Giving insulin IV is a lifesaving measure for patients experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperkalemia. Monitoring these patients closely is essential to safe treatment. Learn the basics about IV insulin from an ICU RN.
Need some tips dealing with stressful situations? We never really get taught to deal with stress in life – and that’s why so many of us struggle with it.
But here’s the thing: If you can learn how to manage stress now, it will pay off for the rest of your life. Just imagine learning how to effortlessly overcome any stressful situation in your life. You’ll feel happier. You’ll worry less. Your life will become a much smoother, enjoyable journey. Isn’t that an incredible thought?
It is important to be able to recognize different types of heart blocks when your patient develops them. What do the ECG strips look like? What will the patient feel like? Most importantly, what are you going to do about it?
The process of declaring brain death and then donating organs is one that is very interesting to many nurses (including myself). How exactly is brain death declared? How does the process of donating organs work? I interviewed Tony Hume, a nurse from New Mexico, who has a great deal of experience with these situations to help answer these questions.
An infant or toddler with a body temperature of 102°F (38.9°C) or higher might experience febrile seizures. The seizures can last for a few minutes and can trigger a scare for nurses, parents, or their caregivers. Learn more about febrile seizures and what to do in this situation.
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.
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.
What are the nursing interventions you should perform when a patient has a pneumothorax? Look at common symptoms, interventions, and treatment that you need to perform when this happens.
There are so many different types of radiology studies that patients can undergo. What do they all mean? Here is a brief overview of the most common radiology studies that are performed in the hospital.
I remember when I started as a new nurse feeling very intimidated by tracheostomies (or as most people call them - trachs, sounds like trakes). I was terrified that it was going to fall out or that I was going to injure the patient while managing it. I've since worked with them for six years in the ICU and feel very comfortable with them now. Hopefully this helps you to be at ease that trachs are not bad to manage!
