Oh, it's the latest initiative...put everyone in a room, have them bring their lunches and talk. Yes, they've brought back the famous "lunch and learn" but not on any topics you want to learn about. (I'm just hoping most people aren't bringing this lunch along, or it will probably negate whatever they learn.)
No, our topic is, in a nutshell, "how do we get along and play well with others without acting like primadonnas." Guess we gotta start somewhere.
Thankfully, none of these are mandatory...and many are planned on my regularly scheduled day off. I'll be thinking about the stress relievers as I relieve my stress at home cleaning or at the salon getting my regularly scheduled services.
As they say, charity does really begin at home.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Nuggets for August 13
There were a whole lot of interesting items out there recently, so here are a few of them for your viewing pleasure.
You've got questions...
They've got answers, and no, it's not an electronics store. ConsultantLive had this great article on the ubiquitous purple urine bag. I've seen it a few times before (also blue) and asked questions about it, and never got a straight answer until I found this article. They also have a number of other articles of interest, so peruse at whim.
Crispy and brown
Feeling burnt out? Need to read something to get you going? Laura Wisniewski has this great article over at www.nursinglink.com called Re-Engage Your Passion for Nursing that has a few interesting points to ponder.
A telling anniversary
It's been ten years (yes, it was 1999) that the IOM published To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.
There are still lots and lots of mistakes happening out there. The Houston Chronicle (a Hearst Newspaper) recently ran a series called Dead by Mistake on what the state of error reporting is in the US, and it's not so hot. Don't miss it.
Study, study, study
I'm still doing some certification study (yes, it seems like forever...) and I ran into some terms I didn't recognize, so I went searching and found some articles of interest.
Glossopharyngeal breathing is used with some ventilated SCI patients. This article explains what exactly it is and how it works.
Figure ground deficit is explained in this Google Book called Neurological Disabilities: Assessment and Treatment.
I always feel weak in my studies of the brain, so I found this article about a particular TBI patient very interesting as an aside. (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
Privacy (or lack thereof)
And you thought a prescription was private (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
I just shuddered reading this article...what will they think of next? I'm sure all you pharmacists out there have some stories like this.
And everything else about bloggers
It seems like life is very electronic these days...with good and bad results. Here are a few articles about various topics related to blogging I've seen lately. And, no, some things just don't need to be blogged or explained electronically, at least not in my little world, thankyouverymuch!
Mommy bloggers and ethical conflicts (from http://www.cnn.com/)
A no tweet, no blog party (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
You've got questions...
They've got answers, and no, it's not an electronics store. ConsultantLive had this great article on the ubiquitous purple urine bag. I've seen it a few times before (also blue) and asked questions about it, and never got a straight answer until I found this article. They also have a number of other articles of interest, so peruse at whim.
Crispy and brown
Feeling burnt out? Need to read something to get you going? Laura Wisniewski has this great article over at www.nursinglink.com called Re-Engage Your Passion for Nursing that has a few interesting points to ponder.
A telling anniversary
It's been ten years (yes, it was 1999) that the IOM published To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.
There are still lots and lots of mistakes happening out there. The Houston Chronicle (a Hearst Newspaper) recently ran a series called Dead by Mistake on what the state of error reporting is in the US, and it's not so hot. Don't miss it.
Study, study, study
I'm still doing some certification study (yes, it seems like forever...) and I ran into some terms I didn't recognize, so I went searching and found some articles of interest.
Glossopharyngeal breathing is used with some ventilated SCI patients. This article explains what exactly it is and how it works.
Figure ground deficit is explained in this Google Book called Neurological Disabilities: Assessment and Treatment.
I always feel weak in my studies of the brain, so I found this article about a particular TBI patient very interesting as an aside. (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
Privacy (or lack thereof)
And you thought a prescription was private (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
I just shuddered reading this article...what will they think of next? I'm sure all you pharmacists out there have some stories like this.
And everything else about bloggers
It seems like life is very electronic these days...with good and bad results. Here are a few articles about various topics related to blogging I've seen lately. And, no, some things just don't need to be blogged or explained electronically, at least not in my little world, thankyouverymuch!
Mommy bloggers and ethical conflicts (from http://www.cnn.com/)
A no tweet, no blog party (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
Wild and wonderful
That's been my story at work lately. The transition from one shift to another sometimes can be wild.
One day, I walk in, get going and the gates of Hades open all at once. Nurse Assistant has a patient who's got shortness of breath and "looks funny". Well, he's not acting funny, but probably is a little shaky from the albuterol he just took. Get him situated, tell docs, do vitals, get more albuterol. In a few minutes, patient looks happy as a clam and is chatting away as the nurse assistant gets him ready.
Another day, the specialists round. They like me. Not only do I get to deal with my patients, I have to help them with paperwork on a couple of others, because I know how to work the computers for that feature, even though, all I do is act as a witness. Gee, I feel so special! Thankfully, boss and company only follow these people around once a week. Other nurses thank their lucky stars that they don't get "picked". I've known the specialist for a while before I came to Madison. He can be loud and obnoxious, but underneath, he's a softie. He just doesn't want any of the nurses to know that.
Doc Specialist is also a running doc. It seems like the specialists drift to one of two categories--they either golf or they run. Our leader is the exception. He's too brainy to do either; although, if I had to guess, he'd probably fall in a lot easier with the runners rather than the golfers.
So after all the wild and crazy antics, I get a phone call. Miraculously, I got a scholarship for grad school. They confirmed I was there to send the fax to me. I looked it over and saw it was for the entire amount of the program. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I'll have some other restrictions and requirements as a result, but my financial burden will be lessened. I was so relieved. I don't have to keep doing number-crunching to figure out how many extra shifts I need to pick up to pay for each semester. Now, I just have to concentrate on getting my work done and my schoolwork done...just like Bubba, who starts school soon. Should be fun getting into school routine after some time away from it.
More to come...stay tuned.
One day, I walk in, get going and the gates of Hades open all at once. Nurse Assistant has a patient who's got shortness of breath and "looks funny". Well, he's not acting funny, but probably is a little shaky from the albuterol he just took. Get him situated, tell docs, do vitals, get more albuterol. In a few minutes, patient looks happy as a clam and is chatting away as the nurse assistant gets him ready.
Another day, the specialists round. They like me. Not only do I get to deal with my patients, I have to help them with paperwork on a couple of others, because I know how to work the computers for that feature, even though, all I do is act as a witness. Gee, I feel so special! Thankfully, boss and company only follow these people around once a week. Other nurses thank their lucky stars that they don't get "picked". I've known the specialist for a while before I came to Madison. He can be loud and obnoxious, but underneath, he's a softie. He just doesn't want any of the nurses to know that.
Doc Specialist is also a running doc. It seems like the specialists drift to one of two categories--they either golf or they run. Our leader is the exception. He's too brainy to do either; although, if I had to guess, he'd probably fall in a lot easier with the runners rather than the golfers.
So after all the wild and crazy antics, I get a phone call. Miraculously, I got a scholarship for grad school. They confirmed I was there to send the fax to me. I looked it over and saw it was for the entire amount of the program. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I'll have some other restrictions and requirements as a result, but my financial burden will be lessened. I was so relieved. I don't have to keep doing number-crunching to figure out how many extra shifts I need to pick up to pay for each semester. Now, I just have to concentrate on getting my work done and my schoolwork done...just like Bubba, who starts school soon. Should be fun getting into school routine after some time away from it.
More to come...stay tuned.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Heard on the unit...
Aw, it's been forever since I've had enough goodies for this segment! But when patients speak, sometimes we just bite our tongues and run as fast as we can to our lunch break, so we can share with the rest of the folks on the unit and with the audience at home.
Situation 1
RN is educating patient about the proper way to use an incentive spirometer. After demonstrating proper technique, patient says, "Oh, that's just like what I do at home with my bong." RN listens as patient describes how marijuana "relaxes my legs so I can get into my chair."
Sorry, remember that non-smoking thing you signed to come here for rehab? Yep, it applies to Mary Jane, too.
Situation 2
RN is talking to patient re: helping himself (He's a lower level thoracic paraplegic, so he can do it) by dressing and turning himself. "Oh, I'm not going to do that (turning) at home. I'll just wake her up." (implying whatever woman happens to be in his bed.)
Nice. My reply, "So since Babe #1 is not here, could you just move the pillows and turn yourself, please?"
Situation 3
From patient who is not really observant about following his intermittent catheterization rules or fluid restrictions.
"Where's my nurse? I missed my appointment." says Mr. Drinks-A-Lot.
"What appointment?" I asked.
"My catheter appointment. I've got a headache."
"Yes," I replied, "and you realize this is a sign of dysreflexia, correct?"
Patient shakes head.
If only Tom and Ray were here to do this...more to come...eventually!
Situation 1
RN is educating patient about the proper way to use an incentive spirometer. After demonstrating proper technique, patient says, "Oh, that's just like what I do at home with my bong." RN listens as patient describes how marijuana "relaxes my legs so I can get into my chair."
Sorry, remember that non-smoking thing you signed to come here for rehab? Yep, it applies to Mary Jane, too.
Situation 2
RN is talking to patient re: helping himself (He's a lower level thoracic paraplegic, so he can do it) by dressing and turning himself. "Oh, I'm not going to do that (turning) at home. I'll just wake her up." (implying whatever woman happens to be in his bed.)
Nice. My reply, "So since Babe #1 is not here, could you just move the pillows and turn yourself, please?"
Situation 3
From patient who is not really observant about following his intermittent catheterization rules or fluid restrictions.
"Where's my nurse? I missed my appointment." says Mr. Drinks-A-Lot.
"What appointment?" I asked.
"My catheter appointment. I've got a headache."
"Yes," I replied, "and you realize this is a sign of dysreflexia, correct?"
Patient shakes head.
If only Tom and Ray were here to do this...more to come...eventually!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Ironies
There are just some things that are very ironic in my job.
First, no one expects anyone at the Madison to be efficient. As a professional, I expect my coworkers and team members to act that way, but apparently, it's only an illusion. We have people who are really, really professional, and others, who somehow missed the professional boat. Or it's just a hope, by some of the medical staff, that the nurses will screw up so they have something to complain about.
I'm not a transporter but occasionally, I have to transport my patients, when our one lowly transporter decides to do something else and not bother to notify the nurse manager or the charge nurse. This week, I had a person from another department actually stop me and ask me if "transporter" was somehow now on my badge, since she was so incredulous that RNs actually transport patients to and fro. Yes, Tina, RNs really do transport people in rehab! It's annoying, but it's just one of those tasks we get to do...and things that interrupt us (see page 7 in this article).
Second, doctors really need to have a communication class. For grins, we were reading notes on one of our patients. Note one said patient had been in an ICU situation and has a trach. Said patient wanted to talk so patient told attending, "Take this trach out." Said patient was so seriously ill that attending viewed this as the patient wanting to end his/her life. Attending, probably freaked out by patient wanting to end it all in his/her ICU, consulted psych. Note two said psych visited and patient repeatedly denied wanting to end his/her life. Patient stated, "I just want to take this thing out so I can talk." Can you imagine what would have happened if psych didn't get involved? This could have been the ultimate whoops situation.
One other good thing did occur: patient decided to have a family member act as healthcare POA in the event he/she really can't communicate.
Finally, I'm starting to think life is really like a collection of Seinfeld episodes. One of our patients looked just like a recurring character from the show. Many other folks on the floor (including myself) have bitten our tongues laughing as we want to yell his name as we stroll to his room down the hall. Besides humoring ourselves with this patient, we also spent a lot of the week talking about the Seinfeld episode about the English Patient. Yours truly finally got a copy and watched it...so that Seinfeld finally makes sense. We don't have any English patients, but the ironies of that movie and Seinfeld linger in our little world.
Stay tuned. More merriment to come...
First, no one expects anyone at the Madison to be efficient. As a professional, I expect my coworkers and team members to act that way, but apparently, it's only an illusion. We have people who are really, really professional, and others, who somehow missed the professional boat. Or it's just a hope, by some of the medical staff, that the nurses will screw up so they have something to complain about.
I'm not a transporter but occasionally, I have to transport my patients, when our one lowly transporter decides to do something else and not bother to notify the nurse manager or the charge nurse. This week, I had a person from another department actually stop me and ask me if "transporter" was somehow now on my badge, since she was so incredulous that RNs actually transport patients to and fro. Yes, Tina, RNs really do transport people in rehab! It's annoying, but it's just one of those tasks we get to do...and things that interrupt us (see page 7 in this article).
Second, doctors really need to have a communication class. For grins, we were reading notes on one of our patients. Note one said patient had been in an ICU situation and has a trach. Said patient wanted to talk so patient told attending, "Take this trach out." Said patient was so seriously ill that attending viewed this as the patient wanting to end his/her life. Attending, probably freaked out by patient wanting to end it all in his/her ICU, consulted psych. Note two said psych visited and patient repeatedly denied wanting to end his/her life. Patient stated, "I just want to take this thing out so I can talk." Can you imagine what would have happened if psych didn't get involved? This could have been the ultimate whoops situation.
One other good thing did occur: patient decided to have a family member act as healthcare POA in the event he/she really can't communicate.
Finally, I'm starting to think life is really like a collection of Seinfeld episodes. One of our patients looked just like a recurring character from the show. Many other folks on the floor (including myself) have bitten our tongues laughing as we want to yell his name as we stroll to his room down the hall. Besides humoring ourselves with this patient, we also spent a lot of the week talking about the Seinfeld episode about the English Patient. Yours truly finally got a copy and watched it...so that Seinfeld finally makes sense. We don't have any English patients, but the ironies of that movie and Seinfeld linger in our little world.
Stay tuned. More merriment to come...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
It's that time of day...
...when you can say, "go on and head for the mountains."
Wait, this ain't no beer commercial! Head on over to Man-Nurse Diaries and check out the latest version of Change of Shift. And, I'm not going to spoil it, but you HAVE to read the fine print at the end. MND, you surely had fun with this one...in more ways than one!
Thanks for including me in this edition, and go crack open your favorite beverage, if you're so inclined.
More to come...
Wait, this ain't no beer commercial! Head on over to Man-Nurse Diaries and check out the latest version of Change of Shift. And, I'm not going to spoil it, but you HAVE to read the fine print at the end. MND, you surely had fun with this one...in more ways than one!
Thanks for including me in this edition, and go crack open your favorite beverage, if you're so inclined.
More to come...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Cookin'
That's what I'm doing on my day off, enjoying the overcast skies. If I could sing on key, I'd probably pen an ode to my favorite kitchen appliance.
A little housecleaning, a little shopping and a little visiting with friends will make my day complete.
Stay tuned...it's back to the ranch soon, so more fun ahead!
A little housecleaning, a little shopping and a little visiting with friends will make my day complete.
Stay tuned...it's back to the ranch soon, so more fun ahead!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Life and death
I've been lucky this week. Things finally calmed down. My first couple of days were pretty exciting.
There is always a hustle and bustle on one particular day of the week, because it's this day that we get the most patients admitted to the unit. This day also is the day I work my evening shift after a day of rest. Sometimes, I have time to get rolling and other times, I have no time at all and that was the case.
I got in and one of my patients needed blood after the first two hours of the shift. Only no one got his consent, which means I had to track down our doc, who was long gone and out of pager range, then call the local on call doc to get him/her to come over to do the MD portion of the paperwork. Said patient was a little perturbed because his favorite MD never told him he might need blood. Happily, he got over that, and I got the blood started before the end of my shift and even led one of the new nurses in the process so he/she would get some practice, since we don't give too much blood at night. All was good.
The next day, everyone's happy and I'm actually getting into my rooms right after report. In one room I smell something funny. I look and see my quad patient has bursted his colostomy. Get goodies and clean him up. I think the wafer is intact, so I get ready to put the new bag on, and discover it's not. Get all stuff set up and put on new wafer. Three sides are taped with pink tape (because he needs it) and all of a sudden I see a geyser. Thankfully, I caught it with the nearby towel. (Nursing students: never change a colostomy bag without one...if you do, do so at your own risk!) Finish cleaning, finish taping and I kept praying all night he wouldn't do that number again.
Another patient recently asked me about last rites and whether he got them when he was very ill. Since we have an active chaplain service, it was really easy to check the chart. Besides, I told him, spiritual care is also mandated by JCAHO.
One day, I came in to the news that one of our recently discharged patients had died. It was shocking, because, he/she was young and in a way, it wasn't. This patient always denied suicidal ideation, but something about him/her caused a faraway look on their face that made you think they would not be around for a long time. We often talked about ghosts and somewhat about death, because our unit has a reputation for being haunted. Said patient even stated that he/she saw something in one of the rooms he was in that lead him/her to believe that the stories were true--curtains jiggling at night, and a reflection in the mirror when no one was around. He/she wasn't worried, because he/she hoped his/her roommate, who died during his/her time was the ghost hanging out in that room, because it was comforting.
And so the week of work is ending, and the sturgeon moon is on the way. We'll just wait and see how it goes. More to come...stay tuned!
There is always a hustle and bustle on one particular day of the week, because it's this day that we get the most patients admitted to the unit. This day also is the day I work my evening shift after a day of rest. Sometimes, I have time to get rolling and other times, I have no time at all and that was the case.
I got in and one of my patients needed blood after the first two hours of the shift. Only no one got his consent, which means I had to track down our doc, who was long gone and out of pager range, then call the local on call doc to get him/her to come over to do the MD portion of the paperwork. Said patient was a little perturbed because his favorite MD never told him he might need blood. Happily, he got over that, and I got the blood started before the end of my shift and even led one of the new nurses in the process so he/she would get some practice, since we don't give too much blood at night. All was good.
The next day, everyone's happy and I'm actually getting into my rooms right after report. In one room I smell something funny. I look and see my quad patient has bursted his colostomy. Get goodies and clean him up. I think the wafer is intact, so I get ready to put the new bag on, and discover it's not. Get all stuff set up and put on new wafer. Three sides are taped with pink tape (because he needs it) and all of a sudden I see a geyser. Thankfully, I caught it with the nearby towel. (Nursing students: never change a colostomy bag without one...if you do, do so at your own risk!) Finish cleaning, finish taping and I kept praying all night he wouldn't do that number again.
Another patient recently asked me about last rites and whether he got them when he was very ill. Since we have an active chaplain service, it was really easy to check the chart. Besides, I told him, spiritual care is also mandated by JCAHO.
One day, I came in to the news that one of our recently discharged patients had died. It was shocking, because, he/she was young and in a way, it wasn't. This patient always denied suicidal ideation, but something about him/her caused a faraway look on their face that made you think they would not be around for a long time. We often talked about ghosts and somewhat about death, because our unit has a reputation for being haunted. Said patient even stated that he/she saw something in one of the rooms he was in that lead him/her to believe that the stories were true--curtains jiggling at night, and a reflection in the mirror when no one was around. He/she wasn't worried, because he/she hoped his/her roommate, who died during his/her time was the ghost hanging out in that room, because it was comforting.
And so the week of work is ending, and the sturgeon moon is on the way. We'll just wait and see how it goes. More to come...stay tuned!
Happy Birthday Emergiblog!
Yes, today's the day four odd years ago that Kim started her blog, and the multiple minions of the nursing world, myself included, in the big and small cities, megahospitals and clinics, have followed in her much larger footsteps.
How lucky we are, since Emergiblog not only tells you about life in the ER, but also brought Change of Shift to life, which has given the world a little slice of the realities of nursing life out there.
As they say in Poland, sto lat...may you have a hundred more!
How lucky we are, since Emergiblog not only tells you about life in the ER, but also brought Change of Shift to life, which has given the world a little slice of the realities of nursing life out there.
As they say in Poland, sto lat...may you have a hundred more!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Rain!
That means no weeding for me, but at least, I don't have to water the tomatoes. Busy, busy day. More to come later this weekend...stay tuned!
Friday, July 31, 2009
The story of my day
I have always liked words. The dictionary was my friend as a kid. I always liked to look up obscure words so I could use them in my spelling sentences....when I had to do them (I got out of this homework frequently through some other endeavors...)
As I finally got a minute last shift to start documenting, I thought about what was really happening and a couple of words came to mind.
While I ran myself hither and yon the first four hours, I really wasn't idle (my first word), but I'd suspect some of the chitchat here and there was. As I'm running around, I don't mind speed chatting or bantering with the patients as I hang all of my patients IVs for the shift. My night--come in, run an IV, stop, flush, run another IV of Vancomycin, stop, flush, hold and run another IV, and so on, like a bad TV commercial. I can't get too in-depth.
Unfortunately, sometimes oncoming report is a little too idle. We have some nurses who will give you the new orders list (we write one as we take things off) and your report the same way every time and it's complete. A couple of our people are new and they still haven't learned how to give report, so they tend to engage in idle chatter and miss the big stuff. Like the blood cultures ordered three hours before end-of-shift that have to be done today or the 102 temp that the patient getting blood just spiked near the end of his transfusion, or the report on the patient who returned from acute. It wasn't a big deal for anyone else, but it was for me, since I was his nurse.
Eventually, the last four hours drifted into the idyll category. Our neighborhood isn't exactly pastoral, but sometimes, it is pretty, just before dark, and this night, it was exceptional. The sky was a pinkish-red that glowed as the sun set. I only noticed it because I had a minute to look out the window when I called my husband. It made me think of that old saying, "Red at night, sailor's delight." My patients, including the returning one, were quiet and happy. They got all their nightly pills and drifted off to sleep. The only thing that broke the idyll was a fever in another patient, which required an all-hands fire drill to get all the labs pulled before the oncoming shift came.
So we left our coworkers with an idle, idyllic moment of their own, with sleeping patients, as we walked out the door into the cool of midnight.
More later...
As I finally got a minute last shift to start documenting, I thought about what was really happening and a couple of words came to mind.
While I ran myself hither and yon the first four hours, I really wasn't idle (my first word), but I'd suspect some of the chitchat here and there was. As I'm running around, I don't mind speed chatting or bantering with the patients as I hang all of my patients IVs for the shift. My night--come in, run an IV, stop, flush, run another IV of Vancomycin, stop, flush, hold and run another IV, and so on, like a bad TV commercial. I can't get too in-depth.
Unfortunately, sometimes oncoming report is a little too idle. We have some nurses who will give you the new orders list (we write one as we take things off) and your report the same way every time and it's complete. A couple of our people are new and they still haven't learned how to give report, so they tend to engage in idle chatter and miss the big stuff. Like the blood cultures ordered three hours before end-of-shift that have to be done today or the 102 temp that the patient getting blood just spiked near the end of his transfusion, or the report on the patient who returned from acute. It wasn't a big deal for anyone else, but it was for me, since I was his nurse.
Eventually, the last four hours drifted into the idyll category. Our neighborhood isn't exactly pastoral, but sometimes, it is pretty, just before dark, and this night, it was exceptional. The sky was a pinkish-red that glowed as the sun set. I only noticed it because I had a minute to look out the window when I called my husband. It made me think of that old saying, "Red at night, sailor's delight." My patients, including the returning one, were quiet and happy. They got all their nightly pills and drifted off to sleep. The only thing that broke the idyll was a fever in another patient, which required an all-hands fire drill to get all the labs pulled before the oncoming shift came.
So we left our coworkers with an idle, idyllic moment of their own, with sleeping patients, as we walked out the door into the cool of midnight.
More later...
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!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The start of something big
Yes, the big ol' week, that is. Thankfully, it's been more entertaining than irritating so far.
It's always nice to come back after a vacation of any sort. I was discussing this with one of my coworkers today and she mentioned it was the first time in months that she would be off a week. I told her my last vacation (of about the same length) was just wonderful. The freedoms of waking up when you want and doing things that need to be done when you want is incredible.
The unit's getting more occupants this week. Some are regular suspects, such as the drug addict who's always got problems with his teeth. This time, he just added a couple more problems and most of them were courtesy of non-specialty physicians in his neck of the woods out-of-state. We could have saved him some time and trouble admitting him earlier, but when he's such a handful, no one really wants him back.
We also got a VIP...or at least this patient thinks he/she's one. I'm so happy I got to admit the other character. I was so upset I didn't hear tons of complaints about how "backward" the unit is, either, among the litany of shortcomings said person regaled the admitting nurse over two hours. My response: Hello, please tell someone who can do something about it! We're still waiting for Santa Claus to remodel and get us all the goodies and toys, like wireless internet access, that you're looking for in your accomodation. Besides, you'll only be here a couple of days, so why not just go a couple of miles that way and stay in a hotel with the person who brought you if it's so rotten here? Yes, I'm thinking all of this, as I put on my best, fake, customer service smile, and thanking my lucky stars that those mind-reading things are not on the market right now!
The Slug came back, with somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde personality going on...one minute, nice, one minute her usual pain in the arse self. Not sure why...but still happy from vacation, so I don't care. One of our new nurses, who's been around the block, had fun teasing her, so we just enjoyed ourselves. This nurse is a breath of fresh air and has been a nurse for a long time. She came to us because of local downsizing, and we're happy we could get her. She doesn't wear a cape, but she does have the skills to do a super job.
Happily, the day rolled along and I actually got out on time. All paperwork complete, people fluffed and buffed and everything done as ordered. Now I get my requisite days to prepare for my long stretch ahead...the something big called working the entire weekend.
Stay tuned...more to come.
It's always nice to come back after a vacation of any sort. I was discussing this with one of my coworkers today and she mentioned it was the first time in months that she would be off a week. I told her my last vacation (of about the same length) was just wonderful. The freedoms of waking up when you want and doing things that need to be done when you want is incredible.
The unit's getting more occupants this week. Some are regular suspects, such as the drug addict who's always got problems with his teeth. This time, he just added a couple more problems and most of them were courtesy of non-specialty physicians in his neck of the woods out-of-state. We could have saved him some time and trouble admitting him earlier, but when he's such a handful, no one really wants him back.
We also got a VIP...or at least this patient thinks he/she's one. I'm so happy I got to admit the other character. I was so upset I didn't hear tons of complaints about how "backward" the unit is, either, among the litany of shortcomings said person regaled the admitting nurse over two hours. My response: Hello, please tell someone who can do something about it! We're still waiting for Santa Claus to remodel and get us all the goodies and toys, like wireless internet access, that you're looking for in your accomodation. Besides, you'll only be here a couple of days, so why not just go a couple of miles that way and stay in a hotel with the person who brought you if it's so rotten here? Yes, I'm thinking all of this, as I put on my best, fake, customer service smile, and thanking my lucky stars that those mind-reading things are not on the market right now!
The Slug came back, with somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde personality going on...one minute, nice, one minute her usual pain in the arse self. Not sure why...but still happy from vacation, so I don't care. One of our new nurses, who's been around the block, had fun teasing her, so we just enjoyed ourselves. This nurse is a breath of fresh air and has been a nurse for a long time. She came to us because of local downsizing, and we're happy we could get her. She doesn't wear a cape, but she does have the skills to do a super job.
Happily, the day rolled along and I actually got out on time. All paperwork complete, people fluffed and buffed and everything done as ordered. Now I get my requisite days to prepare for my long stretch ahead...the something big called working the entire weekend.
Stay tuned...more to come.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sort, shift, shuffle
And that's how I'm ending a pleasant vacation at home. A few major things done, lots of minor things, and lots of assorted miscellany in between. Now I'm sorting school-related paperwork.
Except for a little sinus craziness going on, I feel pretty good. I wish I could do this little three day thing every month. (My boss would kill me, I'm sure!). I am also thankful. In talking with people I haven't talked to in a long time, I realize that I am happy and healthy and I'd just better start to be grateful for that. Many of my friends have their own health issues and lots and lots of caregiver strain issues.
Well, back to paper shuffling...then on to dinner with friends. I can't think of a better way to end vacation.
I'll be back to the old grind tomorrow. Stay tuned...I've got lots of goodies planned next week. Thanks for stopping by everyone! You make my day...now leave a comment if you please! ;->
Except for a little sinus craziness going on, I feel pretty good. I wish I could do this little three day thing every month. (My boss would kill me, I'm sure!). I am also thankful. In talking with people I haven't talked to in a long time, I realize that I am happy and healthy and I'd just better start to be grateful for that. Many of my friends have their own health issues and lots and lots of caregiver strain issues.
Well, back to paper shuffling...then on to dinner with friends. I can't think of a better way to end vacation.
I'll be back to the old grind tomorrow. Stay tuned...I've got lots of goodies planned next week. Thanks for stopping by everyone! You make my day...now leave a comment if you please! ;->
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, Friday...
Finally, it's sticking in my head that it's Friday. It should since I was able to do all of the things I enjoy on my occasional Fridays such as the following.
First, Bubba went on his weekly pilgrimage out with me and Dahey for breakfast. I can't remember exactly when we started this, but it's been going on so long, the staff remember when we hauled him in the restaurant in his carrier as a baby.
Next, I went to see my friend Giacomo. He survived vacation which included visiting the multitudes of sisters in his native land near the Erie Canal. Not just one sister, but the entire flock of them, along with mom and the requisite contingent of nieces. He was still reeling from being the lone male around and getting all the "attention." In his family, it's not always good to have attention...
Following that, I also saw some of the coffee people I haven't seen in ages. Dahey told me I need to get a medical file, since most of the oldsters are now answering my "How are you?" with all sort of medical complaints and requests for advice. It's hard to be blunt with them when a) they're old, b) they know your entire family--grandparents, parents, etc., and c) a few of them can tell you about your odd habits when you were younger. (just in case you think you're getting too smart for your britches!) For the most part, they're happy and for now, healthy, and I thank God for that. Besides, a few of them even love my zucchini bread!
Whenever I work evenings, or if I happen to be off, Dahey and I usually go somewhere for lunch. This is a good thing because we get to try new restaurants without having to bring our small restaurant critic along. Today, it was soul food near a place I used to work. This end of town was quite scary when I worked there, but every time I come back now, it's getting better and better. The food was magnificent. I thought I died and went to heaven when I got the smothered pork. The portion was so big, with the mac and cheese and the green beans, that I put half away. It probably won't last too long tomorrow.
I keep looking ahead and try to prepare myself for going back to work. I really understand when some of our older nurses say, "It was really hard for me this time to go back." This little vacation has been wonderful. I have made contacts with people I haven't talked to in years all over the world. I have had lunch with friends who I don't normally see, even though they live within two miles of me. I realize more and more how lucky I am in my life, as crazy as it sometimes can be. It has been a thoroughly amazing time.
Tomorrow I get to do a few more things, then start preparing for the return to work. We'll just keep cruising along...stay tuned!
First, Bubba went on his weekly pilgrimage out with me and Dahey for breakfast. I can't remember exactly when we started this, but it's been going on so long, the staff remember when we hauled him in the restaurant in his carrier as a baby.
Next, I went to see my friend Giacomo. He survived vacation which included visiting the multitudes of sisters in his native land near the Erie Canal. Not just one sister, but the entire flock of them, along with mom and the requisite contingent of nieces. He was still reeling from being the lone male around and getting all the "attention." In his family, it's not always good to have attention...
Following that, I also saw some of the coffee people I haven't seen in ages. Dahey told me I need to get a medical file, since most of the oldsters are now answering my "How are you?" with all sort of medical complaints and requests for advice. It's hard to be blunt with them when a) they're old, b) they know your entire family--grandparents, parents, etc., and c) a few of them can tell you about your odd habits when you were younger. (just in case you think you're getting too smart for your britches!) For the most part, they're happy and for now, healthy, and I thank God for that. Besides, a few of them even love my zucchini bread!
Whenever I work evenings, or if I happen to be off, Dahey and I usually go somewhere for lunch. This is a good thing because we get to try new restaurants without having to bring our small restaurant critic along. Today, it was soul food near a place I used to work. This end of town was quite scary when I worked there, but every time I come back now, it's getting better and better. The food was magnificent. I thought I died and went to heaven when I got the smothered pork. The portion was so big, with the mac and cheese and the green beans, that I put half away. It probably won't last too long tomorrow.
I keep looking ahead and try to prepare myself for going back to work. I really understand when some of our older nurses say, "It was really hard for me this time to go back." This little vacation has been wonderful. I have made contacts with people I haven't talked to in years all over the world. I have had lunch with friends who I don't normally see, even though they live within two miles of me. I realize more and more how lucky I am in my life, as crazy as it sometimes can be. It has been a thoroughly amazing time.
Tomorrow I get to do a few more things, then start preparing for the return to work. We'll just keep cruising along...stay tuned!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Change of Shift is up in Australia
Head on over and see what Ross has running on his Nurse in Australia blog. Enjoy this installment!
http://www.nurseinaustralia.com/change-of-shift-sunshine-coast-edition/
http://www.nurseinaustralia.com/change-of-shift-sunshine-coast-edition/
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Nuggets for July 22
Yes, it's back on its regular day. It's gonna be a long post with all the interesting stuff out there, so sit back and enjoy yourself or read in bits if you're working.
I'm really enjoying the heck out of this vacation so in between housework, networking and shopping (the other important "work"), I've been surfing away. Please enjoy as you see fit in your neck of the woods.
The nursing shortage
It's incredible how there is a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing on reporting on the nursing employment. One minute it's dire, the next minute, wonderful, since all those nurses contemplating retirement are staying. I'm just going to chalk it up to American business and the "short term syndrome". Basically, if it's not a problem now, it won't be later, even if demographic trends suggest otherwise.
I'm also crossing my fingers that I don't break my hip in the next 10-20 years, since I'll have to be my own rehab nurse the way things are going.
ACP internist (MD) weighs in on this topic and the glut of nurses.
Kathy Quan (RN) presents the other side: shortage.
Health news of note
Here are a few stories I found very interesting in the health arena. Somebody needs to take me to Greece to complete the one study, though. A long, faraway vacation would be very nice, thank you!
Sex and sleep are just as important as antioxidants (from the 360 blog at www.cnn.com)
This study about people on a Greek island was pretty hopeful in the long-term view.
Want to know if your health habits are making you younger or older? Check out the Longevity Calculator.
Disclosure: I do take an extra vitamin and mineral, but I don't traditionally recommend these as treatments to my patients. This article called Docs and nurses use and recommend diet supplements from www.reuters.com was interesting because it discusses how most doctors and nurses had little education in supplement use.
From the NY Times
This article from the NY Times shows Vets' Mental Health Diagnoses Rising among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Cases-Our Scars Tell the Stories of our Lives made me think about how I look at scars on my patients.
Etc.
Yes, they're released annually, and Madison didn't even make it in as an honorable mention, although some of our system hospitals did show up....way down the list. The US News and Report of America's Best Hospitals even has a couple not far away, if I do need one for specialty care.
Our friends in Canada put a great story in The Globe and Mail recently: Pop culture gives way to peep culture.
Fun!
And last, but not least, who's not going to have fun on vacation? Well, I surely am, and from the looks of some of these goodies, even people at work are having fun and entertaining others, wittingly or unwittingly.
Lost on the Floor just moved, but he is finding some fun in Chart Bloopers.
Braden and many of the ER nurses are always finding great patient complaints. Here's one of his latest patient reasons for visits to the ER at 20 out of 10.
Ahoy! Yes, I'm married to an escaped sailor, so I'm just going to have to order one of these nursey things for my locker, because somedays, I'd really like to raise the Jolly Roger when storming the poop deck on evenings.
I'm really enjoying the heck out of this vacation so in between housework, networking and shopping (the other important "work"), I've been surfing away. Please enjoy as you see fit in your neck of the woods.
The nursing shortage
It's incredible how there is a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing on reporting on the nursing employment. One minute it's dire, the next minute, wonderful, since all those nurses contemplating retirement are staying. I'm just going to chalk it up to American business and the "short term syndrome". Basically, if it's not a problem now, it won't be later, even if demographic trends suggest otherwise.
I'm also crossing my fingers that I don't break my hip in the next 10-20 years, since I'll have to be my own rehab nurse the way things are going.
ACP internist (MD) weighs in on this topic and the glut of nurses.
Kathy Quan (RN) presents the other side: shortage.
Health news of note
Here are a few stories I found very interesting in the health arena. Somebody needs to take me to Greece to complete the one study, though. A long, faraway vacation would be very nice, thank you!
Sex and sleep are just as important as antioxidants (from the 360 blog at www.cnn.com)
This study about people on a Greek island was pretty hopeful in the long-term view.
Want to know if your health habits are making you younger or older? Check out the Longevity Calculator.
Disclosure: I do take an extra vitamin and mineral, but I don't traditionally recommend these as treatments to my patients. This article called Docs and nurses use and recommend diet supplements from www.reuters.com was interesting because it discusses how most doctors and nurses had little education in supplement use.
From the NY Times
This article from the NY Times shows Vets' Mental Health Diagnoses Rising among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Cases-Our Scars Tell the Stories of our Lives made me think about how I look at scars on my patients.
Etc.
Yes, they're released annually, and Madison didn't even make it in as an honorable mention, although some of our system hospitals did show up....way down the list. The US News and Report of America's Best Hospitals even has a couple not far away, if I do need one for specialty care.
Our friends in Canada put a great story in The Globe and Mail recently: Pop culture gives way to peep culture.
Fun!
And last, but not least, who's not going to have fun on vacation? Well, I surely am, and from the looks of some of these goodies, even people at work are having fun and entertaining others, wittingly or unwittingly.
Lost on the Floor just moved, but he is finding some fun in Chart Bloopers.
Braden and many of the ER nurses are always finding great patient complaints. Here's one of his latest patient reasons for visits to the ER at 20 out of 10.
Ahoy! Yes, I'm married to an escaped sailor, so I'm just going to have to order one of these nursey things for my locker, because somedays, I'd really like to raise the Jolly Roger when storming the poop deck on evenings.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Shout out
Hooray! Vacation! Vacation! I just thought I'd drop by to share those thoughts. Lots of thoughts actually are whirling around in my head right now. While it's another semi-staycation at home, I'll be putting the fingers to the keyboard reading and writing. I'd like to say hi to all the folks I've been seeing showing up in my sitemeter recently, since I don't get too many comments (that moderation thing must scare off some folks).
To my friends in Picardie, France...
Salut mes potes! Soyez le bienvenue...merci de votre visites hier et aujourd'hui. J'aime la France!
...and in Quebec, la belle province...
Je t'ai envoye mon pote americain pour manger de poutine! Attention!
To my friends in the southern US...
Hey, y'all, thanks for visiting. I gotta find me some grits now that I had a patient from N'awlins talking about them all night last night. Hope y'all come back now!
To all my Aussie friends, especially in Sydney...
Thanks for visiting. One of these days I'm coming your way.
And finally, to all you anonymous people...
Thank you, too, wherever you are.
More to come...
To my friends in Picardie, France...
Salut mes potes! Soyez le bienvenue...merci de votre visites hier et aujourd'hui. J'aime la France!
...and in Quebec, la belle province...
Je t'ai envoye mon pote americain pour manger de poutine! Attention!
To my friends in the southern US...
Hey, y'all, thanks for visiting. I gotta find me some grits now that I had a patient from N'awlins talking about them all night last night. Hope y'all come back now!
To all my Aussie friends, especially in Sydney...
Thanks for visiting. One of these days I'm coming your way.
And finally, to all you anonymous people...
Thank you, too, wherever you are.
More to come...
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Pondering the universe
When it's a slow shift, I often go out looking for stuff. It's just my nature to be busy. Perhaps a little too much of the "idle hands are the tool of the Devil" stuff when I was a kid.
I was surfing away this morning and ran into this post at Reality Rounds. Thankfully, in rehab settings, we don't drop "the bomb" on people too much. That bomb has already exploded by the time we get people, due to accident, illness or other random idiocy, and we're busy picking up pieces and putting things back together for the rest of life.
As a result of too much time, I started looking at labs, and found a high alkaline phosphatase on one of our old timers. We don't diagnose, of course, but when you can historically look at trends, it makes you wonder what's going on with people. I also think it helps me to talk to doctors to see what their take of the situation is with said patient.
Of course, when we have free time, there's always something silly. One nurse buggered up her iPhone and it would not vibrate. We tried to get her to check out www.apple.com to find out what was wrong with it (maybe in the user's guide...hmm?!) but she waited to see what her significant other would say about this problem, since he could fix it since he has the same phone.
Another patient got a generic gadget catalog similar to Harriet Carter. But, he was in for a surprise when he opened one page...they weren't selling any Billy Mays stuff or SlamChops, no they were selling vibrators. He's wondering if the person who gave him the catalog is trying to drop a hint. We shall see, as this becomes yet another inside joke on the unit.
Yes, we have inside jokes everywhere at our place. It's simply a way of coping with time, space and personnel for a lot of our people, who spend an enormous amount of time with us. One guy has his "wife" on our unit. (that's what he calls one of our nurses, who constantly nags him to check his blood sugar).
Finally, a couple of our people said goodbye this week. They went home. One is travelling to a home he's never seen with his long-time fiancee. Another patient is going home, then travelling across the country to live near relatives and meet his online girlfriend. His wife has been gone for a long time and he's finally decided he doesn't want to be alone anymore, after surviving one health issue after another. He is a very smart man, often moody, but frequently nice when he wants to be. With all he's gone through, he deserves whatever happiness he can get.
More later...stay tuned.
I was surfing away this morning and ran into this post at Reality Rounds. Thankfully, in rehab settings, we don't drop "the bomb" on people too much. That bomb has already exploded by the time we get people, due to accident, illness or other random idiocy, and we're busy picking up pieces and putting things back together for the rest of life.
As a result of too much time, I started looking at labs, and found a high alkaline phosphatase on one of our old timers. We don't diagnose, of course, but when you can historically look at trends, it makes you wonder what's going on with people. I also think it helps me to talk to doctors to see what their take of the situation is with said patient.
Of course, when we have free time, there's always something silly. One nurse buggered up her iPhone and it would not vibrate. We tried to get her to check out www.apple.com to find out what was wrong with it (maybe in the user's guide...hmm?!) but she waited to see what her significant other would say about this problem, since he could fix it since he has the same phone.
Another patient got a generic gadget catalog similar to Harriet Carter. But, he was in for a surprise when he opened one page...they weren't selling any Billy Mays stuff or SlamChops, no they were selling vibrators. He's wondering if the person who gave him the catalog is trying to drop a hint. We shall see, as this becomes yet another inside joke on the unit.
Yes, we have inside jokes everywhere at our place. It's simply a way of coping with time, space and personnel for a lot of our people, who spend an enormous amount of time with us. One guy has his "wife" on our unit. (that's what he calls one of our nurses, who constantly nags him to check his blood sugar).
Finally, a couple of our people said goodbye this week. They went home. One is travelling to a home he's never seen with his long-time fiancee. Another patient is going home, then travelling across the country to live near relatives and meet his online girlfriend. His wife has been gone for a long time and he's finally decided he doesn't want to be alone anymore, after surviving one health issue after another. He is a very smart man, often moody, but frequently nice when he wants to be. With all he's gone through, he deserves whatever happiness he can get.
More later...stay tuned.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Nursing practices and current trends
It surely sounds like I'm ready to go into an infomercial, doesn't it? No, I just got out of my state's "What's new in nursing" continuing education class recently.
The first part of it was, "Here's what YourStateNursingAssociation is doing in the Legislature", which is often very dry. When they started going over how a bill turns into law which turns into nursing practice, I had to imbibe in my highly caffeinated soda, since I got sleepy. Thankfully, we got a break right after this part.
After the break, we had the biggest, most rousing part of the seminar--the use of Propofol and nursing section. I almost felt like I was in the new Harry Potter movie, since the presenter and some others referenced "the recent case" (about Michael Jackson), but they never said any names. This issue is a big deal, not just for nurses, but also for physicians who use this drug. Just reading the package insert opens up a whole new world of liability if CRNA is not after your name in the right setting. Lots of ERs in our state are using this for small procedures, like dislocated shoulders, bone setting and stabilization, etc.
We also had fun stuff, too. A collegue of one of my mentors in nursing school gave a presentation on electronic records which was really cool, especially the one that compared drug prices for patients in our area. The disparity was glaring. Atenolol 20mg in one county was $3 for 30 days and in another section of the same county, $30. There were a couple of glitches in the presentation, as happens with just about anything technical. It would have been even more interesting if all of the government websites she referenced were actually working. I guess those pesky hackers are still loose!
Outside of that, I'm still taming the paperwork monster. I'm starting to view our paperwork queen for scholarships as Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. One day, it's one thing, the next day another. I'm not sure why Paperwork queen wants all this stuff now, when I was told to wait for a cold day in the hereafter mere weeks ago, but I'm pushing the paper back and forth as fast as I can. They must have unearthed some money somewhere, somehow...and I'm not questioning it.
And school starts in a few weeks....and I already have homework. I'm so glad vacation is coming soon.
More later...
The first part of it was, "Here's what YourStateNursingAssociation is doing in the Legislature", which is often very dry. When they started going over how a bill turns into law which turns into nursing practice, I had to imbibe in my highly caffeinated soda, since I got sleepy. Thankfully, we got a break right after this part.
After the break, we had the biggest, most rousing part of the seminar--the use of Propofol and nursing section. I almost felt like I was in the new Harry Potter movie, since the presenter and some others referenced "the recent case" (about Michael Jackson), but they never said any names. This issue is a big deal, not just for nurses, but also for physicians who use this drug. Just reading the package insert opens up a whole new world of liability if CRNA is not after your name in the right setting. Lots of ERs in our state are using this for small procedures, like dislocated shoulders, bone setting and stabilization, etc.
We also had fun stuff, too. A collegue of one of my mentors in nursing school gave a presentation on electronic records which was really cool, especially the one that compared drug prices for patients in our area. The disparity was glaring. Atenolol 20mg in one county was $3 for 30 days and in another section of the same county, $30. There were a couple of glitches in the presentation, as happens with just about anything technical. It would have been even more interesting if all of the government websites she referenced were actually working. I guess those pesky hackers are still loose!
Outside of that, I'm still taming the paperwork monster. I'm starting to view our paperwork queen for scholarships as Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. One day, it's one thing, the next day another. I'm not sure why Paperwork queen wants all this stuff now, when I was told to wait for a cold day in the hereafter mere weeks ago, but I'm pushing the paper back and forth as fast as I can. They must have unearthed some money somewhere, somehow...and I'm not questioning it.
And school starts in a few weeks....and I already have homework. I'm so glad vacation is coming soon.
More later...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Bad!
And I'm not talking Michael Jackson, folks!
The housework is done, I'm sitting at the computer relaxing and the fun just rolls in via e-mail.
First, no grant money is available for these researchers due to the economy.
Second, these nurses lost their jobs for doing their jobs.
And if those two didn't seem bad enough, and you have the time, read this Peter Singer article about Why we must ration health care (from www.nytimes.com)
Enough! I'm escaping...more later.
The housework is done, I'm sitting at the computer relaxing and the fun just rolls in via e-mail.
First, no grant money is available for these researchers due to the economy.
Second, these nurses lost their jobs for doing their jobs.
And if those two didn't seem bad enough, and you have the time, read this Peter Singer article about Why we must ration health care (from www.nytimes.com)
Enough! I'm escaping...more later.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Did you ever think....
You'd be happy to see a letter from your employer? You would be if that letter tells you your lost lunch time was not in vain. The letter has a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo, but I may get enough to buy a few new uniforms...or put it in my grad school fund.
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Forget your troubles...
come on get happy!*
Yes, this blog has been named to the 50 Happy Nursing Blogs list.
Stay tuned...gotta run!
*from this Judy Garland song.
Yes, this blog has been named to the 50 Happy Nursing Blogs list.
Stay tuned...gotta run!
*from this Judy Garland song.
Nuggets for July 13
There are just too many exciting things going on outside in July. So when it gets hot, this nurse heads inside and surfs away. Here are a few of the interesting tidbits I've run into lately.
Enjoy wherever you are!
More Big Brother?
Someone is always talking about new accessibility tools in rehab. If you can't move a finger, there's a tool somewhere for you. Now, as these tools become more advanced, there are new issues. The next hacking frontier: your brain? (from www.cnn.com) talks about hacking and security for new neural tools.
Supporting nurses
As you know, a lot of nurses work to improve their practice by getting certified in their specialty. This article discusses the importance of support in nurse certification: Study Finds Work Satisfaction Tied to Certification Support (from www.nurse.com).
From the blogosphere...
I have to confess. I really love ImpactEDnurse. Those stories from the ED are just too funny. Here are a couple of my recent favorites:
What men really want in a hospital urinal
The well flocked swab
Maha at Call Bells Make Me Nervous has this great post about the q word (I'm not saying it!)
Psych Doc from Serenity Hospital has a great post about life in the clinic in Clinic Fun.
Enjoy wherever you are!
More Big Brother?
Someone is always talking about new accessibility tools in rehab. If you can't move a finger, there's a tool somewhere for you. Now, as these tools become more advanced, there are new issues. The next hacking frontier: your brain? (from www.cnn.com) talks about hacking and security for new neural tools.
Supporting nurses
As you know, a lot of nurses work to improve their practice by getting certified in their specialty. This article discusses the importance of support in nurse certification: Study Finds Work Satisfaction Tied to Certification Support (from www.nurse.com).
From the blogosphere...
I have to confess. I really love ImpactEDnurse. Those stories from the ED are just too funny. Here are a couple of my recent favorites:
What men really want in a hospital urinal
The well flocked swab
Maha at Call Bells Make Me Nervous has this great post about the q word (I'm not saying it!)
Psych Doc from Serenity Hospital has a great post about life in the clinic in Clinic Fun.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sweet end to the week
I didn't have to get angry at anyone today. I keep reminding myself that frowning will cause wrinkles, and just being happy for the heck of it will irritate the people who drive you nuts.
My people were pretty good. One was up and one in bed, but the census has been low, so I can round on them, and do lots of other stuff without issue. I even helped out another nurse who was busy with his/her heavy (literally and figuratively) patient. Family education is a big part of what we do, so I had to verify that this family could do what they say they can do. Besides, I like the patient. He's a very nice guy. It's not hard to help him.
I actually had time to get into lots of interesting discussions today: about lazy coworkers (one of whom was chewed out by the boss for his/her lack of diligence), family education and dynamics between spouses when one has a debilitating disease or condition, previous lives and packing boxes.
One of my coworkers may trade me her schedule for part of next week, so we'll see if the boss lets me do it. I hardly think it will be an issue, but you never know. With our pre-JCAHO inspection, who knows what will happen.
I'll ponder it all this weekend...while I rest and relax. Stay tuned!
My people were pretty good. One was up and one in bed, but the census has been low, so I can round on them, and do lots of other stuff without issue. I even helped out another nurse who was busy with his/her heavy (literally and figuratively) patient. Family education is a big part of what we do, so I had to verify that this family could do what they say they can do. Besides, I like the patient. He's a very nice guy. It's not hard to help him.
I actually had time to get into lots of interesting discussions today: about lazy coworkers (one of whom was chewed out by the boss for his/her lack of diligence), family education and dynamics between spouses when one has a debilitating disease or condition, previous lives and packing boxes.
One of my coworkers may trade me her schedule for part of next week, so we'll see if the boss lets me do it. I hardly think it will be an issue, but you never know. With our pre-JCAHO inspection, who knows what will happen.
I'll ponder it all this weekend...while I rest and relax. Stay tuned!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Is it psycho Thursday again?
That was my question this morning. Oh, why, oh, why do some people insist on being complete idiots?!
Psycho #1: The crazy patient who threatened everyone earlier in his stay was getting antsy when his pain meds were wearing off. So he asked for Tylenol. Which I didn't have an order for. Which required pulling (or finding) a doctor who was rounding willing to give me a verbal.
Got that, so all is good, right? Until...
Psycho #2: One of my coworkers made a mistake and started cleaning up one of my people. All this right after I had told him, "Go back to sleep and we'll get you cleaned up at 1030ish."
For some odd reason, the Slug decided she needed to yell at me and demand that I clean up another patient of mistaken employee. "No, I'm busy. (since I was still working on the order for Psycho #1 and I had my own other patient, in addition to med delivery). You're not the charge nurse. Go tell him/her if you have a problem." The Slug just kept getting in the way. Somehow, I managed to get everything done.
Psycho #3: The dreaded patient came in, and thankfully, left without issue. Said patient provokes PTSD in some of our nurses from the abuse on his/her last visit. Many people were really, really happy they didn't have to deal with that admission at this time.
To top it all off, we got the news that JC folks are on the prowl and should be visiting our hospital soon. If I wasn't having nightmares before, I'm sure they'll start now.
Less psychosis and more fun to come...stay tuned!
Psycho #1: The crazy patient who threatened everyone earlier in his stay was getting antsy when his pain meds were wearing off. So he asked for Tylenol. Which I didn't have an order for. Which required pulling (or finding) a doctor who was rounding willing to give me a verbal.
Got that, so all is good, right? Until...
Psycho #2: One of my coworkers made a mistake and started cleaning up one of my people. All this right after I had told him, "Go back to sleep and we'll get you cleaned up at 1030ish."
For some odd reason, the Slug decided she needed to yell at me and demand that I clean up another patient of mistaken employee. "No, I'm busy. (since I was still working on the order for Psycho #1 and I had my own other patient, in addition to med delivery). You're not the charge nurse. Go tell him/her if you have a problem." The Slug just kept getting in the way. Somehow, I managed to get everything done.
Psycho #3: The dreaded patient came in, and thankfully, left without issue. Said patient provokes PTSD in some of our nurses from the abuse on his/her last visit. Many people were really, really happy they didn't have to deal with that admission at this time.
To top it all off, we got the news that JC folks are on the prowl and should be visiting our hospital soon. If I wasn't having nightmares before, I'm sure they'll start now.
Less psychosis and more fun to come...stay tuned!
Happy Birthday CoS!
It's the birthday edition over at Change of Shift, hosted this week by Kim at emergiblog. Go check it out!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fantasy becomes reality
Lots of good and potentially not so good stuff going on today, so some fantasies readily become reality and some we wish would just go away.
First, one of our patients who was very depressed during his/her stay came to us in a very good mood. Said patient has a goal--to go hunting this fall. All patient needs is a letter from us so patient can get a special permit from our nearby state to participate in a special program. We wished patient well and hopefully, this fall, we'll see some venison sausage and lots of smiles. If only we could convince more of our patients to participate in the Wheelchair Games!
Second, lots of things were discussed recently with our team, which includes the nurses. One of the worst patients the place has ever seen may be returning to the unit. Said patient is so abusive and mean to staff that some long-serving nurses have threatened to quit if said patient is brought back. It's all about policy and paperwork, so we'll see what happens.
Third, my patient who's been wanting to get out of bed for days got his wish. His bowel problems resolved enough that I was able to get him out of bed for his allotted hours. He went to therapy and worked his arms so much he was tired by the time he got back, so I put him to bed.
Finally, our facility is cutting more costs. Our own "Chainsaw Al" is willing to burn and pillage to make a name. We can only wait to see what happens next, as I pretty much kiss any hope of anything extra for school or certification goodbye.
Maybe that lottery fantasy comes true, so while I wait, I'm still filling out scholarship forms. It's a long shot, but at least, most scholarships have better odds than the lottery.
More later...
First, one of our patients who was very depressed during his/her stay came to us in a very good mood. Said patient has a goal--to go hunting this fall. All patient needs is a letter from us so patient can get a special permit from our nearby state to participate in a special program. We wished patient well and hopefully, this fall, we'll see some venison sausage and lots of smiles. If only we could convince more of our patients to participate in the Wheelchair Games!
Second, lots of things were discussed recently with our team, which includes the nurses. One of the worst patients the place has ever seen may be returning to the unit. Said patient is so abusive and mean to staff that some long-serving nurses have threatened to quit if said patient is brought back. It's all about policy and paperwork, so we'll see what happens.
Third, my patient who's been wanting to get out of bed for days got his wish. His bowel problems resolved enough that I was able to get him out of bed for his allotted hours. He went to therapy and worked his arms so much he was tired by the time he got back, so I put him to bed.
Finally, our facility is cutting more costs. Our own "Chainsaw Al" is willing to burn and pillage to make a name. We can only wait to see what happens next, as I pretty much kiss any hope of anything extra for school or certification goodbye.
Maybe that lottery fantasy comes true, so while I wait, I'm still filling out scholarship forms. It's a long shot, but at least, most scholarships have better odds than the lottery.
More later...
RehabRN book club - Summer 09 edition
Yes, I finally am taking the time to write about what I've been reading outside of nursing-related material.
Here are a some of the interesting reads of late. Enjoy!
First on the list, David Whyte's The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship. Sure, this looked like a deep read from the title, but actually, it's a pretty manageable book that's a) short (only 323 pages) and b) discusses the interrelationship of your life at work, in partnerships, such as marriage and your self. Lots of interesting poetry tidbits throughout and overall, a nice relaxing book.
Next, I read Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton. I don't normally read fiction, but I enjoyed this novel set in rural Connecticut and New York about a woman who marries a man while drunk in Las Vegas.
Finally, I enjoy learning something new, and since I can't find my Strunk and White Elements of Style anywhere, I picked up Booher's Rules of Business Grammar. It has, as the subtitle notes, "101 Fast and Easy Ways to Correct the Most Common Errors." I consider writing well an important part of communicating on my job. The structure makes short reads very productive. If you're so inclined, check out your grammar IQ at http://www.booherrules.com/.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the RehabRN book club. Stay tuned for more updates!
Here are a some of the interesting reads of late. Enjoy!
First on the list, David Whyte's The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship. Sure, this looked like a deep read from the title, but actually, it's a pretty manageable book that's a) short (only 323 pages) and b) discusses the interrelationship of your life at work, in partnerships, such as marriage and your self. Lots of interesting poetry tidbits throughout and overall, a nice relaxing book.
Next, I read Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton. I don't normally read fiction, but I enjoyed this novel set in rural Connecticut and New York about a woman who marries a man while drunk in Las Vegas.
Finally, I enjoy learning something new, and since I can't find my Strunk and White Elements of Style anywhere, I picked up Booher's Rules of Business Grammar. It has, as the subtitle notes, "101 Fast and Easy Ways to Correct the Most Common Errors." I consider writing well an important part of communicating on my job. The structure makes short reads very productive. If you're so inclined, check out your grammar IQ at http://www.booherrules.com/.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the RehabRN book club. Stay tuned for more updates!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Taming the monsters
Yes, the full moon is coming, so you always know things will get exciting...crabby patients and even the occasional homicidal one. Well, at least the docs will enjoy talking about that this week.
My particular monster is the paperwork monster. Last week, I finally filled out my loan benefit forms, so we'll see if the almighty out-of-state (OOS) office approves of them. I calmed down my own homocidal tendencies re: this, since different person is in charge of submissions for this benefit. New person told me OOS office aware of idiot who caused all the work in the first place, so I will be crossing my fingers.
I'm finishing the rest of the grad paperwork and checking out more financial resources. At least, all my computer time is not in vain if I can get some funding somewhere. One large resource site with a huge chunk of cash will have submissions in August. Hooray!
Besides the paperwork, work has been interesting. The first night we got to send out one of our regulars due to possible MI. My other patients were really pretty easy, even if one or two was slightly demented. You know it will be an interesting evening when your patient rings the call light, then says, "I forgot why I called." Repeat 25 times and you have my shift the other day. Thankfully, I figured a way around that. I made sure I rounded on someone very regularly and got him/her comfy while I was in the room each time. The next shift...hardly any calls.
In my free time, I started looking at the CRRN material again. Happily, this exam is in December, so I have some time to study before it. It's not a requirement for employment at my job, but since I started in rehab nursing, it's been my goal. It also helps that work wants more certified people, particularly to maintain our CARF certification and to eventually get Magnet status for our hospital.
So since I have some free time coming up, I'm going to get some work done around here. More to come...
My particular monster is the paperwork monster. Last week, I finally filled out my loan benefit forms, so we'll see if the almighty out-of-state (OOS) office approves of them. I calmed down my own homocidal tendencies re: this, since different person is in charge of submissions for this benefit. New person told me OOS office aware of idiot who caused all the work in the first place, so I will be crossing my fingers.
I'm finishing the rest of the grad paperwork and checking out more financial resources. At least, all my computer time is not in vain if I can get some funding somewhere. One large resource site with a huge chunk of cash will have submissions in August. Hooray!
Besides the paperwork, work has been interesting. The first night we got to send out one of our regulars due to possible MI. My other patients were really pretty easy, even if one or two was slightly demented. You know it will be an interesting evening when your patient rings the call light, then says, "I forgot why I called." Repeat 25 times and you have my shift the other day. Thankfully, I figured a way around that. I made sure I rounded on someone very regularly and got him/her comfy while I was in the room each time. The next shift...hardly any calls.
In my free time, I started looking at the CRRN material again. Happily, this exam is in December, so I have some time to study before it. It's not a requirement for employment at my job, but since I started in rehab nursing, it's been my goal. It also helps that work wants more certified people, particularly to maintain our CARF certification and to eventually get Magnet status for our hospital.
So since I have some free time coming up, I'm going to get some work done around here. More to come...
Friday, July 3, 2009
Rolling into the holiday...
And you guessed it, yours truly will be at Madison working when the sun goes down. It may rain in our neck of the woods, so we'll see if there are any fireworks. Thankfully, this year, there isn't anyone with really active PTSD that we have to worry about (sometimes fireworks trigger flashbacks).
For your browsing pleasure, I've found a couple of interesting articles. They're not about fireworks or the holiday, but are interesting nevertheless.
My personal favorite, since I've always wondered about this one: Q: What is the role of probiotics in the the treatment of acute Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea? from the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. It's short, sweet and to the point.
FDA advisers vote to take Vicodin, Percocet off the market.
Will this really happen: Oh, this will be really interesting on our unit. (from www.cnn.com)
Finally, there was a character taking photos of our buildings and grounds recently, but I doubt we will make this list: 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals. I must say, however, that our location and neighborhood is very picturesque, even if our building's not so pretty.
Happy 4th of July to all wherever you are! More to come...stay tuned!
For your browsing pleasure, I've found a couple of interesting articles. They're not about fireworks or the holiday, but are interesting nevertheless.
My personal favorite, since I've always wondered about this one: Q: What is the role of probiotics in the the treatment of acute Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea? from the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. It's short, sweet and to the point.
FDA advisers vote to take Vicodin, Percocet off the market.
Will this really happen: Oh, this will be really interesting on our unit. (from www.cnn.com)
Finally, there was a character taking photos of our buildings and grounds recently, but I doubt we will make this list: 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals. I must say, however, that our location and neighborhood is very picturesque, even if our building's not so pretty.
Happy 4th of July to all wherever you are! More to come...stay tuned!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Deep Thoughts, part 76
Ah, it's fun when random things enter your world....here's the latest installment of unusual and the usual...
1. Dahey asked recently why a coworker had unusual colored stool. My only guess is that strange things happen among workers at construction sites....port-a-potty chemicals perhaps?
2. Why, oh, why can't everything have online billing? I just don't like writing and mailing checks anymore.
3. I just loved this comment I saw recently on the NY Times Well blog article discussing nurse stereotypes. I'd really love to work with this doc!
A postoperative patient became incensed during morning rounds, when the little woman kept responding to the questions he was directing at the big man. He wanted answers from the doctor, not some “dumb nurse.” The ICU nurse–a former Big Ten offensive lineman–politely introduced the man to the cardiothoracic surgeon who had saved his life the night before. The doctor, in turn, introduced him to the “dumb nurse” who “will be keeping you alive.”
— Michigan M.D.
1. Dahey asked recently why a coworker had unusual colored stool. My only guess is that strange things happen among workers at construction sites....port-a-potty chemicals perhaps?
2. Why, oh, why can't everything have online billing? I just don't like writing and mailing checks anymore.
3. I just loved this comment I saw recently on the NY Times Well blog article discussing nurse stereotypes. I'd really love to work with this doc!
A postoperative patient became incensed during morning rounds, when the little woman kept responding to the questions he was directing at the big man. He wanted answers from the doctor, not some “dumb nurse.” The ICU nurse–a former Big Ten offensive lineman–politely introduced the man to the cardiothoracic surgeon who had saved his life the night before. The doctor, in turn, introduced him to the “dumb nurse” who “will be keeping you alive.”
— Michigan M.D.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Nuggets for June 29: Near miss
I'm happy to say that I'm writing this post from the happy land of looking at the big picture. My reasons for writing were not because I actually had this happen to me, or in my workplace. Rather, I'm presenting this as a something to think about while you're working.
First, no one is infallible. Second, computers are great, but they can't critically think. Three, this could happen to anyone.
Here are a couple of articles from the blogosphere about near misses.
Paul Levy from Running a Hospital in Boston blogged about near misses in this blog post.
Florence dot com blogged about her own Coumadin experience in this Nurses' Week article.
An oldie but goodie related article: Health Care Renewal talks about workarounds in bar coded medication administration systems.
First, no one is infallible. Second, computers are great, but they can't critically think. Three, this could happen to anyone.
Here are a couple of articles from the blogosphere about near misses.
Paul Levy from Running a Hospital in Boston blogged about near misses in this blog post.
Florence dot com blogged about her own Coumadin experience in this Nurses' Week article.
An oldie but goodie related article: Health Care Renewal talks about workarounds in bar coded medication administration systems.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Mental health
With an interdisciplinary team in rehab settings, patients get the full spectrum of assistance to accomplish their goals and achieve a better quality of life following illness or injury.
Nurses, however, don't always use similar, available resources. How many times has your hospital's Employee Assistance Program sent out cards with phone numbers on them and have folks discussed the benefits? Probably a few times.
I found this interesting article on www.nurse.com called "Nurses With Depression Need Peer Support." It addresses a lot of issues, particularly this fact:
"Some 9.6% of full-time healthcare practitioners between the ages of 18 and 64 suffered a major depressive episode in the year before an October 2007 report published by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration compared with 7% among all full-time workers."
Nurses, however, don't always use similar, available resources. How many times has your hospital's Employee Assistance Program sent out cards with phone numbers on them and have folks discussed the benefits? Probably a few times.
I found this interesting article on www.nurse.com called "Nurses With Depression Need Peer Support." It addresses a lot of issues, particularly this fact:
"Some 9.6% of full-time healthcare practitioners between the ages of 18 and 64 suffered a major depressive episode in the year before an October 2007 report published by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration compared with 7% among all full-time workers."
Friday, June 26, 2009
Heat
It's sizzling in our neck of the woods, even though, last week, it was flooding. Go figure.
Work was just as hot. Nothing terrible, but some rooms, especially the ones I was working in, were so warm, that I quickly started dripping once I put my isolation gown on and headed in the room. I had to wipe my brow several times while working with one of my patients who was on bedrest. He was antsy, so I told him, I'd rather not drip all over him.
Abductor pillows are the hot commodity on our unit. Can you say total hip anyone? I don't mind abductor pillows...until you have to turn people. They are just not the best thing to maneuver, but with one of our patients, I use the pillow to hold stuff in front. The pillow is stiff enough to handle it.
I threw another application out there for a specialty scholarship. Hopefully, I'll get it.
The weekend is coming...I can't wait!
Work was just as hot. Nothing terrible, but some rooms, especially the ones I was working in, were so warm, that I quickly started dripping once I put my isolation gown on and headed in the room. I had to wipe my brow several times while working with one of my patients who was on bedrest. He was antsy, so I told him, I'd rather not drip all over him.
Abductor pillows are the hot commodity on our unit. Can you say total hip anyone? I don't mind abductor pillows...until you have to turn people. They are just not the best thing to maneuver, but with one of our patients, I use the pillow to hold stuff in front. The pillow is stiff enough to handle it.
I threw another application out there for a specialty scholarship. Hopefully, I'll get it.
The weekend is coming...I can't wait!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Change of Shift, Volume 3 Number 26
Welcome to the June 25, 2009 edition of Change of Shift. Many thanks to Kim at emergiblog for allowing me to host this edition.
'Tis the holiday season, so I thought I'd go for a holiday theme for this edition. So since I'm thinking holiday more in the sense of how our British friends and other folks around the world view holidays as Americans view vacation. Ah, relaxing and not being at work tops the list for me.
So while you may not have a Mai-Tai with which you can enjoy this version of Change of Shift, let me be your virtual tour guide, sit back, take a load off and enjoy the stories we have here with your favorite beverage or company in your favorite place and have your own holiday/vacation wherever in the world you are.
The fit holiday
In case your idea of relaxing involves exercise...of any kind, Alvaro Fernandez presents Debunking 10 Brain Training/ Cognitive Health Myths posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "Think about this: How can anyone take care of his or her brain when every week brings a new barrage of articles and studies which seem to contradict each other?" I'm with you, Alvaro. I take vacations from reading scholarly articles because my brain will explode if I don't!
On another "fitness" note, Courtney presents Laughter Exercises posted at Depression to Happiness, saying, "Sometimes, laughter can be the best medicine."
While it's not exercise, sagarika presents Dimensions of Health posted at Social Work for Mankind. I have to say she's made me think of social work in a much different light.
And if you're not too comfortable from the trip, Dean from Rebuild your Back discusses Neck Pain, Massage and Ice.
The boys on the beach
You've been there on the beach holiday with sand, surf and of course, surfer dudes. Some are blond and hunky, and once in a while, you run smart fellows who know where all the good waves hit the beach. While most of our guys are not surfers, they know how to tell a good nursing story.
Raise your glass for the men in nursing! Here are a few of the best stories from the guys.
Coturnix presents On Being a Nurse - a guest post posted at A Blog Around The Clock. I have to admit I was floored by this post. It's not all fluff, but a great substantive read.
Chris presents I Did NOT Go To Medical School To Play Nurse In The Bedroom! posted at The Man-Nurse Diaries, saying, "If this is too racy for CoS, let me know so I can submit another! Thanks!" I'll let you all decide what you think. Chris, I loved it! You made me laugh (especially with that photo!) At least, you didn't send tips on how to be a call girl (yes, I did get one of those.)
Sean Dent presents Nurse Jackie vs. HawthoRNe : Hollywarped Television Nurses posted at My Strong Medicine, saying, "The warped sense of Hollywood in regards to nurses." Sean, I'm with you. If only everything was like it was on TV...resolved in an hour or less!
And last but not least, Keith of Digital Doorway has a fish story you have to read to believe: Of Tetanus and Fishing Line. It was about this big (*hands spread out in air*) and it got away! His alter ego, Bob the Nurse relaxes and gets ready for his vacation!
On the family vacation
What family hasn't piled everyone in the car, luggage and all and traipsed hither and yon down the highway on vacation. While they're not exactly family, some patients grow on you, especially if they've been around your place for a while. One patient, Steve Catoe discusses how he makes an impression on nursing students in Miss ATEC « Adventures of a Funky Heart! posted at Adventures of a Funky Heart! Steve, thanks for the memories. I still remember my first irregular character!
When you're out on the road, you have to eat. Christina from Both Sides of the Mask discusses Workflow and workarounds of nursing in of all places a restaurant chain you just may know.
Mona from the Tangled Neuron discusses Axona as used with Alzheimer's patients. As Mona mentions in her subtitle, she's a "layperson reports on memory loss, Alzheimer's disease and dementia." Also Mona states, "This personal site chronicles my search for answers on my father's dementia. Although it's too late to help Dad, I hope any information I can find helps others. " It never hurts to have a guide out there on the trail to help you along the way.
And if mom's not around to help you get it together for the trip, Ashley Cook presents Spring Cleaning and Women's Health posted at Healthy Living Tips, saying, "Some natural alternatives for cleaning around the house." You may not do it on vacation, but you will someday.
The return trip
Being on holiday is bliss, but unless you just got the winning lottery ticket, you eventually have to go back to work. Here are a few good ones to ponder about when you have to go back to work.
As Kim tells us, healthcare can be a headache and it's not just going back to the work environment.
Barbara Olson from florence dot com talks about automation and if it "dumbs down" healthcare providers. (Note: this article requires registration to view).
Nurse Laura from NurseConnect.com discusses the Unwritten Rules within the Nursing Profession.
Victoria Powell has two great articles on her blog you need to see: The Business of Advocacy, and Nurse Life Care Planning.
And if you think your return to the working world was tough following your vacation, maybe you'd better read Caroline's story from brainscramble called Assault. In two minutes or less, you'll be counting your blessings!
That concludes this edition. Thanks for coming along on a virtual holiday with me. I'll be eagerly awaiting my next real world holiday in a few weeks.
Submit your blog article to the next edition of change of shift over at emergiblog using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.
Have a great weekend wherever your travels take you!Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Rollin', rollin', rollin'!
Keep them posts a-rollin'...they're coming in, folks. Change of Shift is here tomorrow (pinching self again).
Don't be left behind...send yours in via the BlogCarnival link on the right side or e-mail me (see the About me section).
Gotta run...more later.
Don't be left behind...send yours in via the BlogCarnival link on the right side or e-mail me (see the About me section).
Gotta run...more later.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Back and forth
That's been my day today. It seems that all I do whenever I have free time is paperwork and go to meetings.
Here's the story of my "leisurely" day off.
1. Take Bubba to swimming class. Pool is inside and horribly, horribly humid. Thank goodness a few people talked to me or I would have fallen asleep on those bleachers.
2. When I go home, plan on going back to sleep. No dice. I get the e-mail I was dreading. My funding for my grad program from my employer is pretty much DOA. "Don't call us, we'll call you." was the e-mail I got in reply to what the status was on my application.
3. Go do administrative stuff with sibling who needs help doing admin tasks. More fun.
4. Fax a bunch of information to an agency for "speedy" results on another issue. Speedy results means I may get it by the end of the week.
5. Sort, sift and collate. It just never ends.
Meanwhile, more posts are coming in for Change of Shift. Thanks! Keep 'em rolling!
Here's the story of my "leisurely" day off.
1. Take Bubba to swimming class. Pool is inside and horribly, horribly humid. Thank goodness a few people talked to me or I would have fallen asleep on those bleachers.
2. When I go home, plan on going back to sleep. No dice. I get the e-mail I was dreading. My funding for my grad program from my employer is pretty much DOA. "Don't call us, we'll call you." was the e-mail I got in reply to what the status was on my application.
3. Go do administrative stuff with sibling who needs help doing admin tasks. More fun.
4. Fax a bunch of information to an agency for "speedy" results on another issue. Speedy results means I may get it by the end of the week.
5. Sort, sift and collate. It just never ends.
Meanwhile, more posts are coming in for Change of Shift. Thanks! Keep 'em rolling!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Disturbances
It's crazy, hot and stormy around here. The humidity hits you like a wet blanket when you go outside and though, it seems like it will rain again, not even the weather people know when.
Just like the weather, we have crazy people on the unit...and it's mostly employees. Why some of them are like this immediately following vacation is beyond my comprehension. They just cannot come to work and do a job. No, they want sympathy, or any kind of attention really. It's really nerve-wracking. Hello, neurospsych...can you do an in-house consult?
Besides the crazy people, a lot of crazy things are happening with the non-neurotic people who we work with--car break-ins, house break-ins, deaths, and assaults. All this in the last two weeks could be another thing making the unit hot, besides the ever-questionable functioning of the air conditioner. If we only had water therapy!
The patients I've had were reasonably good lately. No muss, no fuss, not even from the one I expected the most trouble. With all my extra time, I'm finally finishing some of my "required learning" for the computerized in-services. I can only hope it will be as sedate the rest of the week.
And if it ain't crazy enough at work, I'm just amazed at the news lately.
Steve Jobs gets a liver transplant (from http://www.cbsnews.com/)
It's somewhat shocking in many regards, not just because of wealth or status. Should keep those medical ethicists busy for a while.
VA has a rogue cancer unit (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
If Sister Mary Martha, my kindergarten teacher would have seen this, she'd have gotten out that big pointer she used to use and would have a) whacked said doctor, then b) poked him really hard. If only someone at that VA would have!
Finally...keep those cards and letters rolling for Change of Shift here on 6/25. I have to tell you, I may just have a section called the "men's edition" because so many guys are sending in great stories. C'mon ladies, let's give the gentlemen a run for the money, shall we?
Stay tuned...more to come!
Just like the weather, we have crazy people on the unit...and it's mostly employees. Why some of them are like this immediately following vacation is beyond my comprehension. They just cannot come to work and do a job. No, they want sympathy, or any kind of attention really. It's really nerve-wracking. Hello, neurospsych...can you do an in-house consult?
Besides the crazy people, a lot of crazy things are happening with the non-neurotic people who we work with--car break-ins, house break-ins, deaths, and assaults. All this in the last two weeks could be another thing making the unit hot, besides the ever-questionable functioning of the air conditioner. If we only had water therapy!
The patients I've had were reasonably good lately. No muss, no fuss, not even from the one I expected the most trouble. With all my extra time, I'm finally finishing some of my "required learning" for the computerized in-services. I can only hope it will be as sedate the rest of the week.
And if it ain't crazy enough at work, I'm just amazed at the news lately.
Steve Jobs gets a liver transplant (from http://www.cbsnews.com/)
It's somewhat shocking in many regards, not just because of wealth or status. Should keep those medical ethicists busy for a while.
VA has a rogue cancer unit (from http://www.nytimes.com/)
If Sister Mary Martha, my kindergarten teacher would have seen this, she'd have gotten out that big pointer she used to use and would have a) whacked said doctor, then b) poked him really hard. If only someone at that VA would have!
Finally...keep those cards and letters rolling for Change of Shift here on 6/25. I have to tell you, I may just have a section called the "men's edition" because so many guys are sending in great stories. C'mon ladies, let's give the gentlemen a run for the money, shall we?
Stay tuned...more to come!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Come one, come all....
Yes, I'm hosting the next Change of Shift on 6/25. We still need submissions. Send in your favorite nursing stories, hospital or work situations with nurses, reviews of the new nursing shows and whatever nursing/nursing related topic strikes your fancy at this moment in time.
Send your submissions in via the Blog Carnival submission bar on the sidebar at the right of this page or e-mail them to hotelrehab at nyms dot net.
Please note: spammers not allowed. It's getting old, folks. Go bug the other spammers, please.
Send your submissions in via the Blog Carnival submission bar on the sidebar at the right of this page or e-mail them to hotelrehab at nyms dot net.
Please note: spammers not allowed. It's getting old, folks. Go bug the other spammers, please.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Nuggets for June 19
There were just too many good things I found out there this week, that I had to add this special edition of Nuggets (special because they only usually appear once a week...).
Enjoy!
Rehab-o-rama
As a rehab nurse, I know the FIM, but truthfully, it sometimes drives me crazy when I have to look at someone and when we talk about them in a meeting spit out their FIM numbers. Some are easy, since we take care of bowel and bladder all the time. Those other ones, however, tend to mess me up.
I found this article about how one hospital educated staff on their FIM scoring. It's very clever and involves a cartoon character. Hey, if it works, go for it!
Play nice
Since my OR pal reminded me...It really sucks that they have to write articles like this, but a recent one from AdvanceWEB talks about how nurses in the OR sometimes need to be reminded to be civil.
Relax
Need a quick, contemplative moment? This article by a certified hospice nurse may help you achieve your goal (also from AdvanceWEB).
And from the blogosphere....
Not Nurse Ratched is a new nurse who talks about making her first big med error. Listen up, all you new nurses!
Crass-Pollination had this great post about the inpatient shell game. Just call it bed bingo on steroids or you know it's bad when someone needs to die for you to get a free bed.
And Keith wins the most interesting day post for this one: Bat in a Basket. We have critters all around Madison, but thankfully, no bats.
Enjoy!
Rehab-o-rama
As a rehab nurse, I know the FIM, but truthfully, it sometimes drives me crazy when I have to look at someone and when we talk about them in a meeting spit out their FIM numbers. Some are easy, since we take care of bowel and bladder all the time. Those other ones, however, tend to mess me up.
I found this article about how one hospital educated staff on their FIM scoring. It's very clever and involves a cartoon character. Hey, if it works, go for it!
Play nice
Since my OR pal reminded me...It really sucks that they have to write articles like this, but a recent one from AdvanceWEB talks about how nurses in the OR sometimes need to be reminded to be civil.
Relax
Need a quick, contemplative moment? This article by a certified hospice nurse may help you achieve your goal (also from AdvanceWEB).
And from the blogosphere....
Not Nurse Ratched is a new nurse who talks about making her first big med error. Listen up, all you new nurses!
Crass-Pollination had this great post about the inpatient shell game. Just call it bed bingo on steroids or you know it's bad when someone needs to die for you to get a free bed.
And Keith wins the most interesting day post for this one: Bat in a Basket. We have critters all around Madison, but thankfully, no bats.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Escaping the paper monster...
Sure, I was off, but most of my days were doing paperwork. It was nice to go outside periodically when I wanted and drink coffee whenever I wanted, which is relaxing.
I've learned a few things lately:
1. Gonna have to get creative on financing for grad school...don't you just love regulations (and I'm sure someone's going to say "It's the economy, stupid.")?
2. Learned a few more things about research nursing. I joined a journal club in the area and got together with some local nurses, one of whom I met recently before the meeting. We had a great dinner and talked about Kaplan-Meier curves and hazard ratios. Just remember: it never hurts to network!
3. You can powershop in a hurry and sometimes get lucky. Even with the heady material we had to read, I had a great time and since I didn't want to get lost, I got to the restaurant early to check out everything, then I went and scoped out the local, swanky shopping mall. There were sales galore, so in the last few minutes before the meeting, I found something. I'd show you all the link, but I'm saving it for my anniversary, and I know for a fact someone who reads this blog would click on it just to see it. (Yes, Dahey reads this blog...)
Anyway, should be a fun day at work...more to come.
I've learned a few things lately:
1. Gonna have to get creative on financing for grad school...don't you just love regulations (and I'm sure someone's going to say "It's the economy, stupid.")?
2. Learned a few more things about research nursing. I joined a journal club in the area and got together with some local nurses, one of whom I met recently before the meeting. We had a great dinner and talked about Kaplan-Meier curves and hazard ratios. Just remember: it never hurts to network!
3. You can powershop in a hurry and sometimes get lucky. Even with the heady material we had to read, I had a great time and since I didn't want to get lost, I got to the restaurant early to check out everything, then I went and scoped out the local, swanky shopping mall. There were sales galore, so in the last few minutes before the meeting, I found something. I'd show you all the link, but I'm saving it for my anniversary, and I know for a fact someone who reads this blog would click on it just to see it. (Yes, Dahey reads this blog...)
Anyway, should be a fun day at work...more to come.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Nuggets for June 16
From the blogosphere:
Head Nurse has a great post about organ donation, and yes, I have that cool, new logo on my license that alerts you that I'm open to being a donor, if the need arises. I have met lots of nice people, at my job and in the community, who are alive today because someone told someone they love that they wanted to be a donor.
Thank you donors, recipients and families. What a gift! For more information, check out UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing).
In the news:
The economy is keeping some people from retiring, including nurses, but in California, there could be a shortage if the economy rebounds. (from the Sacramento Bee via the ANA SmartBrief).
Nurse.com had this interesting article about the presence of nursing on hospital trustee boards. Isn't it about time? This article touches on how the skills nurses use every day are similar to what people see as necessary skills for good leaders. Amen, Heather!
And on a related note:
While you may have a secure job and not need one to have one right away, please, please, please get a resume and have it in your own files. Sometimes you need one just to keep track of the things you do and the skills you acquire. One of my HR trained relatives likes to keep a log of what goes well each year and what he/she learned for his/her annual review. It also helps, especially if your state, or specialty certification requires it for renewal purposes.
I was one of a few nurses on my unit who was asked for a resume recently. As the only one with a resume, I had to help the others get one together to submit. I found this great article at CampusRN by Donna Cardillo about how to write a nursing resume. It's short and sweet and has some great tips. Put yours together today if you don't already have one. Never assume...
Head Nurse has a great post about organ donation, and yes, I have that cool, new logo on my license that alerts you that I'm open to being a donor, if the need arises. I have met lots of nice people, at my job and in the community, who are alive today because someone told someone they love that they wanted to be a donor.
Thank you donors, recipients and families. What a gift! For more information, check out UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing).
In the news:
The economy is keeping some people from retiring, including nurses, but in California, there could be a shortage if the economy rebounds. (from the Sacramento Bee via the ANA SmartBrief).
Nurse.com had this interesting article about the presence of nursing on hospital trustee boards. Isn't it about time? This article touches on how the skills nurses use every day are similar to what people see as necessary skills for good leaders. Amen, Heather!
And on a related note:
While you may have a secure job and not need one to have one right away, please, please, please get a resume and have it in your own files. Sometimes you need one just to keep track of the things you do and the skills you acquire. One of my HR trained relatives likes to keep a log of what goes well each year and what he/she learned for his/her annual review. It also helps, especially if your state, or specialty certification requires it for renewal purposes.
I was one of a few nurses on my unit who was asked for a resume recently. As the only one with a resume, I had to help the others get one together to submit. I found this great article at CampusRN by Donna Cardillo about how to write a nursing resume. It's short and sweet and has some great tips. Put yours together today if you don't already have one. Never assume...
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Itchy and scratchy
I love it when I wake up with eyes like this! I just tried out a sample of this new product, so I'm not sure if it's that or just the pollen outside. I really like the results so far, I must say!
Work was fun once the week ended. Thankfully, I'll have some extra off time this week to do paperwork for school. Ah, I really missed filling out forms. Thankfully, the SuperDuper U staff sent everyone a welcome letter with links to everything you need to do before the semester starts. It should be fun checking off everything I can this week.
I read this post at head-nurse and immediately thought of my unit. Ah, summer is always interesting when you have spinal cord patients around. It never fails...the quads are too cold, the paras are too hot. Occasionally, we get a quad, like one we have now, who's a combo (gets both hot and cold), but with all the isolation rooms we have and the nylon gowns we use, I never feel like my deodorant lasts the entire shift.
Needless to say, more than a few staff wanted to strangle the maintenance guys when they said they'd turn off the AC in the early afternoon for a repair, leave it off all night and maybe turn it back on in the morning. Maybe never came. Their boss came over and told our boss that the AC would come back on in two hours, tops. Happily, no one got hot under the collar!
Gotta run...more stuff to do...stay tuned.
Work was fun once the week ended. Thankfully, I'll have some extra off time this week to do paperwork for school. Ah, I really missed filling out forms. Thankfully, the SuperDuper U staff sent everyone a welcome letter with links to everything you need to do before the semester starts. It should be fun checking off everything I can this week.
I read this post at head-nurse and immediately thought of my unit. Ah, summer is always interesting when you have spinal cord patients around. It never fails...the quads are too cold, the paras are too hot. Occasionally, we get a quad, like one we have now, who's a combo (gets both hot and cold), but with all the isolation rooms we have and the nylon gowns we use, I never feel like my deodorant lasts the entire shift.
Needless to say, more than a few staff wanted to strangle the maintenance guys when they said they'd turn off the AC in the early afternoon for a repair, leave it off all night and maybe turn it back on in the morning. Maybe never came. Their boss came over and told our boss that the AC would come back on in two hours, tops. Happily, no one got hot under the collar!
Gotta run...more stuff to do...stay tuned.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Channeling Change of Shift
Yes, it's that time again, and the latest and greatest Change of Shift is up at Florence dot com.
Yours truly will be the next host on June 25, so if you're feeling so inclined, send us your nursing or nursing-related stories. Thanks Kim!
I'm looking for real people, people, so put those fingers to the keyboard and tell us about life in your world. Nursing is 24/7 and that includes holidays. While mine's not a holiday edition per se, feel free to drop in your favorite working the holidays stories, if you're so inclined.
Wanna submit? Check out the submission info via this handy, dandy BlogCarnival link or e-mail me at hotelrehab at nyms dot net.
Yours truly will be the next host on June 25, so if you're feeling so inclined, send us your nursing or nursing-related stories. Thanks Kim!
I'm looking for real people, people, so put those fingers to the keyboard and tell us about life in your world. Nursing is 24/7 and that includes holidays. While mine's not a holiday edition per se, feel free to drop in your favorite working the holidays stories, if you're so inclined.
Wanna submit? Check out the submission info via this handy, dandy BlogCarnival link or e-mail me at hotelrehab at nyms dot net.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Yes, they really do...
...like me. I got accepted to SuperDuper State University grad school. A plus...most classes are online. Hooray!
Guess I can't take up any new hobbies (drat!).
Guess I can't take up any new hobbies (drat!).
Deep Thoughts
With all due respect to Jack Handey, I've been pondering the following lately.
1. Why, oh, why would someone's family think it's appropriate to bring granddad alcohol to the hospital? Especially when he's on meds that will make him really, really stupid (and potentially sick)?
2. What doctor would purposely forget a patient's Baclofen order, when s/he's been on a high oral dose for ages?
3. Why on earth, in this, the 21st century, do we still have to have books that read like this? And why on earth would your coworkers tell you, in a diverse organization, "That's just the way it is."
That, like rehab bowel programs, smells really bad and for one, I'm tired of it. It's one of the things that drives me nuts about Madison.
And on that note, I leave you, back with Jack...check out the notecards. They are a riot!
More to come....from happier climes.
1. Why, oh, why would someone's family think it's appropriate to bring granddad alcohol to the hospital? Especially when he's on meds that will make him really, really stupid (and potentially sick)?
2. What doctor would purposely forget a patient's Baclofen order, when s/he's been on a high oral dose for ages?
3. Why on earth, in this, the 21st century, do we still have to have books that read like this? And why on earth would your coworkers tell you, in a diverse organization, "That's just the way it is."
That, like rehab bowel programs, smells really bad and for one, I'm tired of it. It's one of the things that drives me nuts about Madison.
And on that note, I leave you, back with Jack...check out the notecards. They are a riot!
More to come....from happier climes.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Another full moon
Yes, today, folks, we'll finally see it...if the storms blowing through don't cloud the sky this evening.
On our unit, we've known it was coming for days, since all of the patients start acting up in a variety of ways. The full moon will do that to some folks, I guess...
I've been encountering a lot of interesting stuff lately. I took care of a patient who had this listed on his diagnosis chart: Hypermetropia. Since I must have been snoozing during that part of the opthamology section in pathophysiology, I decided to look it up, and alas, it's simply farsightedness. I did find a really cool page on WebMD called How to read your eyeglass prescription which tells you why it's written the way it is. Very interesting...even if I don't need anything for my eyes just yet! I'll be ready for a family prescription to come my way.
One thing I was getting confused on was an SGPT result. Turns out it's just the same as an ALT, which I was looking at somewhere else.
Next, I ran into a diagnosis for mitral valve insufficiency and aortic valve stenosis. While it's not heavily clinical, I found a great set of heart articles on this very subject from the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. If you have to explain this diagnosis to a patient, go check them out. Note: they also have a special section for professionals, as well.
We had an interesting situation recently. One patient with generalized swelling was a difficult stick for a blood draw. When you missed the vein, you got fluid. Anasarca is a very challenging condition to deal with, especially when doing blood pressures or any other procedure that may put pressure on the skin. Just putting a stethescope on to do a blood pressure left a mark on this patient.
Finally, be careful how you use OTC medications. This information about ibuprofen is very good from www.rxlist.com. Remember, there's a reason why they say, "All things in moderation."
On our unit, we've known it was coming for days, since all of the patients start acting up in a variety of ways. The full moon will do that to some folks, I guess...
I've been encountering a lot of interesting stuff lately. I took care of a patient who had this listed on his diagnosis chart: Hypermetropia. Since I must have been snoozing during that part of the opthamology section in pathophysiology, I decided to look it up, and alas, it's simply farsightedness. I did find a really cool page on WebMD called How to read your eyeglass prescription which tells you why it's written the way it is. Very interesting...even if I don't need anything for my eyes just yet! I'll be ready for a family prescription to come my way.
One thing I was getting confused on was an SGPT result. Turns out it's just the same as an ALT, which I was looking at somewhere else.
Next, I ran into a diagnosis for mitral valve insufficiency and aortic valve stenosis. While it's not heavily clinical, I found a great set of heart articles on this very subject from the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. If you have to explain this diagnosis to a patient, go check them out. Note: they also have a special section for professionals, as well.
We had an interesting situation recently. One patient with generalized swelling was a difficult stick for a blood draw. When you missed the vein, you got fluid. Anasarca is a very challenging condition to deal with, especially when doing blood pressures or any other procedure that may put pressure on the skin. Just putting a stethescope on to do a blood pressure left a mark on this patient.
Finally, be careful how you use OTC medications. This information about ibuprofen is very good from www.rxlist.com. Remember, there's a reason why they say, "All things in moderation."
Friday, June 5, 2009
War stories
Yes, there was a lot of storytelling going on during my latest turn on the evening shift. It's kind of funny that way, when you're gone a day or two, and things are really different when you come back.
War stories are common on our unit, since we're a government-run hospital, but how you get the guys and gals to talk, or let them talk can be a whole 'nother story in itself.
One of our more cantankerous folks was rolling by on his way to getting something, so I stopped him and asked if he wanted his pills right now. Sure, he says, I'll take them. We chitchat for a minute and I keep doing my thing. Mr. C. starts talking about his time in the military during the Korean war. "See that scar" he says. Sure, I see it, because I'd just given him his heparin shot. "I got that on my way to Korea. I never made it to the front." I shake my head, therapeutically listen, and he keeps going.
Mr. C. never made it because he had a bad appendix and developed complications. An astute medic pulled him out of the crowd and when they landed in Europe, Mr. C. got a trip to the hospital. The docs didn't want him going too far once he was released, so they found a job there on a base to keep him busy moving supplies along to Korea.
We have also had some World War II vets hanging out with us. One of them was a Marine injured in the Pacific. He's a character and I'm sure his stature alone may have scared more than a few folks in that theatre. I think about some of my relatives when I talk to them, because they'd tell the stories of the war, when I was a child, and my brother and I listened very intently. Most of our relatives who went to World War II came back. One did not. I think of him a lot and the family he left behind.
Maybe it's just because of demographics, but we have lots of Vietnam-era guys at our place, including some of the employees. Lots of folks talk about the jungle and dreams they had while they were there. Some were more premonitions than dreams, but they colored their lives just the same. One guy told me about the lost opportunities from Vietnam--delayed families, deferred education, the bad attitude of some folks that often caused other problems in the jobs they came back to or started after their service. The angst among some who were injured, while other folks their age were in school and never drafted. The volunteers. Some people say, "Who'd volunteer for Vietnam?" and on our unit, you'd actually see some hands, proudly raised, almost defiant. "That was me," one guy told me. "Better to volunteer than be drafted," he thought.
Today, we see some of the Iraq and Afghanistan vets coming in with stories of their own. Swimming at Saddam's place. Guarding air fields in Kuwait. Driving through Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountains with snipers everywhere.
And while they're not my words, I leave you with a story I received recently from my husband's old dear friend who is at a southern US air base. His story is a short, but a compelling look at the life of an airman who lost her life recently.
I previously wrote many of you about the presentation of an Air Force Cross, the second highest medal an Airman can receive, next only to the Medal of Honor.
At 1000 yesterday morning, we met in the same hangar, not to pay tribute to a warrior amongst our midst but homage to one who would no longer be physically present with us. SrA Ashton Goodman was a 21 year old (22 next week), from Indianapolis, IN who served as a vehicle operator in the 43d Logistics Readiness Squadron. She had three short years in the AF but had already served as a truck driver, ferrying supplies and personnel from Kuwait into Iraq, been promoted to SrA six months below the zone, and called upon to brief the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This time she volunteered for a one year tour working with a Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan. SrA Goodman was killed last week when her vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). Her funeral was Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Wing took up a collection and flew the family here for yesterday’s memorial.
It started with a slide show presentation, a speech by her squadron commander (it was obvious she had made a positive impact on him and the unit), presentation of the Combat Service Medal and Purple Heart to her parents and several comments from squadron members. One squadron member sang a gospel tune that started eyes watering.
Then came the final roll call. Names of squadron members were called and answered until they came to her, silence. Her name was called again with more silence. Once more, still silence and then her full name followed by a 21 gun salute and taps. I challenge any of you to sit through that with a dry eye or after attending such a ceremony to ever hear taps again without a deeper sense of pride and commitment to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
War stories are common on our unit, since we're a government-run hospital, but how you get the guys and gals to talk, or let them talk can be a whole 'nother story in itself.
One of our more cantankerous folks was rolling by on his way to getting something, so I stopped him and asked if he wanted his pills right now. Sure, he says, I'll take them. We chitchat for a minute and I keep doing my thing. Mr. C. starts talking about his time in the military during the Korean war. "See that scar" he says. Sure, I see it, because I'd just given him his heparin shot. "I got that on my way to Korea. I never made it to the front." I shake my head, therapeutically listen, and he keeps going.
Mr. C. never made it because he had a bad appendix and developed complications. An astute medic pulled him out of the crowd and when they landed in Europe, Mr. C. got a trip to the hospital. The docs didn't want him going too far once he was released, so they found a job there on a base to keep him busy moving supplies along to Korea.
We have also had some World War II vets hanging out with us. One of them was a Marine injured in the Pacific. He's a character and I'm sure his stature alone may have scared more than a few folks in that theatre. I think about some of my relatives when I talk to them, because they'd tell the stories of the war, when I was a child, and my brother and I listened very intently. Most of our relatives who went to World War II came back. One did not. I think of him a lot and the family he left behind.
Maybe it's just because of demographics, but we have lots of Vietnam-era guys at our place, including some of the employees. Lots of folks talk about the jungle and dreams they had while they were there. Some were more premonitions than dreams, but they colored their lives just the same. One guy told me about the lost opportunities from Vietnam--delayed families, deferred education, the bad attitude of some folks that often caused other problems in the jobs they came back to or started after their service. The angst among some who were injured, while other folks their age were in school and never drafted. The volunteers. Some people say, "Who'd volunteer for Vietnam?" and on our unit, you'd actually see some hands, proudly raised, almost defiant. "That was me," one guy told me. "Better to volunteer than be drafted," he thought.
Today, we see some of the Iraq and Afghanistan vets coming in with stories of their own. Swimming at Saddam's place. Guarding air fields in Kuwait. Driving through Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountains with snipers everywhere.
And while they're not my words, I leave you with a story I received recently from my husband's old dear friend who is at a southern US air base. His story is a short, but a compelling look at the life of an airman who lost her life recently.
I previously wrote many of you about the presentation of an Air Force Cross, the second highest medal an Airman can receive, next only to the Medal of Honor.
At 1000 yesterday morning, we met in the same hangar, not to pay tribute to a warrior amongst our midst but homage to one who would no longer be physically present with us. SrA Ashton Goodman was a 21 year old (22 next week), from Indianapolis, IN who served as a vehicle operator in the 43d Logistics Readiness Squadron. She had three short years in the AF but had already served as a truck driver, ferrying supplies and personnel from Kuwait into Iraq, been promoted to SrA six months below the zone, and called upon to brief the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This time she volunteered for a one year tour working with a Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan. SrA Goodman was killed last week when her vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). Her funeral was Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Wing took up a collection and flew the family here for yesterday’s memorial.
It started with a slide show presentation, a speech by her squadron commander (it was obvious she had made a positive impact on him and the unit), presentation of the Combat Service Medal and Purple Heart to her parents and several comments from squadron members. One squadron member sang a gospel tune that started eyes watering.
Then came the final roll call. Names of squadron members were called and answered until they came to her, silence. Her name was called again with more silence. Once more, still silence and then her full name followed by a 21 gun salute and taps. I challenge any of you to sit through that with a dry eye or after attending such a ceremony to ever hear taps again without a deeper sense of pride and commitment to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Nuggets for June 3
After a temporary hiatus, the Nuggets are back!
Multiple Sclerosis links:
Here are a few links I thought I'd share as a result of my conference last week.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx
MultipleSclerosisPro.org
http://www.multiplesclerosisprofessional.org/
PVA's page on spinal cord diseases
http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer?pagename=disease_main
From the blogs...
I'll never think of making someone NPO the same again...
http://serenitynowhospital.blogspot.com/2009/05/npo.html
Sadness for a traveling OB nurse
http://rvtravelerrn.blogspot.com/2009/06/can-you-help.html
And a related item: What is anencephaly?
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/anencephaly/anencephaly.htm
Things not to do on Twitter: announce your vacation.
http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/dangers-of-social-media-twitter-your.html
And for something completely different....
Therapists wired to write
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/fashion/04shrinks.html
Multiple Sclerosis links:
Here are a few links I thought I'd share as a result of my conference last week.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx
MultipleSclerosisPro.org
http://www.multiplesclerosisprofessional.org/
PVA's page on spinal cord diseases
http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer?pagename=disease_main
From the blogs...
I'll never think of making someone NPO the same again...
http://serenitynowhospital.blogspot.com/2009/05/npo.html
Sadness for a traveling OB nurse
http://rvtravelerrn.blogspot.com/2009/06/can-you-help.html
And a related item: What is anencephaly?
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/anencephaly/anencephaly.htm
Things not to do on Twitter: announce your vacation.
http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/dangers-of-social-media-twitter-your.html
And for something completely different....
Therapists wired to write
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/fashion/04shrinks.html
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Slide on over, folks!
You'd think Tuesdays wouldn't be so bad...nurse brings in lots of pens from the conference, people are happy and we are slated for no admissions. I could dream about it, but it wasn't easy at all today. I told our specialist that I am one of the most highly paid janitors/support staff as I filled every single cart on the main hall with isolation gowns. Why? We have support staff, who don't really feel it's their job to do it. No, sitting in front of the boob tube (reserved for patients) and playing pool (also reserved for patients) is really a more productive effort. If my male boss only had some balls. Removing the pool table ones to his office might help the situation.
I had three patients today, and our clinic nurse actually got one ready, since she needed him for a procedure early. I was very grateful. The other two were their usual eccentric selves, and yes, for them it's all about bowels. One goes too much, one goes too little. One gets out of bed without issue and the other leaves a trail on the sliding board as he's transferring. What does the nurse win, Pat? Another heave ho back to the bed for the patient, with the nurse leading the charge.
Just remember all you nursing students out there, if a patient is stuck in transfer halfway on the bed, you can get them all the way there by employing a maneuver I like to call "the dump". Basically, you get their legs and heave them onto the bed. They may be on their side and a little off kilter, but once you get them to the safety of the bed, put up whatever rails you can on any side they could slide out on, and maneuver them around from the other. I love low air loss mattresses, especially if they're made up right, because, by nature, the sheets are slick and you can slide most people wherever you need them to go in bed with little effort.
Said sliding mess patient eventually did get cleaned up, got lunch and got to the wheelchair for afternoon therapy. It was a workout though, for him and for me. I read this article tonight very carefully, so I can keep my back out of trouble!
After all that excitement, I got to move another patient because his roommate was isolated for a new bug. Yes, I'm an expensive mover, too.
More later...stay tuned.
I had three patients today, and our clinic nurse actually got one ready, since she needed him for a procedure early. I was very grateful. The other two were their usual eccentric selves, and yes, for them it's all about bowels. One goes too much, one goes too little. One gets out of bed without issue and the other leaves a trail on the sliding board as he's transferring. What does the nurse win, Pat? Another heave ho back to the bed for the patient, with the nurse leading the charge.
Just remember all you nursing students out there, if a patient is stuck in transfer halfway on the bed, you can get them all the way there by employing a maneuver I like to call "the dump". Basically, you get their legs and heave them onto the bed. They may be on their side and a little off kilter, but once you get them to the safety of the bed, put up whatever rails you can on any side they could slide out on, and maneuver them around from the other. I love low air loss mattresses, especially if they're made up right, because, by nature, the sheets are slick and you can slide most people wherever you need them to go in bed with little effort.
Said sliding mess patient eventually did get cleaned up, got lunch and got to the wheelchair for afternoon therapy. It was a workout though, for him and for me. I read this article tonight very carefully, so I can keep my back out of trouble!
After all that excitement, I got to move another patient because his roommate was isolated for a new bug. Yes, I'm an expensive mover, too.
More later...stay tuned.
All the world's a stage...
And men and women merely players, according to William Shakespeare.
I'm back playing the Palace as I tell my regular customers at the Hotel Rehab, and still getting my bearings, or should I say, catching up on sleep, from the past week of conference excitement.
More to come...I promise! Stay tuned.
I'm back playing the Palace as I tell my regular customers at the Hotel Rehab, and still getting my bearings, or should I say, catching up on sleep, from the past week of conference excitement.
More to come...I promise! Stay tuned.
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