I guess we are human

Hi all. It's been a tough week. One of the fantastic nurses I work with was killed in a tragic accident. It hit me like a lead balloon. This guy I had just seen 3 or 4 days before, someone you expect to be there, just won't be there any more. I know, we in the medical field deal with death all the time, but this time it's personal. This was a great nurse, I think he had been there at Good Sam for almost 20 years. He was one of the go-to guys, somebody who knew everything, or at least had an answer for you. If you needed a hand, he'd help you. His passion was hunting and Army stuff. He actually was supposed to go deer hunting last weekend. Just hard to believe he won't be back. There is a memorial service on Monday and I volunteered to work so some of the people who worked with him for years could go. The hard part is that no one is saying what happened, just that it was a tragic accident. Even the obituary was short and to the point, so you all know how the rumor mill is in a hospital. There are so many rumors about what happened, it would just be better if we knew what happened. I have not been a part of the rumor making or passing on. I think he deserves better than that and I tell the people who come to me with rumors the same thing. Hopefully next week is better, and I pray the law of 3's doesn't come this time. Remember first do no harm.

ACLS

So,I have been away studying for my ACLS renewal. Yeah, I've had my ACLS for 6 years now and I still study before the class. Luckily because I have had it before I don't have to go for the full 2 days, you just have to do that the first time. Being a traveler,my company doesn't pay for the renewal. Last time was here in Phoenix, I renewed at the hospital where I was working only it wasn't American Heart. It was ASHI...who ever they are, it was the same content but a different company and some hospitals would not accept it. If you haven't taken it, it's not so bad...and if you are thinking of working in ER,Tele,ICU,OR... it's probably going to be a must have. Years ago I guess it was grueling, it was run by doctors who intimidated the participants and lots of people flunked. Today, it's mostly run by nurses and the atmosphere is one of learning not intimidating. I went to a privately owned company that has the ACLS BLS and EMT classes. The cost was $130, but I got 8 CEU's. (some consolation) Part of this years ACLS courses have to have a BLS component because of all the recent changes. If it's been a while since you took it...I'll give you some highlights. Everyone gets 100 compressions per minute, the ratio is 30:2 for everyone unless it's an adolescent or infant 2 person, then you can do 15:2,the breathing is slow and deep,no more constant checking for a pulse, and big emphasis on good compressions with full chest recoil and early AED use. The instructor I had added another component that I hadn't had before...drugs of abuse. Maybe it's because of being in this lovely border state with no fences and the #1 rating for drug trafficking. The drugs come across the border into Arizona and get trafficked out to the rest of the US. Arizona is #2 in Meth manufacturing. Stuff they don't tell ya before you move here, glad I'm just visiting.
She went over date rape drugs and what effects the different drugs have on people. She sited a great website that gives information about drugs....www.erowid.org. It's a great thing to think about when your patients aren't responding to treatment the way they should...knowing these drugs and how they make people react can be a great tool.
She also talked about working at the poison control center...which I never thought about as a nurse but what a cool job. She had some great stories especially about Thanksgiving. I love nurse stories, so I'll share some I heard today. A lady made mashed potatoes with evaporated milk that was brown. She tried the mashed potatoes because they were white after they were whipped and she said they tasted fine. She called the poison control center to see if they thought she could serve the potatoes....of course the answer was no because evaporated milk is supposed to be white and just because she tried them and they tasted fine doesn't mean she should serve them...she was not happy, because she had to go to the store and start over with boxed mashed potatoes. Another caller said she had a fire in the oven where her Thanksgiving casseroles were, they had put the fire out with the home fire extinguisher. The casseroles were covered with foil. She wanted to know if she could serve them.....Uh...no. That fire extinguisher stuff is airborne it gets everywhere. She claimed it was probably water because she didn't see any foam...water doesn't put out grease fires in an oven so, no it wasn't water and no you can't serve the food. The sad thing is she still had the turkey, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes and desserts and didn't think that was enough food. Incredible!!! So, if you are looking for some good stories, you might want to consider working at the poison control center in your town. Plus you get to help people, without worrying about hurting your back...lol. Remember first do no harm.

Just Work

Hello from sunny Phoenix, I still find it amazing,coming from the frigid Northeast, that November can be so beautiful. The mornings and evenings are cool, not cold, but I am finally able to wear my jeans and long sleeved shirts. The days are sunny with blue skies and warm air, still wearing shorts and tanks tops, we even have to have the air conditioning on most days. Sounds awful, huh? I just can't believe the number of people who dislike where they live and stay there. Every assignment I go on people tell me how much they would like to travel but.....there's always a but. Your desire has to be bigger than your but or you'll never do it. Recently I've been working with some new grads who are all envious of my traveling, they can't wait to have enough experience to travel and I encourage it. It's a great way to see the country and learn new things. I also encourage people to become nurses, it's a great career. There are so many different avenues to take in nursing, if you don't like one , try another.
I had a great idea for a blog the other day and now I can't remember what it was. I hate when that happens. Does that mean I'm getting old? I think it means I just have too much information in my brain. Too many drug names and generic names and dosages and calculations, phone numbers ,doctors names, recruiters...just overload ya know. Plus I have been working 4 and 5 twelve hour shifts a week, that will definitely overload ya. I have heard of nurse working 6 and 7 twelves a week but honestly, how long can you keep that pace up without hurting yourself or someone else?
Work has been good, lots of overtime available. I got Christmas off and Thanksgiving too...I am working New Years Eve and New Years Day...but, it's day shift so it's not so bad, and hopefully it will be slow. I feel for some of the travelers that are coming in now and the ones that came after I did, they are all working Christmas. That's one down fall of nursing, someone has to work on the holidays, all the holidays, the place doesn't close ever. It's an amazing concept really, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year, hospitals never close. When I was in Rhode Island the nurses all belonged to the union and they had mandatory overtime..and it was used all the time. I would hate that. I like my overtime when I want to do it.
Well , remember first do no harm.