Happy Holiday Everyone!

Whatever is good, whatever brings you joy...
May it be yours during this magical Season and throughout the coming year.

Have the best ever Holiday Season!

Brian Short RN (founder of allnurses.com)

• Admitting Registrar - Milwaukee, WI
• Critical Care Services Tech - West Bend, WI
• Staff RN-ED-SPT - Milwaukee, WI
• Staff RN - PACU Recovery Room - Milwaukee, WI
• Patient Care Assistant-MICU-SPT7 - Milwaukee, WI

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Dec 14 - Dec 20 Hottest Topics

The Man at the Bottom of the Stairs

The heart of nursing and the spirit of the holidays are similar in principle. Our lives are given meaning and value when we care for others, when we help those in need. Our patients, our families, and every stranger at any given moment in our lives provide us with opportunities to learn, be grateful, and give back.

Succeed as a New Med-Surg Nurse: Part 1

Succeeding as a new grad in Med-Surg requires learning to organize and prioritize. I'll share tips on HOW to gain these vital skills.

"From a single candle…" Words from an RN Pinning Ceremony

Words from an RN Pinning Ceremony- An alumni shares "words of wisdom and encouragement with graduating RNs embarking on their professional careers"

How can I learn to not be so emotional?

I'm a new grad, working in a residency in an ICU-step down for 4 months. I've been off orientation for 1 month now. Most days I still have points where I feel overwhelmed, but I am comfortable with how I'm progressing and developing my own nursing style. However, something happened tonight that really bothered me and I'm not sure if I reacted wrongly or what I should have done. I was stumped!

Physician Opinions on Benefits of Open Visit Notes Vary

Primary care physicians (PCPs) have varied opinions about open access to doctors' notes; and most users of a personal health record (PHR) system are interested in sharing access to their information, according to two studies published in the Dec. 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Tell me what else you would have done...

Had a patient come in today, c/o "I swallowed a pill 3 days ago and it feels like it's stuck in my throat. It doesn't hurt, but maybe I have a swollen lymph node."

So, I look at the throat, mild inflammation, no foreign body, no patches, etc. I palpate the lymph nodes in the neck, mild swelling on the right, nontender. I tell the patient what I see/don't see, and tell him also, that if there is a foreign body below the level I can see with the otoscope light, the only way to visualize it would be with a scope. I do tell him I'd like to run a strep test just to be safe, as there's a lot of that going around. He agrees.

5 minutes later, as I'm charting all this, the other NP comes in and says the patient wants another provider, that he doesn't feel like he was given a thorough exam.

My questions...What else, if anything, could I have done or done differently? And if you were a patient and had this complaint, what else would you expect to be done/offered? I wasn't short with him, I looked at the throat well, I thought, and tested for something that was probably unnecessary.

Pharmacy does not want to fill my script!

I am in Florida, I recently went to place a script at a compounding pharmacy and set up an account. I had to fax my collaborating physicians license and mine. Then I am told that since the MD does not have my practice location listed as his that I would not be able to order from them. I said, I think your confusing me with a PA, NPs can have satellite clinics of our own, doc does not have to be on site, only collaboration. They said the "pharmacy law" prohibits compounding meds being delivered to practice loactions not listed on the MDs license. So, I just went and used another compounding pharm I used before without problem, also located in FL.

So this is news to me. Anyone know of what law they are talking about?

Need advice on excelsior LPN-RN

I finished my LPN schooling today and will be sitting for the boards in Jan. The school I went to has changed their transition program making it a hassle to continue through them. The college network came to my school and thats how I heard of Excelsior. I have seen alot of posts saying to stay away. I don't know what to think...

• I want to know if anyone out there goes to excelsior?
• Is it better to go directly through excelsior or use college network as well?
• Do you like it? Is it worth the money?
• What works and doesnt work in the program?
• Does the program prepare you for the tests?
• Do you feel like you are learning what you need to know to pass NCLEX?
• Am I avoiding hassles or just finding new ones?