Tired

I haven't been shoveling snow like some of my friends on the East Coast, but the exercise routine is certainly guaranteeing that I sleep soundly at night.

In addition to that, I'm working on a few other projects at work. I have to see if the tests work. If they do, we will certainly have a great way to get things done and get our patients the care they need at home.

Looking forward to every day, even if I feel craggy and tired.

Stay tuned...

Happiest of Fridays to you

I didn't run away. I've been busy cramming everything in, so I could have a day off. One project plan, three appointments, a consult, a specialty service visit, four phone calls, one patient portal enrollment, one transferred patient and a grand rounds presentation.

So today, I escaped.The sun came out after what seemed like weeks of clouds and rain. I found my sunglasses and wore them.What a day it was!

I visited friends I had not seen in a long time. I shopped and went out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which meant no dishes for me to wash ALL DAY. It was like being on vacation at a hotel without leaving.

I also celebrated another birthday this week. It was fun. Health IS wealth, and I feel like a millionaire now that I am almost done with my antibiotics (from whatever URI I got around Thanksgiving.)

Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

More to come...

Enjoying my time off...sort of

It's like my baby. I've managed this project from the beginning when Boss told me I was going to take it.

Now we're set up and ready to see our first patients.

I am nervous. The first encounters have to go on without me, since I'm going to take one of the biggest tests of my life that day.

I've trained my people, but I won't be there to support them. I have phone numbers, backup numbers, and more numbers. The tech guys will be on standby and my newbie is fully trained.

I'll be doing a lot of praying this weekend, and not just because of the Easter weekend.

Stay tuned...

The best and worst of the week

What a week it was and I can say I am happy, happy, happy it's over. TGIF!

It wasn't just the weather in RehabLand that got exciting. The mood on the unit was the same tempestuous mix of turbulence that was the weather pattern in our neck of the woods.

One minute, a patient is telling a student that he/she was physically assaulted by a staff member. No signs, symptoms, or witnesses, but some of our staff members got long weekends, courtesy of administrative leave. I am sure our charge nurse is glad this week was over after that reason alone.

On the subject of psychotic patients...one word: ugh! Thank goodness for security support and the folks who mark patient records for illness and non-compliance with little things like psychotic episodes of verbal abuse of staff and then they get them out of the neighborhood when they clearly don't see the sign going into the parking garage that says "No weapons of any kind allowed on this property. (including a nice drawing of a handgun and a big knife)"

Yes, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200 if you violate this rule.

It's not really psychosis, but technical difficulties occasionally bring out the weirdos on our staff. I'm so glad our support person got ours sorted out or I would have had my face planted in the wall permanently after trying to keep people from wigging out over really relatively minor items that did have workarounds.

But, despite many of these things that were downright horrible, there were good moments.

One of my favorites was the look of excitement of one of the patients who just got up for the first time after flap surgery. When I showed him the new big screen TV in our lounge in the lobby, you'd would have thought I told him he won the lottery. It was a lot of fun for him to sit in front of a big TV after being sick so long and trapped in a room with a little TV.

Another one of our patients wandered by and was worried that he was getting sick. We got him in a clinic to see our docs, but now he has to have tests. He was worried, but we talked about them, and his strategies for coping with things at home. I even called one of our team to get him a consult for when he comes back for his next visit. He was delighted, and said, "I can't believe you'd do that for me." I just said, "That's my job...keeping us all employed helping you." and smiled. He just laughed. I also got to make sure the transport people picked him up to go home, so I was busy!

And some of my projects I've been working on got rolling this week after, literally months in process.  Oh, joy, joy, joy! I may actually get something done this year.

Indeed, it was the best and worst of times, but happily, the best outnumbered the worst today.

More to come...

Down the rabbit hole

Sometimes life surely seems that way. I've been busy doing this, that and the other thing and I feel so overwhelmed.

Just like being on the floor, you have to have a plan.

The current plan:

1. Orient the new boss. Nice character, so this should not be difficult. I like hands-on management, especially when I don't feel like I need to take a cultural orientation class to figure out what to do with them.

2. Orient my manager re: my new projects. I just love being an employee who reports to multiple people.

3. Work, work, work until the end of the semester for my grad class. So glad it will be done in just shy of one week.

Then this house really will be merry!

Stay tuned...

I'm just wondering...

If the big boss is getting nervous about a project I have to do with him in three weeks. He/she acts as if I should take a different flight.

Hello, this is not the Royal Family. The world will go on if something happens to either one of us. The Hotel, despite all its construction, reconstruction and clogged toilets will go on.

My departing direct manager has two weeks before he/she leaves for the assigned new position. Will he/she get me the award I've been waiting for since last year for my special project when others on that team have already gotten theirs? I don't know, but I know one thing...he/she may get a rude awakening in the new job, if I don't get the time and consideration before he/she leaves.

Just sayin'...

The joys of teamwork

I don't know how my coworker J. kept all the balls in the air when managing projects for our little tech team at BehemothConsumerProducts, where I worked at many moons ago, but I certainly appreciate it now.

Lately, I've been taking on that role in my graduate school classes, which, incidentally, require at least one team project per semester. Add to the excitement: all the members of the team are not necessarily in the same state, or even country. Ah, the joys of online learning.

Nevertheless, I orchestrated a beautiful team plan, divvied out all the tasks and organized meetings online and via phone when needed. I even posted our completed project ahead of the required time.
And while I was enjoying myself at a long awaited celebration with one of my nurse friends, one of the teammates got wigged out over one little thing.

Happily, I was able to smooth it over with the instructor, and get everything settled.

Only one thing remains: said nurse needs a psych consult. I can't diagnose it, but someone definitely may need a prescribed chill pill.

So glad the semester is over. CJ, one of my other classmates, an escaped rehab nurse from down south (now a tech trainer), and I celebrated by phone, by lifting our well-deserved glasses of pinot grigio in our respective places.We survived another semester of grad school. Happy, happy, happy.

And now I return to the last full day of vacation. Reality hits again next week...hope I'm ready.

Knee deep in the hoopla

Yes, was thinking of those very lines today as I was working....




Got my last huge project (only a little bitty one left) done for my grad class today after much work, rework, and re-rework. Amen!

So, I found a great meme for you all to check out at Sunday Stealing. It's an older one, but my kind of meme since it's short and sweet. Will post my own results when I take a break later today or tomorrow.

The Seven Deadly Sins Meme

Off I go....more to come.

What happens when I'm off a weekend I should be working

1. Cooking. Steaks, tater, and I even tried a new Italian recipe. Oh, my! Sure I steered clear of the carbs, but with the heavenly scent of sage sauteed in brown butter, I could not resist the final product.

2. I worked on a project I've neglected for a long time for work. It has to be done by the end of the year. And now it will be. Much joy!

3. Finally, I've studied and studied some more. We don't have a test for another week, but I figure it can't hurt to prep a little earlier than usual. All-nighters were never my style, because I enjoy sleeping so much.

Which I also did and even took some naps...heaven!

Tomorrow, it's back to work, to the sister unit, to finish orientation. Before you know it, I'll be on my own.

Stay tuned...

Back to basics

Keep It Simple, Stupid, or the KISS principle as it's known in IT circles has been the story of my days lately.

Lucky me, the grad student, got nominated by the boss to be on the IT committee for the unit for some redesigning work and a special project. What does this mean? In addition to my regular duties keeping everyone happy at the Hotel, I've been working on analysis of some of the upgrades that are coming. (See, some of those classes really do come in handy!)

Now I just have to manage to herd the other RN on this project into more meetings and get my boss to cooperate in letting me off the floor for said meetings.

It should make this an interesting few months...stay tuned.