As The Hospital Pervs

[LongDrySpell]

Not to get too political on this thread, but to me this is an inherent problem with for-profit health care. We want to care for our patients. The administration's job is to make more money, and that is always going to mean sacrificing care.

 

[LongDrySpell]

Our heat went out today. Our entire complex, plus the mental health institution next door. The high today was 15 degrees. Many of our patients have a difficult time regulating body temperature because that part of their brain doesn't work correctly. Not a good combination. Every air warming system unit in the place was turned on, and we were walking them from patient to patient as their temps started to drop. Fortunately they got the heat running again after a few hours, but it was still chilly even when I left for the day.

I wouldn't know what to do with myself if everything went smoothly one day.

 

[sweepthefloor]

That was another thing I liked - they're much softer than the IguanaMeds out of the gate. The IMs will get soft after you wash them many, many times, but they're pretty starchy at the beginning.

But if you want REALLY soft, go with the "Grey's Anatomy" line from Life Uniform. I bought a pair of pants, but I might not wear them to work - they're so soft I want to wear them to bed! They don't have all the pockets and loops and stuff, though. I like for everything to have its place. Also they're unisex, and unisex tops tend to make me look a bit dumpy.

The Grey's line is so super soft. I have one bottom and a few tops, and I want more-- they feel so good. I save them for day three when I really want some comfort.

I agree about the Iguana's-- I don't like the way the tops look on me. I go through phases with the pockets. Lately, I have been keeping everything in the room. I lost my scissors again, every time I need scissors I have to open up a suture removal kit.

 

[BeachMomma]

The Grey's line is so super soft. I have one bottom and a few tops, and I want more-- they feel so good. I save them for day three when I really want some comfort.

I agree about the Iguana's-- I don't like the way the tops look on me. I go through phases with the pockets. Lately, I have been keeping everything in the room. I lost my scissors again, every time I need scissors I have to open up a suture removal kit.

I used to keep my scissors on a lanyard, but the plastic going through the rings made them harder to use. Now I hook them to my scrub top with a hemostat.

 

[LongDrySpell]

The Grey's line is so super soft. I have one bottom and a few tops, and I want more-- they feel so good. I save them for day three when I really want some comfort.

I agree about the Iguana's-- I don't like the way the tops look on me. I go through phases with the pockets. Lately, I have been keeping everything in the room. I lost my scissors again, every time I need scissors I have to open up a suture removal kit.

The Utility Girl top has EVERYTHING - there's a little loop up by the left shoulder that's perfectly sized for a name badge clip (the retractable kind), one near the hip that's right above a pocket which is perfect for keys - they thought of everything.

I'm kind of obsessed with compartmentalizing things. I even collect little decorative boxes.

 

[sweepthefloor]

You girls are motivating me to get organized with my stuff.

I used to keep my scissors on a lanyard, but the plastic going through the rings made them harder to use. Now I hook them to my scrub top with a hemostat.

I lost my hemostats too! The central line kits have hemostats in them so the next time I will keep, instead of throwing them in the sharps bin.

The Utility Girl top has EVERYTHING - there's a little loop up by the left shoulder that's perfectly sized for a name badge clip (the retractable kind), one near the hip that's right above a pocket which is perfect for keys - they thought of everything.

I'm kind of obsessed with compartmentalizing things. I even collect little decorative boxes.

I think I might get a pretty pencil box for my things. My Father told me that people who have many boxes, have many secrets. hehehe

 

[LongDrySpell]

My Father told me that people who have many boxes, have many secrets. hehehe

Hmmmm... interesting theory. I always thought it reflected my need for order, and lack of it in my life. Plus, you know, they're pretty and cute.

Some day, I want to be able to get one of those old desks that has compartments within compartments, and secret hidden compartments, etc. They come up every once in a while on "Antiques Roadshow," and they're crazy expensive, but some day...

 

[LongDrySpell]

We had a meeting at the end of the day, the boss presented the results of the past year's patient satisfaction survey. For our client population, it gets filled out by parents, guardians, foster parents, or group home managers. For direct cares and nursing, 83% rated us a 10 (out of 10). Only one survey came back with a score less than 8. They were also able to leave comments, and the same themes came up over and over again: they felt that their children/wards/etc. were extremely well cared for (clean, comfortable, and happy), and they were impressed by how caring and loving we were. It made my week.



This is why I do what I do.

 

[sweepthefloor]

We had a meeting at the end of the day, the boss presented the results of the past year's patient satisfaction survey. For our client population, it gets filled out by parents, guardians, foster parents, or group home managers. For direct cares and nursing, 83% rated us a 10 (out of 10). Only one survey came back with a score less than 8. They were also able to leave comments, and the same themes came up over and over again: they felt that their children/wards/etc. were extremely well cared for (clean, comfortable, and happy), and they were impressed by how caring and loving we were. It made my week.



This is why I do what I do.

That is the best because when you can please the sick, you know you are doing a good job.

Today I ended up near the door when the clerk was on break-- bad place to be! The door bell kept buzzing! I was like: Can I see your visitor ID? The man flipped out on me! Who are you?!? I have been here all week visiting!!

I was like: Hello, my name is... nice to meet you. I am the nurse in charge around here. Is there anything I can do for you?
---
I hope you get the desk!

 

[sweepthefloor]

I asked a patient: What happened to you? He said: I wrapped myself around a telephone pole-- that's what they tell me.

Then he asked: Can you just put me down with some morphine, you know-- like a sick dog?

I almost laughed, and then I assured him we were gonna mess him up real good with some big time morphine.

 

[Balladeer08]

Hmmmm... interesting theory. I always thought it reflected my need for order, and lack of it in my life. Plus, you know, they're pretty and cute.

Some day, I want to be able to get one of those old desks that has compartments within compartments, and secret hidden compartments, etc. They come up every once in a while on "Antiques Roadshow," and they're crazy expensive, but some day...

You can buy an unfinished roll top desk with all the pigeonholes fairly cheaply at one of the unfinished furniture places. Seal, stain and finish it yourself. Pretty simple. I used playtex gloves and an old sock to apply the seal and the stain, and a "sponge" brush for the finish. But best of all, since it is unfinished when you get it, you can easily modify it to have a few secret spaces. You can do some interesting things with magnets....

 

[sweettreat601]

We had a meeting at the end of the day, the boss presented the results of the past year's patient satisfaction survey. For our client population, it gets filled out by parents, guardians, foster parents, or group home managers. For direct cares and nursing, 83% rated us a 10 (out of 10). Only one survey came back with a score less than 8. They were also able to leave comments, and the same themes came up over and over again: they felt that their children/wards/etc. were extremely well cared for (clean, comfortable, and happy), and they were impressed by how caring and loving we were. It made my week.



This is why I do what I do.

Awesome news! Congratulations. That's not an easy task to keep the ratings up and the folks happy!

 

[sweepthefloor]

The crazy little CHFer that needed continuous biPAP yesterday was better today and written for transfer to telemetry.

She kept telling me that she wanted to go out in the yard, and that this is not a hospital, don’t be ridiculous.

I asked her if she needed to have a bowel movement, and that I wanted to check her bottom.

I tried getting in between her chubby legs to make sure she was clean, and she yelled at me: What kind of place is this? You are no nurse! Get out of here! What in the world! I never! You people are crazy around here! Always trying to toss and turn me around in the bed!

It was funny.

 

[LongDrySpell]

The crazy little CHFer that needed continuous biPAP yesterday was better today and written for transfer to telemetry.

She kept telling me that she wanted to go out in the yard, and that this is not a hospital, don’t be ridiculous.

I asked her if she needed to have a bowel movement, and that I wanted to check her bottom.

I tried getting in between her chubby legs to make sure she was clean, and she yelled at me: What kind of place is this? You are no nurse! Get out of here! What in the world! I never! You people are crazy around here! Always trying to toss and turn me around in the bed!

It was funny.

Sometimes it's just a shame that we can't show them pictures of really wicked pressure sores.

 

[sweepthefloor]

Sometimes it's just a shame that we can't show them pictures of really wicked pressure sores.

we could do that! but this cutie would probably yell at me some more! I hope today goes by fast for me.

 

[sweepthefloor]

Gee Ess Double U. Bang Bang.

 

[Balladeer08]

Gee Ess Double U. Bang Bang.

That could be the refrain for a song. We should do a group write.

Gee Ess
Double U
Bang Bang
BANG BANG BANG

Domestic dispute,
drive-by shooting gang.


We need verses to describe GSW victims coming into the H and the nurse responses in the ER etc. A list of terms to work in that we can find rhymes for.

 

[Balladeer08]

A young girl studies for a test,
a bullet lodges in her chest.
Call 9-1-1 and ambulance
Let paramedics do their dance.


Gee Ess
Double U
Bang Bang
BANG BANG BANG

Domestic dispute,
drive-by shooting gang.

 

[Balladeer08]

Start IV's and give O2,
and things that paramedics do.
Pressure dressing, and assess
try to make sense out of this mess.

Police arrive and look for leads
to who would do such awful deeds.
But info is hard to come by
it's just another damn driveby.

 

[sweepthefloor]

That could be the refrain for a song. We should do a group write.

There is something wrong--
I have no song.

I was never great at rhyming the sadness. I am good at 'not thinking about it.'

I never imagined bullet hole wounds would be so small on the outside, but so big on the inside. And then the Surgeons dig and fix.

 

[LongDrySpell]

Did you ever have one of those days, when the tiniest, most stupid thing ends up being the last straw?

My wrist is killing me. Funny, because that's what brought me here in the first place - I was stuck at home for 3 weeks after surgery (peripheral interosseous nerve neurectomy for Kienbock's disease). Which worked for about a year. Now the pain is back, and the next step is a proximal row carpectomy with partial fusion. I'm putting off seeing my surgeon, because I'm afraid that's what he's going to tell me I need to do.

On top of that, I slipped on some black ice last week. I caught myself before I fell, but wrenched my other shoulder. Probably just a pulled muscle, but it hurts like hell. So now I don't have a good arm, and we have some seriously heavy patients right now.

We have a new boss, who is even worse than the last one. She doesn't want us talking to each other about our differences, but to come straight to her. So I've been hauled in to her office three times since the beginning of last week, all for rediculous, stupid things that my coworkers should have just come to me about.

I didn't get a break today because two of my really clique-y coworkers had to take all of their breaks together. And it was a potluck day.

I was OK through all of this. Then, one of my patients was scheduled for discharge, we finished the meeting with her group home staff, and I went to get her up in her wheelchair to go home, and found that she had voided and soaked through everything. Mind you, this happens at least twice a day - we get our adult diapers through the "low bid" system, and they don't contain much. But for some reason, THIS made me burst into tears. Stupid. Fortunately it was almost the end of the shift, and I have the next two days off.

Thanks for letting me bitch.

 

[LongDrySpell]

There is something wrong--
I have no song.

I was never great at rhyming the sadness. I am good at 'not thinking about it.'

I never imagined bullet hole wounds would be so small on the outside, but so big on the inside. And then the Surgeons dig and fix.

You can't dwell on the sadness. It will eat you up inside. It's like a viral hemorrhagic fever, turning your insides to sludge that flows out of the nose and mouth. We are here to help how we can, while we can. Sometimes we get to make a difference. Sometimes all we can do is make the patient comfortable until he passes on, and that makes a difference, too.

 

[BeachMomma]

Did you ever have one of those days, when the tiniest, most stupid thing ends up being the last straw?

YES! It's my turn to bitch. I had a confused patient yesterday who'd been NPO all day after breakfast. She went for a heart cath, but afterwards, she had to have a CT of her chest and abdomen for a AAA. She was still NPO when the kitchen closed, so I requested a tray be brought to the nurses' desk so we could put it in the refrigerator and heat it up for her after her CT.

I put a big, bold sign on the door telling everybody that she was NPO. The secretary asked one of the aides to put the tray in the refrigerator. Instead of doing that, she took it to the patient. Blew right past my sign on the door to give this patient her tray.

I went in the room to do something else and saw my patient, very happily devouring her dinner. Went back to the nurses' station to verify that she had not indeed been down for the speediest CT in the history of health care. She had not had her CT scan.

I had to postpone her scan until this morning. AND make her NPO yet again. The aide and I had a little conversation about the importance of diligence and following instructions. I'm off today, so I told the charge nurse what happened because I know there will be a fall-out over this. The MD will be PISSED. Frankly, so am I. I sincerely hope he chews the aide a new asshole - or that he has the nurse manager do it for him. God knows, I wanted to chew her a new asshole. I'm still debating an incident report.

Is it too much to ask people to listen and pay attention?

 

[sweepthefloor]

Girls girls girls it's almost time to clock out! I'm waiting for my NOC shift hunnie!

If I can't clean it by now I'm putting a top sheet on it.

 

[Balladeer08]

Girls girls girls it's almost time to clock out! I'm waiting for my NOC shift hunnie!

If I can't clean it by now I'm putting a top sheet on it.

NOC NOC.

8)