Oh, since I'm still thinking about what I learned at a recent rehab nurses conference, I figure I'll share what I've learned along the way.
If you haven't already read some of the old stuff in this blog, feel free to go back in time. I've tried to keep most of the stuff that captures how I felt as a new nurse.
Frankly, being a new nurse wherever you are is scary. There are nice people out there, and there are the trolls and Nurse Ratcheds who will make your life hell (or at least attempt).
First rule: DO NOT LET THEM. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to find a mentor (if you are in a residency program, thank your lucky stars...) and learn how to be a good nurse.
You can learn on your own some of the additional stuff you need to know in rehab.
Just remember Rule number 2: you will never stop learning. Don't even try, don't get sedentary, don't get sedate.
I can't tell you how many over 60+ year old nurses I saw at the recent rehab conference. Three of the original 12 nurses who started one group showed up. One had a cane, but let me tell you, she used that cane with confidence, and she went from session to session, several which I attended.
Our closing speaker (a nurse) helped his/her mom complete her CEUs for her license. She's 84.
Not sure if she's a rehab nurse, but she would have fit in fine with all of us (and would have ended up with lots of CEUs).
That's enough of an assignment for today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, wherever you are.
More to come...stay tuned.
Showing posts with label new nurse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new nurse. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Monday, April 30, 2012
The tales of woe
The word of my day was woe.
"Woe is me." I heard from the specialist who's complaining that the other specialist at X Hospital is bad mouthing him to our patients. Who tells specialist this tale? The patient. Specialist has taken care of patient forever, before he/she ever even went to X Hospital in our system. Patient told Specialist the truth, and he decided to tell me.
Kids, haven't you ever heard that maxim, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."? "No surprise" I told our Specialist. "He (and his hospital) have done weirder things lately." Frankly, I'm surprised upper management isn't reigning them in yet.
It was woe for our staff, too. I couldn't believe it when I saw our home health nurse doing assessment documentation on a newly arrived patient. She's usually out on the road somewhere, but for some reason, she got called into an admission that should have been completed by the floor nurse. Not sure why the boss let that happen, but I'm so glad it wasn't me!
There was woe for one of our patients' families. Said patient died over the weekend. We really liked him (at least most of us did). Rudy was a very opinionated character who almost made it to his speed limit birthday, but he had a heart attack and never regained consciousness. He and I got along very well. I was the person who set up his Fritos whenever he was on our unit (he was a Frito maniac).
Rudy told me he wasn't afraid to die because, during one of his many spates of illness, he had had a near death experience. "Heaven is beautiful", he told me. "I saw it and I really wanted to stay, but they told me I had to go back. I saw the Devil, too."
"Really?" I asked. "How did you know it was the Devil?"
"He looked just like the pictures...and he had a bottle of Jack Daniels, trying to get me to go with him."
"No way!" I said. He just shook his head yes.
So from then on, it was our inside joke about Jack Daniels. I told him one night when he spiked a temp late in the shift, "Rudy, I know Heaven was nice, but could you just wait to go there until my shift is over? And whatever you do, don't take the Jack Daniels." Rudy eventually recovered and we laughed about it.
Happily, all of Rudy's last year wasn't a tale of woe. Rudy got to see his grandchildren born and he was so proud. I saw him from time to time and I always gave him trouble. On his last visit to the unit, I told him he had the most seniority (as in he'd been coming to our unit for so long) on the unit, so he'd better help us train our new staff.
"And Rudy," I told him, "if they say you're mean and quit, I'm gonna call you up."
He just smiled. I opened the last bag of Fritos I ever gave him during that stay while his family looked on bemused. Sure we spoiled him sometimes, but he was like our family. I figured out in the last couple of years, I'd spent more time on the unit with Rudy than I have with my own family.
Rudy was a Marine through and through. He loved the Corps and educated me that the Marines wear scarlet not red.
And like the old Marine saying goes, I send it out today to Rudy, not Chesty this time: "Goodnight Rudy, wherever you are." I'm praying you're in Heaven where it's beautiful and not with the Devil and Jack Daniels.
Godspeed, dear friend. I'll miss you and all your Fritos, too.
"Woe is me." I heard from the specialist who's complaining that the other specialist at X Hospital is bad mouthing him to our patients. Who tells specialist this tale? The patient. Specialist has taken care of patient forever, before he/she ever even went to X Hospital in our system. Patient told Specialist the truth, and he decided to tell me.
Kids, haven't you ever heard that maxim, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."? "No surprise" I told our Specialist. "He (and his hospital) have done weirder things lately." Frankly, I'm surprised upper management isn't reigning them in yet.
It was woe for our staff, too. I couldn't believe it when I saw our home health nurse doing assessment documentation on a newly arrived patient. She's usually out on the road somewhere, but for some reason, she got called into an admission that should have been completed by the floor nurse. Not sure why the boss let that happen, but I'm so glad it wasn't me!
There was woe for one of our patients' families. Said patient died over the weekend. We really liked him (at least most of us did). Rudy was a very opinionated character who almost made it to his speed limit birthday, but he had a heart attack and never regained consciousness. He and I got along very well. I was the person who set up his Fritos whenever he was on our unit (he was a Frito maniac).
Rudy told me he wasn't afraid to die because, during one of his many spates of illness, he had had a near death experience. "Heaven is beautiful", he told me. "I saw it and I really wanted to stay, but they told me I had to go back. I saw the Devil, too."
"Really?" I asked. "How did you know it was the Devil?"
"He looked just like the pictures...and he had a bottle of Jack Daniels, trying to get me to go with him."
"No way!" I said. He just shook his head yes.
So from then on, it was our inside joke about Jack Daniels. I told him one night when he spiked a temp late in the shift, "Rudy, I know Heaven was nice, but could you just wait to go there until my shift is over? And whatever you do, don't take the Jack Daniels." Rudy eventually recovered and we laughed about it.
Happily, all of Rudy's last year wasn't a tale of woe. Rudy got to see his grandchildren born and he was so proud. I saw him from time to time and I always gave him trouble. On his last visit to the unit, I told him he had the most seniority (as in he'd been coming to our unit for so long) on the unit, so he'd better help us train our new staff.
"And Rudy," I told him, "if they say you're mean and quit, I'm gonna call you up."
He just smiled. I opened the last bag of Fritos I ever gave him during that stay while his family looked on bemused. Sure we spoiled him sometimes, but he was like our family. I figured out in the last couple of years, I'd spent more time on the unit with Rudy than I have with my own family.
Rudy was a Marine through and through. He loved the Corps and educated me that the Marines wear scarlet not red.
And like the old Marine saying goes, I send it out today to Rudy, not Chesty this time: "Goodnight Rudy, wherever you are." I'm praying you're in Heaven where it's beautiful and not with the Devil and Jack Daniels.
Godspeed, dear friend. I'll miss you and all your Fritos, too.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Reminscing...
Here at the RehabRN household, we've gotten into the mechanics of the holidays. When I was a kid, that meant Mom had to clean the house and get all the boxes out of storage. The large box was the Christmas tree and the smaller one, the rotating musical tree stand that played Jingle Bells.
We had an aluminum Christmas tree for many years. One of my favorite memories was to turn the tree on, get the color wheel on it, open the drapes, turn off the inside lights, and look at the tree from outside. My siblings and I always wanted to stay out forever, but Dad wouldn't let us, so we indulged ourselves by turning on the tree stand and lying under the tree, watching it as it rotated and ornaments passed us overhead. I spend many a Christmas season hearing Jingle Bells under the tree.
Today, the tree and the stand are long gone. I don't decorate to the extent Mom did, but I like to have friends and family over and cook. After all the cooking is done, I'm busy cleaning and getting ready. Bubba still believes in Santa, but as he gets older, it's harder. We just tell him Santa really does read his Amazon wish list (since he usually gets what's on it)
One Christmas was especially memorable. I remember the Christmas when I was a new nurse, one of my patients rode around in his wheelchair in a Santa hat. His room was covered in Christmas cards from everywhere, because his wife, a writer, got her clients his address and the mail room was inundated with mail for him daily. His family was nice, especially his wife, and she brought us a cherry whip dessert that was her family's holiday tradition. We had a whole lot of snow, and luckily, no one called out. Even though I had to work, it was fun.
Fast forward to this Christmas season. In between, Santa Hat man died on Groundhog Day the next year, which was a horrible shock to us. Writer Wife had a rough time dealing with it all and her own health issues, too. We kept in intermittent contact. Things started getting better. She started writing again after a long hiatus.
Writer Wife wrote on her web site recently, "Merry Christmas all. Meet my new husband, who was a childhood friend." They are as happy as can be.
Christmas wishes still come true, if you only believe. Enjoy your holidays, and make memories wherever you are!
We had an aluminum Christmas tree for many years. One of my favorite memories was to turn the tree on, get the color wheel on it, open the drapes, turn off the inside lights, and look at the tree from outside. My siblings and I always wanted to stay out forever, but Dad wouldn't let us, so we indulged ourselves by turning on the tree stand and lying under the tree, watching it as it rotated and ornaments passed us overhead. I spend many a Christmas season hearing Jingle Bells under the tree.
Today, the tree and the stand are long gone. I don't decorate to the extent Mom did, but I like to have friends and family over and cook. After all the cooking is done, I'm busy cleaning and getting ready. Bubba still believes in Santa, but as he gets older, it's harder. We just tell him Santa really does read his Amazon wish list (since he usually gets what's on it)
One Christmas was especially memorable. I remember the Christmas when I was a new nurse, one of my patients rode around in his wheelchair in a Santa hat. His room was covered in Christmas cards from everywhere, because his wife, a writer, got her clients his address and the mail room was inundated with mail for him daily. His family was nice, especially his wife, and she brought us a cherry whip dessert that was her family's holiday tradition. We had a whole lot of snow, and luckily, no one called out. Even though I had to work, it was fun.
Fast forward to this Christmas season. In between, Santa Hat man died on Groundhog Day the next year, which was a horrible shock to us. Writer Wife had a rough time dealing with it all and her own health issues, too. We kept in intermittent contact. Things started getting better. She started writing again after a long hiatus.
Writer Wife wrote on her web site recently, "Merry Christmas all. Meet my new husband, who was a childhood friend." They are as happy as can be.
Christmas wishes still come true, if you only believe. Enjoy your holidays, and make memories wherever you are!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Revelations
It's always fun to find out you've forgotten to pay a bill, then wonder why something doesn't work, which happened to me this week. Luckily, everything was quickly resolved.
Some people you work with can be supportive at one moment, then totally against you the next, and back again by the time you walk out the door to say goodbye. I found this out when a philosophical discussion went awry today. The older nurses still look down on anyone with more advanced degrees than they have, no matter how good the person may be.
One e-mail can make you think of a lot. I found out one of my last Saintarama patients died recently. D. was a Marine who dropped out on a maneuver one day. They thought a shell hit him but he was hit by disease which left him paralyzed. D. told me I'd make a fine nurse at Madison and he'd probably see me every so often. I saw D. frequently on the unit. D. was a leader in a major organization in our region that assists people with disabilities. I didn't know it until later, but D. was also a guy who protested and even got thrown (or threw himself, depending on the protest) out of his wheelchair.
D. gave me confidence to be the nurse I am today. "You are a great nurse," D. told me in my very first year. "Go out and get them!"
And so I go again, amid slings, arrows and every manner of object they can hurl, real or imagined. As Momma used to say, "every knock's a boost".
More later...
Some people you work with can be supportive at one moment, then totally against you the next, and back again by the time you walk out the door to say goodbye. I found this out when a philosophical discussion went awry today. The older nurses still look down on anyone with more advanced degrees than they have, no matter how good the person may be.
One e-mail can make you think of a lot. I found out one of my last Saintarama patients died recently. D. was a Marine who dropped out on a maneuver one day. They thought a shell hit him but he was hit by disease which left him paralyzed. D. told me I'd make a fine nurse at Madison and he'd probably see me every so often. I saw D. frequently on the unit. D. was a leader in a major organization in our region that assists people with disabilities. I didn't know it until later, but D. was also a guy who protested and even got thrown (or threw himself, depending on the protest) out of his wheelchair.
D. gave me confidence to be the nurse I am today. "You are a great nurse," D. told me in my very first year. "Go out and get them!"
And so I go again, amid slings, arrows and every manner of object they can hurl, real or imagined. As Momma used to say, "every knock's a boost".
More later...
Monday, May 10, 2010
Please stop me...
From killing my new nurse coworker (aka crack New Nurse--and not for those brain skills, either...can you say klutz?) who keeps saying "I'm bored."
I'm thinking up some stuff for you to do, like getting ice and materials that I need, etc., but can't you think up something yourself? Every heard of reading a journal article (the Hotel pays for them) or two...or doing those online learning modules?
If I only had a dollar for every time he/she says "I'm bored"! Now back to our regularly scheduled program...work.
I'm thinking up some stuff for you to do, like getting ice and materials that I need, etc., but can't you think up something yourself? Every heard of reading a journal article (the Hotel pays for them) or two...or doing those online learning modules?
If I only had a dollar for every time he/she says "I'm bored"! Now back to our regularly scheduled program...work.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Dashed dreams
Yes, the full moon is coming, and craziness is just down the way. Lately, though, the mood has been mixed, somber and silly, crazy and cool at the Hotel.
I heard part two of a story about one of our new nurses. Funny thing, both stories about the same incident were completely different from nurses with many years of experience, one present for the whole thing and one who heard about the incident from the nurse directly. It just reminds me that scuttlebutt is just that...lots of rumor and not lots of substance.
For our pending Magnet application at our facility, we had to fill out the yearly satisfaction survey. I usually make a line down my paper, straight down the middle of all the dots. I chose not to do that this year. If they really want us to get Magnet, they really need to know what's going on. Difference tolerated? You must be kidding...Is your manager supportive? Sure, if you can come to work every day and not ask for anything out of the ordinary. Are your peers supportive? I nearly fell on the floor dying of laughter on that one, especially after the incident I mentioned earlier. How do we support and nurture new nurses if we don't talk to them rationally and make everything a turf war where someone has to "win"?
One of our patients recently went for a series of GI tests. One revealed a very large gastric "polyp". My heart sank when I read the procedure report. The colonoscopy revealed some issues, too, but none like that. They also ran the usual bug tests to see what else is going on. Now all we can do is wait.
The patients, however, were still the same, rolling around, going to therapy, watching TV.
And the story continues...stay tuned.
I heard part two of a story about one of our new nurses. Funny thing, both stories about the same incident were completely different from nurses with many years of experience, one present for the whole thing and one who heard about the incident from the nurse directly. It just reminds me that scuttlebutt is just that...lots of rumor and not lots of substance.
For our pending Magnet application at our facility, we had to fill out the yearly satisfaction survey. I usually make a line down my paper, straight down the middle of all the dots. I chose not to do that this year. If they really want us to get Magnet, they really need to know what's going on. Difference tolerated? You must be kidding...Is your manager supportive? Sure, if you can come to work every day and not ask for anything out of the ordinary. Are your peers supportive? I nearly fell on the floor dying of laughter on that one, especially after the incident I mentioned earlier. How do we support and nurture new nurses if we don't talk to them rationally and make everything a turf war where someone has to "win"?
One of our patients recently went for a series of GI tests. One revealed a very large gastric "polyp". My heart sank when I read the procedure report. The colonoscopy revealed some issues, too, but none like that. They also ran the usual bug tests to see what else is going on. Now all we can do is wait.
The patients, however, were still the same, rolling around, going to therapy, watching TV.
And the story continues...stay tuned.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I don't want to clean...
The house really needs it, though. Yesterday was the crazy day (with a capital C) of the week and I'm so happy I'm off today and tomorrow.
Here are a few snippets of my Friday.
1. Get Mr. Colo ready for his close-up (yes, the colonoscopy was yesterday). Mr. Colo gets taken to the test only to find out one of his labs are out of whack and they won't do it.
What does he win, Pat? Well, I saved Mr. Colo some pizza from the Marine luncheon today, but I told the charge nurse to give it to someone else, since Mr. Colo will be on a liquid diet until they can try again Monday (assuming his numbers are better).Yuck!
2. Boss says I need to show one of the new nurses how I pass meds. Yes, I had the med cart again and the new nurse got my general AM rundown of how I do things (print a sheet, highlight, talk to people, etc.) At 1130, I ask new nurse to help me pass the pills. New nurse says I'll be right there. New nurse doesn't show up for 15 minutes. This nurse is behind with pills and perturbed. New nurse complains to another new nurse (we have a few right now) about not being compensated for previous degree. This nurse quashes urge to strangle New Nurse or run over with med cart.
3. The Slug, sitting on her derriere as usual, reminds me that I didn't update ALL of my PRN docs for the PRN pills yesterday. Literally, out of her mouth (in front of New Nurse, of course), "You had a lot left over last night, so you better fix that." (She followed me on the evening shift--working--or slacking--another double) Reality: I left exactly two, for two meds given within 15 minutes of the end of shift. It didn't help that I was busy and the regs say we should do them at 30 minutes AFTER the drugs are given.
and the topper....
4. While all of this was going on, I get a call from School Nurse that Bubba has a "contagious disease" and must be picked up immediately. Yes, as I'm passing the pills and halfway down the hall. Bubba apparently got itchy at lunch time and someone saw him scratching and reported him to the nurse.
Thankfully, Dahey was available to go get Bubba from school. Bubba has a rash on his leg that I have been treating (with a doctor's advice and good ol' Lotrimin for several days) that is apparently a reportable (only in our school district) that requires a note stating he's been on meds for 24 hours before returning to school. We didn't know about the note part, so that was a blast, considering that we didn't notice it on him until he returned from school one day last week.
Bubba has his note, still itches a little and had a great half a day with dad. He'll be back to school on Monday.
Needless to say, I was so happy to go home at 1600. More later...I'm really going to clean now!
Here are a few snippets of my Friday.
1. Get Mr. Colo ready for his close-up (yes, the colonoscopy was yesterday). Mr. Colo gets taken to the test only to find out one of his labs are out of whack and they won't do it.
What does he win, Pat? Well, I saved Mr. Colo some pizza from the Marine luncheon today, but I told the charge nurse to give it to someone else, since Mr. Colo will be on a liquid diet until they can try again Monday (assuming his numbers are better).Yuck!
2. Boss says I need to show one of the new nurses how I pass meds. Yes, I had the med cart again and the new nurse got my general AM rundown of how I do things (print a sheet, highlight, talk to people, etc.) At 1130, I ask new nurse to help me pass the pills. New nurse says I'll be right there. New nurse doesn't show up for 15 minutes. This nurse is behind with pills and perturbed. New nurse complains to another new nurse (we have a few right now) about not being compensated for previous degree. This nurse quashes urge to strangle New Nurse or run over with med cart.
3. The Slug, sitting on her derriere as usual, reminds me that I didn't update ALL of my PRN docs for the PRN pills yesterday. Literally, out of her mouth (in front of New Nurse, of course), "You had a lot left over last night, so you better fix that." (She followed me on the evening shift--working--or slacking--another double) Reality: I left exactly two, for two meds given within 15 minutes of the end of shift. It didn't help that I was busy and the regs say we should do them at 30 minutes AFTER the drugs are given.
and the topper....
4. While all of this was going on, I get a call from School Nurse that Bubba has a "contagious disease" and must be picked up immediately. Yes, as I'm passing the pills and halfway down the hall. Bubba apparently got itchy at lunch time and someone saw him scratching and reported him to the nurse.
Thankfully, Dahey was available to go get Bubba from school. Bubba has a rash on his leg that I have been treating (with a doctor's advice and good ol' Lotrimin for several days) that is apparently a reportable (only in our school district) that requires a note stating he's been on meds for 24 hours before returning to school. We didn't know about the note part, so that was a blast, considering that we didn't notice it on him until he returned from school one day last week.
Bubba has his note, still itches a little and had a great half a day with dad. He'll be back to school on Monday.
Needless to say, I was so happy to go home at 1600. More later...I'm really going to clean now!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Nuggets for February 17
I'm luxuriating in my regular day off, and I feel a little better so far. Here are a few things I've encountered recently and some interesting news and sites I've found online.
Stuff from the mailbox and in my neck of the woods
Hospitals fight to keep new nurses from quitting (from www.msnbc.com)
All I have to say to this one is "Duh!". As I learned many moons ago in school, some people only respond to problems if they have a dollar sign (i.e. how much money will it cost you) attached.
And if you stick around...
Nurses Have Many MSN Choices to Advance Their Career (from www.nursezone.com)
I'm pondering this myself, and happily, the number of online choices is quite large.
One of our patients was on methenamine hippurate. I had to look that one up, but alas, my Nursing Central didn't have it listed in my Palm's Davis Drug Guide reference.
We had an interesting case of staph epi on our unit. BTW we don't isolate people for this bug.
From the blogosphere...
From www.aboutanurse.com I found out that Fat Doctor got downsized. Go apply at your nearest VA, doc! We need you!
Head Nurse always has her interesting neuro What to Expect articles (the latest is lumbar drains). In addition, I am very much in agreement with this post on nails. And some people wonder why people don't take nurses seriously!
More later, folks! Have a great day!
Stuff from the mailbox and in my neck of the woods
Hospitals fight to keep new nurses from quitting (from www.msnbc.com)
All I have to say to this one is "Duh!". As I learned many moons ago in school, some people only respond to problems if they have a dollar sign (i.e. how much money will it cost you) attached.
And if you stick around...
Nurses Have Many MSN Choices to Advance Their Career (from www.nursezone.com)
I'm pondering this myself, and happily, the number of online choices is quite large.
One of our patients was on methenamine hippurate. I had to look that one up, but alas, my Nursing Central didn't have it listed in my Palm's Davis Drug Guide reference.
We had an interesting case of staph epi on our unit. BTW we don't isolate people for this bug.
From the blogosphere...
From www.aboutanurse.com I found out that Fat Doctor got downsized. Go apply at your nearest VA, doc! We need you!
Head Nurse always has her interesting neuro What to Expect articles (the latest is lumbar drains). In addition, I am very much in agreement with this post on nails. And some people wonder why people don't take nurses seriously!
More later, folks! Have a great day!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Nuggets for January 15
Well, it's back to work today, and I still have a bunch of stuff to do before I go. Here are a few things I've found while traversing the internet and various blogs.
My Own Woman has a great post for new nurses. Read it and live it. (I'm not brand new, but I'm still new at nursing and it really made me think.)
Tex from Weird Nursing Tales always has a great sing-a-long on his site. The latest, describes what I get to deal with on evening shift.
As a student nurse, I really enjoyed my trips to OR land at PrivateU's hospital. I almost considered going that route after getting my degree. If you're interested in the jobs of the OR nurse, check out UnsinkableMB's post on life as an OR nurse.
Jeepgirl has one of the reasons why I'm happy there's no full moon this weekend. Some of our people will just be crazy, anyway. All I can hope for is that a few more of them make it out by Friday, so the census comes down a bit before the weekend!
My Own Woman has a great post for new nurses. Read it and live it. (I'm not brand new, but I'm still new at nursing and it really made me think.)
Tex from Weird Nursing Tales always has a great sing-a-long on his site. The latest, describes what I get to deal with on evening shift.
As a student nurse, I really enjoyed my trips to OR land at PrivateU's hospital. I almost considered going that route after getting my degree. If you're interested in the jobs of the OR nurse, check out UnsinkableMB's post on life as an OR nurse.
Jeepgirl has one of the reasons why I'm happy there's no full moon this weekend. Some of our people will just be crazy, anyway. All I can hope for is that a few more of them make it out by Friday, so the census comes down a bit before the weekend!
Friday, March 28, 2008
A few handy things for a new rehab nurse
Since I just realized that I'm closing in on one year as a nurse, I thought I'd share a few things for the students about to graduate who may be heading into rehab as their specialty. Your mileage may vary, but never fear...there's always room for innovation out there. Keep your eyes open!
1. Good shoes and socks.
You may have discovered this in nursing school, but if you have not, seek and find until you discover your favorite pair, and once you do, buy two pairs. Your back and your legs and the rest of your body will thank you.
I am also a disciple of Compression Socks. Some of you may think they're crazy, but I love them, since my feet feel great when I'm done with my shift. Besides, it's another way to educate your patients on wearing their TED hose. My favorite quote, "See, Bob (insert your patient name here), I've got mine on. Let's get yours ready to go."
2. Be prepared.
Just like they say in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, it's good to be prepared. Especially when you have the patient in isolation who wants to be suctioned multiple times on your shift. I always try to keep a mental list of what my patients have in the room, so I can keep it stocked. It can get crazy, but you can do it. If your patients go to therapy, restock them while they're gone. If not, try to restock whenever you can. That extra minute of stocking can save you five when you're in a hurry.
3. Pillow cases work wonders in many situations.
This is a corollary of #2. I have used pillow cases as bibs, quick towels and as the occasional non-plastic Depend backup for a quad who had dig stim every morning but wanted a little more security when he went to therapy. They are also wonderful for use on the sliding boards (keeps the butt sliding to the commode, if you get my drift.)
4. Look, listen and learn from your peers.
Sure, you just got out of school (nursing program name here) and know lots of facts and figures, but on the floor is where the rubber hits the road. Hang back and watch first, then do. Pay attention and you will see who is doing things the RIGHT way (i.e. correctly following policy and procedure), and who is not. The older nurses on the floor may not do everything the way you think (or policy says) they should, but you can learn something from everyone. I would have never learned a better way to put a Foley in females had I not watched K. the pseudocharge at Saintarama. She was 99% on the first try with her Foleys on the floor and after watching a few times I noted some of her techniques--less lube and shorter grip.
5. The patient is the star of the show.
Yes, you'll have lots of competition in this category, especially doctors and other people demanding your time, but keep in mind that the patients on your assignment are your top priority.
When you get your assignment, they are yours until you hand them off at the end of the shift. Take care of them and give them your undivided attention while you are with them. Let them know if deviations may cause you to leave the room while you are working with them if this is feasible. Make each one feel like a million bucks whenever you can...even if you don't want to or feel horrible. That person in the room is someone's special someone, so make them feel that way when you are around, too.
6. Stay positive.
Yes, you may get into work and the sky may seem to be falling. Keep reminding yourself that you will have a good day, and you will get through whatever trouble may be cropping up here and there. You survived nursing school and have the license and skills to prove it. Use them, especially those coping skills. Just as animals sense fear, patients can pick up on crabby nurses pretty darned quickly. You'll make your patients feel better (and yourself) if you can model calm and collected behavior on the outside, even if you don't really feel too calm and collected inside!
1. Good shoes and socks.
You may have discovered this in nursing school, but if you have not, seek and find until you discover your favorite pair, and once you do, buy two pairs. Your back and your legs and the rest of your body will thank you.
I am also a disciple of Compression Socks. Some of you may think they're crazy, but I love them, since my feet feel great when I'm done with my shift. Besides, it's another way to educate your patients on wearing their TED hose. My favorite quote, "See, Bob (insert your patient name here), I've got mine on. Let's get yours ready to go."
2. Be prepared.
Just like they say in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, it's good to be prepared. Especially when you have the patient in isolation who wants to be suctioned multiple times on your shift. I always try to keep a mental list of what my patients have in the room, so I can keep it stocked. It can get crazy, but you can do it. If your patients go to therapy, restock them while they're gone. If not, try to restock whenever you can. That extra minute of stocking can save you five when you're in a hurry.
3. Pillow cases work wonders in many situations.
This is a corollary of #2. I have used pillow cases as bibs, quick towels and as the occasional non-plastic Depend backup for a quad who had dig stim every morning but wanted a little more security when he went to therapy. They are also wonderful for use on the sliding boards (keeps the butt sliding to the commode, if you get my drift.)
4. Look, listen and learn from your peers.
Sure, you just got out of school (nursing program name here) and know lots of facts and figures, but on the floor is where the rubber hits the road. Hang back and watch first, then do. Pay attention and you will see who is doing things the RIGHT way (i.e. correctly following policy and procedure), and who is not. The older nurses on the floor may not do everything the way you think (or policy says) they should, but you can learn something from everyone. I would have never learned a better way to put a Foley in females had I not watched K. the pseudocharge at Saintarama. She was 99% on the first try with her Foleys on the floor and after watching a few times I noted some of her techniques--less lube and shorter grip.
5. The patient is the star of the show.
Yes, you'll have lots of competition in this category, especially doctors and other people demanding your time, but keep in mind that the patients on your assignment are your top priority.
When you get your assignment, they are yours until you hand them off at the end of the shift. Take care of them and give them your undivided attention while you are with them. Let them know if deviations may cause you to leave the room while you are working with them if this is feasible. Make each one feel like a million bucks whenever you can...even if you don't want to or feel horrible. That person in the room is someone's special someone, so make them feel that way when you are around, too.
6. Stay positive.
Yes, you may get into work and the sky may seem to be falling. Keep reminding yourself that you will have a good day, and you will get through whatever trouble may be cropping up here and there. You survived nursing school and have the license and skills to prove it. Use them, especially those coping skills. Just as animals sense fear, patients can pick up on crabby nurses pretty darned quickly. You'll make your patients feel better (and yourself) if you can model calm and collected behavior on the outside, even if you don't really feel too calm and collected inside!
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