My first experience with death in the hospital was quite traumatizing. Helping families cope with the death of a patient can be a very intimidating (and scary) task. Hear about my experiences with death in the ICU and what I've learned to become a better nurse.
I volunteered on a Navy hospital ship in 2011 for five months. What was it like living on a Navy ship? What were the nurse's responsibilities? Learn about volunteering and how it will help you in the nursing field.
How can we teach new nurses in a way that helps them learn to be amazing and thorough nurses? Here are a few tips that I have learned as I've helped new nurses develop their nursing skills.
Have you heard of the hyperbaric chamber? This unique type of oxygen treatment helps patients with a variety of medical issues. See a quick breakdown of how it helps patients from an ICU RN.
Have you ever wondered about flight nursing and what it would be like? I have a few friends who have recently moved from the ICU to flight nursing, and they love it! It seems like the most intense kind of nursing you can. You go to the scene of the accident, sometimes find your patient, and then keep them stable until you arrive at the hospital. Check out this post for more information on becoming a flight nurse.
What are the causes and treatment of hyperkalemia (a high potassium level)? What should we, as nurses, be looking out for when treating these patients?
Nurse Caitlin Brassington wrote a post on Instagram and Facebook about a comment that she heard from an acquaintance about how she was "just" a nurse. I think until people have either personally been hospitalized or have had a loved one hospitalized, they don't realize how much nurses actually do! We wear many hats: pharmacist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and caregiver, just to name a few. We analyze heart rhythms, perform lifesaving CPR, help families through the loss of a loved one, and much more. Look at Caitlin's passionate note about how she feels about nursing.
So this is my personal opinion on nights...not necessarily the absolute answer. Everyone is different in how their bodies react to being turned upside down from a sleeping perspective.
Do you remember what a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure is? Why do patients need to have this performed? Does it really change patient outcomes? Check out this quick summary from an ICU RN.
Someone I know was describing a procedure in which a tube was placed through a patient's back into their kidneys to drain their urine. I had never heard of this before. What is this called? A nephrostomy tube. Check out a quick summary of what it is and its indications.
