Relief

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and it's not yet 100 degrees. The rain has cooled things off for a bit, but the weatherman says it will get hot again.

I feel as if a load has been lifted from my shoulders since school is over. Now, I'm working on some fun projects and will enjoy my respite between classes that don't start again for six weeks.

The Hotel's actually come down in temperature a bit, so we can't say we've got a sauna in it anymore. Unless, of course, you enter one of the shower  rooms that never seem to cool off until the dead of winter.

I took care of three people and some other tasks last night. The patients were great...couldn't have asked for better. We sent one of our patients out to Washington last night. I won't miss him, though. He's very angry at everyone over every thing. I'm sure he'll come back, but I'm hoping it won't be until next week...when I'm off.

The staff are still the staff...whispering and muttering about people coming and going and all of the customer service "gestapo" out there. But some should fear the customer service wrath, because they're all in tryouts to be the next Nurse Ratched (no offense Terri! I'm talking about the movie one...) because they like to inflict their personal ideas, whims, or peculiarities on people to their advantage. It's not happening because the patients are spilling their guts to the powers that be at the Hotel and it ain't pretty. And when it ain't pretty, the boss is furious.

It doesn't bother me, though. As one of my fellow nurses pointed out, if we just follow the Golden Rule a little more often, we wouldn't have too many problems with a lot of these complaining patients.

And she's right.

Stay tuned for more excitement...

Bittersweet

Coming back to the Hotel made me feel that way yesterday.

Bitter: Oh, the boss was bitter and it was obvious. We had a meeting and he/she was really going. Never saw a boss quite as shaken as that. And...we're getting Press-Ganeys...what joy!

The lecture is a no-brainer, but unfortunately, the people who need to hear it were absent for one reason or another. Maybe he/she should send them an e-mail so they can read about it.

Thankfully, while my boss was perturbed, he/she was nothing like my team mate's boss. Said boss is in proceedings to get her fired for a trumped up charge and is playing the hellion with the rest of the staff. Note: this is a brand new nurse manager. Said NM was told that he/she had to be a manager to get advanced to the next level. Nothing like breaking the troops once they're under your command. Mutiny, anyone?

Sweet: Got to see that some of our long-term patients went home. Got to talk to people getting ready to go home who are absolutely excited. Three to four people will be leaving the Hotel in the next four days. Sure, we'll get more, but we'll just have to wait and see.

My classes finished. Hooray!  All assignments and evaluations complete, which now leaves me time to pursue other fun things like writing, housework and redecorating.

More later...

Wild (and wet) Wednesday

No, it wasn't raining, but the humidity was so heavy this morning,  it looked like fog burning off. I walked a mile before 9AM and I thought I was going to have to wring out my shirt by the time I got to my destination. Thankfully, I hitched a ride back and picked up my car from the oil change place.

They recommended tires on the left and maybe tires on the right. The tire place kindly pointed out that the ones on the right were dry rotting. What does this mean? The Wild Bullet I drive got a brand new set of tires and an alignment thrown in. Happily, Ye Old Tyre Shop is right next to a strip mall...and a couple of good restaurants. So while it was early, I decided to get lunch before they finished.

Then it was back to working on the final project. I saved it in some obscure directory. I thought I deleted it. Oh thank you patron saint of lost causes! I really thought I toasted my three hours of work when I turned off the laptop to come home.

Now, I'm just going to relish every minute of freedom I have before I go back to work...me and a cold beverage

Stay tuned....

Interesting vacation ideas

Some of my friends have the knack for finding cool things to do on vacation. Giacomo, my chaplain friend, told me today he's setting off for the wagon routes to the west that the '49ers used to get to gold country.


He'll have modern conveniences, but it still sounds like a very cool adventure.

More to come...

Full moon Monday

And to think, I'm not at the Hotel! Darn!

Ah, but it was crazy enough here. Bubba did not want to spend the day with momma and daddy and go to the Kidsmuseum with all the climbing stuff, dinosaurs, animatronics, etc., you can think of, so off he trotted to day camp, where he cried a river before Dahey dropped him off. Not just bawling, but the whole throw yourself on the floor drama queen spectacle. Glad I missed that one. He was still crabby by the time I picked him up this afternoon. Now he's sulking with a root beer float and watching the Yankees play whoever. My child a Yankees fan...eek! That's not kosher in this part of the country, son, but at least he's not asked for an A-rod jersey or a cap yet.

I vegetated and then Dahey and I went to lunch. Didn't end up where we should have, but got lunch nevertheless. Fancy schmancy ethnic was closed, as it is on Mondays, so we went to another nearby eatery owned by Mom and known citywide for her sandwiches. The smell of the marinara drew me to the meatballs...yum!

Dahey went to transact some business. He's an inveterate shopper--goes to auctions, trolls Craigslist, you name it. He drove far away looking for the ever elusive antiques. No dice. Nice man on craigslist who said, sure go to lunch with your wife got a better offer minutes before Dahey arrived and sold the stuff as he was driving up.  Pissed off husband ensued.

Nevertheless, I had a lovely day. My partner and I worked on our group paper and got most of it done. At least we have time to give it a thorough look over for all those APA pitfalls.

A little more bliss, maybe some rain, and hopefully, an interesting lunch or two. Stay tuned....

Harmless habits

I'm working on a couple of these habits. I keep telling my friends we need to get together more often, so now I have something for them to think about.

Back to cooking, studying, and writing, as Dahey jams the stereo with north of the border tunes, from Gordo to BNL.

Stay tuned. More from Vacationland to come...

Simmering Sunday

It may well be that later. Our simmering heat is getting pounded by massive thunderstorms flooding everything.

Since I'm on vacation, I've been cooking here and there (one of my favorite hobbies) and drinking up all the good liquor with Dahey, since I can sleep in every day. (not to excess mind you...gotta keep some for later!)

Why am I drinking? You would if you had your nose buried in these spreadsheets. Class will be over soon, class will be over soon, I keep telling myself.

More later.

An interesting dilemma

One of my team mates in my grad school class is getting married. We've been invited to the engagement party and wedding, even if it will resemble this one.

Wish I had enough vacation to attend the whole thing!

I am...

Free...freed from the cares of the Hotel for nearly a week.

Wet, from careening down a mega three stories high water slide with a big swirly tub at the end. Talk about being disoriented! I entered the water head first!

Happy...Bubba and Dahey and I could attend a Cub Scout event together. (I usually miss them due to work).

Almost finished...with this class I'm taking. I need to collect my thoughts for the final paper, but I know they're coming.

Done...good night, all. See you next time...

Heat and hurricanes...

Can't stop the latest edition of Change of Shift up over at emergiblog. Go check it out!

One, just one....

Only one admission for me. I took it so another nurse could deal with her patient, who can really be a pain. Said patient was the victim of a horrible mess a few months ago and is still just getting his/her bearings.

My people were good. One was pouty due to circumstances beyond our control. Hopefully, he can stay up for activities tonight, because he's really crabby. The others were out for tests most of the day so I didn't do much.

The usual battle of doctor vs. nurse is alive and well on the unit. It's getting old, so I'll really appreciate escaping.

I only had to admit one patient, who came back to us from Washington and a procedure. Love those slam dunk admissions!

One of our Gen Y nurses is quitting. He/she didn't tell us, but had the tact (or lack) to do the exit interview on the phone in the nurses' station. I'm just waiting to see if security comes when he/she leaves for the last time...

One more day...the excitement continues, so stay tuned.

One more day

I have my work cut out for me. An unscheduled lazy day or two and the rest is work.

It's been fun at the Hotel recently...so much with the crazy, stormy weather here that I feel like I'm getting the dreaded summer cold.

What a way to celebrate some time off!

More later...stay tuned.

Countdown

At the end of the week, I will get a long weekend away from the Hotel with my boys. It's not much, but I'll take every single second of it.

Some days are better than others. I was cruising into an uneventful end to my stint on the late shift recently when the quiet was replaced by pandemonium.

First, one patient spikes a ridiculous temp. Said patient's had problems before so we call our MD on call. Get orders. Rush about doing tasks. All is good, even if we have to harass some of our night pharmacists to get what we need.

Next, patient #2 does the same thing. Patient #2 has more pre-existing issues the MD worries about, so we call MD, get orders to have local MD see patient, and he doesn't show up. Nor does he call our MD or do whatever she asked me to ask him. Nope. He says "wait until tomorrow." Our MD is pissed. We had an issue getting the labs to this doc, so with some luck, we managed to do it (not everything is automated at the Hotel) and MD orders an IV.

What does this mean? I get to call pharmacy again and listen to the deep sighs when I tell them I have a stat order. It's as if they've never gotten one. I am so glad I'm not right there to see their faces. I really hate that "Oh, I can't do this because I don't want to do it" entitlement attitude, because I'm a crappy poker face and my thoughts aren't hidden for long.

Charge nurse got everything done because, for the most part, we worked as a team. I just wish all of our team would have cooperated without the attitude.

Outside of that, my grad class is almost done and for a short class, it's had it's share of drama, too, especially for my entire team. Every single solitary one of us has had something going on this semester that's been distracting, even life-threatening. My favorite team member, T., has problems now that may mean she won't be back next semester. I hope they can get resolved. I will miss working with her if she's not around.

Now, back to the grind, and on to the rest of the week. Stay tuned.

Another one bites the dust

It's not enough that people are becoming injured at horrendous rates lately,  but the staffing mix is obviously convincing some the grass IS greener in another department.

Another staffer checks out of the Hotel in two weeks. I guess the boss will have some 'splainin' to do soon as Lucy gets home.

Stay tuned...

Monday Friday

I love Mondays when they follow the weekend I work. The moon was huge last night, in between those storm clouds, but not full yet.

Can't wait until this day is over...not long now!

A little delusional

Delusion (from www.m-w.com)
Something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated b : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary; also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs

Oh, that was the story of my life on a recent night at the Hotel. What sorts of delusions you ask? Plenty...

1. One patient, when asked the date, stated that it's 1893 or 1954, he/she couldn't decide. Same patient also said spouse was dead and could a couple of nurses please jump in bed with him/her so he/she could warm up. I don't think so...

According to the notes, spouse thinks patient may have Alzheimer's and cannot drive an electric wheelchair anymore due to too many accidents, running into people while shopping.

2. Another patient, with an alcoholic liver will be discharged soon. Patient says she's going home. Family says otherwise. The bus is coming, but no one's 'fessing up to the destination, especially not the POA.

According to the notes, doctor's not disturbing this delusion, either. Gotta thank the doc for this. This girl is a handful when perturbed, and our staff have the stories to prove it.

3. Maybe delusion, maybe not, but one of our patients actually likes the limb splints we have to put on  at night. "Hey where are you?" I heard on the intercom. "I want my thing put on, it's time."

If it makes you happy and isn't harmful, let's go! And off to sleep he/she went. Hooray!

Stay tuned...

Summertime

Only means one thing: lots of vacations. None yet for me. I'm still low enough on the totem pole to have garnered only two, count 'em, two weekdays off for all of the summer months.

I'd have to kill a relative soon in order to get any more time.

Fun...back to work.

What is it...

That makes some of the people I work with not give pain meds? What makes them the judge and jury on pain when a patient who had major (and I mean major, serious, as in World Renown Hospital screws up royally on a simple slam dunk procedure) abdominal surgery asks for a pain med?

To top it off...no history of abuse. Another thing...what's with telling them they can't have their PRN med when they ask for it (which, by the way, was within the time parameters).

I just want to scream sometimes. Thankfully, I have more creative outlets.

Stay tuned...it's always a blast at the Hotel, even without fireworks!

Hot and steamy

The sauna has moved out of doors here in Rehab Land....yuck! Welcome to summer.

Just stay away from the doorways as all the mobile people who freeze in the AC, roll frantically outside to "warm up" , as I drip into a puddle onto the floor.

More later...and I'm hoping the more is actually less heat!

Do you really think...

I need my house cleaned? Not anymore!

Left to her own devices, RehabRN got out the vac after work, terrorized WildDog by putting him in his room (so he would stop chasing the vacuum), mopped and made dinner all before the guests arrived. Don't worry...he got his cookie for relaxing in his room (he just tries to make me feel guilty!)

Whew! Now for another scoop of pistachio ice cream...I worked hard!

Hope you day went just as well. Traveling partner's been working on the next trip. Who knows...maybe we'll see Elvis.

More later...stay tuned.

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