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Isolated Patients and PPE! Do you really have time?

The answer is No. 

How many times do you just need to silence the beeping pump, or quickly get a blood pressure? Not including all the other “right quick” tasks that may be needed in that patient’s room throughout the day.  However, wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not a suggestion. It is essential for healthcare workers to protect themselves, their colleagues, and other patients from exposure to transmittable diseases.

What is PPE?

There are many different types, including gloves, gowns, masks, face shields, eye wear, and other protective materials. The type of PPE that is required will vary depending on the type of procedure being performed and the risk of exposure to infectious pathogens, bodily fluids, and other potentially infectious materials. 

It is important to use PPE correctly (donning) and to dispose of it properly after use (doffing). Healthcare workers should also be trained on how to use PPE safely and effectively. Do not walk in the halls with PPE on. Even if it is clean, it gives off the perception that it might not be. My most experienced nurses know to “cluster” their care in isolated rooms, but it’s the getting stuck in our ways that is not always the best way and can cause the most harm.

Here’s the bottom line, PPE:

  • Protects you from exposure to blood-borne pathogens, bodily fluids, and other potentially infectious materials.
  • Protects patients from becoming infected by healthcare workers (Immunosuppressed Patients).
  • Helps to prevent the spread of infection, reducing healthcare cost, and improving patient safety.

It is important to note that just like birth control, PPE is not 100% effective in preventing exposure to infectious diseases. However, it is an important part of infection control and can help to reduce the risk of exposure and transmission of diseases.

For more information on PPE, please visit the cdc.gov website.  

Transmission-Based Precautions | Basics | Infection Control | CDC”

Isolation Precautions | Guidelines Library | Infection Control | CDC

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To be or not to be: a Nurse.

Adapted from Google Images

“To be or not to be, that is the question.”

-William Shakespeare

Nursing has so many advantages and challenges wrapped up in the same package.

For those of you interested in nursing consider the following-

Pros

Knowledge.

You will learn a wealth of information about the body and disease processes. How to perform skills, use equipment, and administer medications needed to care for patients.

Opportunity.

Becoming a nurse allows you to advance into other areas of the healthcare system: administration, academia, management, outpatient care, inpatient care, and advanced nurse practitioner/anesthetist/educator to name a few.

Flexibility.

Most bedside nurses work 3 days a week(12 hr. shifts) and pick up prn (as needed) positions at other hospitals/organizations. OR travel for bonuses with paid housing/food.

Pay.

Nursing is not just a job, and there is a lot of compassion involved. However, along with the opportunities mentioned above, nurses do make decent money. Overtime pay and additional pay per hour for short staffed shifts in the hospital setting makes some of the cons listed below a little bearable.

Cons

Workload.

Although a typical work week may consist of only 3 days a week, 12 hours is a long time with a high patient to nurse ratio.

Stress.

Nursing consists of long hours of lifting, pulling, bending, walking, continuous critical thinking, and sometimes no lunch. It can be hard on one’s body and mind. Especially when dealing with difficult patients/families/colleagues.

Work holidays.

Illness does not take a break. Nurses must staff the hospital all year round. You may have to rotate major holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving with your colleagues.

Exposure.

You will be exposed to germs. Especially now with COVID19, you may be exposed to other airborne illness like flu or tuberculosis as well.

These are just a few things to think about when considering if nursing is for you.

Feel free to comment and ask questions below.

Sincerely,

Shenell

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Unprecedented Times with COVID19

After closing everything in March, where do we stand 4 months later? Simply putting it, still dealing with COVID-19. So how are you dealing with it? For me, I had the luxury of going on maternity leave in March and delivered a sweet baby boy in April. Since I work in the cardiovascular critical care unit (CVICU), me and my husband decided that I would not go back to the bedside until mid-July. I returned on July 3rd. I wanted to get in front of the next surge of cases and the fact that appliances started going out like light bulbs around the house, lol sigh. I quarantine at home when not at work, using a grocery click list to buy groceries once a week.

  • Walmart has a Click List has a $30 minimum and it is free for pickup and a delivery service for 12.98 monthly, or $98 annually (15-day free trial available).
  • Target has Drive Up with no minimum purchase, or Order Pickup. So, they will either bring it out to your car or can you go inside and pick it up.
  • Kroger has Pickup with no minimum purchase, Delivery for $9.95, or Ship free with $35 minimum purchase.

You can schedule an allotted time for pick up with Walmart and Kroger. Target will give you the information for pickup. They all do a great job notifying you when your order is ready. I prefer to just drive up and pick up at the designated time.

Enough about groceries. How are you doing mentally? For me, COVID-19 is like a bad dream that I just cannot awake from. Even more so now, I have always had a morning routine to get my day started. My routine consists of:

My routine is no longer limited to early mornings since baby boy arrival. My sleep is few and far between.  I must wait, sometimes, for my hubby to get home from work to relieve me of my baby duties 😊. So, do you have a routine? I must add that I also like to listen to inspirational leaders/sermons on YouTube while getting ready for work, and/or while cooking dinner in the evenings.

If you are dealing with a lot, whatever “a lot” may mean to you, then there is always counseling. Look into your insurance benefits, by calling the number on the back of the card and see what type of support they offer. Check with the organization with whom you are employed. They may have some type of support system available to staff (especially during this unprecedented time with COVID19). Just know that you are not alone and together we will all get through these unprecedented times by the grace of God.

To all healthcare personnel, I just want to say THANK YOU!

Nurses have been at the forefront of it all. Being the ones at the bedside providing direct care alongside Respiratory Therapist. Let us not forget our environmental services (EVS) aka housekeepers who keep the space clean in which we work (including COVID rooms). THANK YOU ALL😊

Be safe, be mindful, stay healthy because you are all one nurse!

Sincerely,

Shenell

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Welcome to All One Nurse !

Do you love your nursing job? Do you hate your nursing job? Are you taking care of yourself, while taking care of others? Are you looking forward to advancing in your nursing career? Are you barely surviving nursing school?

These are just a few questions that All One Nurse would love to provide support with so let the journey begin!

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All One Nurse

Welcome!

“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”- Mother Teresa

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What’s All One Nurse?

All One Nurse is a support blog. Before we are nurses, we are human. We are parents, spouses, family members, members of society, and, at some point in life, a patient too. So, from one nurse to another, All One Nurse want to support nurses holistically. Whether it is spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, or career wise. There is a resource for every facet of your life to help you be the best person you can be, making you the best nurse you can be. Through various resources, known and yet to be discovered, All One Nurse aims to provide it for those aspiring to become nurses to even the most experienced nurses. For example, providing resources from how to apply to nursing school to understanding the benefits of obtaining credentials in area of experience. Through motivation and inspiration, All One Nurse also wants to focus on selfcare, while also being selfless at the bedside.

Iyanla says it best regarding self-care,

 “Whatever is in my cup is for me, and whatever is flowing out of my cup is for everyone else”.

So how full is your cup and, better yet, what is in it? Hopefully, connecting with All One Nurse will help you become all one nurse. Being fully competent and determined to take care of patients wholeheartedly, while taking care of yourself too. 

All One Nurse

Getting Back to the Human Side of Healthcare.

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