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This Nurse Feels Unnecessarily Attacked: What Set Her Off?

Looks like Mr. Administrator has some ‘splainin’ to do!

And I suggest he be straight with my colleagues, because a nurse can sense BS before it is even spoken.

I am not in management, and I never will be.

No, I am one of the “rank and file.” And right now, this member of the “rank and file” is hotter than hell.

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What set me off?

A comment in a post on the Health Leaders Media website, entitled Top 5 Challenges Facing Nursing in 2012. The article, written for nursing management, refers to nurses as “rank and file caregivers” and disparages their understanding of the importance of the “patient experience” to reimbursement: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*

Reader’s Digest Publishes 50 Secrets That Nurses Won’t Tell You

Reader’s Digest has published an article, “50 Secrets Nurses Won’t Tell You“. The link will take you to the article itself, and Sandy Summers has written a review of the article at The Truth About Nursing.

There are some interesting “secrets” here – and you’ll recognize a few of the names!

Gina from Code Blog is in there, and so is Jo from Head Nurse!

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I’ll be the first person to tell you that I am not a perfect person, and not a perfect nurse, but two of these “secrets” really ticked me off.

Royally.

The first one: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*

BBC America Introduces New TV Show About Real Life In The ER

You know me.

I’m all over anything that is from the BBC.

But this is different.

There is no TARDIS. And there are nurses along with the doctor. Lots of nurses.

And the only people flying through time and space are the trauma patients before they hit the bus or the ground.

24 Hours in the ER premiered last night on BBC America. I received a copy of the first two episodes from BBC America unedited for American television. Of course in Great Britian, this was called “24 Hours in A&E”.

On a personal level, I like it. It reminds me of the old “Trauma in the ER”.

On a professional level, Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*

ER Nurse Explains What It’s Really Like To Be An RN

You want to be a registered nurse?

Let’s cut through the B.S. and get real about it.

Put a hold on all this soft-focus “I live to care!” or “It gives my life meaning…”

Here’s the reality.

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You will study your butt off.

Nursing science is based on biology, chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, psychology, sociology and philosophy. Yeah, every single one of them. You will incorporate those into every decision you make in your practice. It’s called critical thinking. You master it and become a professional, or you don’t and you become a robotic technician.

Bottom line.

Your choice.

Oh, and the studying doesn’t stop after you graduate. Nursing school is just the warm-up.

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The work is physically exhausting and emotionally demanding. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*

Kids Gone Wild: Intimidation Of Parents In The ER

Ah, the benefits of sand therapy!

Time for little Bettina’s daily afternoon face plant!

Not only does it appear my colleague is about to lose her grip on her patient, I’m concerned about her choice of body mechanics.

I predict a lumbar strain in 3…2…1……

(This photo is from the Library of Congress collection.)

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I love my pediatric patients. While it is hard to see children feeling sick, they can be bright spots in occasionally hellacious shifts.

I’ve blogged before on my observation that the kids seem to be the adults in the some families.

  • They don’t want to undress for an exam, so they fight the parents who are helpless in the face of taking a shirt off a three-year-old.
  • They have to be restrained so they don’t run rampant in the ER, and they slap their parent across the face. The parent doesn’t respond.
  • They are told they need to cooperate with a procedure and they answer their parent with a loud, clear, “F*** YOU!” At the age of five. The parent retreats. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*

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The Spirit Of The Place: Samuel Shem’s New Book May Depress You

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Eat To Save Your Life: Another Half-True Diet Book

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