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...

Breathe...

It's so simple, but I don't feel like I've done much of that lately. The pace of the day today was a running one, and tomorrow it will be the same.

The weather has been lovely here, so I walked outside on my lunch break. Clear, blue skies and a light wind was beautiful. There's a hint of fall in the air. I strolled over to another building eating my fall apple we picked recently. It was simply heaven.

I have a new RN working with me and she's doing pretty well. The program she's in is helping. I wish they'd have had something like that when I was new. She'll be with me a little while longer before she goes to her next rotation. I got a good report from her previous preceptor, so I think she'll do well. I just hope she applies for an area of interest before her program is over. We have jobs for new grads at Madison and Washington, but they're getting snapped up fast!

The nice thing is that we've had some time to actually talk about our assignment and plan it. I had her take a patient today. We reviewed his orders, then went in and talked to him. He was a bit balky, but Mr. X. eventually cooperated with her. Newbie had worked with him before (when she first came to the unit), so Mr. X. did not have to be oriented to her.  Yes, sometimes orientation includes getting oriented to the patients and the patients oriented to you! Mr. X. was time-consuming, but he provided a lot of learning--learning about motivating people, teaching them how to care for themselves, and teaching them how to direct their own care if they can't do it for themselves.

Our other patients were easy. We set them up, and they did whatever they could themselves, which for a rehab nurse, is sheer, utter joy. I always tell them I'm not going to move into their houses, so they'd better get used to doing as much as they can for themselves.

We got all our paperwork done and even talked to a couple of wound nurses who were doing an in-service on the unit. It was a whole lot of learning rolled up into one day. By the time the day ended, it didn't seem like we did much at all! Time truly flew by, just like those fall winds.

More to come....

Whew!

The days fly by at the Hotel Rehab when you're busy. It's been a lot like a bus station this week, with all the discharges, admissions and tests here, there and everywhere.

I got the pleasure of orienting a guy who wants to do everything himself. Yes! We don't get too many motivated characters. He's plugging away and wants to make the best of everything. I hope it all works out well. Once we straighten out his bowel, bladder and skin issues, we'll be set.

On top of all this, we had an in-service today. The Slug was a primo b*&tch, snatching my materials, so I withheld something near and dear to her...the presenter's chocolate box. There's no better way to get the nurses' attention but with a large plastic box filled with chocolates at the end of the day. It just warmed the cockles of my heart, as I ate her favorite dark chocolates before the box managed to get passed to her at the end of the presentation.

There was a big crowd at the pain seminar. Our people are some of the best customers for Ye Old Pain Med manufacturers....Percs, Roxies, you name it...we could have some people on the wall of fame.

Thankfully, when I got home, Bubba felt much better. After significant GI upset yesterday, he was happy and smiling today. Probably had to do with all the quality time he spent with Dad.

Oh, to be a kid again...just without vomit! Stay tuned...

Work is still...work

Yes, one day off after working an evening and then waking up early with a kindergartener is an exhausting experience. After a very nice day visiting my sister, seeing some of my old friends in that second largest 'burb of the county where I used to work and having lunch with C., then coming home and baking a couple of pies, I was too tired to do much around the house. I put my favorite vaccuuming CD on the stereo, cranked it, and vegged for a half hour.

It was back to work today and I felt really slow. First, we had an in-service today on Fragmin. Most of the people were watching the shiny stuff--the pens that light up and the other goodies. Besides being a big sales pitch, it was reasonably interesting. We even talked about the famous debate of "should you blow the bubble". Second, my boss changed my assignment. I was a little perturbed, but I got two reasonable patients and the med cart on the main hall. I was running a little, but it turned out reasonably well considering everything, including an irascible patient or two and an exploding colostomy bag (happily a controlled explosion!).

In the last few days, I've found some interesting sites and articles on the internet. Hope you enjoy them. More items to come...

Check out the patient safety info at this site: http://www.patientsafety.gov/resources.html

The NY Times recently ran an interesting article on Hepatitis C: http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-hepatitisC-ess.html

Can chewing gum may shorten your hospital stay? The jury's still out on that issue, but there may be more research to come. Could Wrigley's be the next sponsor? Stay tuned.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/579243