When the cat's away...

Some folks can look so busy doing nothing that they seem indispensable.~Kin Hubbard


The mice will play. I am so glad I am not responsible about telling the big boss about all the havoc the sister hospitals have perpetrated by NOT doing what they're supposed to do. Had to report it, but nothing will ever happen at the rate Madison moves.

Oh, so much fun. At least, it won't harm patients or the innocent, but I wish the guilty parties would just get over it and do their work for once.

Ah, love flashbacks to the old life...it's just the same as the floor without as many bodily fluids. So much fun....stay tuned.

A week to remember

It's been a different sort of life working in the SU and in a way, I'm grateful. For the most part, it's quiet and reasonably paced. This past week, however, has been crazy.

The ineptitude of our unit secretary is coming out in the form of the MD's schedule. I've found errors and have been working to correct them, but not much has been done, since the replacement isn't much better. They just do not comprehend how to take care of patients and keep a day moving. It is a whole lot of non-nursing work, done by nursing staff. So when I complain to my boss, the answer is to talk to the administrative head, who manages the  secretaries assigned to each unit.  Fun.

Finally, to top it all off, the nurse manager told us she's leaving next month for another unit in the complex. She's been in our area for her entire career. It will certainly be a change. The troops at the Hotel were stunned today. "Who will lead us?" they cried. Not a single volunteer from the old timers, either. It will be an interesting time. Thank goodness no one's asking me. I would need to have that last MegaMillions salary to take a nurse management job at the Hotel with our motley crew!

May have to get my walking boots on once this assignment in the SU is complete. I see bedlam coming...more so than usual.

Stay tuned...exciting times are coming up around the bend.

The end of the specialist

Our specialist and his crew left recently. I hadn't seen them much since I went to the SU, but the specialist, being the old surgeon he is, was as surly as ever. Maybe just a chance to posture before I got out the door. So to be silly, I went and whispered to his senior assistant NP, and got a chuckle or two. I was nice, though, I thanked him for the things I learned while he was around via e-mail. His assistant may come back, so who knows when we'll meet again.

The SU has been hopping recently with the hustle and bustle. As usual, we have our cancellations, but on a recent day, we needed them. The doc can get overwhelmed. I'm just trying to keep him afloat. If  we don't have him, we don't have an SU. He has been a joy to work with.

On another note, the Big Cheese told me first (can you believe it?) that he may have a new job for me, that is right in line with my grad school work. I'm so excited. I'm hoping I get it, and the sooner, the better. Even if it  is a new position, with new responsibilities, I'm ready. Going to the SU has been a good thing for me, and getting out of the floor environment is refreshing. Yes, every department has something going on, but hope abounds up here. Maybe it's the atmosphere or maybe it's the fact that I feel like I'm wanted.

Nevertheless, even when it's hard, it's making my holidays happy. They'll be even happier when my grad school project is done.

Not long now...back to work! Stay tuned!

A beautiful mind

I'm using my knowledge of neuroanatomy and learning more every day I'm on the Sister Unit. Consequently, I thought the photos in this latest book were absolutely fascinating.

Off to work I go...more to come.

In mere days

I will be flying solo in the SU, since my training period will officially be over. I've documented, documented, documented and I've run the systems and managed the patients on the last few days I've worked.

Telephone triage is still interesting, but I'm getting the hang of it. Thankfully, everyone seems to be helpful.

Crossing fingers as I get ready to fly solo.

More to come....stay tuned.

Training down...now more

Yes, it's the end of my first week of training in the sister unit, and surprisingly, things are going well. The day was not jam-packed today, so I was able to get some extra work done.

First, I came in and worked with a trainer for the position I'll be doing. She's really good and I think I got notes on just about everything. I'm going to transcribe everything, so I get it done and so she can review it prior to my start.

Next, I got an hour of orientation from one of the main staffers. My job is to support him/her and several programs the SU runs. I understand the materials, but the actual process of getting people in and out is a bit different. It's rehab, but mainly similar to something you'd see in a mental health setting.

I'm really happy I'm a rehab nurse, or this would have all blown me out of the water by now. I also got the call today that I'm being featured in a nursing newsletter soon, and I've been appointed to a committee due to my  "leadership skills." I had a chuckle about that....I never feel like I'm leading anything but the poop cleanup parade. It's nice to feel wanted.

After that, it was a slow afternoon, so we did follow-up calls and paperwork. All in all, not a bad week at all. I will get to learn new skills, and hopefully, wow all the inspectors who'll be coming around in my first month. My boss will let me continue training on a regular basis until my start date. The grumblers on the floor are finally quieting down. I shouldn't take their grumblings personally, but I get really irritated when they direct their angry comments at me.

As Dahey says, expressing displeasure at the treatment I get is not a bad thing and needs to be done right away. Guess I've been used to being the whipping-boy, er, girl for too long.

And off I go into the weekend. There's plenty to do here at the ranch. Stay tuned!

A little scorched earth...

Oh, it'll be mighty exciting the next time I'm working with Senior Charge. She acted friendly the other day just before delivering her scorching response when she asked me if I had seen any of our patients at the sister unit (SU)clinic. "So, seen any of our people there? Well, that's not a very good use of a rehab nurse for that department." Most of this venom had to do with Big Boss who mandated that SU and their clinic be supported while certain staff members are out on medical leave. I told her, "Well, ask them to send our people to me. I'm ready!" She didn't find that humorous.

Since that incident, she's steered clear of me. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'll not be available to hear (mostly via others) that Senior will get the pick of the holidays off, or if Senior now wishes he/she would have picked my gig. Who knows....I've given up trying to resolve that logic.

Meanwhile, I'm building my reputation as a quick learner. Got to do a few things by myself and got checked off for my orientation. Thanks to SU's boss, I'll also end up with more orientation. There's a lot at stake getting things online and thoroughly inspected, so after my success with the craziness of JC earlier this year, I think they realize I can deal with whatever comes my way...if I get prepped and have some time to study. Big Boss and nurse manager seem to have confidence in me, so I'm going with it.

I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is the most visible position I've held as a nurse. I'm not a supervisor, but I am important to the team. The floor will still be there when I get done, and so will the attitudes and characters out there. I have to forgive...but I never forget.

On we go...stay tuned.

Day 2...Up and at 'em

Yes, it was a full day of work in the clinic at the sister unit. Lots of assists and learning new procedures and how machines work. Even had the big boss trailing me for a while asking me how it was.

I felt slightly behind, but felt pretty good about actually getting into things and doing some tasks today.

Hope to learn even more tomorrow. Hopefully the rest of the week is so productive.

More to come...

Day 1 in the Land of Oz

Spent the day hanging with the crew from the SU (sister unit) where I'll be spending my time answering calls, writing notes and assisting the MDs with whatever procedures come in during my stay.

Lots of admin stuff today and not too many procedures. A note here, a note there, vitals here and there and a whole lot of note taking for me. I figure I'll just alter my colors in the notes to keep things interesting.

I have a checkoff to complete before my week is over. One item's been removed, since it's no longer appropriate, and another's been added for the accreditation and compliance folks.

Tomorrow should be busy with lots of docs, patients and procedures. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned...

Monday - Day 1.5

Back to the sister unit for training...and cramming for our inspection.

Should be an interesting day, so stay tuned.

Bedraggled

I often write when I am feeling like the classic definition of bedraggled. It may not be raining, but after working all these days straight, I do feel limp. It did not help matters when the neighbor's car alarm went off at 0300 this morning, either.

Alas, I survived to fight another day...today. Work was challenging, but the pace was slow. I welcomed it by sitting on the occasions when I could. It was a delight to have uninterrupted reading time to finish some of my reading for my class in a quiet lunch room. Most of the loud folks weren't working today.

My patients were very good. I even got a new one who came back to us following surgery. He's a reasonably happy fellow and he was happy to see me. Mr. Z looks like he should have a sombrero on his head, but he prefers baseball caps. The other folks got up, dressed, to therapy, and then on an outing in the afternoon sunshine on a glorious fall day.

I had a nice conversation with one of our senior nurses today. She made me feel much better about myself and my temporary assignment to our sister unit (SU). Many think I'm a turncoat; yet a few others are envious. I may not be off during the holidays, but there are opportunities and there will be more freedom in this position.

There are challenges, though. We are set for yet another series of inspections by accrediting agencies. Senior nurse was prepping me and the sister clinic on what one particular agency actually looks for. Since I'll be the newest member of the SU team, she thinks they'll pick on me first, to make sure I'm being trained right.

Hopefully, in my next month of training and meetings, I'll be able to keep my head above water and not goof up on anything.

Cross your fingers...more to come. Have a great weekend!

This is only the beginning...

Of lots of things, including the week. I already feel tired and I've just gotten started.

First of all, I got back for my first day of work. It's a really long week when I get ready to work the weekend. I'm getting annoyed already when I hear people say, "I don't know how she does it. I'd hate working that schedule." Well, that schedule is my life, so I deal with it.

Trust me, I've tried to get it changed, but the boss is not eager to do anything about it. Showing up and doing a excellent job at work can be an advantage, though. Said boss is going to put me on assignment working with our sister unit on another floor. This will only be temporary, but hopefully, will be helpful in the long run. It will probably unleash the crazies among my coworkers, but we'll see.

And now, I'm at the beginning of prep for my first test of the semester. School can get the best of you if you're not careful. Happily, we have a good team this semester,and hopefully, we'll keep our near-perfect record intact.

Stay tuned...more to come this week! I'm back to cooking ahead for tomorrow.!