Had to put it up on the Blog too. I know some of you don't trust links. Hang in there till the end, the good stuff is towards the end.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Hip-Hop Heart Rhythms
Had to put it up on the Blog too. I know some of you don't trust links. Hang in there till the end, the good stuff is towards the end.
Caduceus vs Asclepius
I just tweeted about this and now I'm inclined to blog about it.
Caduceus or the Staff of Caduceus: Shown in various forms as a Staff with two serpents wrapped around it, usually with wings at the top. This is known as the magical wand of Greek god Hermes, messenger of the gods, inventor
of (magical) incantations, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and
thieves. It may have gotten its medical connection through Hermes' connection to Alchemy. In 1902, this symbol was mistakenly used by the US Army as the symbol for their Medical Corps and has become the most recognized symbol of medicine in the US.
The Staff of Asclepius: Professional and patient centred organizations
(such as the NZMA, in fact most
medical Associations around the world including the World Health Organization)
use the "correct" and traditional symbol of medicine, the staff of
Asclepius with a single serpent encircling a staff, classically a
rough-hewn knotty tree limb. Asclepius (an ancient Greek physician
deified as the god of medicine) is traditionally depicted as a bearded man
wearing a robe that leaves his chest uncovered and holding a staff with his
sacred single serpent coiled around it, (example right) symbolizing renewal of
youth as the serpent casts off its skin. The single serpent staff also appears
on a Sumerian vase of c. 2000 B.C. representing the healing god Ningishita, the
prototype of the Greek Asklepios.
However, there is a more practical origin postulated which makes sense...
The probable medical origin of the single serpent around a rod: In ancient times infection by parasitic worms was common. The filarial worm Dracunculus medinensis aka "the fiery serpent", aka "the dragon of Medina" aka "the guinea worm" crawled around the victim's body, just under the skin. Physicians treated this infection by cutting a slit in the patient's skin, just in front of the worm's path. As the worm crawled out the cut, the physician carefully wound the pest around a stick until the entire animal had been removed. It is believed that because this type of infection was so common, physicians advertised their services by displaying a sign with the worm on a stick.
Now for the rant. WHY, would anyone get a tattoo that they are unsure of its origins? Or whether or not it's the right symbol. Sports fans will tell you! Lets say you wanted to get a tattoo of your city's Team. We will use the Cowboys (against my better judgement) since they have an easily recognizable symbol. Lets say I got a blue star tattooed on my chest and then I showed Jerry Jones (The owner of the Cowboys for those of you who aren't sports fans) my tattoo and it looked like this:

Would Jerry Jones approve? OR Would Jerry think I'm a FUCKING MORON?
That was rhetorical of course. The point here folks is please get your symbology right before branding yourself forever. Unless of course you are or were in the Army Medical Corps... in which case it's ok because that is their adopted symbol.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
@MurseWisdom

The Staff of Asclepius: Professional and patient centred organizations

However, there is a more practical origin postulated which makes sense...
The probable medical origin of the single serpent around a rod: In ancient times infection by parasitic worms was common. The filarial worm Dracunculus medinensis aka "the fiery serpent", aka "the dragon of Medina" aka "the guinea worm" crawled around the victim's body, just under the skin. Physicians treated this infection by cutting a slit in the patient's skin, just in front of the worm's path. As the worm crawled out the cut, the physician carefully wound the pest around a stick until the entire animal had been removed. It is believed that because this type of infection was so common, physicians advertised their services by displaying a sign with the worm on a stick.
Now for the rant. WHY, would anyone get a tattoo that they are unsure of its origins? Or whether or not it's the right symbol. Sports fans will tell you! Lets say you wanted to get a tattoo of your city's Team. We will use the Cowboys (against my better judgement) since they have an easily recognizable symbol. Lets say I got a blue star tattooed on my chest and then I showed Jerry Jones (The owner of the Cowboys for those of you who aren't sports fans) my tattoo and it looked like this:

Would Jerry Jones approve? OR Would Jerry think I'm a FUCKING MORON?
That was rhetorical of course. The point here folks is please get your symbology right before branding yourself forever. Unless of course you are or were in the Army Medical Corps... in which case it's ok because that is their adopted symbol.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
@MurseWisdom
deliˈti(ə)rēəs- A rant supplied by @TMFS786
If you gave the Nightingale pledge at this moment I’m here
to inform you, we have failed in some ways as nurses. Admittedly I am new to
nursing, real new. Already though I have seen something that has truly just
rubbed me completely the wrong way and I can’t believe everyone before me
hasn’t said much about it. If you have, the roar was not loud enough.
I walked into a patient’s room and saw two very completely
opposite signs hanging over their bed. One said very clearly “DNR ” and the other just as clearly “Family wants intubation.”
My first thought was how sad the family wants that, clearly they don’t
understand what DNR means. Only
then did I found out it wasn’t the family that didn’t understand, but it was
me.
I was told that even if the patient wants to be DNR , but the family wants us to continue, then we
continue. I was told the family would sue us if we didn’t, so, we continued
even if it was against the patient’s wishes. What? They would be alive to sue
and the patient would be dead so we went with the option that presented the
least legal ramification. How is it possible that a person’s last and maybe
most important decision and wish are to be discarded that easily? I am positive
that it says in any medical pledges or oaths that we are to do what is best for
our patients. What could be more important?
My first duty is to my patient, but clearly hospitals and
lawyers see things differently. In school, nursing ethics is pushed so hard we
almost choke on it. Talk about being completely unethical, but you are ordering
me to violate my patient’s wishes to keep them alive when they don’t want to
be? This seems to be happening at an alarming rate as I hear of surgical
procedures being done for operations that are unnecessary and only complicate
and prolong suffering in the patient who didn’t want it or need it in the first
place. How has this become acceptable?
As a profession we are capable of amazing things, how did we
get to this point? If a patient wants to leave against medical advice even
though it could harm them we allow it. If a parent refuses to bring their child
to a doctor for religious reasons then we are not allowed to act without a
court order. If a patient refuses a medication we don’t force them to take it.
Yet, an adult who in advance gives a directive that they want followed for the
course of their life we discard it because the family is unwilling to accept
it?
I submit, out of all the problems America currently has with
health care, this is the biggest. We have forgotten what we are here for and
who we are supposed to be taking care of when they are in the hospital.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Differences between Nursing School and the First Year of Nursing
By: @That1Murse
So as we near another graduation year, I decided I would discuss what I learned in nursing school versus the first year of actual nursing. I had several other good ideas given to me and I will get to them within the coming weeks.
Ok, let’s be honest. Nursing school is difficult, time-consuming, frustrating, and a pain in the ass. But
it’s the hoops that you have to jump through to get those letters behind your name. The old adage of
what do they call the person who finished last in his class in medical school… they call him doctor. The same applies to nursing. It doesn’t matter if you finish first or last, you will still be a nurse. My badge does not say, That1Murse, RN (B student).
So why is nursing school so freakin’ hard? Well here’s the honest truth. It’s all about Pass Rates. The
nursing school has to have high NCLEX Pass Rates to not be looked at by the state Board of Nursing. If a schools NCLEX pass rate is low enough, they have to submit a plan of correction to the Board of Nursing. So it’s difficult to make sure you are prepared to take that test. Most of everything in nursing school breaks down to passing the NCLEX. Day 1 of nursing school we stated with 40 eager people. When we graduated in 2 years…. We were down to 17 of those original 40.
Nursing school gives you the picture perfect world where every patient will present with the same signs and will give the exact same complaints and everything is rainbows and buttercups when you practice in the Ivory Tower. I’m not taking away from nursing school because it does give you a nice foundation but you’re learning will take place in the first year after school.
The first year after school is sometimes more difficult than nursing school itself. You will sometimes feel inept and stupid and I guarantee at least once you will say, “What the fuck did I get myself into?” To give you some examples, my first LPN year (went to a bi-level ADN program) I worked at a nursing home. In that year, I had a fire (and had to evacuate the home at 10 p.m.) and had a guy show up with a gun looking for me (apparently, my sarcasm is lost on some people). My first RN year in the ER, I couldn’t get a successful IV stick to save my life. This was also when I worked lots of traumas and codes. Your first year of nursing truly is a trial by fire. The important thing to remember is not to get discouraged and remember why you went to nursing school. If it was for the money, then I’m sorry but in 5 years you probably won’t be nursing any longer.
Other thoughts from your first year of nursing: You will always remember the name of your first death. Lean on the staff you have to work with. Ask questions. This is when you will truly learn to be a nurse. Nothing is like it is in the book. A smile to a patient will sometimes forgive ineptitude. Have fun. Find a support system (prefer medically) to vent on. If you are future murse and you are in a relationship with someone not in the medical field, it’s going to be more difficult than if she was in the medical field (Think about it you go home always talking about what Becky did or Jamie was so funny or Michelle didn’t do this.. all you talk about is women). Know that it takes time to build trust with your docs but once you get that life gets so much easier.
The idea of this blog is to not discourage you or make light of nursing school but you should know that the first year is going to be hard (maybe even harder) than nursing school. But this year is when you will learn nursing and then your life will start getting better.
@That1Murse
Hey, @MurseWisdom here, I wanted to expand on this one a little and talk about career choices. I bet you get asked this at least twice a day in clinical... "Where do you want to work after graduation?" I just want to point out that you will more than likely not get to do what you want right out of the gate. I'm sure that working on a Peds floor or a NICU or being a Flight Nurse is your dream job. Hardly anyone says, "I want to work in a Nursing Home", or "I want to work for Hospice." Well, I want to make it clear that this nursing "Shortage" includes Nursing Homes and Hospice. And you, my friend, will have no experience and you are going to have to take whatever you can get at first.
I just reread that and realized what a bummer that shit is... Ok, lets not get discouraged. You need the experience that you get at that first job out of school. Do you really want to be two days into your RN and be on a helicopter running a code by yourself? I have performed medical treatment on a helicopter in flight. You think this shit is hard in the hospital, try it at 200mph in a sardine can. There I go again, I'm just negative today, I apologize. You need to spend some time in the trenches of Med-Surg or a similar type of floor. The most rapidly growing population on the planet right now is the elderly. The need for nurses in Longterm Care is great and contrary to popular belief it is challenging. Med-surg you may have 4-1 or 5-1 ratio on a bad day you may have 8 or 10-1. Everyday at a nursing home is 40-1 or greater and it's you and a squad of minimum wage CNAs. That is a challenge.
I don't even remember what point I was trying to make. Just keep your options open.
@MurseWisdom
By: @That1Murse
So as we near another graduation year, I decided I would discuss what I learned in nursing school versus the first year of actual nursing. I had several other good ideas given to me and I will get to them within the coming weeks.
Ok, let’s be honest. Nursing school is difficult, time-consuming, frustrating, and a pain in the ass. But
it’s the hoops that you have to jump through to get those letters behind your name. The old adage of
what do they call the person who finished last in his class in medical school… they call him doctor. The same applies to nursing. It doesn’t matter if you finish first or last, you will still be a nurse. My badge does not say, That1Murse, RN (B student).
So why is nursing school so freakin’ hard? Well here’s the honest truth. It’s all about Pass Rates. The
nursing school has to have high NCLEX Pass Rates to not be looked at by the state Board of Nursing. If a schools NCLEX pass rate is low enough, they have to submit a plan of correction to the Board of Nursing. So it’s difficult to make sure you are prepared to take that test. Most of everything in nursing school breaks down to passing the NCLEX. Day 1 of nursing school we stated with 40 eager people. When we graduated in 2 years…. We were down to 17 of those original 40.
Nursing school gives you the picture perfect world where every patient will present with the same signs and will give the exact same complaints and everything is rainbows and buttercups when you practice in the Ivory Tower. I’m not taking away from nursing school because it does give you a nice foundation but you’re learning will take place in the first year after school.
The first year after school is sometimes more difficult than nursing school itself. You will sometimes feel inept and stupid and I guarantee at least once you will say, “What the fuck did I get myself into?” To give you some examples, my first LPN year (went to a bi-level ADN program) I worked at a nursing home. In that year, I had a fire (and had to evacuate the home at 10 p.m.) and had a guy show up with a gun looking for me (apparently, my sarcasm is lost on some people). My first RN year in the ER, I couldn’t get a successful IV stick to save my life. This was also when I worked lots of traumas and codes. Your first year of nursing truly is a trial by fire. The important thing to remember is not to get discouraged and remember why you went to nursing school. If it was for the money, then I’m sorry but in 5 years you probably won’t be nursing any longer.
Other thoughts from your first year of nursing: You will always remember the name of your first death. Lean on the staff you have to work with. Ask questions. This is when you will truly learn to be a nurse. Nothing is like it is in the book. A smile to a patient will sometimes forgive ineptitude. Have fun. Find a support system (prefer medically) to vent on. If you are future murse and you are in a relationship with someone not in the medical field, it’s going to be more difficult than if she was in the medical field (Think about it you go home always talking about what Becky did or Jamie was so funny or Michelle didn’t do this.. all you talk about is women). Know that it takes time to build trust with your docs but once you get that life gets so much easier.
The idea of this blog is to not discourage you or make light of nursing school but you should know that the first year is going to be hard (maybe even harder) than nursing school. But this year is when you will learn nursing and then your life will start getting better.
@That1Murse
Hey, @MurseWisdom here, I wanted to expand on this one a little and talk about career choices. I bet you get asked this at least twice a day in clinical... "Where do you want to work after graduation?" I just want to point out that you will more than likely not get to do what you want right out of the gate. I'm sure that working on a Peds floor or a NICU or being a Flight Nurse is your dream job. Hardly anyone says, "I want to work in a Nursing Home", or "I want to work for Hospice." Well, I want to make it clear that this nursing "Shortage" includes Nursing Homes and Hospice. And you, my friend, will have no experience and you are going to have to take whatever you can get at first.
I just reread that and realized what a bummer that shit is... Ok, lets not get discouraged. You need the experience that you get at that first job out of school. Do you really want to be two days into your RN and be on a helicopter running a code by yourself? I have performed medical treatment on a helicopter in flight. You think this shit is hard in the hospital, try it at 200mph in a sardine can. There I go again, I'm just negative today, I apologize. You need to spend some time in the trenches of Med-Surg or a similar type of floor. The most rapidly growing population on the planet right now is the elderly. The need for nurses in Longterm Care is great and contrary to popular belief it is challenging. Med-surg you may have 4-1 or 5-1 ratio on a bad day you may have 8 or 10-1. Everyday at a nursing home is 40-1 or greater and it's you and a squad of minimum wage CNAs. That is a challenge.
I don't even remember what point I was trying to make. Just keep your options open.
@MurseWisdom
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Studying for the aspiring Nurse
I was asked to write about studying tips. I wish I could sit here and say I'm a subject matter expert on studying, but I'm not. You can ask my study group, they will all tell you that I was probably the worst study-er in the class. There is a silver lining in that though... I still graduated and I still passed the Nclex. So, here are some good tips, but alot of them will be a "Do as I say not as I do" kind of a thing.
The first thing you want to do is figure out how you learn. There is some heated debate over whether or not this is complete BS. I think it works. Hell, it works for me and thats good enough. Check out this link http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/stylest.html and answer 16 questions to help determine what type of learner you are. I am an auditory learner, which is, in my opinion, the best kind to be. I simply have to be in the room and hear, not listen, but HEAR something and I remember it. Maybe I can't remember it forever, but, thanks to the redundancy of nursing school and nursing alike, I don't have to. I am aware that this skill is irritating to most students, so, if you are like me, try to avoid bragging about it.
As I've already mentioned, I studied in a group. This is a great approach, because everyone thinks differently and remembers things in a different way. Collaboration is key. Unless you plan to work alone, you will need to build this team-work ethic asap. Our group would generally study independently and then two nights before or the night before the test get together and take turns reading questions aloud to the group. We would read hundreds of questions over every subject. If you school is like mine there is probably an average of 12 chapters per test, so these nights can be long. Bring food and CAFFEINE.
Ok, lets say you don't like groups, or do better on your own. This is my wife all over. We have a desk set up for her with a corkboard (like her Pinterest for this weeks Unit) on the wall above it. She reads, and makes flow charts, idea maps, draws things, she has an anatomy coloring book that she colors. (She is kind of "Artsy Fartsy" with her degree in Theatrical Arts) This helps her out, well, that coupled with having me around to clarify things. I may see whats on the board this week and post up a pic in the blog. See Below:
This week is Endocrine so I posted an older pic off of her Facebook page. Even drawings of the Endocrine system are boring.
This brings me to the note takers... The furious typers, and the mad scribblers. You guys are rockstars. My hand cramps after a half page of nursing notes. If that helps you memorize it, more power to you. I would suggest that you use notecards and write down the "Cliff Notes" version of things so that you can cover more material faster.
Don't forget to eat, drink lots of water, and take breaks. You are only human. You will be amazed at your capacity to guess the correct answer at times. You are in nursing school, you are not stupid, you will survive. And if you don't make it..... Well, there is always radiography ;-)
Now for the Pre-Req students... those aspiring for the un-ending hellish nightmare that is nursing school. WTF are you thinking? I'm Kidding! Unbunch your panties! Listen up, your classes are not that hard. Read your material, write your papers, and show up to lecture. If you want to prep for nursing school simply do the following: Read your assigned material 3 times, double the length of your papers, and volunteer at a hospital in your free time. Oh, and I forgot to mention that you are not allowed to sleep more than 5 hours in any 24hr period. (My all time longest is 55 hours straight) I'm not into sugar coating this. Nursing school is not for the timid. But as George Sheehan put it "Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing." Hopefully, nursing will make you happy. Otherwise, Old George here doesn't know squat.
I doubt this has helped with your study skills. I would tell you to stay off twitter, and pinterest and quit reading blogs but thats hard on business. Plus, this shit will help you graduate, Guaranteed or your money back!
Guys and Gals, @That1Murse and I want to help you and we want to guide you in the right direction. We also want you to see the lighter side of nursing. That and working 12s leaves me with alot of spare time. Leave comments, ask questions, make suggestions for blog topics, send us pictures of crazy shit you do...
Until next time...
@MurseWisdom
The first thing you want to do is figure out how you learn. There is some heated debate over whether or not this is complete BS. I think it works. Hell, it works for me and thats good enough. Check out this link http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/stylest.html and answer 16 questions to help determine what type of learner you are. I am an auditory learner, which is, in my opinion, the best kind to be. I simply have to be in the room and hear, not listen, but HEAR something and I remember it. Maybe I can't remember it forever, but, thanks to the redundancy of nursing school and nursing alike, I don't have to. I am aware that this skill is irritating to most students, so, if you are like me, try to avoid bragging about it.
As I've already mentioned, I studied in a group. This is a great approach, because everyone thinks differently and remembers things in a different way. Collaboration is key. Unless you plan to work alone, you will need to build this team-work ethic asap. Our group would generally study independently and then two nights before or the night before the test get together and take turns reading questions aloud to the group. We would read hundreds of questions over every subject. If you school is like mine there is probably an average of 12 chapters per test, so these nights can be long. Bring food and CAFFEINE.
Ok, lets say you don't like groups, or do better on your own. This is my wife all over. We have a desk set up for her with a corkboard (like her Pinterest for this weeks Unit) on the wall above it. She reads, and makes flow charts, idea maps, draws things, she has an anatomy coloring book that she colors. (She is kind of "Artsy Fartsy" with her degree in Theatrical Arts) This helps her out, well, that coupled with having me around to clarify things. I may see whats on the board this week and post up a pic in the blog. See Below:
This week is Endocrine so I posted an older pic off of her Facebook page. Even drawings of the Endocrine system are boring.
This brings me to the note takers... The furious typers, and the mad scribblers. You guys are rockstars. My hand cramps after a half page of nursing notes. If that helps you memorize it, more power to you. I would suggest that you use notecards and write down the "Cliff Notes" version of things so that you can cover more material faster.
Don't forget to eat, drink lots of water, and take breaks. You are only human. You will be amazed at your capacity to guess the correct answer at times. You are in nursing school, you are not stupid, you will survive. And if you don't make it..... Well, there is always radiography ;-)
Now for the Pre-Req students... those aspiring for the un-ending hellish nightmare that is nursing school. WTF are you thinking? I'm Kidding! Unbunch your panties! Listen up, your classes are not that hard. Read your material, write your papers, and show up to lecture. If you want to prep for nursing school simply do the following: Read your assigned material 3 times, double the length of your papers, and volunteer at a hospital in your free time. Oh, and I forgot to mention that you are not allowed to sleep more than 5 hours in any 24hr period. (My all time longest is 55 hours straight) I'm not into sugar coating this. Nursing school is not for the timid. But as George Sheehan put it "Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing." Hopefully, nursing will make you happy. Otherwise, Old George here doesn't know squat.
I doubt this has helped with your study skills. I would tell you to stay off twitter, and pinterest and quit reading blogs but thats hard on business. Plus, this shit will help you graduate, Guaranteed or your money back!
Guys and Gals, @That1Murse and I want to help you and we want to guide you in the right direction. We also want you to see the lighter side of nursing. That and working 12s leaves me with alot of spare time. Leave comments, ask questions, make suggestions for blog topics, send us pictures of crazy shit you do...
Until next time...
@MurseWisdom
ER misconceptions by @That1Murse
Here are some common misconceptions that patients have about
the ER and ER nursing. Like @mursewisdom
if you have questions or want to hear the unedited truth about life in nursing
or life in the ER, hit me up.
Top Ten Misconceptions from the patient’s view of the Emergency
Room.
1. Prescription
Drugs are a “magic bullet” that will fix everything immediately. This is not usually the case.
2. To you it’s an
emergency (and we respect that), but to us it’s another day at the office. We deal with emergencies all the time. If you see us running and stressed out, it’s
a bad thing.
3. There is not a
magic shot that we take so we don’t get sick.
(I’ve actually been asked about this).
In actuality, we are exposed to so much we build up a significant
immunity.
4. The emergency
room is a place to manage your chronic pain or conditions such as diabetes or
hypertension. In actuality, this is not
the case because there is a good chance you won’t see the same doctor every
time and that’s what the primary care doctor is for.
5. The emergency
room is a place where you are brought back immediately and diagnosed quickly
after all it’s an emergency room. If you
are brought back immediately you are a very sick person and diagnosis takes
several hours and involves lab work, x-rays,
CAT scans, and numerous other diagnostic tools.
6. I know you
don’t trust this doctor and think he’s a quack and I have to listen to you tell
me that without saying anything but please know that I would in fact trust this
doctor with my life. It’s you that I
don’t know or trust after all like House says “Everybody lies.”
7. Acting a fool
in the Emergency Room will get you attention however it will probably be in the
form of being restrained and then tied to the bed and if you continue to act
out, the police will be contacted.
8. You are angry
that it’s taken the doctor 2hours to come see you for your fever. I understand
that and I will apologize immensely; however, there are times I want to drag
you into a room of someone we are working hard to save and show you what a true
emergency is.
9. Patients are
all treated the same. While in a perfect
world this should be true, in fact, if you respect me and the situations that
I’m placing myself in and I will go out of my way to make sure that your ER
visit is as unstressful as possible. Give respect, get respect.
10. ER Nurses don’t
care. While these misconceptions may
seem cynical (and I won’t deny that), nurses do care. Patients don’t see us go
home and cry about the family that lost their baby or see us go home and watch
our children sleep and thanking God that we still get that chance. ER Nurses care immensely and that’s probably
why we become cynical because for every life we save there are 10 bullshit
cases that don't belong there. We have
saved lives and lost lives but we still go to work every day hoping to make a
difference to someone.
@That1Murse
Quick one
I found this little video a while back while working nights. Thought it was worth sharing while I try to come up with another blog post. Anything you guys want to hear the unedited truth about? Post some comments and let me know.
@mursewisdom
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