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Any nurses out there?

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  • #16
    Re: Any nurses out there?

    Blue:

    I appreciate how you feel. I found myself putting words on paper for a plan that I knew in my heart was not practical and could not be safely carried out. I could commandeer hospital-owned buildings to designate as out-of-hospital clinics but where was the staff going to come from when we were already operating on skeletal crews to run day to day schedules? We built a brand new hospital with gorgeous curtains and artwork but I couldn't justify stockpiling PPE for staff while it was still available and at reasonable prices but the landscaped lawn with the hidden sprinkler system looked great! We couldn't afford to give a free meal as a courtesy to a 90 year old man who was sitting with his wife in the hospital and had no way to go out and get something and forgot his wallet so the nurse bought him a meal so how the heck were we going to stockpile food/supplies to feed or IV infuse an influx of patients?

    A plan on paper without the means to provide care is useless and I finally said, "I can't do this." Worked a notice, took a long vacation, let the job offers come to me and chose the one with the less stress, best hours and best pay that suited my needs. I can say, though, that the facility I now work in has offered NO pandemic education at all to staff according to those that I have questioned in my department and I KNOW the ICP staff are aware because we worked on the state task force together. I hope they are working diligently to get it together to mass educate folks, soon (large teaching hospital). If not, this well-educated, in-the-know, single white female will be taking another sabbatical and eating her Spam and rice at home while listening to my wind up radio and reading my stocked up novels by wind up LED light. An experienced and LIVING RN will be able to find a job after the pandemic, I predict. A foolish and dead one taking chances during a pandemic won't be too in demand, JMO.

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    • #17
      Re: Any nurses out there?

      Not being in the health field, I still can appreciate your concern and worry. I am a contingency professional with some 20 years experience and have studied this problem from several angles as to the personnel issues. I can tell you that in terms of national emergencies, the rule book gets tossed out the window, and yes the government may "require" essential workers to remain at their posts for the duration. I have a sister-in-law who is the public spokesperson for a major city in the south. She was told several weeks ago that she was considered an essential person and in the event of a pandemic she would be sequestered at her place of work and would not be able to leave for the duration of the outbreak for ANY reason, to have all personal essentials such as medication available in her work environment. The indication was that she would not be allowed to quit and leave once the pandemic broke out either. Fortunately she has no children to worry about in the home. The department of Homeland Security has identified 13 vital industries/ functions which any and all means necessary must be made to keep them operational at all costs. Medical is one of those 13 functions. What "any and all" means is anybody's guess at this point, we will not find out until the pandemic is underway, and the severity of its impact has been evaluated (ie. is it a mild pandemic or a severe one). My interpretation is that if it is a severe pandemic, then we may see some very severe restricitions as to what we can or can't do as individuals, especially in support of the 13 key industries/functions. Personal freedoms may be sacrificed for public good in any national or regional emergency.

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      • #18
        Re: Any nurses out there?

        Originally posted by Blue
        .... I am profoundly disappointed, saddened, and angered by nursing's collective disdain for this subject. I really fear for all of us.
        I think that this is the first time, that I feel like giving up on everyone. That is how badly I am feeling about this situation.
        Oh, Blue .... I know how you feel ... That's the frustration that drove me out of the profession years ago. I burned out sooooo bad ... I'm still slightly singed around the edges!

        I think we all need a big Group Hug here ...followed by a round of Group Head-banging

        Dawn

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        • #19
          Re: Any nurses out there?

          Originally posted by suzyRN
          Wow Dawn- we actually live in apex so we really are neighbors! I have already learned so much from this site already. So many North carolinians here! So I have been slowly trying to gather extra food and supplies- what else do i really need? ....
          Suzy! ...Squeal, hopupanddown!!! I live on the Cary-Apex line, and my friends are in Apex also! WOW!

          (So you all in the rest of the world can appreciate how cool this is: Apex is just a speck of a tiny suburb of Cary, which is a small suburb of the small city of Raleigh, NC. ta-da)

          My RN friend does work at one of the Duke pediatric clinics, and my chiro-friend has her practice in Apex. I'll pm you with more localized info.

          Maybe we Southern bird-flu girls could form a group ... maybe the "Dixie Chicks"??? (Oh, is that name already taken??)

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          • #20
            Re: Any nurses out there?

            Chuckwks:

            As I previously stated, I plan to stay as long as my facility provides a safe environment for me to work in but after that, I'll be AWOL. I am be one of the 13 entities but they will have to find me and drag me back and give me proper PPE to work with. Assertive I may be; suicidal, I'm not.

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            • #21
              Re: Any nurses out there?

              fyi, since a lot of North Carolinians here, this was just posted on NC site ...



              yield

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              • #22
                Re: Any nurses out there?

                Originally posted by Blue
                Kirby, I can relate so much to what you have said.

                I like your plans. They are good ones. For myself, I have not decided exactly where I will work. Right now I am agency RN working in LTC.

                I am feeling very depressed today. I gave report to today's supervisor in the nursing home where I worked last night. She just finished taking a course so that she could cover the role of the infection control nurse in her 110 bed home. She said that her course barely covered avian flu, and that her instructor really knew her stuff, but there was nothing we could do anyway, so they did not cover much. She told me who she thought was at
                risk, the same people as for seasonal flu. I showed her the long term care facility pandemic flu plan which was in the infection control manual in the office above her desk. It was obvious that no planning had been done, and no committees had met. The PPE, for the protection of the staff consists of a tissue thin paper mask that you can almost see thru, and paper gowns, but at least there was a pair of goggles, and of course, gloves.

                I have grown used to the continued indifference and lack of leadership, amongst nurses regarding avian flu planning. But, I have to tell you that sometimes it just gets to me in the worst way, and today is one of those days. So few of them are willing to do anything to educate themselves. You can give them all of the information in the world to help them to make informed choices for themselves, their families and their patients, but if
                they won't read it, and won't contribute to any discussion, what good is it going to do them or those of us who must depend upon them "to get it" for the good of all of us. I am profoundly disappointed, saddened, and angered by nursing's collective disdain for this subject. I really fear for all of us.
                I think that this is the first time, that I feel like giving up on everyone. That is how badly I am feeling about this situation.

                I guess that I just needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for being a captive audience, so to speak.

                And thanks to all the nurses that do "get it", and to everyone else on this informative and supportive site. Thanks for all that you are doing to help.
                Any of the RN's here who post over on allnurses.com know extactly what you are saying. The pandemic flu thead is where I first got involved. It really amazes me how uninterested that whole community of HCW is about the pandemic threat! Thanks goes out to the one who PM'd me about this site!

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                • #23
                  Re: Any nurses out there?

                  Welcome to all HCW. We support you. If there is anything that we can do please private message me. If there are any issues that you would like to see covered that we do not have, we will obtain that information for you for discussion.

                  Please do not hesitate to contact me.

                  We appreciate all HCW and the daily sacrifices that you make on behalf of public health.

                  Thank you.

                  S.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Any nurses out there?

                    You can purchase iv fluids on the net. If you google lactated ringers a lot of places come up. Here is one

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                    • #25
                      Re: Any nurses out there?

                      Forgot to say I am a retired critical care nurse. Can't get the edit function to work.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Any nurses out there?

                        welcome, mojo! glad to have you here.

                        I think the IV soln's available on line require a prescription. Not sure about that site. If you find one thats Rx free, please let me know!

                        I second Florida1's sentiment. As a fellow RN, (ED) please know y'all are welcome to PM me anytime with concerns, questions or just to vent to someone whose in the same place!
                        Upon this gifted age, in its dark hour,
                        Rains from the sky a meteoric shower
                        Of facts....They lie unquestioned, uncombined.
                        Wisdom enough to leech us of our ill
                        Is daily spun, but there exists no loom
                        To weave it into fabric..
                        Edna St. Vincent Millay "Huntsman, What Quarry"
                        All my posts to this forum are for fair use and educational purposes only.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Any nurses out there?

                          Welcome gr8hart, mojorox, and all.

                          Hang in there with bringing the issues forward. It's difficult for people, especially nurses, to even face issues over which they feel they have no control.

                          I posted a number of the states' pandemic plan "report card" evaluations last night. Many, if not all, states info I posted mentioned no surge capacity for beds, nursing shortage, and that they are collecting a list of trained but retired/non-working medical staff who might be willing to help in pandemic.

                          Next to when schools should close and who determines that, the nursing and hospital issue was the most common issue facing states.

                          It's not surprising nurses do not want to hear about pandemic if they perceive there's nothing that can be done. The nurses I know are also overworked; they say it's hard for them to imagine how they can do more...

                          All that said, it's worth trying to get the word out that we need to plan as best we can.

                          This is a good forum to toss around ideas, formulate problems and try to come up with solutions to those problems. If enough people who work within the medical system get to brainstorming on hospital issues here, perhaps some good ideas that can help all can come out of it.

                          I encourage you all to hang in there.

                          Mellie

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                          • #28
                            Re: Any nurses out there?

                            You don't need a rx to buy iv fluids over the net. I buy them by the case. I do wildlife rehab and order them from vet sites. The brands are the same as for human iv fluids and a lot cheaper.
                            Thanks for the welcome!

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                            • #29
                              Re: Any nurses out there?

                              Amazon sells it too

                              I can dig up the company I last bought from online if you would like.I got my tubing online also.

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                              • #30
                                Re: Any nurses out there?

                                Originally posted by mojorox
                                Forgot to say I am a retired critical care nurse. Can't get the edit function to work.
                                Sometimes you need to go into 'Edit' and then into 'Advanced' to get the edit function to work.

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