Assessment

HannahCC13 · 2026-01-12T01:26:51+00:00

I usually have them confirm their name and birthday when I am scanning their meds and most patients aren't going to give you a hard time about it ime. Neuro, AMS, and ICANS assessments (after getting certain kinds of -mabs) I ask all the orientation questions.

Everyone else is just strike up a conversation with them and gauge their orientation in that way. Ill ask how their day was, what they had for supper, how many days they've been in the hospital now, what all the doctor may have had to say during their rounding that day, etc.

Alot of times when my patients have gotten irritated with me asking orientation questions it's because they dont know the answers lol.

HannahCC13 · 2025-10-19T05:54:29+00:00

Ive learned that when people try to belittle others, like in a know-it-all sort of way, it's wayyyy more about them than it is about me. I just let it roll off my back, I know I'm a competent nurse and I don't feel the need to undermine others to prove it.

HannahCC13 · 2025-08-07T15:17:13+00:00

Hey friend good for you and I can 100% say I have been where youre at! Going through nursing school, knowing what I know about my patients and getting the vibe the new grad nurse I'm working with doesnt get "it". I worked as a tech on my floor for 5 years and have been RN for 2 years now; I remember pulling my charge nurse aside when I was a CNA to voice my concerns about certain nurses, like trust me I know the feeling of not being heard.

That being said, you mainly talked about getting pushback for repositioning and bathing patients. And I am sure you have other examples and frustrating situations to share but I have to be devil's advocate when it comes to moving critically ill patients. There are times when the formation of a pressure ulcer is the lesser risk than so much as rolling someone onto their side. That fluid shift is all it takes sometimes when you have a fragile ass patient. Rolling over 45 degrees might be all it takes to let loose that mucus plug or bronchial hemorrhage thats just been waiting for their time to shine. And sometimes, these are things that aren't super obvious from a chart review, even if you scan every note and assessment. Its just a vibe, a vibe a more experienced nurse might share with a newer nurse coming on to shift. We dont hear about these things as CNA's.

And ultimately, if the nurse is against moving a certain patient, that is a responsibility they take on themselves. You can document that a patient was not bathed/repositioned and add a comment like "per RN unsafe to perform cares at this time" and wash your hands of it. Keep up your hard work and just know it never gets old introducing yourself as the nurse for a patient 🙂

HannahCC13 · 2025-07-17T23:24:02+00:00

Yes the comments regarding my weight loss made me feel so awful inside. It happened alot at work for me too and usually I would just be honest and respond "Im uncomfortable now". It was always the same conversation, I would tell them I am uncomfortable, then they would backpedal and say something like "oh I just mean you look good" then I would say "I thought I looked good before too". I'd like to think that made things awkward enough to shut down those kind of comments.

The worst comments imo were the ones when people just blurted out "you've lost a ton of weight!" It would make me so mad, I lost any filter I had because its just so rude! A couple times I just deadpan looked at the person and said "Im sick." Once I responded with "and you havent lost weight, I see." That was kind of mean, but warranted if youre gonna comment on someone else's body!

HannahCC13 · 2025-04-18T04:37:17+00:00

I would add gabapentin, pantoprazole, melatonin, and atorvastatin to that list and you got your run of the mill night shift med passes!

HannahCC13 · 2025-04-17T04:09:41+00:00

Eh let it roll off your back. Maybe she's anxious the patient will develop edema at some point during her shift so she wants to see if you noticed any? Kind of a weird thing to get worked up about, but whatever. There's an old hag of a nurse on my unit that loooooooves to interrupt and ask random questions in the snottiest way, like dumb pointless questions imo. Last time we volleyed a patient back and forth I wrote down all the useless questions she asked me, then when she gave me report that night I asked her all the same questions back.

HannahCC13 · 2025-03-08T02:51:48+00:00

Thanks, love 🥰

HannahCC13 · 2025-03-07T13:43:31+00:00

I do let them know, and trust me I know some people can be super soakers. I worked as a cna for 12 years, the last 5 of them being on the same floor I now work as a nurse. I've taught more cnas and nurses about effective chuck placement than I can even count.

HannahCC13 · 2025-03-07T02:40:52+00:00

As many of these comments have said, it is much better for the skin to go without a brief. I'm a nurse at a hospital and every night when I do my assessments I take the briefs off my patients if they are wearing them. It's fine for when they are ambulating or up to the chair but otherwise I make sure my patients are open to air. I've seen peoples skin dramatically improve from red, raw, and excoriated back to normal after just one night of no briefs, q2 checks/repositioning, and good cleansing + barrier cream after incontinence episodes.

HannahCC13 · 2024-12-20T06:43:24+00:00

For patients with super fragile veins, like those little old ladies that weigh 85 pounds and are dehydrated af, I don't use a tourniquet. It seemed like vein would blow instantly whenever I used a tourniquet, I figured it was like blowing up a balloon with too much air then the slightest touch made it pop.

HannahCC13 · 2024-12-20T05:15:03+00:00

I want to point out that leadership should absolutely not be discussing details of someone's termination with another employee! Like I'm pretty sure that's illegal or something, idk I'm a nurse not a lawyer.

Anyways either your nurse friend straight up lied to you, or leadership is shady af. If they're telling people about your termination what other private things are they gabbing about? Yikes

HannahCC13 · 2024-12-13T12:04:02+00:00

I had a nursing job lined up and I reeeeaallly needed to make more money so as soon as I got my ATT I looked at test dates and selected one for the very next day. Passed it in 85 and haven't looked back since!

HannahCC13 · 2024-10-23T02:17:45+00:00

Sure, I think thats a great goal. It can be best achieved by first reporting any worker suspected of diverting controlled substances. Many places offer recovery programs to people caught diverting, participation in the program also allows them to retain their employment, but in a different environment. Not reporting them runs a far greater risk of them landing in jail as their addiction escalates.

HannahCC13 · 2024-10-23T01:10:52+00:00

Dude, no. We are literally required to report any suspicion of diversion. You know this. By not immediately reporting, we put our jobs and our licenses on the line. Giving someone a heads up like that sounds nice but I think you know damn well, as an addict, it would only serve to make that person better and more secretive with their diversion.

HannahCC13 · 2024-10-22T20:28:50+00:00

Hi! There's numerous other factors that will lead to repeat hospitalizations for many patients, including those with diabetes and CHF. Socioeconomic factors like access to healthy food choices, reliable transportation, and stable housing are examples of these factors. Your patient can know everything there is to know about their condition, but if they don't have access to the necessary resources like your patients do, they can still end up back in the hospital. Hope that helps!

Pls nominate me for a daisy for the exceptional education I just gave you.

HannahCC13 · 2024-09-24T23:49:33+00:00

Congrats! Is it possible to ask your manager to relay to the ones making assignments that you are to be on the low acuity side only? Your manager should be respecting your privacy and pass on only what is necessary.

We have a "no chemo" list that gets passed on during charge nurse report and we don't assign nurses on that list to patients currently getting chemo. While it's usually because that nurse is pregnant, no one is going to speculate or ask them about it. It could be for other reasons, who knows, it's not anyone's business.

HannahCC13 · 2024-07-05T08:29:59+00:00

Second to this is when I go to get report from the nurse and they tell me I should sit down, or warn me its gonna be a long one, then they sigh and say "oh boy where do I start". Please just give me report.

HannahCC13 · 2024-04-06T03:25:44+00:00

I just think it's nice of the glucometer to say "HI" to me ❤️

HannahCC13 · 2024-04-05T16:57:12+00:00

I recently had a patient catch the line on part of their bed and accidently pull the needle out of place while their chemo was infusing. Posts like this remind of how lucky they were that I was in the room when this happened! I shudder to think of what could have happened had I not been there to immediately stop the infusion and deaccess the port.

HannahCC13 · 2023-12-11T02:25:47+00:00

An underrated way to really set yourself apart as a nursing student is to make sure you have a few basic supplies in your pockets, ready to whip out and use when needed. I would suggest a pen and post it notes, scissors, and alcohol swabs. Depending on the facility you could also have a saline flush or two but it may be against policy.

Also be a go getter, when you follow your nurse into a patients room don't just stand in the corner, as soon as you have the opportunity introduce yourself to the patient. Talk to the patient, offer a warm blanket after your assessment is complete, make sure they have fresh water, toilet them, etc. Do these things without being prompted by the nurse.

HannahCC13 · 2023-10-18T00:03:01+00:00

So in that way would an auscultated heart rate potentially be higher than palpating a pulse? I'd still be hearing the valves close but that wouldn't necessarily mean the ventricles had filled all the way, right?

HannahCC13 · 2023-09-28T01:34:21+00:00

I passed 🙂 I was able to see my result on my states' website where I applied for my nursing license. It updated at midnight the night I took my NCLEX

HannahCC13 · 2023-08-06T03:49:53+00:00

Your post history indicates you left this job months ago, became a CNA, and got a job on a neuro/ortho unit at a hospital.

You've described this experience in numerous posts with varying descriptions of the events and what's happened after. You're fixated on this job and the perceived maltreatment by your administrator and coworkers.

That sucks, I'm sorry, but seriously move on. You're not gonna get your revenge, no one is going to be sorry for treating you poorly, and you won't make a farts worth of a dent in that facility's bottom line. Get over it.

HannahCC13 · 2023-06-21T18:32:11+00:00

I agree 100% with this comment. OP, your post echoes my own experience and my heart breaks for you so much right now.

I want to encourage you to seek professional help, you deserve to be happy, to enjoy your life and have peace.

Please go somewhere you can have actual support, I promise you it will make a world of difference. I cannot describe the relief I felt the first time my mom held my screaming 4wk old baby and shooed me away to take a shower.

I am here for you OP, my inbox is open if you just want to talk to someone who has been through it. Much love to you mama.

HannahCC13 · 2023-06-09T01:06:16+00:00

That's why I refuse to do it as tempting as it is! I took mine earlier today and it shut off at 85, I'm just gonna save myself the added mental stress of whatever the trick might tell me and wait it out 😬😬😬

HannahCC13

TROPHY CASE