The answer: send someone a letter

I had a day yesterday that (again) questioned my faith in the leadership of the Hotel at the very tip top. The root cause: BS plain and simple.

How in Hades do we have people (with credit to do so) purchase equipment, tell everyone "go out and get some patients to use it" then suddenly drop it? This happens (of course) once you get the ninnies at your location to buy in. When asked late last week, when I went to order and couldn't find a gadget available, I got an e-mail that said "Well, we don't know if we'll have money next year to continue this" as some very valuable pieces of equipment sit unused on people's desks throughout the system as a totem of "Look what I have..this cool gadget!" As such, these "gadgets" which are really FDA approved health care tools, do nothing for patients.

I know they work. Some of my patients have them. I got them through a loophole, which I willingly followed policy and procedure TO THE LETTER to get. They are making a difference in the lives of these people. I see it on a regular basis. Some of our people were back and forth to the Hotel several times in a year. Guess what? One character hasn't been back in six months (and counting). Another is over four months and we haven't readmitted him/her.

When I asked our technical gurus (who have way more experience with this sort of shenanigans) what I should do, the answer was "write a letter to someone who can do something about it". The consequences of doing that, could very well cost me my job.

But after years of waiting, working, busting butt for things that turn to vapor, I'm just about there.

Will be writing, editing, and thinking very carefully this week about that very thing...

Stay tuned.

The end of the week

This is almost the middle of July. I hear the siren song of summer, since here in RehabLand, Bubba and the other kids will be in school before Labor Day early in the morning (clutching pearls).

I have many warm memories of starting school in September (when it was still blasted hot) and one year, I dreaded going to school since my classroom was on the second floor. I was in fifth grade. I had horrendous headaches that year. I figured it was the ragweed (since all the windows were open way back when).

The Hotel was hopping this week, and so was I. I actually got to go out on a field trip. That part was fun. When I wasn't busy doing that, I was getting some groundbreaking work done. Since I volunteer for pilot projects (because our boss volunteers our department), I got to work with some new stuff. It was so cool to make care work anywhere! It also helps that the patients like it, too!

I'm going to stop here. It's time to relax and enjoy what I have of the weekend: housework and a little fun. Vacation is in sight. I can't wait.

Stay tuned!

It's almost like Christmas

When you actually clean out that closet in the office that was bursting at the seams. Here are a few of my finds in there today on my day off (I know, I just know how to have fun...)

• acceptance letter to nursing school
• computer tools I'd thought someone had taken
• a computer part I needed for Dahey (the one I bought at the dollar store broke in a week)
• my old laptop and other oddball computer parts
• wallet with my student ID from 2001
• and $6 cash

I didn't get everything done, but it was a success for me. And just about as good as Christmas.

More to come...the semester's slowly finishing. Another paper is nearly done.