Monday, June 26, 2006

Another California Summer


Yep kinda grey...that's a summer in CA. The marine layer they call it...foggy and cool in the morning and afternoon and sunny at noon and warm. It's hard to get used to especially after all the rain this spring in the Napa Valley.
Salinas is a farming town which is why it's called the salad bowl of California. They grow a lot of lettuce and artichokes and stuff here. The fields were full of people picking strawberries this past week. It doens't look like any job I would want, bent over all day. We went to Santa Cruz to the beach but it wasn't sunny, we left about 10 am and got back around 4 or 5 and they were still in the fields when we got back. But, the strawberries are good.
The hospital is supposed to be on the verge of closing because of the debt. I don't think it can because they really need the beds and the services the hospital provides to it's clientele. The clientele is mostly homeless or drug addicts. I have never seen so many MRSA infections in my life. More I & D's than I can even tell you. I & D of the neck, foot, hip, chest wall....just amazing what these people who have no home or job are doing to their bodies. Plus the stabbings and the gun shot victims. Like my own little war zone. Ya gotta love 8 week assignments though. I can do anything for 8 weeks.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Long gone


Hey there, I have had some big changes sorry it's been so long. I was very unhappy on the floor I went to at the Queen of the Valley. It is really hard to work without any support staff like nursing assistants. They are a vital part of nursing and have always been a huge part of my career. It's really hard when the staff themselves are unhappy and not helpful. I am now in Salinas California, also known as the salad bowl of California. I am working at the community hospital which is a totally different client population. It's only an 8 week assignment ,which I have not done before so we'll see how that goes. The staff is very helpful and friendly.
We are much closer to the coast so we have been to the beach several times. We saw a church group on the beach and the preacher went in the water and individuals came in to be baptized in the Monterey Bay....very interesting. If you have never been to the Pacific ocean it's very cold...about 53-58 degrees. So it's amazing that the preacher could stay half submerged for 10 minutes. We also went to Seaside California and saw Amish on the beach...I was a little confused. I thought they were stuck on the other side of the country. It just proves you never know what you'll see in California. Remember first do no harm.