A 50 y/o COVID positive male is admitted to the med-Surg floor on 4L BNC. Shortly after arriving, the patient turned blue and became hypoxic. The rapid response team was called and the patient was immediately taken to get a CT scan with PE protocol to assess for a clot in the lung. The patientContinue reading “Clots, Codes, and COVID”
Tag Archives: nursing
The Corona Pool
As cases continue to rise in the hospital, fatigue continues to settle into the organization. We have filled the ICU, expanded the ICU, and currently have nearly two full COVID floors apart from critical care. There have been an increase in patients and a decrease in nursing staff due to also succumbing to the illness.Continue reading “The Corona Pool”
If your leg hurts, don’t wish to cut it off
A woman in her 50s was treated in a burn center and brought to our facility for continued medical treatment of her delayed healing leg. It looked like she got her lower leg stuck underneath a lawn mower, when it was actually due to a heating pad. Surgery was done to clean out the woundContinue reading “If your leg hurts, don’t wish to cut it off”
If I could only have half of the faith… angels in disguise
50 y/o female with multiple myeloma and leukemia presents to the ER for a fever… a medical emergency in one receiving chemotherapy due to myelosuppression. She has been in and out of hospitals to receive chemo and then be readmitted for the side effects of cancer. I walk into the room and she is diffusingContinue reading “If I could only have half of the faith… angels in disguise”
Things nursing school does not teach you
Even after the 2-4 years of intense studying that is required to become a registered nurse, it takes about a year working full-time to feel comfortable in the new leadership position. There is anywhere between 6-12 weeks of orientation with an experienced preceptor, as well as facility-required courses and classes. Nursing school teaches the diseaseContinue reading “Things nursing school does not teach you”
How to choose a great facility
A variety of sources reveal that on average 1 in 5 nurses leave their first job within the first year of nursing. And some of these people leave nursing altogether. How do you know what facility is right for you? How do you know what facility is “good”? Below I reveal my top few greenContinue reading “How to choose a great facility”
Sample Patients in Medical-Surgical Nursing
**Identifying patient information has been altered to protect patient confidentiality Patient 1: 68 y/o male with spinal stenosis and resulting functional paraplegia presents to the ER with abdominal dissension, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Pt was found to have a small bowel obstruction. GI order NGT to low-intermittent wall suction (LIWS) for decompression. The patient alsoContinue reading “Sample Patients in Medical-Surgical Nursing”
It’s called Chorea
A man in his 70s with a history of diabetes mellitus and myasthenia gravis presents with severe, involuntary movements of both upper and lower extremities coupled with uncontrollable nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It looked like this man was having a never-ending grand-mal seizure while remaining conscious and not foaming from the mouth. He was broughtContinue reading “It’s called Chorea”
A Faith of Thorns
I recently had a patient encounter with an elderly woman and the conversation is as follows: “Do you think God is creating this virus to destroy the world like he has done in the past? Like he is wanting us to learn something?” (Me) “I think God is good and would not create this kindContinue reading “A Faith of Thorns”
Things I’ve Learned in Quarantine- A Personal Retreat (part 1)
Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all of the time. It means that on hard days, you know that there are better ones coming. Take every day to count your blessings. I have a healthy family, a paying job, a home, etc.. Social isolation began about 3 weeks after the Nashville tornadoes.Continue reading “Things I’ve Learned in Quarantine- A Personal Retreat (part 1)”
Patient Talk 