Friday, August 31, 2007

2 more weeks and counting

I don't have the updated pictures of the bathroom yet, because my poor husband has been too busy to get them out of his camera and email them to me. He did send this picture over my phone (I love technology) to me while I was at work the other day. We have some landscaping finally...the tree root was actually dug out later the same day but I didn't get an updated pic. The bathroom is ready for paint and the flooring will go in Tuesday morning. The furnace and central air will be in tomorrow. Things are coming together. The guy who is going to put down the floor in the bath might also do the kitchen. He owns/manages about 25 rental properties himself and he might have a renter for our place already. I will be so happy. Only one mortgage payment and to have it done and rented would be awesome!
Yeah, I'm working my butt off. They aren't letting me slack off at all these last couple of weeks either. It's been busier than ever. I have missed lunch a couple of times this week and left after 8pm yesterday. Tomorrow is day #5 this week...then I get a day off...woohoo. I have to spend it doing laundry because I have no more white uniforms that are clean. They get me in whatever I can find tomorrow... These patients are really sick. They are so poor and don't get any health care whatsoever. The ER is their primary source of health care. Lots of them have never been to the doctor and they are in their 70's. This week was also drama queen week. My goodness these women can carry on. We had this one "diva" who was yelling and throwing things. She was calling out to every doctor who got off the elevator...Are you my doctor?...they all answered no..but really thought I hope not. She would ring for the nurse every 10 or 15 minutes, literally. Then all she would say is I want to see my nurse. Of course the nurse she had was very shy and timid...it was sad to watch really. Even the nurse manager and the acting DON couldn't handle her. It's amazing this clientele here. They get away with so much that anywhere else they wouldn't put up with. Guess that's why I can't wait to go back to civilization.
I got my apartment and my cable and my plane ticket...I'm ready to go. I wish I could drive out to Phoenix with my husband, I'd love to stop in Oklahoma and see my family..but, he will have to drive out with the dog on his own. The house won't be ready in 12 days.And he has to stay to finish up. At least my traveler friends will be there...they arrive on the 7th or 8th. I'm being daring. My flight is the morning of the 17th and I have to be at the hospital for my physical at 1300, my plane lands at 1030. I hope there are no delays. I have gotten set up with an agency to work for the first week and I told them I would give them at least one 12hr shift a week for the next 13weeks. The recruiter sounds pretty new. So new in fact that he was flirting with me over the phone after he saw my drivers license picture...not very professional. But, if he can get me work I'll be happy. Wish me luck...non noc nocere.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Rain...

The bathroom is coming together...I wish I was there to help...I would much rather do that than work overtime here. But, that is my lot in life. I worked 6 days last week and back to 3 this week, cuz I get to go and see my house (oh yeah and my husband...lol). It will be a 5 day trip...a good reward for my hard work.
Work has been busy as always. A couple of codes last week and hopefully I'll get out without one this week. You know it's not gonna be good when they call a code and everyone just looks around at everyone else...instead of heading for where the code is. Needless to say, they didn't turn out too well, but it got me thinking about my ACLS again. Which, is really good because I'll have to take a test when I get to Phoenix. Yeah, not only a rhythm and med test but a physical test too. it caught me off guard last time, but not this time, I'm gonna be ready. I have to do the dreaded 3 minute step test...do you all remember that from what High school? Yeah, last time I almost passed out, not this time...yes I am actually practicing. It's pretty good cardio.
Amazingly there is one patient who has been at the hospital since I got here...about 3 weeks shy of 3 months...and there's no plan for her to go anywhere. It's weird, but, it's not the first time I have encountered this. Some hospitals just can't get rid of their worst patients, they are always the sickest, and I always seem to have to take care of them ...a lot. Maybe it's because the regular staff is just in need of a rest from them...but, I need a rest too. You hear a lot of people talk under their breath..she makes the big bucks, let her take care of them. That's what I hear most often...the funny thing is I don't tell anyone what I make, it's just their guess. It's funny they don't think about the down side of traveling. You are away from all your friends and loved ones. You don't have your stuff, only a small portion of it. You can be cancelled, heck your contract can be cancelled and then where are you left? The company might be able to find you a new contract unless they are the ones who cancelled you. Then you only have 48hr to move out of your apartment, how many people do you know who could move out in 48hr? There are some down sides...I wish I didn't have to ad getting the rotten patients and the first admission and the extra patient but, I do. It happens. But, I'll take it all knowing I get to leave in 3 months and hope the next place is better.
This time I know it will be...any weather out west beats this east coast stuff!!
I'll let ya know how my trip is and I'll take lots of pictures. As they say down here in good old Richmond Community Hospital...Holla at a sista....and remember first do no harm.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

This week in Richmond Virginia


Just a few shots of the progress....

Hey all, it's been really hot here. And really busy. the heat is keeping the hospital full. I have been able to get in some overtime...5 tweleves last week and 6 this week. I am TIRED. I couldn't do them all in a row...I had 3 on and one off then 4 on and one off...I will be getting 5 in a row off this coming week. Headed back to Columbus to check out the remodel. Then I will have just 2 weeks left here in Virginia...then it's off to Phoenix. I already have my job and apartment and utilities lined up...that's the way it should be. I don't know why some of the companies make it so difficult.


My new traveler friend that is here is pretty miserable and home sick...I told her to tell her recruiter how she feels. And gave her some advise about ending her contract early. I have done it,only 2 times and it was on the last few days or last 2 weeks of the contract. Each one I was paying for housing so, the company didn't ask for a dime back. You have to check the fine print on the contract though. Every company is different. I wouldn't make a habit of it, although I have met travelers who have and still manage to find jobs. But, if you are really miserable or fear for your license, you can leave, the company can't stop you from leaving.









Friday, August 10, 2007

Husband of a nurse

Got this in an email....it is so good I had to share enjoy and pass it on......

Written by a husband of a nurse....... Ah, such mysterious, wondrous creatures are nurses. What treasures lurk beneath those crisp, white uniforms....What young man doesn't have fantasies of discovering those secrets for himself? SCREEEEEECH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Reality check! I've been married to a nurse for a quarter of a century, and let me tell you, nurses are not what you expect (and I don't even care what you expect, because you are wrong!).
Let's begin by tearing down some of the more famous assumptions about nurses right off the top: The Nurse as Sex Kitten: Any man who lived through the early seventies or has made it a point to rent such famous videos as "Night Duty Nurses" or "Student Nurses" or "Night Duty Student Nurses" or any one of several dozen nurse-centric skin flicks will immediately believe that all nurses have heaving bosoms, just millimetres away from popping out of skin tight white uniforms. You will also believe that nurses always wear white garters, fish-net hose, and stilettos. This, of course, is a handy dress code because movie nurses spend *a lot* of time hopping in and out of patient's beds. The reality is that most nurses wear scrubs - shapeless, draping hunks of cotton that could cause you to breeze past Pamela Anderson without a second look. Shoes are white and chunky with blobs of things on them better left unexplored. Socks replace white hose and garters, and when is the last time anyone saw a nursing cap? Graduation, perhaps?
The Nurse as an Angel: If you want to hear the latest gross jokes, just find a nurse. Some uninformed males seem to think of nurses as angelic creatures: demure and loving, a cross between a nun and their mom. Well, hate to bust your bubble, guy, but as a group, nurses are some of the rawest folks you'll ever run into. I don't care how sweet and demure they may look on the outside inside is someone who has seen things that would gag a maggot, break your heart, or drive a normal person nuts. So most nurses develop a very wicked sense of humour squarely lodged in the black-to-sick side of the scale. Also, in case you are looking for angelic sympathy for the little boo-boo you had in the shop, forget it! Let's say as a typical male klutz, you manage to saw your finger off. You go running to your nurse wife who is on the phone with a nurse friend of hers. As she continues to talk to her friend, she gives the stub a good eyeballing, slaps a towel on it, takes out a baggie to put the severed digit in, and tells you to get some ice while she is explaining to her friend that her dummy husband just sawed his finger off. As you stand there bleeding profusely for 15 minutes she calmly finishes her conversation as though nothing is going on until finally she says, "well I guess I better get him to the hospital."She hangs up the phone, looks at you, sighs and calmly says, "let's go." You have just learned an important lesson. On the nurse scale of emergencies, yours is about a minus 9! As my wife has told me, "when you are on a ventilator, with six drips running, your head down and your feet up, then you're sick. Anything less than that isn't worth getting excited over!"
The Nurses Mutual Benefit Network: As a male either dating or married to a nurse, you should realize one important thing. There are nurses everywhere. That, in itself, is no big deal. The fact is, every nurse knows other nurses who know more nurses, so that by the time you are finished, a nurse on the Island Nation of Chuuk who observes you doing something you shouldn't has the immediate capability of getting word to your wife. This system is way more reliable and efficient than the Internet and has existed for a much longer time. Take it for granted that your nurse wife will know about anything you have done, good or bad, before you get home! Your Social Life with Nurses: Nurses hang out with other nurses and soon you may find that all your friends are married to nurses. The reason this happens is because in situations where nurses mingle with nonmedical folks things can get ugly. For example, you are out to dinner with your nurse wife, another nurse couple, and two civilian couples. The nurses sit and chat, discussing fun things like bleeding bowels, open sores, how much fat was sucked out of some patient, projectile vomiting, traumatic amputations, etc., all over a nice pasta dinner. The nurses carry on talking as the civilian couples turn funny colours, make faces and suppress their gag reflexes (and this is if the nurses don't have any really gross things to share like the homeless guy with maggots in his bleeding sores!) After several dinners and gatherings like this, you will soon find your circle of friends has shrunk significantly. The key to avoiding this is to do the following: Never go out in mixed groups with more than one nurse. A lone nurse is ok. The trouble starts when you have more than one, and when that happens, keep the regular folks away. Also get used to the idea that some friends and neighbours will take advantage of the fact that your wife is a nurse by calling at all hours of the day and night for advice. This may include male friends "dropping by" to show your sweetie his rash. The best advice I can give is to just deal with it and hope it isn't contagious.
The Health Ramifications of being with a Nurse: Most nurses have been described as having the constitution of horses which isn't true because I've been around horses and they get sick more often. The reason for this is pretty simple. After about 3-5 years on the job, nurses have been exposed to so many bugs that they either end up dead or full of every antibody known to mankind. (If you want the ultimate booster shot, just get a blood transfusion from a nurse who's worked in a hospital for 20 years!) You don't have all these antibodies, though, so when she does come home with mild sniffles, a week later you're flat on your back with the worse case of the flu of your life!! Oh, and if you are the least bit squeamish, don't even think about the bugs she brings home on her clothes. It will mess with your mind as she talks about her resistant TB patient, the patient full of body lice, or the one with poison ivy in his mouth! so don't ask. Conclusion: Ah such mysterious, wondrous creatures are nurses

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Hot and Humid

What is with this heat? Wow, the humidity here is just stifling. The kind where you walk outside and can't catch your breath. Good thing the hospital is letting me work some overtime...I get to use their air conditioning instead of mine...lol. This week has been brutal so far, 6 and 7 patients, no charge nurse and only 1 or 2 techs for 25 to 30 patients. The acuity is really high as well...then on my worst day ever they messed up staffing and a nurse who they thought was supposed to be there, didn't show. I didn't get to leave until 8:45. I had no words to describe it...I had a horrible day then my relief doesn't show...They are still using agency per diem nurses because their own staff is burned out, but they are not using as many. I have 5 shifts this week and next...if they allow me to work them all. I know Uncle Sam will be happy if they do.
Work is progressing slowly at our rehab because of the heat. Heating and A/C will be the first thing to be completed. I think we might be one of the only houses on the street to put in central air. Hopefully it will be a big help when it comes to renting the place.
I have begun the hunt for my next assignment to Phoenix. I called a couple of companies but I think I will go with the one I worked with last time. They have the best hourly rate and make the process so simple. I think this assignment has burned me out on trying new places for a little while. I also have had enough of nursing on this side of the Mississippi. Not that I can't handle a patient load of 6 or 7 or more but, I don't want to when I know I don't have to. All the hospitals talk about 5 star service and patient satisfaction, blah blah blah...how is it possible when you have 6 or 7 patients? What about nurse satisfaction? No one talks about that.
Remember first do no harm.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Rehab #1

Well, as you can tell, I have been a little busy. For instance, last weekend I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Got on a plane Monday, which was delayed and forced me to miss my connecting flight in Cleveland. Luckily my husband loves to drive and made it to Cleveland shortly after I landed. Then we drove the 2 hours back to Columbus to the mortgage guys office to sign some papers. Then we went and visited my Uncle, the one who had surgery for his stomach cancer...he is doing very well. Then back to my brothers house to visit and sleep. The next morning we got up early because the sheriff was supposed to come and remove the renters from the house next to our rehab...but, it didn't happen. Columbus has a lot of foreclosures and the sheriff's office is overwhelmed. From there we went to our closing...only about a half hour or 45 minutes of signing papers. It's really hard to sign your name the same that many times in a row. Then we had some lunch and went to the new house...we cleaned a little put up a new porch light and changed the door locks. I'm so lucky to have a brother with skills...the door lock we bought didn't fit the hole that was made so, he went to his truck and got out his jig and drill and made it fit. Of course he had to use his half inch drill and of course it caught a couple of times and tried to rip his arm off. What fun would it be if it didn't? The my husband and nephew pulled down the awful wall paper..it's so old it came off in sheets...only thing left on the wall was some old glue. Then we got up the next morning and drove back to Virginia so I could go to work the next day. A little hectic but, oh so much fun....I'm so happy to be doing this rehab. Ok, I won't get to "do" most of it, but I will be seeing the work in progress via the internet.
Work has been interesting. There's a new sheriff in town...no just kidding ...they have an interim administrator who has decided to make some changes. No more per diems, we now daily have 6 or 7 patients, with 2 techs for 30 patients. They decided not to cancel the travel contracts...I don't know how I feel about that, I wouldn't have minded leaving but now they are giving me some extra shifts since the agency people are gone. It's not a pretty time. There's a lot of complaining and the nurses who were already pretty burned out are talking about leaving. I don't see this hospital staying open much longer...although no one else in the city wants the patients who come here, so, the other hospitals may keep it open for that reason. I'm just glad, once again, to be able to walk away from a bad situation before it gets worse. I try to be as positive as always knowing I don't have to stay and deal with the stupid changes that administrators make. It really makes me appreciate the good hospitals I have been in. That's why I do what I do. I will be updating you all on our progress and the hunt for a new job as well.September is just around the corner...thank goodness.
Remember first do no harm.