10 posts tagged “nurse”
Oddly I woke this morning to dense dense fog. The entire town has disappeared. Amazing.
Whew. What a Week. It was exciting, but not really a good kind of exciting!
So, I am slowly coming down from the election. I do think people in general are going to be wanting to be more involved in their government now that Obama is about to become President. There does remain a question of how and when but I remain optimistic and so excited.
I'm starting to run OK again after having the cortisone placed in my hip. It isn't perfect and I have lost a little fitness. But the plan is for an April Marathon....we shall see. I was supposed to run a 5k today but I got up late and would have had to register at the race etc etc. So so much for that.
I am really so far enjoying my job at East. I was so nervous about it, but it has been very interesting. This is one of the first places I have worked that is really multiracial. Its really interesting I work with nurses of all races and backgrounds. Of course we are all the same since we are Emergency nurses. We are bonded together through commen experiences. I have been well recieved by both patients and staff so I feel very relaxed, which is a change.
Now the Palm tree. I learned this week that Palm trees BLOOM. very cool.
look at that. Its like a huge drooping pom pom of small yellow flowers. It actually doesn't look like a
natural part of the tree or as the more trendy people would say an organic part of the tree. (side note, I really think referring to things as Organic ends, rather than natural ends, is sort of silly.) This cascade of blooms had attracted many insects and at times when I walked by this area it seemed alive with buzzing.
Any way. Palm trees do apparently bloom, somewhat infrequently, but they do it. I learned a lot about Palms. Apparently in many parts of Florida there are multiple laws regarding the pruning and care of trees. Interesting.
I seem to have survived my first week out in the Emergency Deparment of East the Beast. It has been a bit nutty.
My first day in my first hour I had to put in a NasoGastric tube....its a simple procedure, but it hurts most patients. They dislike it and I really hate doing them...
Luckily the person who got it was relatively easy to get it into and things went along pretty smoothly for the rest of the day.
On day two I woke up with a Migraine from Hell. I get migraines but usually only occasionally, like once every 3-4 years. This one was horrible. I am still in awe of it.
But because it was orientation week, I couldn't call out sick. SO I spent the day trying to remain up right, vomiting a little and trying to stay on top of all the charting etc. It would be that day that our 31 yr old with abdominal pain turned out to be having an MI and was flown out to the other hospital. Well, I learned alot about flying people out. THen joy of joys, i got to put in another NG tube!!!
My third day was better, though by the end I was wiped out from running around trying to be sure everything was done. no ng's but I did get to assist with a pelvic (other least favorite thing) and do some other fun stuff.
The staff are really nice and I think I am going to enjoy working there. The computer program they are using is somewhat fragmented and not as good as it could be. It's the one thing that slows me down. The cohesiveness they demonstrate as a team is really cool. I don;t know how they built it but I like it and I would like to learn how they did do it, because its so lacking in many other places. Mondays are classically the busiest days in the Emergency arena the Nation over. so this hospital feeds the staff each and every Monday for free. It really is nice.
Tomorro is my first day "alone" as it were. I have fear that I might just die as it is busy and there are some odd things I need to remember (steps for admission)...but... I am hoping it all goes well.
I am blown away by the focus on Religion though by the hospital. it is a Seventh Day Adventist hospital, the Mission is "TO extend the healing ministry of Christ" There is prayer each morning and then extra prayer some days over the intercom...on the white wipe off boards there are a variety of biblical quotes and I was shocked and amazed, (and a little amused ) to purchase "Florida Hospital" water...with this label.
There is more Godliness to the place. It's odd but at the same time, at least they do what they say they do...if you know what I mean?
Hopefully I can survive my Sunday and Monday. I'm still scared.
Oh yes, I got a 98% on the test!!!
Well, I surely have been working Overtime. Here's XTC to pay tribute to my effot....
Lets see if this works.
This week I did 15 hours of OT. This next week, starting today I am doing 21 hours. I am feeling a bit tired, but better than I expected. We have had some interesting patients as of late, which is always nice, though sometime a bit nerve wracking.
I'm a little sad that I am not seeing much of the olympics. I;m watching, but at the times I can watch there seem to be very odd sports being shown. Or I guess stuff I am not that interested in. So far I've seen Team handball, Hockey, Soccer, and beach volleyball. I go to bed so early I miss part of the prime time broadcast even!
Running is going well. At short distances (5-6 miles) I feel good. I'm running good times. My pacing is still off and frustrating, but I assume over time I'll figure it out. (Tips?) I have not been running as fast as I am now in a long long time, so I think thats part of the problem. I have not done too much at the gym except run because of the insane work schedule. This coming week should be a bit better in spite of the extra shifts.
I'm starting to get very excited about running the Half in New Mexico. I just want to be careful not to have any expectations. There is going to be thin air, and with travel etc, I might just not perform up to my own expectations!!!
Oh i am soooo sick of work. When I first started here, I wanted Overtime. They didn't let us travelers do OT because we are expensive. Now of course, there has been upheaval, the manager left under duress (And I thought she was alright at her job...) So a lot has changed. A lot of overtime is now available. And how perfect that it comes when I feel broke. (I still have about 2 months of savings in my readily accessible account, BUT....I like to have at least 4-5.
I've been taking opportunities as they come. This week though will be a doozy. I worked Sat for 12 hours and Sunday for 6. Today I do 12. I have tuesday off. Wednesday I do twelve. Thursday I have off. Friday I do 12, Sat and SUn I do 10. monday I am back for 12. and on it goes.
This usually goes one of two ways. Either I get very cranky and somewhat resistant to getting basic stuff done. (Not for the patients, but the paperwork suffers etc.) or I get so used to being at work that everything gets done and when I get a day off I am unsure how to use it.
It's also a ramp up week for training for the Marathon.
If I can make it through August, I should have a built up my savings a bit, feel more secure and be able to go back to normal hours for a while.
Have not heard from my special guy in a week now, as he has some stressful stuff coming up. So on top of all of the work, I feel stressed due to that, but oh well....it's not as if he doesn't know where to find me...and it's pretty much gaurenteed that I'll be there, except for sleeping hours!
As far job opportunities.
I talked ot my recruiter again yesterday. She disappointed me a bit, asking me if I would be interested in a job in Los Angeles, CA. I don't have liscensure for California, and I don't want to go there, not even to visit!!!
So I paged through the contracts out there and here are the options I am considering.
Nebraska
Western Iowa
SouthWestern Wisconsin
Lewes, Delaware (Near Rehobeth beach..could be OK for a summer).
Today I fax some of my paperwork so she can actually start to put together an updated profile to submit to the hosptials. I feel they would all take me with my experience level and certifications.
I will freely admit now that I am getting a little be interested in all this.
I also have to speak with my Boss today to confirm it (and to get a copy of whatever I can out of my file. since I can't find my hard ACLS card).
Must also look on line and try to sign up for some renewal classes while they are still free....
Nurse First is killing me slowly from the inside out.
I am appreciative of the fact that this is a way for me to make money while I get my hand flexibility and strength back. But, its going to kill me.
Things are not moving super well in our new facility. Staff are complaining about all sorts of things. One thing that really annoys me is that we always have patients, so when staff engage the manager mid shift to complain about something that can not be changed immediately, all the while, the patients they are responsible for aren't being looked in on. An email at the end of the shift can state the same complaint, since it's not going to change until someone offers a better solution. That said....
Our wait times for patients to be seen has been horrendous this week. We went down in beds and are no longer allowed to put stretchers in hallways....Ambulances never stop coming. So, I sit out in the waiting room and attempt to monitor the status of the waiting patients. I don't mind monitoring, but its pretty hard for people to understand that just because they have been waiting a long time, doesn't make them a higher priority, in fact, the longer you can sit there and be stable enough to complain and threaten people, the more stable you become in my eyes.
We literally had a patient who had stated she was in severe pain and too weak to walk yesterday, get up out of her wheelchair and hurl it at a male nurse... this just isn't right.
At least 60% of the complaints would have been better served at a regular doctors office, or a doc-in-a-box walk in clinic.
I do not see how "I need to get checked for Sexually transmitted infections" is an emergency. Planned Parenthood does this, often for free.
Nor do I see how "My baby has a fever but I have not bothered to give him tylenol or motrin" is an emergency.
Nor is"I was discharged from the ED yesterday, and I didn't fill my prescriptions, so I am now feeling bad again" an emergency.
Crushing chest pain. Fractured limbs, cut with a chainsaw. loss of function of body parts/speech/etc, Asthma flare, sickle cell crisis, severe rectal bleeding, These, among other things are emergencies.
Much of the time now, I wish I was able to tell people to simply get out of my space, but no...this will not be possible. I get to smile, pretend to be extremely concerned about complete strangers who are not ill, and pull my hair out trying to figure out how to get the sick ones out of the waiting room....
People seem to think if they yell at me, I am going to somehow open up the secret spot where all the nurses are sitting and eating bon bons. If I ever find that place, I suppose I'll just join them...but so far, such a place doesn't exist.
My Manager was telling me he wants this to be my primary assignment. If thats the case, I'm finding a different Emergency Department to work in....
Nurse First started today. It was horribly painful in a variety of ways.
To start with, not being used to our new facility, the first thing I did was bash my unprotected hand on an automatic door. That hurt.
But, I got over it.
Then I sat on down in the lobby with the patients. Folks. It's Monday. Unless you are dying, do NOT go to the Emergency Department on a Monday. Mondays are bizarre days. Less lacerations and gun shot wounds...but more sick sick people. A lot of people attempt to wait out the weekend and want to see their regular doctor. Usually on Monday the regular doc is booked and sends them to the ED.
Today, we had sick people waiting over 8 hours to be taken to the back. This is crazy. I personally do not care if it's someone who really isn't sick, but these people were not well. There was NO place to put them. No where. Because of the new construction, we are actually down beds.
So the day was spent dealing with an angry Mob. And then the worst part was a few of my colleagues decided the job wasn't difficult and complained that I "get" to do it...well, management shut that down right away, bt those little ribbing comments from the back and then angry Mob in the front just about did me in.
And tomorro, more is coming my way. By the time I finish April, my skin is going to be as tough as steel. It's strong motivation to continue to do well in hand rehab, so I can get out of the Nurse First Position. :)
when you hear the pounding of hooves.
this is one of those sayings they teach med students in training. This is because with people usually they show up with symptoms that represent exactly what he problem is. At some point, though, you need to look beyond the obvious.
Patient today who spoke very little English, an older person from a former SOviet Block country. She had a bloody nose. (a very severely bleeding nose). This got fixed, but unfortunately she also had a heart rate of 178. SHe got admitted to cardiology and would have never come to the hospital if it weren't for her bloody nose, but her heart is in serious need of a tune up. Doctor today found it difficult to move beyond bloody nose. I found it amazing that she didn't recognie the other heart problem. It all got taken care of though.
Had a good day overall. Busy, interesting pleasant patients. Good staffing.
I ate no sugar and had a lot of coffee.
2 more days of work and looking forward to a little time off.
Must get on the holiday shopping.
