Nursing Blog with Expert Insights

A while ago, I wrote a couple of posts about night shift, especially about how patients can get at night. On my unit, many of our patients are older and very sick, and because of that, they often become confused and combative overnight. Usually, that looks like throwing things, scratching, swinging, or kicking. It’s unpleasant, but it’s generally limited to the patient’s room. We can usually dodge it or simply leave the room. If a patient is a danger to themselves, we’ll call

It was a Saturday night, and I was told that I was getting an admission from the emergency room. I started looking up the patient's chart and saw that he was there for alcohol withdrawal. The patient was young, in his 30s. Soon after that, the phone rang, and I received the official report from the ED RN. The patient arrived at the ICU about 20 minutes later. He did not have any family with him, which would make completing the admission assessment documentation difficult, giv

They say love is blind. Grief is just an expression of love, and it can be just as blind. When people grieve, there are many ways it can...

Okay, you got me. This one is more of a rant based on a couple short stories. For background, the hospital I work at used to accept doctor's notes for calling out sick. So, if I contracted COVID from one of my patients and was so severely ill that I ended up in the ER overnight, the ER doctor could write a note for work explaining why I was not at work. Seems logical, right? I mean, doesn't that just seem like the humane way to treat employees constantly exposed to illness?

I have a lot of respect for doctors, both residents and attendings. I especially respect the ones who recognize the fact nurses can have valuable insights on their patients since we spend significant time face-to-face with the patients, implement their treatment plans, and do most of the hands-on stuff. We are very familiar with our patient's baseline, needs, preferences, history, etc. In my experience, most doctors recognize and utilize that, and even express appreciation di