This will probably will be my shortest blog ever. But they do say a picture is worth a thousand words so …
OK, so maybe some of you didn’t see the chuckle in the picture above. Try again.
I know it’s easy to miss if you don’t concentrate. (Hint: First line.)
Speaking of concentration (love that segue, eh?), we can’t let down our guard on this COVID-19 stuff. We have to concentrate on every little sign and symptom.
Are you pulling up your vital sign exception report every morning? We now know that our residents don’t spike that high temp but show that low-grade 99-degree F temp and sometimes only once before other signs and symptoms show. Things like being really tired, having muscle aches, just not feeling good, having little appetite, and other non-descript symptoms you need to concentrate on.
Later, you’ll see elevated heart rates, high BP or a narrow-index BP when they are getting that “COVID pneumonia.”
So, yeah, concentrate on the little stuff, keep your guard up and, for goodness sakes, watch where you put that alcohol gel!
Just keeping it real,
Nurse Jackie
The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, Senior Director of Clinical Innovation and Education for Mission Health Communities, LLC and an APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real-life long-term care nurse. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.
