RehabRN book club: Summer 16 part 2

Yes, I'm doing a better job reading my books this year; however, I'm still working on my Kara Platoni book.

I started it about the same time as The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. Once I started this one, it took over.

Personally, I like short books. While I can read quickly when I want to, I often read near the end of the day when I'm tired, so I read slowly. This book certainly fits the bill.

Some things of note:

About 85% of folks liked this book. There's always some complaints (hence the 15%) from folks, so don't be deterred. If you are looking for a comprehensive biography, this isn't it. As some folks mentioned, if you don't know the basic history of Anderson Cooper and his mother, you may need to do some research or you could get confused.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book. I always wonder about things, and while, I knew some of the story of Anderson Cooper and his mother, this book filled in the gaps. I liked the dialogue aspect of this book. Page 181 of this book talks about lessons in life that apply to nearly everyone:

"It is very easy to simply define yourself by your job, your title, your salary, but these things rarely give you long-term feelings of success and happiness."

Being present and listening are two themes that run through this book over and over. Not acting hastily is also important, too, because you'll see how it affects a lot of Gloria Vanderbilt's life. Impetuousness and lack of a solid, constant mentor, certainly defined many of her decisions.

Pros: It's short with a lot of life lessons.
Cons: It's lacking some detail. (easily found on a quick Google search)

Hope you enjoy your reading! Stay tuned for more reviews...

Homework

Bubba's been getting homework after I decided to go online and find some reading materials appropriate for his situation.

Here are a couple of the ones I picked:

• Dude, That's Rude (Get some manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick
• Speak and Get Along! Learn the Mighty Might, Thought Chop and More tools to make friends, stop teasing and feel good about yourself by Scott Cooper

They are entertaining, and only time will tell if they really stick. Gotta start somewhere.

Just remember nursing students...

No means no. No agreement equals no consent. No consent equals no enema.

I almost fell out of my chair when I read this article about forced enemas. Yes, you heard it right.

WT...?

I guess those "medical professionals" missed that day at school where they taught the differences between assault, battery and consent.

A lesson in life

The whole Penn State thing has prompted lots of discussion at the RehabRN household with Bubba.

Points to ponder...

Yes, there are no secrets between adults and children. Period. Surprises, yes. Secrets, no.

You have to be responsible. As a kid, being responsible means telling an adult if something doesn't look right.

As an adult, being responsible in a situation like this means either 1) beating the ever-loving c*(p out of someone abusing a kid or 2) getting on your phone and calling the authorities IMMEDIATELY, not later, not after you think about it for years, right away.

No sport is life. Sports are part of life, but in most cases, should not qualify you for life behind bars.
As honorable people, there is a reason why we value protecting children, orphans and widows (and/or anyone in a weakened, general condition).

Because it's the right thing to do.

Lessons in life

Sometimes you just have to pass on opportunities that come your way.

I did that on a recent shift when the Slug brought his/her kids to the unit while they waited for Parent #2 to pick them up.

Tweener, the Slug's sporting child came in while I was eating and asked, "Is it fun to work with  my Parent (the Slug)?" Of course, I immediately quashed the urge to jump all over that one. Kids in Tweener's age group like sarcasm, but tend to feed it right back to parents when they think it's needed, especially as a weapon. Tweener decided to regale me with the "My parent doesn't do this, is grumpy at home and sometimes mean. They say Parent is a lot of fun to work with."

I remembered my New Year's resolution to get out of the gossip and downing of others, so I had a good time using those therapeutic communication skills to extricate myself.

"Well," I said, "You know, nursing, especially here at the Hotel, can be a hard job. (Tweener shakes head) Do you want to be a nurse?"

Tweener says yes, but he/she's really interested in veterinary stuff, however, he/she's not sure about drawing blood.

"You know," I said, "You might change your mind. It's not surprising that it seems scary. It's a job we have to do, but if you're good at it, you learn how to do it without hurting anyone." Tweener nodded head in affirmation.

"I'm going to go get some pizza. See ya!"

And so another placid shift passed at the Hotel and I thanked my lucky stars, even as I scraped the springtime snow off my car.

Stay tuned...