aston diary 09-11-11

Prabrinex Intramuscular high potency Vitamins B and C. for Prophylaxis of Wernicke’s encephalopathy.

Prophylaxis: A measure taken for the prevention of a disease or condition.

Ringworm (Fungal Rash)

Buprenorphine (subutex) - Treatment of addiction to opiate drugs such as morphine and heroin.

Aston Reflective diary

Nov 1st 2011

Shift management:-

1) Bed state & Staffing (a computer file)
2) 24hr report
3) fill in delegation board:- observation rota, shift coordinator, physical obs etc.
4) Enhancements
5) Check diary
6) Check Controlled Drugs

Breakfast at 8:30 - followed by morning medication.

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse - Management

Chlordiazipoxide (Librium) Reduces anxiety and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

Acamprosate
To prevent the need for alcohol in people who have successfully overcome alcohol dependence - reduces cravings after detox.

Disulfiram (Antabuse)
used as a deterrent to drinking alcohol.


Nov 2nd

Furosemide is used to treat oedema (water retention) due to heart failure. It is also sometimes used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure).

Visiting times on Aston: 0900 --> 1200
1300 ---> 1700
1830 ---> 2030

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - COPD. Permanent damage to the airways.. unlike asthma

Nov 5th

1 stone = 14 pounds
1 foot = 12 inches

Body Mass Index 1) metric --> mass (kg) / height (meters) 2
2) feet & inches --> mass (pounds) x 703 / height (inches) 2

e-prescribing internal No. 8989.
The server wouldn't connect for some reason, just got an error message when clicking onto administer icon. Solution:- double click on traffic light icon.. then click 'reset count'.

Methadone 1mg / ml - normal and sugar free.. don't get them mix up!

Second driving lesson

Had my second driving lesson yesterday which I felt went rather well. Ok.. so I prepare my seat (push it back in my case) adjust the angle of the back of the seat to get the perfect arm position vis a vis holding onto the steering wheel (elbows slightly bent). Set my head rest to the middle of my head in case of a crash. Then set the mirrors.. for left and right should be able to see 10% of the car and 90% external view.

I need to get the P O M (Preparation - Observation - Manoeuvre) and S M S (Mirror - Signal - Manoeuvre) driving plans sorted in my head for my next lesson on the Nov 9th. Had great fun on the lesson.. I've started doing right turns.. mini rounder-bouts and have reversed for the first time.. fantastic :-). I needed to carry revising for my driving theory test on the 10th Nov. I hope to pass but haven't done much on the hazard awareness component. It's all be good experience anyway and I'll pass next time if not this.

Driving lesson

I had my first driving lesson today.. it went really well. :)

learning to drive

I'm gonna learn to drive. If I am ever going to learn it's now that I should do it. The two main reasons for this decision is firstly that I can be of greater support for my elderly parents and secondly that it will give me greater job opportunities during these times of economic meltdown. It's not that I'm currently unemployed or expect to become unemployed in the near future. It's just as my mum would say 'another feather in my cap' :-) I've got my first driving lesson on 29th October and my driving theory is on 10th November. I'm also pondering doing a Web design/development course like my brother.. again to add a further feather but also it might make a nice change from nursing at some point. Another good reason is that I still maintain my partners website and her business is starting to take off a bit.

Reflective diary

Ok... I'm gonna try and use my blog for something useful, a reflective diary no less. It's gonna be work related and hopefully serve as a good memory aid.

So.. I got to work on 3-2-09 late shift and I was asked to go over to the Place of Saftey Assessment Unit (PSAU). When I arrived I was asked to contact Crisis Resolution Team (CRT) County (8900) and make sure Approved Social Worker (ASW) and the Forensics Medical Examiner had been contacted. These two individuals are to conduct a mental health assessment to determine whether the guy who had been brought in on a section 136 needed hospital admission or not. After I had done this the ASW contacted me first and said that there was no point in her attending unless the FME attended at the same time. She asked me to find out when he would be attending and then ring her back. However I later discovered that this is not the role of the Nurse In Charge (NIC) and that after Crisis have been informed the ASW or AMHP and the FME are perfectly able to communicate with each other. The contact number for the FME's is 08456066390. The role of the NIC and there colleague(s) is to 'baby sit' the patient until the ASW and FME arrive then look after them while they do their assessment and then facilitate transfer to a ward or discharge home. Also do my bit on the section 136 (or 135) section papers (not forgetting to enter the time the police left on this document which the office should complete and sign. Fill in the MARACIS form ie admission and then transfer or discharge. Commence formal observations Level II 10 minuets and complete nursing notes.

Messing around

Well it's taken quite a while for Siobhan to finally set up a blog so I'm back on mine to work out a few tips and tricks to show her. That's kinda how this thing has developed.. Siobhan is becoming a well known local writer and performer and I'm becoming a behind the scenes tecky tweaking her WEBSITE and now adding frills to her blog. All good fun, and has inspired me to think about doing an Open University course in XHTML, CSS and Javascript.