MECO28, BSN, RN 216 Posts Specializes in Float Pool-Med-Surg, Telemetry, IMCU. Has 12 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 The giving up the chair thing would make me mad. I learned how to calculate drip rates in nursing school but haven't had to do it since....
Guttercat, ASN, RN 1,353 Posts Has 31 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 I am not "old" but have been a nurse a long time. I think I would call myself a COB at this point. I realized I was a COB when I asked a student nurse to run get us all lattes at lunch. And she did. I felt bad, kind of, OK not really. We all had a good laugh about it.Looking back to when I was a student and a new nurse, I much preferred the "old bats" to the nurses with 3-10 years under their belts. The seasoned nurses (usually) had long since gotten past b*t**iness and chest thumping.
tokmom, BSN, RN 4,568 Posts Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff. Has 30 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 Having potassium, heparin and insulin vials sitting on top of the med cart because management trusted us to use our brain.I remember mixing my own potassium to make an IV bag, and adding insulin to the TPN.1) I rarely panic.2) All bleeding eventually stops. 3) See #1
ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP 1 Article; 2,592 Posts Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU. Has 8 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 Aw man...how on Earth did you guys survive???? Major props!I am not a "COB" (a little batty, at times ) but I have talked to many seasoned nurses. Many remember times when it was not unusual to have 10+ patients on a med/surgical unit, when women with healthy pregnancies stayed in the hospital for over a week and the babies did not have little tracking devices attached to their ankles, when people wiped butts and touched body fluids WITHOUT gloves and worked eight-hour shifts, five days a week. And of course, being expected to give up chairs for MDs, though I still see that practice occasionally.
BSNbeauty, BSN, RN 1 Article; 1,939 Posts Sep 3, 2014 I'm not a COB, but boy am I enjoying reading these. Keep em coming.
whichone'spink, BSN, RN 1,473 Posts Has 3 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 I would only give up a chair if all other computer stations are taken and the doctor has to put in orders. Too bad EPIC does not have an app for a tablet.
SeattleJess 843 Posts Specializes in None yet.. Sep 3, 2014 COBs rock. As a squishy new nursing student, I wish I could just pick up a crust at the bookstore along with the scrubs and the clip pens. Pass the breadcrumbs, I want me some crust NOW!:bowingpur:
MECO28, BSN, RN 216 Posts Specializes in Float Pool-Med-Surg, Telemetry, IMCU. Has 12 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 I'm curious...to the COB out there; when you had 10+ patients were you able to do hourly rounding? Because I can't imagine; my max is 5 patients and that can be hard at times.
Mr. Murse 403 Posts Specializes in Critical Care/Vascular Access. Has 12 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 what's funny to me is thinking about everything we "younger" nurses do now, and how we'll be talking about it in the future the way you guys are talking about the "old days". I wonder what things we do now on a regular basis that we'll look back on in 15 years and marvel at how archaic it was.
RNsRWe, ASN, RN 4 Articles; 10,428 Posts Sep 3, 2014 what's funny to me is thinking about everything we "younger" nurses do now, and how we'll be talking about it in the future the way you guys are talking about the "old days". I wonder what things we do now on a regular basis that we'll look back on in 15 years and marvel at how archaic it was.Think text messages :) Future generations will look back on our little cell phones with the same giggles as the 20-somethings do now when they see pictures of the FIRST cell phones, LOL. I had a "portable, cordless cell" that was also called a "bag phone"; it was the size of a shoebox and came in its own briefcase! Yes, shoulderstrap and all, I had me a cell phone back then
RNsRWe, ASN, RN 4 Articles; 10,428 Posts Sep 3, 2014 Well.....I don't have the same nursing years under my belt, but I factor in previous career and I'm pretty DANGED crusy, LOL.So what makes the crusty stuff grow on me? Hearing "I don't have to do that, I've already been checked off on that skill" from a student. EXCUSE ME?? You're assigned to a nurse who is giving you the opportunity to do something you NEED to learn how to do, and your answer is "I don't HAVE to"? Crust...forming....creeping....top layer....
Guttercat, ASN, RN 1,353 Posts Has 31 years experience. Sep 3, 2014 I'm curious...to the COB out there; when you had 10+ patients were you able to do hourly rounding? Because I can't imagine; my max is 5 patients and that can be hard at times.I never worked a tele/stepdown or MS floor where we had ten patients. (Well, there was that one place...nobody stayed there for long.) But anyway, 6-8 was the norm.Realize that up until ten years and more ago, patients were not on so much of a "revolving door" schedule. There was little "hit the floor, take report on five patients, discharge three of them by noon and pick up two or three admits/transfers by 4PM." The other main difference is that the delivery of care was much more streamlined 10 or 15 years ago. The very same task that used to take three minutes to complete and document, now takes six to ten. There were also no "pocket phones" ringing and beeping every minute. It's not that science, knowledge, and expertise has increased all that much, it's that there are many more barriers to the actual delivery of care.
