All the wild and woolly things

It's getting much cooler here in RehabLand. The dreaded Arctic winds are making their way back, just as they normally do (or did). Last week, we had three of four seasons in a week, but it seems like winter is coming and no other season will be allowed.

The wild: all sorts of construction craziness. Since the SU sits near the front of the building at our pastoral campus, the woollies are the critters trying to get in. A few of them (namely mice) are showing up in our office rooms.

We're also getting a lot of patients. It seems like there's always a rush to get your rehab done before the holidays, but some people don't always make it. We do our best to be festive and motivating during the holiday season.

Lately, we're getting lots of unusual diagnoses including presbycusis and Colles' fracture. It's giving me plenty of homework looking up conditions. I also had a patient come to see me about MRSA. The CDC website was very helpful. Said patient felt relieved in knowing what to look for and they provide some nice patient education.

Well, I'm going to get wrapped up in my own woollies and get ready for tomorrow.

I wish you a great week wherever you go!

All in one day

I try to cram things into certain days, and others, I just use them to do administrative tasks in peace and quiet.

One day recently was a combination of both. I need peace and quiet to get things organized and completed in an efficient manner, so it worked out relatively well.

The first part of my day was great, until I got one of the patients who rarely stops in. He comes in occasionally. He really needs us more than he'll let on, and now that he's got a new health condition, it's obvious. To add insult to injury, while he's not homeless, he could very well be soon due to an issue at home. Homelessness is scary, but even more so when you are disabled.

When our meeting was finished, I actually think he learned something. I am hoping he'll see the need to get help. Technology is a great tool for this gentleman, but he needs to come see us, too.

As I run around the building, I often encounter folks who are visiting our outpatient clinics or other programs. Many of them never avail themselves of my area's services (it's optional).  I say hello and sometimes chat as I go by.

Friday, one of these characters liked what I wore to work (a sweater and dress pants). He rolled up and knocked on my door. I asked how I could help.

He said, "I just wanted to tell you I think you look more beautiful today than ever." Frankly, I was stunned by the compliment. We chatted some more about the services of the SU, but he declined as usual. I told him (as I tell all the patients), "If you change your mind, let me know."  and he rolled away smiling.

It made my week.

Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are and someone sees your beauty too!

Pills, possibilities and picadillos

Ah, what a week it's been. Starting off with Pi Day on Monday, I feel as if I've been sprinting everywhere. Spouting might have been correct, though. After I had my lunch and ordered a new computer (which was absolutely crazy--for both the discount and the credit card hold), I showed my friend K. the new office, since she's rarely over anymore. I look up, and there it is: a huge leak on one of the ceiling tiles.

Since my office is in an older part of the Hotel, leaks are not that uncommon. After three days, moving from this room to that room, they finally finished the search for the leak. They found it in one of the radiator lines upstairs. I was ecstatic that the leak was repaired and I didn't have to wonder if the tile would come crashing down while a person was visiting me.

The CDC also published guidelines this week about opioid prescriptions. Our folks in the SU hope it works. They had another unruly customer in the building who required a two person assist, I mean escort out of the building by security. On top of that, we have a very troublesome patient, who's behavior is escalating. It's making things difficult for the staff.

For picadillos, Google says I must remind all of my European visitors that we use cookies here on Blogger. I don't use the data, so I hope you don't mind.

Despite all the mess, today is St. Patrick's Day. I celebrated by wearing my green and eating corned beef and cabbage at the lunch one organization had for the staff  and patients at the Hotel. I remember that without those Irish ancestors (or some like these) I probably wouldn't be here today.

More to come...

A Wayne and Garth moment

"We're not worthy", I wanted to shout, complete with bows, but I took it all in stride.

My advisor from PublicU contacted me today about talking to her students in a conference about what I do in the SU.

Priceless.



I love you two, but I AM worthy. Three words: Bring it on!

 Stay tuned!

One minute slow...

Another one fast. My days are numbered in my current lair. The construction guys are coming to tear up my part of the SU.

I'll be a refugee for the next month, roaming around to see patients at bedside.

Which is not always a bad thing...stay tuned.

Frittering...

I should be doing something productive, but I'm not. I was busy orienting a new nurse who got to spend the day with me in the SU.

It looks easy, but it's not. At least, she got some experience in what might be useful in my world.

And right on cue, I had a couple of folks I had to do walk-in support for today. I told her it only happens every so often...

I didn't even have to call them. They just found me. It's fun.

That is all. Enjoy your week!

Dear Mother Nature

Please stop the tornado/severe weather crap. Tornado season officially ended November 1.

Yours truly (because I would like the SU to be standing tomorrow, so I can go to work),

RehabRN

Gotta love the pharmacist

The Cynical Pharmacist, that is. I follow him on Facebook, and I enjoy many a rant, er, post about the vagaries of serving the public from behind the counter.

This post was there today (see below). Since I deal with specialists regularly in the SU, it was quite entertaining. Unfortunately, the infectious disease, renal and transplant folks were left out. Sorry docs! (I love you, but many folks never know you exist until they get superbugs, bad kidneys or need a liver).

CP, I am thankful you are here. Here in RehabLand, we love our pharmacy folks. They are the only ones with a sense of humor as macabre as ours.

Enjoy!
=======================================================================

Thanks to Shiraz for sharing...

The American Medical Association has weighed in on Obama's new health care package.

The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, "Oh, grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing and the Internists claimed it would indeed be a bitter pill to swallow.

The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would "put a whole new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

Anesthesiologists thought the entire idea was a gas, and those lofty Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.

Monday's back

Awake. Alert (thanks to those 2  large espressos already). As ready as I'll get for now before meeting-o-rama and one of the biggest sales pitches of my life for the SU.

This quote sums it up:

Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.~ Kyle Chandler

Here I go to knock on some doors, er beat on them...more later!

Sometimes, we're cutting edge...

And sometimes, we're a little behind.

The cutting edge part: I work in the SU and we have the latest and greatest technology for dealing with rehab patients (and lots of other patients, too.)

The behind part: it's very telling, when your hospital finally gets the hint that this has been a Joint Commission recommendation since 2009.

We've had a few other changes happening, which just adds to the mix.

Why? Because people are starting to complain. And morale is low.

At least, we had some fun today, brightening up the area under construction. It was a blast for the patients, and for me, too.

TGIF all! Enjoy your moments wherever you are. I will!

The strife is over

I raise my glass(es) in honor of surviving the last day of our rehab accreditation survey recently.

While I wasn't noted as a great help to our team directly by the inspectors, they could not deny our work in the SU. It was especially gratifying to know that some things we do can change the world.

Even if it's only my little world at the Hotel, we change things one person at a time.

Cheers!

The relief...for a moment

Ah, thankfully the technological gremlins ran away early. I got my deadline material submitted ahead of time.

Yes, RehabRN is hitting the road again. I'll be playing a hotel conference center to talk about my job in the SU. Some of the folks are impressed, but I'm just hoping I don't have any flight delays, because if I do, I could be very grumpy before I talk.

For fun, a couple of my grad school classmates and I are getting together to take our own collective show to Vegas. (that deadline is soon, too)

It should be fun to see if they take us up on the offer.

More to come...

Choices

Yes, it's the weekend. So many choices ahead, as I get ready to go to MegaConference. Do I buy tons of food to see if Dahey and Bubba will actually eat it, or do I let them fend for themselves?

Do I keep up with laundry, so I don't have a bunch to do when I get back? Decisions...

It was like that at work this week, too. Lots of decisions for me and for the patients.

One patient who needed a specialty appointment decided not to go, even though the weather was nice that day. Why? I don't know, but it could be a decision that changes his life.

Another patient had to take a chance and be seen in our SU clinic. He enjoyed it tremendously.

Many patients were deciding whether or not they needed to do some things on the unit. A couple of our patients decided they didn't need to do something important, which then reminds me of that saying, "Failure to plan is not necessarily an emergency on my part." I did a lot of teaching with one of these folks. It seemed like he took it all in, but only time will tell.

Otherwise, he'll be making some other decisions. Stay tuned!

So glad it's Friday!

I have to say, I like Fridays. Not just because they signal the end of the week, but because, overall, since I've started this gig in the SU, Fridays are usually the least obtrusive and most easy-going days of the week.

Today was one of those easy-going days. I got to talk to patients and teach, which, incidentally, is one of my favorite parts of the job. (Guess I missed my calling!)   I led an in-service for the unit staff for patient education. It seems since there's been turnover, a lot of the newbies are still learning. I wasn't planning on educating the newbies, but the nurse manager insisted. So away I went...

My secret: props.  I like props. So I brought mine: handouts and I rolled in a COW (or WOW if you're politically correct) to do a live demonstration. I also come with prizes, because people tend to pay better attention when they think they'll win something.

I brought  the usual goodies: pens stolen, er given out at the best conferences in interesting hotels at some of the places I went to last year. The good prizes (bags, books, journals) this time went to the two lucky people (each shift) who got the copies with a special mark or photo (I had Florence Nightingale on one page hidden among the pages.)

When I was done with the in-service, I was able to talk to one of the regulars. He/she was in for therapy, so I got to bug him/her about one of our new programs. This regular has a plan: to get more education so he/she can do more work suited to his/her functional ability right now.  I really admire this patient. He/she keeps progressing and keeps on moving forward.

Finally, I finished the day with an appointment with another patient. He loved our technology. While it may have been cold here in RehabLand, it was sunny and bright, and so were most of the folks on the unit.

Happy weekend all! More to come...

A loss in the family

Some times, they say you spend so much time at work it's like your second home. And yes, sometimes that home is inhabited by some pretty dysfunctional family members.

But there are others who remind you of what working together is all about.

I should be finishing one of my very last grad school papers tonight, but I can't. We lost a member of our work family and frankly, I still can't believe it.

Eddy was a nurse who had worked at the Hotel (and Washington, our sister hospital) here in RehabLand for over 10 years. Eddy started out at the Hotel, and just thought he wasn't learning enough, so he transferred to Washington and worked in the ICU. He came back to the Hotel a couple of years ago, when he moved to the same neighborhood.

He had a grand old time there with those ICU patients and was known for having a easy, laid back humor. He could get riled up, but it was rare. If he were freaking out inside over a code or anything, he never showed it. He worked with a nurse in our clinic, K. and he always gave the two of us trouble when we were together. He'd say, "One of these days, I'm going to get my BSN and get a cushy job like you guys have." K. always said, "Eddy, come on down. I'll show you what this 'cushy' job looks like."

Eddy died today. He was on leave with his wife, since she had recently had a baby--their second. We threw a big shower for them days before she went into the hospital to be induced. They brought their older girl and we had a grand old time on the unit. We said, "See you when you get back...before the holidays" and meant it.

When I was in charge (I just like saying that, I'd joke to Eddy) with him on my crew, I never worried. Even though I had less experience, Eddy would ask for my advice. This floored me. "Eddy, why on earth are you asking me, you old ICU nurse?" He would also go home at lunch or dinner time to see his wife (they lived right near the hospital) or she'd bring his dinner to work.

Eddy would just say, "RehabRN, you know a lot, and I ask you to get the real dope on stuff." Guess that made me the "real dope dealer". (Eddy was fond of bad jokes!)

We're still waiting to find out for sure, but they suspect Eddy had some kind of cardiac issue, not unlike many of the patients he had cared for in the ICU. Eddy was reasonably young, didn't smoke, and wasn't overweight.

It's still hard to believe on such a beautiful clear, crisp day, on the cusp of the holidays, he was snatched away from us and his little family to meet his eternal destiny.

May the angels come to greet you, even though we mourn you who were taken away from us too soon. It was a pleasure to know you for the time we had been given.

Godspeed, friend.

They came, they saw...

They took lots of pictures and they asked lots of questions. My doc for this clinic was stellar. He even remembered to keep his white coat on, which was hysterical. (Normally, he never wears his coat in the office.)

We had to wait a long while for the dignitaries to come through, so we asked the doc lots of questions. He told us his father was a military doctor who worked in a controlled area and never talks about his work.

My technical specialist, S., said "I did the same thing when I was in the military. I can't talk about it, either."

"Well, I won't ask any more, because I don't want to hear, 'if I tell you, I'll have to kill you.'" I told S.

The patient, Mr. Q., who was a "jungle grunt" in Vietnam (his words) says, "All they told me about this appointment was that I had to talk to people. Maybe I ought to leave."

"We're just being silly, Mr. Q." I told him. I'm not letting S. do anything to you or he doesn't get anymore Mountain Dew.

S. just smiled...and clutched his bottle close to his chest.

You just have to know what really makes people tick...and where their sense of humor lies.

Mr. Q. had a good time and told me he was going to stay in his room and rest this afternoon, in case he needed to sign any autographs later.

We had a good laugh.

And off I go to sleep. My destiny awaits (with a quick trip to PublicU).

No Sandy but...

When your advisor has to reform a panel so you can take your comps exams this week, since some of the folks are marooned on the East Coast, it makes you think.

1. Thank goodness I decided to go to PublicU, which, is not on the East Coast.

2. Thank goodness I thought ahead to buy plenty of beer right now, since I'm having one to calm my already frayed nerves.

What could fray one's nerves? Oh, showing up at work surely could especially when...

1. You still have mayhem with some others in your group who keep insisting on reliving it no matter what.

2. You get a phone call that a VIP delegation will be coming to Madison and you really have to show them what you do in the SU...and have a patient ready at 0900 for the VIP to talk to about your work.

So much for a relaxing, just get things done before I leave to go to comps Hell at PublicU.

Nothing a nice Kolsch can't solve at the moment...stay tuned.

On the cusp

Drugs are not always necessary.  Belief in recovery always is.  ~Norman Cousins
 
New beginnings: the Hotel got some much needed rehabbing and the occupants (staff and patients) are overjoyed. Nothing like new stuff to make people happy. The SU got some upgrades and will get more as the remodeling goes on down the way.

The end of the odyssey: my sick relative is finally going home after a trip through one hospital (twice) and one nursing home. Problems can indeed by solved eventually if you have a nervy nurse who just keeps asking questions. (The nervy nurse would be me.)

The beginning of the end of the great grad school journey: I have my date at PublicU for my exams, now all I have to do is work on my paper and my slide show and I'll be done. Hard to believe I will be done in less than two months.

Back to work....more to come.

Sunday night special

Oh, I can't wait until Monday. Dr. RPIA, one of the specialists I work with in the SU called Friday and left a message on my personal cell phone. Yes, I do actually have a phone in my office with voice mail, but I'm sure his/her ADD kicked in and he/she wanted a response immediately.
 
I'm sure s/he'll have a temper tantrum since someone in his clinic double booked him/her.

Hello not my problem, Doc. You can go to Helen Waite, our complaint specialist. Or sing the song below...




Heaven knows we can wait for another specialist like you to show up, since the last one lost his visa last month. Or we can make your chief start taking patients again.

Stay tuned...

The week that was

So happy the Memorial Day weekend is here, because I'm free from the idiocy of the Hotel.

What a week!

1. Bubba decided to goof off at day camp and injure himself. Hello Next Door Neighbor Peds ER. I think he'll be careful about goofing off in the pool next time if he wants to stay in it.

2. The new nurses started in the SU satellite clinic and have lots of good ideas, some of which may actually work with some of the primadonnas on our medical staff. One nurse was promptly pulled back to the floor because well-meaning manager never thought anyone would call in sick on payday before a holiday. Sounds like a writeup is coming!

3. I got to educate more people. Computer education, health education, you name it. I hope those educators don't get wigged out. There's way more education needed than what we're allotted to do.

One of my coworkers is working on a leadership project in my area...which happens to be the NBT (Next Best Thing) in healthcare. The Manglement puts articles on the employee intranet, on Facebook and Twitter, yet the non-clinical people have no clue what it is. D. is gonna have to do some education herself.

4. I get to work on a memorial project for our deceased patients at the Hotel (this started  last year). The support staff working on it are just too damned cheery for me. We'll see how it goes.

More to come...the big project starts next week in advance of the big trek.