Jobs for Registered Nurses

• First, you need to flush the exposed skin with comfortable temperature running water for 30 minutes. Lather well with a mild soap several times. Rinse with alcohol (rubbing alcohol or beer work well), to cut the oil, several times, and then go back to using water.
   
• Once the flushing is done, the pain may be gone. If so, hurray! Make sure to change your clothes and launder them several times before you wear them again. And, from now on, ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when working with hot peppers!
   
• If the pain continues, proceed to Step 2. You’ll need to apply zinc or magnesium based ointment or liquid to your skin. You can soak your hands and arms in an antacid like Mylanta® or Maalox®, or you can apply a zinc oxide ointment such as Desitin® diaper rash ointment to your skin, and then wear something such as white cotton socks over your arms. You should have significant relief within an hour or so. Re-apply the topical product as needed, until the pain is completely gone.
   
• And finally, ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when working with hot peppers! 

Regardless of the “sense and non-sense” and endless interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s writings, I have always enjoyed a certain segment of the poem The Walrus and the Carpenter which is tucked away somewhere in the adventures of Alice Through The Looking Glass. The poem has been around since the 1870’s and I learned it from my grandmother and passed it on to my children. My grandchildren will not be spared. I have not done any great in-depth analysis of the poem, as many have, but often repeat these lines:
   The time has come, the Walrus said,
   To talk of many things:
   Of shoes..and ships..and sealing wax..
   Of cabbages and kings..
   And why the sea is boiling hot
   And whether pigs have wings.

We could have a great talk about sealing-wax. In my mind, I would love to see it make a comeback. However, the time has come to talk of many other things:
   Of early mornings that become endless days..
   Hallways that are racetracks..
   Opportunities, timing, choices.
   Bundles and sets
   Of Policies, Protocols, Politics & Patient Care
   Fear of falling; Fear of not falling; Fear of Failing; Fear of Succeeding; Fear of You
   Anagrams: ITYK
   Input, output, opinions, ideas, place
   Of crossroads, decisions, direction, self-evaluation
Oh, we could talk of many things! But, someone has to listen! Is that me or you?

And, we could talk of life. Of times when roads diverge and we are compelled to stop
and carefully analyze the complex maze of direction choices on the map before us. And, we could talk about what Alice really saw in the Looking Glass! Well, this is what I see: the cheese is moving, pigs are flying, the oysters are dead and after 17 years on 4-medicine, I’m moving to the Mother Ship. Why? Because the Walrus said, “The time has come”!

What is in your Looking Glass?

Sherry

Sherry Holden, BSN, RN
Associate Partner, 4South, IU Hospital

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Career Job Search.
 

I took my 2^1/2 year old grandson to the library last week. Our library has a great children’s area. It has a big play area with a train table, a Lego table and a puzzle area.  But he wasn’t interested in any of those – he wanted to play with my purse!  Fortunately he was more interested in my car keys than any of the other contents. 

Purses, book bags and other items you use to carry items you use daily, are all sources of potential poisons for the children in your life.  Let’s take a look inside the average bag & see what should be avoided.

Makeup – generally not a problem

Perfume – contains alcohol, small amounts cause local irritation

Visine®,  Afrin® etc – allergy nasal sprays & eye drops – extremely toxic in small amounts, can cause extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression and bradycardia

Medicine – whatever you are taking – remember, Child-Resistant Caps are just that – Resistant, not Child Proof!  The average 2 year old can remove them after a few minutes work.

Inhalers – albuterol or other inhalers – can be a problem if used excessively

Tylenol®, Advil® - or other OTC pain killers – can always be toxic if a little one gets too much of them

Cough drops – choke hazards

Tums® – safe, choke hazard

Gum – Despite what you may have heard, swallowing gum does not cause “gum balls” to develop in your stomach.  However, eating large amounts of sugar-free gum may cause diarrhea, because most of those gums are sweetened with sorbitol, a laxative.

Nicotine gum – potentially quite toxic. Eating 1 piece of nicotine gum is the equivalent of eating one cigarette, which is a problem for a small child

Cigarettes – one cigarette is potentially toxic

Tobacco Dissolvables® – Orbs, Sticks, Strips – one of these is equivalent to one or more cigarettes and children tend to eat several, since they look like candy

Cigarette lighters – contain butane, which is a hydrocarbon and can cause pneumonitis

Matches – large amounts can cause kidney problems

Sunscreen – not toxic but eating some may cause a child to vomit, since it has a slimy texture

Insect Repellent –most contain DEET, which is quite toxic. If a small amount of repellant is ingested it will cause only local irritation, but if a large amount is ingested it can cause seizures

Hand Sanitizer – contains ethanol, small amounts cause local irritation

Batteries – small button sized batteries are a risk if swallowed, because they can lodge in the esophagus without causing symptoms. All batteries can be a problem if ingested

Coins – the larger the coin the greater the risk if ingested because they can become stuck in the esophagus

Cold sore meds – often these contain camphor, which can cause seizures if enough is ingested

Hair Spray – contains ethanol, small amounts cause local irritation

Mace – greatest risk is being accidentally sprayed with the mace, which causes immediate pain and tearing and can cause respiratory irritation

Keys – not toxic, but not good for your teeth!

Cell Phone – pieces can come off & be a choke hazard

Pens & Pencils – may make a mess but are not toxic

So, keep your bag “up and away” from children and be aware of what dangers lurk inside.  If you suspect a poison exposure has occurred, don’t wait, call the Indiana Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 right away!

Gwenn

Gwenn Christianson, MSN, RN, CSPI
Senior Partner and Team Leader
Indiana Poison Center, Methodist Hospital

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Job Opportunities.

1. Accredited programs have established standards for nursing education, curriculum and faculty.
2. Accredited programs consistently prepare nurses to care for Clarian’s high-acuity patient population.

1. Know what is in your yard!! Get a good plant guide or a knowledgeable friend or neighbor and go around and identify each plant, shrub, flower and tree in your yard. Label them with indelible markers. Make a map showing where each one is and the name(s). Remember, you may not be home when the exposure occurs, so relying upon your memory alone is not a good method!
    
2. Only buy non-toxic plants. Check the list of non-toxic plants. If the plant isn’t listed on our short list, does that mean it’s OK? NOT AT ALL! It just means we didn’t have room to include it. Call IPC BEFORE you purchase, with the common and scientific (Latin) name of the plant and we can look it up and tell you whether it is safe to have around little children. Don’t rely upon what birds or other animals eat – children aren’t birds and what birds can safely eat can sometimes be very dangerous for children!