Yes, some physicians seem to think lately the nurses are out to get them. That we don't appreciate them. That we're conspiring.
Why? Because we talk amongst ourselves in online forums, blogs, etc., when we see injustice perpetrated in our hospital, in our state, in our nation. Injustice meted out by insurance companies, circumstance and by our fellow human beings.
And yes, some people think if we disagree with one thing, we're automatically against all physicians. So, I'm forced to use those debate team skills and favorite marketing tricks to demonstrate that I'm not.
Some days I am in awe of the physicians with whom I work. The physiatrists who know just how to stop spasms that wrack people with pain. The internists who craft treatment plans for some of our awful medical messes patients find themselves in. The surgeon, who even though he can be surly, stops everything in the hallway and says, "Do you need me? I'll be right there." when they page him from the floor.
Luckily for me, in my little world at the Hotel, respect is a two-way street. I make sure Dr. X gets coffee when she shows up because she takes care of my surliest patient first, and by the time he's done, he's singing. It makes life much better for me. When that spasm-reducing physiatrist Dr. Y sees me in the hall, she stops me to ask me what I think and she thanks me when I help her. Dr. Z, who works with us remotely, stays on task and does whatever she can for our patients to make them comfortable, and she teaches me something every day, by her actions, her demeanor, and her enthusiasm.
As the saying goes, there is no I in team. It's a good lesson to remember.
Stay tuned...
Showing posts with label respect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label respect. Show all posts
Friday, February 3, 2012
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Nuggets for July 29
Yes, we're back with another exciting installment this week. Yours truly is sifting the wheat from the chaff so to speak from all around the internet, and it just keeps getting more interesting.
In the rehab neighborhood
As a rehab nurse, you learn a lot about insurance, whether you want to or not. Insurance dictates just about everything in one way or another in private rehab hospitals. Dr. Ford Vox, a rehab physician in St. Louis, MO discusses the implications of the Obama health plan in this article at http://www.salon.com/. We're not talking politics here, we're talking people and what happens in his state if you get a SCI (or doesn't happen), so check this article out.
Cool nursing stuff
I always enjoy reading LaTonia Denise Wright's Nursing Law and Order because she always has some interesting legal stories or great links. Here's the latest link she posted from the Center for American Nurses about a study on Respect. Read the PDF. It's worth printing!
From the web
I don't think of Forbes as a health magazine, but they did a great review of a recent health book called How To Debunk a Health Myth which is worth a read. The book sounds pretty interesting, so I'll have to get it on my reading list.
When I went to a conference a couple of months ago, I met a great person from the Cleveland Clinic. The Washington Post had a recent article about what President Obama saw there on a recent visit. (Hi Marie!)
Need a cardiac cath soon? You just may care if they have enough technetium-99 soon, according to this recent NY Times article: Radioactive drug for Medical Testing is in Short Supply.
Out in the blogosphere
Here is an excerpt below from an old story I ran into when I went down the list of blogs I've bookmarked on one of my several computers. The story is sad, but the lines below are some of my favorites, because they make you think outside of yourself. Moral of the story: tell people you love while you are alive if you want to be an organ donor.
"A little girl hugged me today. I think maybe I’m on the right path. I’m not sure if I like where the path might lead, but it is a really nice path. Is it possible that we, as a culture, focus too much on the light at the end of the tunnel, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Isn’t it enough to realize you’re standing on a goddamn rainbow."
Enjoy your rainbows wherever you find them. More to come!
In the rehab neighborhood
As a rehab nurse, you learn a lot about insurance, whether you want to or not. Insurance dictates just about everything in one way or another in private rehab hospitals. Dr. Ford Vox, a rehab physician in St. Louis, MO discusses the implications of the Obama health plan in this article at http://www.salon.com/. We're not talking politics here, we're talking people and what happens in his state if you get a SCI (or doesn't happen), so check this article out.
Cool nursing stuff
I always enjoy reading LaTonia Denise Wright's Nursing Law and Order because she always has some interesting legal stories or great links. Here's the latest link she posted from the Center for American Nurses about a study on Respect. Read the PDF. It's worth printing!
From the web
I don't think of Forbes as a health magazine, but they did a great review of a recent health book called How To Debunk a Health Myth which is worth a read. The book sounds pretty interesting, so I'll have to get it on my reading list.
When I went to a conference a couple of months ago, I met a great person from the Cleveland Clinic. The Washington Post had a recent article about what President Obama saw there on a recent visit. (Hi Marie!)
Need a cardiac cath soon? You just may care if they have enough technetium-99 soon, according to this recent NY Times article: Radioactive drug for Medical Testing is in Short Supply.
Out in the blogosphere
Here is an excerpt below from an old story I ran into when I went down the list of blogs I've bookmarked on one of my several computers. The story is sad, but the lines below are some of my favorites, because they make you think outside of yourself. Moral of the story: tell people you love while you are alive if you want to be an organ donor.
"A little girl hugged me today. I think maybe I’m on the right path. I’m not sure if I like where the path might lead, but it is a really nice path. Is it possible that we, as a culture, focus too much on the light at the end of the tunnel, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Isn’t it enough to realize you’re standing on a goddamn rainbow."
Enjoy your rainbows wherever you find them. More to come!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A note to all the civilians out there
Yes, your friends in the medical or healthcare industry may scare you.
I went out a while ago with some friends from high school. You could almost part the room by who's in a healthcare job and who is not or is not familiar with the healthcare industry.
Some interesting observations:
1. People with boys tend to know a lot about emergency rooms. One of my friends has several and rarely blanches when he tells the stories of Kid X running into the fancy glass table at the department store and getting a cut on his head or when Kid Y goes and has a compound arm fracture after some skateboarding stunt gone awry.
I just thank my lucky stars I don't work in the pediatric ER.
2. Allied health professionals often have their own interesting stories about doctors. One friend has a doctor she works with who asks her to call the special back office line so he can take care of whatever she needs for his patients right away. She can also tell you what doctors have the best staff in town.
3. Another one of my friends still works the night shift after several kids and 18+ years. I never cease to be amazed at how well she functions. I just shudder at the thought of 18 hours on the night shift, let alone 18 years! She works at a major teaching hospital, so she always has some funny stories about dazed and confused people on nights, especially the residents.
Sometimes I think she should have been a nurse. She'd be one kicka$s patient advocate. She is kind and pleasant and takes no crap from anyone.
4. One of my friends is a doc. I always think about this before I get really annoyed. Friend A has some great stories and some real heartbreakers, so I know the line Dr. K. told me a long time ago is really is true: "I have some patients I will never forget."
5. I am always surprised that these same healthcare professionals, who have years of experience tell me that they're amazed at what I do, and here I am, a newbie nurse. And no, I didn't pay them to say that. They work 24/7 just like we do. They've paid their dues and they've put on the flak jackets when some crazed MD or patient screams at them for no reason.
It reminds me that in many environments, nurses are on the front lines of healthcare. We are in the hospital trenches with patients. First, when things get down and dirty, we have to go and get whomever cleaned up and out of there. We're a little like infantry in that regard; a little like MPs, since we have to keep our guard up and watch out for trouble.
Finally, it gives me hope to know that these good people, doing their jobs in the other healthcare disciplines, are out there watching my back, too, even if they're not next to me in the trenches.
I went out a while ago with some friends from high school. You could almost part the room by who's in a healthcare job and who is not or is not familiar with the healthcare industry.
Some interesting observations:
1. People with boys tend to know a lot about emergency rooms. One of my friends has several and rarely blanches when he tells the stories of Kid X running into the fancy glass table at the department store and getting a cut on his head or when Kid Y goes and has a compound arm fracture after some skateboarding stunt gone awry.
I just thank my lucky stars I don't work in the pediatric ER.
2. Allied health professionals often have their own interesting stories about doctors. One friend has a doctor she works with who asks her to call the special back office line so he can take care of whatever she needs for his patients right away. She can also tell you what doctors have the best staff in town.
3. Another one of my friends still works the night shift after several kids and 18+ years. I never cease to be amazed at how well she functions. I just shudder at the thought of 18 hours on the night shift, let alone 18 years! She works at a major teaching hospital, so she always has some funny stories about dazed and confused people on nights, especially the residents.
Sometimes I think she should have been a nurse. She'd be one kicka$s patient advocate. She is kind and pleasant and takes no crap from anyone.
4. One of my friends is a doc. I always think about this before I get really annoyed. Friend A has some great stories and some real heartbreakers, so I know the line Dr. K. told me a long time ago is really is true: "I have some patients I will never forget."
5. I am always surprised that these same healthcare professionals, who have years of experience tell me that they're amazed at what I do, and here I am, a newbie nurse. And no, I didn't pay them to say that. They work 24/7 just like we do. They've paid their dues and they've put on the flak jackets when some crazed MD or patient screams at them for no reason.
It reminds me that in many environments, nurses are on the front lines of healthcare. We are in the hospital trenches with patients. First, when things get down and dirty, we have to go and get whomever cleaned up and out of there. We're a little like infantry in that regard; a little like MPs, since we have to keep our guard up and watch out for trouble.
Finally, it gives me hope to know that these good people, doing their jobs in the other healthcare disciplines, are out there watching my back, too, even if they're not next to me in the trenches.
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