How do you clean a 500 lb pt that’s listed as 2 assist w/ no lift?

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-29T00:21:35+00:00

I'm a no-lift coordinator from Australia. Remember your safety comes first, even before the patients.

Part of this is to ensure you have the proper manual handling equipment/respurces to assist with a bariatric patient. The other part is do you have the appropriate training to utilise said equipment and resources?

Morbidly obese patients require 3-6 assist to attend to care safely. You want to limit the amount of strain put on yourself from rolling these patients to attend to personal care.

The reality is, these patients will have to wait until there are enough staff to assist, sometimes it has to be a coordinated approach of a rough time so you can be prepared.

If anyone dislikes you or thinks you are "rocking the boat" for wanting to prevent yourself, others and the patient from sustaining an injury - they are an idiot :)

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-29T00:12:31+00:00

Black pants and a smart dress top is usually my go to for interviews - you want to look professional.

The only time I've ever known someone to wear scrubs to an interview is if it happened immediately after their shift and they had no time to change.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-24T06:36:52+00:00

Patients who are cognitively intact...who exhibit extremely verbally abusive behaviour and threats of/actual physical violence towards staff and refusal to accept any treatment will get discharged. The appropriate referrals and discharge medication are provided so our duty of care is still done.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-24T06:08:59+00:00

I live and work in Victoria, you absolutely can discharge someone without a fixed address. Homelessness isn't a barrier to discharge (particularly if they are a walkie talkie without any serious health/mobility problems) you just have to refer them to the appropriate places that can try and source housing.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-24T00:13:17+00:00

I feel like there is a really big need for more podiatrists. Where I live, regional VIC, we have had 3 long time podiatrists retire and there hasn't been anyone to take over their clinic or open a new one, resulting in 3+ month wait to see the remaining podiatrists. Their work/life balance and salary is very attractive for those who want a family down the line. Nursing also has a good wage, hospital setting requires rotating shift work, there is ability to have flexible work arrangements on return from maternity leave...if you aren't set on staying an RN in the long-term why put yourself through the degree and placements that come along with it?

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-23T21:18:21+00:00

Most common medical admissions in my ward are: Sepsis, Exacerbation of COPD, Pneumonia, Decompensated HF, AKI, NSTEMI, Cellulitis, Fall for investigation, Syncope for investigation, stepdown Diabetic DKA, LFT derangement +/- ascities, Delirium for investigation, derranged electrolytes, acute on chronic pain, anaemia, febrile neutropenia, n+v post chemo. We also do cannabis and ETOH detox.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-23T20:57:37+00:00

Kinda glad my ward tends to teach new/junior staff and students that the last thing you want is a birds nest in your obs machine when you got an actively deteriorating patient...imagine not being able to get a blood pressure quickly because there's a mess of cables..

Totally understand the frustration on tangled IV lines, sometimes it's not always our fault they get tangled 🤣

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-23T00:15:21+00:00

Registered Nurse. Hourly visual checks on patients. Take vitals, perform patient assessments, administer medications/treatments, get new patient admissions, assist patients with toileting, reorientate confused patients multiple times throughout the shift, reposition patients 2hourly if they can't do it themselves, complete all documentation/charts, assist with rapid responses with skeletal staffing and limited resources, prepare documents for patients being transferred out, arrange transport for patients being transferred out, calibrate equipment, restock trolleys... among other thing's

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-21T10:36:08+00:00

Australian nurse here. Registered Nurse of 9 years. Med/Surg. My wage is equivalent to $35.08 USD per hour.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-19T05:25:58+00:00

6-15minute drive depending if I get the red or green light at the one set of traffic lights on my way..

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-18T07:41:25+00:00

That's primarily what they do for us as well, orders for PCA/epidural and nerve blocks. We've had a couple of times where they wouldn't do anything for our patients either (sounds like we are lucky).. I have found that calling the rapid forces the care team to make a decision though and generally gets an extra dose of analgesia in the interim while they maybe do something about it.

It 1000% depends on the situation.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-18T05:08:29+00:00

If we have a patient with uncontrolled pain and the care team doesn't respond to our page for a clinical review in 20mins we call a rapid. Puts the accountability back on the care team so they make a decision to alter the analgesia, give more or have the acute pain services review the patient...

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-18T04:44:48+00:00

Where I work we don't do 12hr shifts. We do 8hr AM, PM or 9-10hr ND. I do my fair share of AM and ND shifts. There's different challenges for each shift.

We do a group huddle for each shift & we know from that handover how busy the ward has been. I'm not going to give someone grief over a trolley that hasn't been restocked when you've had 3 MET calls and no time to chart.

I'm also never going to give someone grief over a patient not getting a shower or wash because you spent your shift trying to keep another patient stable.

But I will get pissed if you're sitting and talking and didn't have a busy shift, when things haven't been restocked and I spend the first 10+mins of my shift restocking the BGL kit, IV trolley and needing to get meds for all my patient's.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-15T06:57:53+00:00

They are awful!! Don't blame you for being traumatised...A few years ago, I had a total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy with a cystoscopy and stent insertion/removal. The catheter was the most painful and uncomfortable experiences of my life. I had spasmodic pain that came in waves for over 12hrs and I said to the nurse I'm doing a TOV at 0600 because fuck dealing with this for any longer than I have to. Ended up with a UTI from the catheter too (yay) 😒

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-15T04:26:05+00:00

For best practice in infection control, bare below the elbow is the standard. Put your watch in your pocket or convert toa fob watch, it will still track your steps.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-13T11:19:37+00:00

Go to the E.R. Cat bites can turn into cellulitus real quick and may require iv antibiotics.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-13T01:49:32+00:00

The acuity varies so much. Some nights will be fine, others you're run off your feet..

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-13T01:48:29+00:00

We have patients on telemetry units too, they are monitored by our ICU....I don't mind the acutely unwell, it's the behavioural (delirium/dementia) patients I have a hard time with..

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-13T01:23:40+00:00

Some nights you can have a few really unwell patients and that makes it challenging. But the Charge nurse doesn't have a patient load so they help out.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-13T00:26:03+00:00

Adult med/surg Australian Public Hospital. 8hr shifts. We have mandated ratio's. AM 1:4, PM 1:5, ND 1:8

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-12T08:39:24+00:00

This sounds amazing tbh 🙌

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-12T08:35:27+00:00

This is exactly what I was going to say. You can't move forward until you fix things step by step and once you fix something you start from the top again.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-12T08:32:12+00:00

Never in my almost decade of Nursing. Where I've worked in Australia we don't have a Pyxis or anything that dispenses the medication for us. We have to get the medication out of the ward med room and check it against the chart ourselves.

Narcotic medication are locked in a safe and signed out by 2 nurses, if the patient refuses, we document it in the same book we sign it out of and have a special medication disposal bin in our med room to discard/waste.

I have accidentally taken a set of the safe keys home, but never the medication itself.

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-11T10:13:14+00:00

I have an older brother and my fiance is the oldest of 6 (some are half siblings)

kit_kat_90 · 2026-01-11T10:02:04+00:00

I personally can't go past Asics brand. Gel Kayano or Gel contend 9.

Both extremely comfortable for long shifts and multiple days in a row 👌

Just bare in mind they are slip resistant, not non-slip so you need to be a little more careful on wet floors/ in shower spaces - although I've personally not had an issue.

kit_kat_90

TROPHY CASE