (on a guy). And I learned the thin morphine tubes do not need to have air inserted in it or the back blows off and you end up spraying morphine all over the wall. OOPS!
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
I learned the thin morphine tubes do not need to have air inserted in it or the back blows off and you end up spraying morphine all over the wall. OOPS!
Yep, I learned that my first week on the floor, too. Only with Dilaudid. Whoopsies!
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Just today, I've learned that even families with health care people in them are not immune to Dr. Google. My sister is trying to get a family summer vacation together, and throws out that we should do it "while mom's still feeling okay". Now, my mom may have metastatic breast cancer, but it's under control and as of last PET scan has not spread to organs, only to her spine. So, then she starts going on about survival statistics, and my brothers (also in on the group text) start freaking out- one of them to the point that he called my dad at work all upset thinking that something else was going on and no one told him. So, my parents spent the evening putting out fires at the rumor mill. And I wish that I could put some sort of blocker on my sister's internet so she can't go freaking out over worst case scenarios.
I learned that medical residents don't make great patients.
She was a general medicine resident in labor. She swore she was dying all the time. Too much knowledge and being a primip, the anxiety and not knowing what to expect was too much for her.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
1. A good neurologist knows no matter how crazy the patient sounds describing symptoms, what they say is legit and will stay the course for diagnosis.
2. My favorite doctors to work with are the ones who will sit and talk patho with a nurse and enjoy that the nurse legitimately loves to learn
So true for the first one, and I also appreciate a doctor who will talk path with a nurse, either active or inactive as I now am. It shows he or she respects that individual.
NurseGirl525, ASN, RN
3,663 Posts
Thanks so much!! This has been a definite work in progress over 3 months to get this job. I'm really excited to be taking on this new adventure. I really think it's going to help prepare me for nursing. Because right now, I feel totally unprepared!!!