Monthly Archives: September 2011
Should You Carry Your Smartphone at Work?
When I first started clinicals, which really wasn’t that long ago, it was forbidden to have a cell phone with you because they were all flip phones. The only reason you would have a flip phone was to talk or … Continue reading
When the Nurse Is the Family Member
I have a sick family member, so lately I’m in the dreaded position of being the family member who is a nurse. It’s dreaded from both sides: mine and his nurses’. I assume, anyway, because I hate it when I … Continue reading
Zofran: Too Good to Be True
I got this update from Drugs.com: Ondansetron may increase the risk of developing prolongation of the QT interval of the electrocardiogram, which can lead to an abnormal and potentially fatal heart rhythm, including Torsade [sic] de Pointes. I have been … Continue reading
Do You Know Your Scope of Practice?
I learned about scope of practice in nursing school in a theoretical sense, mainly in leadership class. My teacher was, I think, unusually emphatic about it because she’d sat on a state board of nursing disciplinary committee, and I don’t … Continue reading
Bevel Up or Down?
Like probably every other nurse who’s ever been taught to start an IV, I learned to insert the needle bevel up. Recently a veteran came to bail me out of a tough stick I couldn’t get and said to do … Continue reading
Should Nursing Students Work as CNAs?
I think so. I’ve worked with RNs who were never CNAs, and the difference was particularly notable when I was a CNA (“can you help me bathe this patient” meant “can you do it, because I have no idea how … Continue reading
When Nurses Get Sick
I read a blog post on KevinMD.com last year on presenteeism, a term I’d never heard before (going to work when you’re sick and should be home in bed). I liked the term, and the topic has since been one … Continue reading
Get More Done by Clustering Tasks
Nursing involves a fair amount of cerebral work: critical thinking, analyzing assessment information, and planning your plan of attack. It also involves a mountain of tasks. Often “tasking” can be so overwhelming that you lose sight of the big picture, … Continue reading
