Good cop, bad cop

That was my day yesterday. Instead of playing good cop like I usually do, I had to play bad cop. One of our folks violated one of the rules he agreed to and I had to go to the big man (our director) to have him play the heavy. (It was helpful that he was strolling around on the floor...I didn't feel so bad about it...and he wrote up the note, too.) Nothing is more annoying than a patient who gets mad at you in the middle of the shift.

Since the weather was crappy here again, the usual evening shift folks called in yet again, so the call was out for volunteers. I stayed with our charge over an extra few hours to get the main work of evenings done. I had to deliver pills twice on this round and since we're full, it was busy. Everyone wanted pain pills, besides their regularly scheduled one. One particular pain pill character had a fit because his doc decided to schedule his pain meds instead of letting him call us for the PRNs. Someone was not happy with 75mg of morphine (SR) daily (divvied up BID at optimum times) and his q 4 hour Vicodin 7.5s, along with his assorted adjuvants. What did this win him? More drug education from me. The docs changed his med routine a) so he can show up with less pain and actually do the rehab he's supposed to do and b) give him enough at night so he sleeps well. After about five minutes on that sales pitch, he finally believed me, and then it was on to his demented neighbor.

One of the 12 hour folks picked up my assignment, and since she'll usually do it, I told her about what I had left to do, which was minimal. Many of our 7P to 7A people will not do dressings if they think the evening people (4-8) could have done it, but this nurse is good about it. Thankfully, I only had to leave one dressing, and that was because the patient would not turn until I left (at 2000).

I figured the rest of the folks leaving at 2000 were gone because I couldn't find them. I went outside to more big, fluffy flakes of snow, so I cleaned my car. I saw one of the nurses, but not the other, so she must have been trapped in one of the rooms (she had one of our more persnickety characters tonight). I pulled my car up to hers and the two of us got hers cleaned off, and I was on my way.

Bubba is off school today...so we'll be playing and working in the snow. More later!