Just Nurse Things

If you know you know.....#justanothernurse

[thecnalife-blog]

[tubes-n-needles]

Look, this is my favorite meme and I made a bunch!

Hope no one has done it yet.

[thecnalife-blog]

[umbillicus]

Because I care …

I am happy, but also hurting.

I am happy that I am committed to the people of my community. I see them at their sickest and watch them get better or help them die with dignity.

But I’m hurting, because healthcare is changing.

I’m encouraged to advocate for my patients but I better never advocate for myself. I should never ask for better working conditions, better pay, or better opportunities.

I participated in training that made me believe that patients were more than dollar signs and yet my workload has increased because the staffing budget was cut, yet again this year. Administration keeps talking about hours per patient day and forgets that critically ill patients need 24 hour care. Except this year, we only budgeted 15 hours per day.

And while I hurt emotionally, I also hurt physically. Patients now bite and hit and belittle ever than before. I used to say, “Things won’t change until someone really gets hurt.” But when a nurse almost died after an attack from a patient nothing changed at all. I suppose when they roll a nurse’s body into the morgue, next to the others, they may create a “zero tolerance policy” that they don’t ever follow.

And administration is weary. They are whispering about the nurses unionizing. And have requested that anyone caught talking about it is reported immediately. They know they are failing us and we are seeking salvation. But there are no solutions, no conversations, no support.

Because I care I am happy, but I am also hurting. And unfortunately, I’m really hurting, but not really happy.

[cdnnurse]

[confessionsofapicunurse]

When I was a baby nurse, I used to get really hurt if a family said that they didn’t want me back as their nurse the following night. I took it personally, like I wasn’t good enough or smart enough or confident enough to care for that child. But now that I am more experienced, I’ve learned that some families will just not like me. And that’s okay. As nurses, we are always pushed to please our patients and their families no matter what.

But you know what? I refuse.

I refuse to put your comfort over what is best for your child and their health.

I’m sorry you don’t like keeping the door open, because you can hear alarms from other rooms going off. But I will open your door all night long if it means I can hear that ventilator when your child wakes up and needs more sedation.

I’m sorry that you don’t like me coming in every hour, asking your child questions and using a flashlight to assess their neuro status. But I will do it all night long if it means preventing your child from going into cerebral edema.

I’m sorry if I insist that your 4 extra family members have to leave when visiting hours end, but will stand my ground and walk them to the elevator myself if I see your child’s intracranial pressure increasing from the extra stimulation.

Let me be clear, I love taking care of my families; they are one of my favorite parts of being in pediatrics, and I will always do my best to educate them in these types of situations. But I will never let your personal preferences interfere with your child’s best interests. You can fire me, complain, and whatever else, but I’m gonna make damn sure that your child gets the best care possible on my shift, no matter what.

[cdnnurse]

[licensetomurse-deactivated20200]

I’ve been exposed to bacterial meningitis twice in the last three days in the ER

[pathcend]

Tis’ the season.

[er-bsn-rn]

You ever just get in your car after clinical and cry?

[pathcend]

[bn-studies]

✨ What’s in my Clinical Bag? ✨

Today is my first full day of acute care for clinical and I am so thrilled. Packing up my clinical bag and then off to work!

Wish me luck!

[copingnurse-deactivated20240217]

Getting ready for 3/3

Me: Listen feet, I know you’re tired, but I need you to get in the shoes.

Feet:

[emergency-nurse]

Literally the funniest encounter I’ve ever had with a resident in the Emergency Department.

After giving narcan to an overdose, we couldn’t keep him calm. He was screaming, trying to get up, trying to kick and bite staff, making no sense, and had to be held down by staff and security. We gave him 2mg of ativan IV to no effect. over the course of the next hour, he was put in bilateral wrist restraints, received two more doses of 2mg ativan IV, 20mg of geodon IM, 10mg of haldol IV, and a 20mg ketamine dose IV. He finally relaxed after the ketamine.

30 minutes pass, and the inpatient residents arrive. He starts becoming agitated again and I have to come in and hold the patient to the bed because hes swinging his legs over the rails. I give them the entire story, and the resident says “don’t worry, I wrote for some medication that should calm him down.”

I grab my computer and look at the order, and they ordered 1mg of versed.

I lost it.

I’ve given 90 year old women more versed than that and they still walk to the bathroom by themselves. and this resident honestly thought that was going to do something.

I called their attending and told him I needed an order for another 20 of ketamine, a precedex drip, and an ICU order. he came down the hall, saw the patient, and said “oh wow. okay.” and that was the end of it.

Keep learning, my friends!

[justanotherrnurse]

THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVOCATING FOR PATIENT AND EMPLOYEE SAFETY!

[whatsyouremergency]

A visitor tried to get me fired for not giving her family member a blanket before I could even triage them.

Chief Complaint: Blanketemia

[brentrollinsdailypicture]

Nurse Vascular

[pathcend]