06/23/2008
Retiring????
Since the end of February 2004 I have been talking retiring fully. No bank nursing. It is now near the end of June 2008,
I think that a week on Wednesday I am really going to finish.
I will miss my workmates. I think it is them who have kept me going. (Bless them.) There has been a lot of changes, people moved on and new people starting work on the ward. But there are the few who have been there for years and years like I have.
Our kids have grown older, some married with children of their own. Time goes so quickly.
Nearly 9 months off the cigs, soz, just HAD to stick that in. X
23:30 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: retire, nurse, cigs
03/29/2008
Quit or Not?
I just don't know what to do. I sometimes go to work twice a week. I like to do the late shift. I don't do the early shift now.
I retired 4 years ago and went on the Nursing Bank. (Did more shifts for the first couple of years.)
Now in those 4 years things have changed and not for the better. Lack of staff, moral very low. I bet most of the nurses where I work would love to go and work somewhere else.
So, here I am at 64, if I could be really picky and choose who I would like to work with, I would carry on. I don't mind the hard work but feel the need to work as part of a team. I also believe that we can have a laugh and still do the job we are paid for.
Very little thanks we get from a lot of patients.
Get blamed for the meals not being as good as they thought they should be. Too much gravy, not enough gravy. I even got a complaint that the tea was hot the other day. Not too hot, just hot.
We can take all this with a pinch of salt, we are used to being shouted at and even nipped and sworn at. We all know that it is part of the job, Shouldn't be but it's the ward we are on.
So, I just don't know what to do. I like nursing but is it getting more just a job than a caring profession? I dunno.
00:00 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: nurse, quit, job, patients
09/02/2007
Hey ho.
Not long before I go to work. Set off in about half an hour. It's a wet and miserable day and himdownstairs is watching footie. Good day to work I suppose. I would cry if the sun was shining and it was lovely and warm.
A silly statement from someone who lives in the northwest of England. Still, seeing we got hot weather in April, September might not be too bad.
Have a lovely Sunday.
14:55 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: weather, work, rain, sun, cigs
08/25/2007
What do you say????????Hospital food.
A gentleman patient asked me today if his wife was in the kitchen. I could honestly say no as there was no one in the ward kitchen. Then I asked nurse in charge if his wife visits?
No, she doesn't, she died in January.
Some nurses, like I did, gloss it over, I did it because I just didn't know. Then nurse in charge told him, kindly but with complete honesty that his wife had died a while ago.
He became tearful then seemed to accept it.
I am going to work again on Sunday, if the gentleman is still on the ward, what's the betting the poor soul asks about his wife again?
Before my holidays and a very elderly lady asked the nurse in charge to ring her mother and father. No way.
I think it is so sad!
But once, we had a lady in her late seventies, her dad rang the ward to see how she was doing. Of course, the nurse who took the phone call was taken aback. But it was true.
So one must not assume must one?
I have been reading about patients not getting enough to eat in hospitals.
Ok.
Now, all I know about is the one I work at, (part time.) There is nothing wrong with the sizes of the meals.
You could choose from, small, medium or large.
Lunch is a three course meal and so is what we call supper.
I work with elderly patients. Now, my memory isn't good. I am first to admit it.
So, tomorrow (Monday) a nurse will go through the menu with the patient. (Unless the patient can do it themselves.) They will be asked what they would like for lunch on Wednesday. So say, tomato soup, Lancashire hotpot and rice pudding for afters. They will choose for supper too.
Ok.
Later that day.
Supper time, 5pm. Soup, sandwich and Plum Fool arrive. "But I didn't order that" they say, "I ordered Hotpot." Might even remember what they ordered for Tuesday. But it is different to what they ordered Saturday for tomorrow!
Hope you are keeping up with this. lol Of course, not all patients have a memory like me, but there are a few!
Please tell me too, how on earth can you make a patient eat when they don't want to??? It is sad for a nurse to see someone not eating. It's worse if they don't eat for a few days. All the encouraging, coaxing and such in the world won't make them eat if they don't want to do so.
Visitors bring things in and even they are left untouched.
It's so sad.
14:23 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: food, hospital, elderly, patients
04/11/2006
No Work This Week & Retirement.
Not one phone call this week, requesting my presence at work. I must admit, even though it's only Tuesday, I miss it a bit. But I can live without it!
It does get me out and about when I DO go. Lovely to see my old workmates too. In fact, now I don't have to go unless I want to, it has become a bit of a social thing for me. I know it's hard work at times but I still like going.
Retirement can come hard to some people. I know of one lady who didn't like it at first. They may run Retirement Courses, but there wasn't room for me as the course was full.
I know you should plan for retiring. But when do things go to plan? In my case, rarely. All the things I was going to do, well, I haven't done any of them yet. So, it seems, up to now, I am just wasting my senior years! But I am happy.
19:55 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
03/16/2006
Death and the nurse.
INTRODUCTION.
What does death mean to you? Are you scared of dying? Are you scared stiff of the day when someone close to you dies?
I am sure that most of us don't like to dwell on these subjects, yet it is a subject we will all have to face at one time or another. I know that young nurses may only have encountered death in a hospital environment. Some may have that sad job yet to come. Others may have already faced death of family or friends.
Some of us were asked not too long ago what scared us about our own death and what we thought happened to us after death. I took the easy option and decided I would want to go quickly, without pain and any other unpleasant happenings. Am I being fair to my loved ones? Would they like to be there as I breathed my last? Would it help if they did not have to see me actually die? Would they grieve more if I suddenly died and did not linger? Would it be too much of a shock? I hope they would understand that I may, (and I am not too sure about this even yet,) want to leave this world on my own as I cannot see any dignity in dying however good the nursing staff and paramedics are. This of course is my view and that may change in the future. I may feel the need of comfort and support of family and friends.
As for what happens to us after death. Well that was a hard one! I cannot say what I honestly believe. I would love to think that I would be able to see loved ones and friends again and "live" happily ever after. But being a "Doubting Thomas" I really don't know what to believe. I really wish I had faith in the Hereafter; it must be a lovely feeling and lessen any fears of death.
Although I feel sad when someone dies, I am talking about patients now; it is the family that I could really cry for. Some blame themselves, doctors, nurses or any one they can. Some are obviously shocked; ashamed to let you see them cry, disbelief, anger, denial and some are very quiet. All sorts of emotions arise at this time. We, as nurses and human beings, as we all are, should try not to judge or say things like "I know what you are going through, something similar happened to me." We don't know what they are going though as every one copes and reacts in different ways. I know you would never say that to anyone, yet you might feel that the bereaved person/persons situation is similar to one you have experienced. We are all individuals.
There are many that deal differently with dying patients of different faiths. We, at our hospital are fortunate in having the clergy of different religions on call and they will attend after just a telephone call. Also they are there to help you in any way they can if you need their help. They may be called on to talk to relatives of poorly patients and not just after death has occurred. It is nice to offer spiritual help to patients or relatives at any time if you or they feel they need it. There are some people that are unaware that this service is easily available.
It is a fallacy, (I think this anyway,) to think that a person who has just died looks at peace. Some do but others do not however much care has gone into trying to make them look so. All that can be done is to make them look not too unnatural. E.g. don’t comb their hair straight back if they wore it differently while they were alive.
It can live in a bereaved person’s memory a long, long time how their loved one looked the first time they saw them after the death!
All we can do is try our best, sincere empathy and sympathy will not go amiss. Even silence can be comforting, no need for words, awkwardly said. Don't you be afraid to cry if you want to, you have feelings too! It is also nice to ask the bereaved person if they are all right to go home, have they someone to be with them when they arrive home. Even ordering a taxi or phoning a relative or friend to come and help at possibly one of the worse moments of the bereaved person's life can be a Godsend. They may be unaware of these things at the time, due to shock etc. Just imagine how you would feel going home to a lonely house and then the realisation and enormity hits you. If the bereaved person is alone it would be nice to try and organise a friend or relative to come and pick them up from the hospital, or at least to be at their home when they return, only of course, if that is their wish.
Sometimes it may be a while before you have to deal with death.
It will be somewhere. I am not trying to frighten you; there is nothing frightening about a dead body, possibly only your imagination.If you have any worries at all when faced with your first encounter with death on the ward, please try and voice your concerns to someone, do not go to the patient if you feel you can't cope. There will always be somebody to see you through it.
21:25 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
03/09/2006
Violence in Hospital.
In A&E, you hear a lot about violence, also on the wards. We can call Security ot the Police.
But..............what if it's a little, confused old lady or man? Not aware of where they are, just want to get home. No amount of talking to them can convince them that they are unwell and in hospital. These elderly people are stronger than they look, they can sometimes, try to bite you, hit you or throw things. Part of the job, unpleasant it may be. It shouldn't be part of anyones job to face violence. I would feel really awful getting the police in to a confused elderly patient.
Myself, I have found the art of dodging the nips and bites. Up to now anyway!
It is against the law to restrain a violent patient.
I am still a bit unsure of what to do if faced by someone like that. I remember, a good few years ago, a gent was going to throw a punch, just because we wanted him to come back to the ward. I said to him, "You wouldn't hit a lady would you?" A look of uncertainty crossed his face and then he dropped his hand and laughed. THANK GOODNESS. He wasn't really, a bad man, just in a world of his own.
It isn't nice when you hear the poor people asking for their mum or wanting to be up for work next day. At the ages I am talking about, they will have retired many, many moons ago. There are the exceptions to the rules though but we know about them, usually!
One patient's dad rang the ward not long since, the look on the nurse's face! He was a 100 years old, so it isn't impossible.
20:20 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
03/08/2006
Huh, phone rang!
A special hello to "Chocolate" and "Rack." Thanks for your comments.
Today the phone rang and it was them! (No not Chocolate or Rack, but work.)
So, on Saturday, I am working. So this is semi-semi retirement? I will see how things go, I am not working on my old ward but another. I had decided just to work on my old ward. Just for the one shift. But did agree to do 2 shifts next week. Suppose it helps to put jam on the bread.
I will have to get things sorted out and stick to it. I would love to do some more studying, but it's not worth it now. There's a lot of things I don't know. I am stuck in the tried and trusted mode of nursing. Unless they make it illegal, I will do it. Although I am not afraid of new things or trying them.
I find that I, as a bank nurse, miss such a lot. I seem to be the hired help and not worth training any more. Maybe I am wrong.
17:34 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
03/05/2006
Any nurses out there?
Any Nurses out there? I would love to hear from any of you. My e-mail address is bumblebees321@btinternet.com
I would like your points of view about nursing today! Is it as good as it was? Is it as much fun? Too much paper-work? Is there any reason why we have to write observations on a chart, write it in the Cardex/nursing notes? Do we really have to write an "essay" every day on a patient who remains the same? Too many chiefs and not enough of us? I am at the end of my career, you maybe at the beginning, as a student or RGN. Good luck.
Are they still training enrolled nurses anywhere?
Any replies, if I get any. will be kept private. If you do allow me to publish part or all of your letter, please tell me. Names will be withheld! Honest.
Thank you. Anne.
19:30 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
03/03/2006
HUH!
I am a nurse, I am also a human being! I am sure some people think differently though!
Sorry to say this, but tonight, I have had fingers clicked at me and also the odd command. Not just me but all four of us. May I just say, not from the patients, no, from the visitors.
Now four nurses, on the late shift, looking after 24 patients is usually fine. Hard work but we manage very well. If someone is really not well, it's even harder. You tend to have to spend more time with them. Remember, I work usually on an Elderly Rehab ward. So the patients need more help that maybe usual.
So, 2 patients not well! Means we have to look after them a bit more. So, on my list of priorities, is patient care! Not a bunch of flowers.
I realise that flowers are brought in to cheer people up, it's a lovely gesture.
Also, a few visitors would like to see their loved ones tucked up in bed before they set off home. This is OK if the patient wants to go. Most of them didn't tonight. I agree with them, it's a long night if you go to bed early. I would hate to be put to bed at say, 7 pm just because I was a patient.
Some are really grateful to get in bed as soon as they can.
Ahh well, should be used to all this by now. Sorry! But seeing I can't say anything while at work, I will tell you. Goodnight. X X X X X
22:42 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
02/28/2006
Confusion, dementia and stuff.
The first time I heard a patient called demented, I was gobsmacked. But it was a medical term. Although now, we aren't allowed to say demented, diabetic, we have to say, they suffer from dementia and suffer from diabetes. We don't "label" patients any more.
Confusion is different from dementia, you can also have dementia and confusion at the same time.
In my opinion, these ladies and gentlemen should be treated the same as any other patient. Sometimes, we ask the patient if they would like a cup of tea. Well, we do a lot, but this is a sort of "for instance." If they have vistors, the visitors answer for the patient. Now, in rehabilation, we wait patiently for the patient to answer. This is done with people who have had a C.V.A. (stroke.) Some lose their speech. A lot can get their speech back, given time and the chance.
Then there are the ones who suffer from dementia. A lot of visitors are maybe embarassed about them. Some may and I have seen this happen, laugh at the antics of the poor souls. I don't think it helps anyone. Maybe the visitors are upset and don't know how to cope.
But, please, if you do visit a patient that is a bit confused, please remember, they have the right to say what they want. I have known arguments about whether So and So takes sugar in their tea. "She/He doesn't at home" How many times have I heard that one??? Things change when a person is in hospital. Have you tasted the tea???? lol
00:00 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
02/27/2006
Death & Dying.
Not A great subject for a wet Monday night is it? But it happens to us all. The thought could easily depress thee and me.
I have seen a lot of people die, I have also talked to a lot of bereaved people too.
It is a sad time for nurses and doctors as well as the family. Yes, the death of a loved one is a bit different to the death of a patient. Of course it is. But the nursing staff do feel it. Trust me. You may think they don't but they do. I have know the whole ward change after someone has died. One minute, all happy, then a kind of gloom descends even if death is inevitable, the patient old, even if the patient has given up on life. Some do you know.
Although I have nursed for donkey's years I have been very fortunate not to see a child die. I thank my lucky stars for that. I really don't think I could cope very well.
23:43 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
Grades and Bands.
I am a bit annoyed. I am really, very annoyed actually. Listen to my tale of woe, please! They brought in Grading, now it's Bands.
As a "C" grade, I was good enough for back-up on a ward with an R.G.N. Just one RGN though. I got used to that, I always thought I should get the "D" grade if just for my experience and / or, common sense. But no. Trust me, I have helped many a young and new Staff Nurse. I am not bragging, just saying. Bound to know that bit more on occasions until they get more experienced and used to the ward. Not meaning to be awful to the young ones, not at all. Some are now Sisters'. They passed my experience years ago and by miles!
The night E.N gets an "D" grade. But since going on the Bank Nurse thing, it's the same. I am usually back-up.
Just before the Grading came into force, the E.N. wasn't allowed to give out tablets any more. I remember the days they RAN the wards. We had to go on a course to be able to do the medicine round. Ok, but although it was supposed to be on a yearly basis, we, or at least I, only did the one course. So that wasn't very good was it? In fact, a load of rubbish.
I know a EN or two, they ran Casualty (A&E) at night, now they are pushed out. They were excellent nurses too. Still work there.
Just makes me think if I should have told the Health Authority to "Get Lost!" Too many Chiefs and not enough Thingies.
End of moan. Thank you!
19:40 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
02/26/2006
Finished!
This evening, until 8:30pm, I worked my last shift. I am now retired. (We won't count Friday when I go again. That's just a favour really. I will get paid for it though.)
I cleared out my locker, found all sorts in there. Removed my name off both bits, threw a lot of things away. Surprising what you find when you root about.
The shift was not a good one, it was really busy. Although I am used to that, it was more frustrating than anything.
I will be 62 on Wednesday. Think it's time I hung up my boots. The trouble is, I have a cloak, it's in bottle green with hood. We all got one in my day. I have brought it home but think I may take it back. Golly, those cloaks are warm! The RGNs had a navy blue ones, so did the auxilliaries. (Now named Clinical Support Workers.) All were lined in red. I think they were made of pure wool. never looked. Anyway, they are no longer supplied.
Perhaps I should be a little bit sad, but I'm not. I wonder if it will hit me later? Ahhh well, we will see!
22:56 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
02/18/2006
Well....................
As I was saying earlier, I went to work today.
No real change I am happy to relate to you. Some patients had been discharged and others admitted. A very nice shift. Wish they could all be like that. I really do. As in every job, it depends on who you work with. The nurses tonight and last night were very nice. Makes such a difference, it really does.
I was asked to work tomorrow on the early shift, I said "No thanks." I have only one more week to do before I retire (again,) and I certainly don't want to get up at the crack of dawn any more. Been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. Oh yes, for many years. It was a thing I got used to. Just rolled out of bed, quick cup of coffee and a ciggie and off I would go. No more!
Next week I am back on my old ward. Elderly Rehabilitation. Trying to get poor old souls in a fit state to go home so they can help them selves. It works with some but others just drift into letting their, sometimes, elderly spouses do every thing for them. I must admit, it is easier to help. But in the long run, much better for the patient to be independent, surely?
And another moan, why, just over a week to go, do they decide to change the observation charts? Ok, when it was explained to me, they are simple enough, possibly simpler than the old ones. But they could have waited a couple of weeks couldn't they???
23:11 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
Going to work.
Going to work in about an hour. Working on a mixed medical ward. I was there yesterday too.
Sad or what? I may have grumbled and moaned about my cold but there are people so much worse off. Of course, I know that! People on that ward are dying! There maybe one or two that won't be there today. I often wonder how we cope with all the deaths we see. Young or very old, it's still sad. Also, what I find sad, is the families that think maybe, if Mum /Dad ate a bit more, they will get better. I have been through that myself. Where there is life, there is hope. There isn't a way to tell them bluntly, that this will be impossible.
I remember when my Mum was dying, my sister and I got very excited if she ate a decent amount one day. That meant to us she was "picking up." Nothing the doctor would hint made us think any different. If I had known then, what I know now,
Yet I suppose I am grateful I didn't now I look back. Ignorance can be bliss. I know in the back of my mind, that death was inevitable. But I still had hope. Could not imagine a life without her. She was only 48. I have outlived her, seemed very strange being older than my Mother. Got used to it now but still missed. Can't imagine her being 85 years old.
No one knows what you go through when a loved one dies. They may say they do but everyone copes in a different way. Grief is different too. Anger, guilt, sorrow, disbelief, oh all sorts of things. You might blame the doctors, the nurses and everyone else. People have been known to pass by without a word, they just don't know what to say or if they will upset you or not! It's a lonely path.
15:33 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: death, hope, life, dying
02/17/2006
Mixed Wards. My cold. Sewing machine.
Mixed wards. Do we like them? The ward I worked on tonight was mixed. But not a lady next to a gentleman. They are in different parts of the ward. It is the same in some other parts of the hospital I work in. Not all wards of course.
I remember my amazement the first time a male nurse worked on a ladies ward. Call me old fashioned, but I didn't think it seemed quite right. Got used to it now though. I mean, at one time nearly all the doctors where chaps. So what was the difference?
MY COLD.
I have been to work today, not sneezed or coughed once. I must be getting better now. T'old fella seems a lot better too I am pleased to report.
Sewing machine
Managed to thread the thing properly! Being 60+, find it hard to thread the thing. Eyesight not as good as it was. That takes a while. Got one of those things that help, but find that hard to do too.
22:49 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this | Tags: sewing, machine, common, cold, mixed, wards, hospital, male
02/07/2006
My View.
Green for the good old State Enrolled Nurse. That is the colour at the place I work. I think other hospitals have different colours for their staff.I just missed the aprons and frilly cuffs, by the time I qualified, it was a white dress and green epaulettes. Royal blue for Staff Nurses and navy for Sisters or Ward managers. This mode of dress is now on the way out. Do I agree with it? Dunno. It's now the time for scrubs. So, half the hospital wear dresses, not the chaps of course, and half, tunic and trousers. Gone have the doctor and the white coats. A stethoscope is now the sign of a doctor on the wards. But I keep up well with the "new" trends. Makes me wonder what they will be wearing in another 20 years. Will they back to dresses? No nurses' caps either. Thank goodness. Even the paper ones were a pain. I don't know how how I would have got on with the fancy ones! Notice that a lot of girls wear jewellery. Too much sometimes. Ahhh, I remember when a plain wedding ring was just about acceptable.
23:24 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Email this
01/07/2006
So Sad!
It will be a while before I forget the gentleman from last night. Bless him, he had been told he had cancer. He was obviously upset, but then came from behind the curtains around his bed, smiling. That is true courage. Maybe a front. He then went home in a taxi. I really hope he had someone caring at home.
The word cancer frightens most people.
I know that he will be visited by the cancer nurse and there will be people to help him. They will talk him through things. But last night, he wouldn't know what to expect, so frightening. But he smiled and that somehow made it sadder.
I don't know how I would react. Not as well as this gentleman did, I am sure of that. I marvel at the people with cancer, they are really brave and positive.
I suppose cancer is not the worst thing that could happen to a person. There are a lot of things that are worse. Conditions with big names.
But whatever happens, bless you Mr X and all the others that are suffering this disease. Think positive if possible.
00:16 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
11/30/2005
Wednesday. No Work!
I have got up to Wednesday night and up to now, no bank work. If you do read my rantings at any time, you will have gathered that I don't mind, one bit, not going to work.
I am past retirement age so reckon I have done my bit. Nice to keep in touch with things though. Someone told me years ago, that some places wouldn't employ you if you had been a nurse. They reckoned that you would go back to nursing again at some time. I don't know how true that was and I am sure it couldn't happen today. But I admit, for most of us, nursing is in the blood!
I can't imagine going back to other types of work. I had a few different jobs in my younger days. More than quite a few I suppose. Jobs were easy to get and easy to leave!!!
Nursing is the only one I have ever "stuck" to. Is it because I was more mature? I don't think so.
Got a comment today. Smoking, quitting. Is it easier to go cold turkey or gradually cut down on the cigarettes? Not starting in the first place is best but for me, weak-willed, I will have to manage to stop.
Don't want.....
A Stroke,
A heart attack,
Lung Cancer,
Chronic Bronchitis,
Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease or any other smoking related illnesses.
Doesn't do my Asthma any good either!
18:00 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
11/23/2005
Nursing or not? 'Flu Jabs.
I read today, they have run out of 'flu jabs. (Not our hospital especially, but all over the country.) Just remember, next year, get in early! If you are one the the people who are at risk, get the pneumonia jab too. You know it makes sense!!!
Well, this bank nursing work seems to be drying up. No money! I must admit, I have done well up to now.
Next week I am on short notice. This means I may get a phone call any day. Of course, it's up to me whether I wish to accept the work or not. I wonder how long they would keep you on their "books" if you said no almost all the time? Not long I bet.
The hospital is short of money and nurses.
22:35 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
11/20/2005
Enrolled Nurse. A rose by any other name!
In our hospital, we are Enrolled nurses. In the USA and possibly a few other countries we would be known as....Licensed Practical nurses. Different name, same job!
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) care for sick, injured, and disabled people.
As people grow older, two things will happen. First, nurses will retire. Second, more and more people will need care, especially in nursing homes and assisted living centers.
Licensed practical nurses work under the direction of a doctor or registered nurse. Most LPNs provide basic bedside care to patients. They take vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. They treat patients for bedsores, give alcohol rubs, and apply dressings. They apply hot water bottles and ice packs. LPNs feed patients and record their food and liquid intake and output. They also help patients with other personal care activities, such as bathing, dressing, or brushing their teeth.
LPNs observe patients and report any negative reactions to treatments or medications. They collect blood and other samples from patients for testing. In some work settings, they perform routine lab tests. They also get patients ready for more complex tests and exams. They explain how procedures work and answer questions. They also set up exam or treatment rooms by displaying, ordering, and cleaning equipment.
In states where the law allows them to, LPNs may give prescribed medications. They may also start intravenous (IV) fluids. Some LPNs help deliver, care for, and feed infants. Experienced LPNs may supervise nursing assistants and aides.
In nursing homes, LPNs provide basic bedside care as they do in other settings. In addition, they may help evaluate the needs of residents and develop care plans. In doctors' offices and clinics, LPNs often make appointments, keep records, and perform other clerical duties. LPNs who work in private homes may prepare meals. They may alsoteach simple nursing tasks to family members. They keep patients' rooms neat and make sure that patients are comfortable.
In all work settings, LPNs record important data, such as vital signs, in patients' charts.
LPNs should have a caring, sympathetic nature. (Shouldn't ALL nurses???????)
Employers prefer to hire LPNs who have a strong desire to help others and a genuine concern for patients' welfare. Because work with the sick and injured can be stressful, employers look for LPNs who are emotionally stable. The ability to follow orders and work under close supervision are also important. Applicants must have passed the state licensing exam to qualify for LPN positions.
15:45 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
11/05/2005
Skeleton.
Please click on thumbnail of skeleton, (on the left hand side, a bit further up the page.
Basic picture of "Dem bones." Do you know your ulner from your tibia??
18:30 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
10/27/2005
Cutbacks!?
Considering the hospitals are "counting the pennies" I am working more than ever! Woe is me eh? Due to sickness, I am working on the ward I used to work on, before I retired. The hours aren't as long though. But will have gone to work five days this week!
When the grading came in, I was graded a C. Now we are going to banding. Don't know what band I will be in! Possibly band 3. Bank nurses will be the last to know! Well, so I have heard.
Tonight, there should have been 2 staff nurses on, a grade E and a grade D. Seeing the grade D was off, I went in as backup. So, I reckon, I should get a D grade!
I remember when enrolled nurses were allowed to run a ward. They were very good too. Then the grading came into force, suddenly the enrolled nurse couldn't..... take charge or dispense the drugs. That happened overnight.
Oh yes, they could do a course and then they could do the drugs. Most of us did but some stuck to their guns and refused. I didn't blame them. This happened years ago. The system has changed again. For the better or for the worse???
23:10 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
10/21/2005
History...... Mine, anyway.
Things are harder now when someone wishes to train as a nurse. In my day............. things were so different.
I sat a little exam to get into The School of Nursing. I passed and merrily started Pupil Nurse training a while after. No O levels or A levels needed. I think it was the same for Student Nurse training too.
We Pupils did two years training. The Student Nurses did three. Students went more into more depth than the Pupils. We were bedside nurses, supposed to do the more practical jobs.
12 of us started, 10 finished the course. And we all passed!
We had to do about six weeks at the School of Nursing. There,we were taught the basics. Used to have trips round the local hospitals too. Got to know each other quite well during this time. Then, we were let loose on the wards. We worked the same hours as qualified nurses, same holidays too. We were paid a wage, just like any job. Different now with students getting grants. Shame really. We had to work weekends, late and early shifts and Bank Holidays. It was OK!
We wore a white uniform, green checked epaulettes and brown shoes and a paper cap. Now it is "scrubs," more practical I think. When we had qualified, the epaulettes changed to bottle green. Not all hospitals had the same colours though.
00:11 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
10/20/2005
England/ward/part of ward!
Part of a ward I worked on . No patients at the time! Picture taken in 2003.
19:55 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
10/19/2005
In a Rut????
I used to work on a Rehabilitation Ward. Patients have been known to stay a while, especially the elderly.
Today, it was the Medical Ward again. When I first started nursing the patient came on the ward, either straight from A&E or home. Now they go to an Assessment Ward, then transfered to the medical ward later.
Still, it was a bit of a shock to see a really poorly patient admitted. Don't know why, it is a hospital!
I think a lot of nurses get stuck in a rut. Work on one kind of speciality for years and forget the skills you used to have. Am I alone in this?
The basics are still there but the treatment and even some of the illnesses I have either, never heard of or have a different name.
I think that staff should change wards every six months. Not everyone will agree I know. But I think a nurse should be able to cope with everything. Ok, they run courses on all sorts of things but getting on them can be hard and sometimes even can be cancelled!
My thoughts anyway.
21:39 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Diabetes.
Diabetes.
Find you need to pass water much more often? ( Polyuria.) Getting thirsty and drinking water, (Polydipsia) etc a lot? Weight loss although appetite remains good. Tiredness?
Better see doctor and get it checked.
We all get very hungry and thirsty, we sometimes pass urine a lot too. Normal.
But if the drinking gets to become a raging thirst and using the toilet much more, it could be a sign of DIABETES.
By the way, poly means, many, a lot.
And.....ectomy..removal of. Eg. appendectomy. Dys means difficulty. Dysphasia and dyslexic. Dysphasia is difficulty in speaking.
Something beginning with A usually means without. Aphasic not able to speak. Amoral, no morals.
21:20 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Enrolled Nurse Job Description.
The enrolled nurse provides nursing care within the limits specified by education and the regulatory authority's license to practise Enrolled nurses retain responsibility for their own actions whilst remaining accountable to the registered nurse for nursing functions delegated by them.
Enrolled nurses are an integral part of the nursing profession, delivering nursing care that is complementary to that delivered by registered nurses. Enrolled nurses work under the supervision of registered nurses, unless otherwise permitted by legislation. Supervision is defined as including oversight, direction, guidance or support (whether directly or indirectly.) This definition needs to be taken into account when discussing enrolled nurse supervision.
The responsibilities of the enrolled nurse include the following:
- Assisting patients/clients with the routine activities of daily living
- Recognising the changing needs of patients/clients
- Undertaking assigned and delegated functions from the nursing care plan.
- This was taken from the Internet.
21:15 Posted in Nursing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this