Busy

I have not posted in awhile and am full of excuses:


 1. We have had  a mass exodus of nurses, respiratory therapists and techs from my somewhat hoodish hospital. Beautiful -New -Suburban -All Private -Room -Hospital -With -A -Gourmet -Chef has siphoned quite a bit of our staff away. Shortstaffing has led to chaos and lots of overtime for everyone.

2. My professional mentor was fired recently (a blogpost for sure when I get the emotional distance to write about it), leaving me sad and discouraged. I do know, however, that if Florida had unions, it sure as hell would not have happened.

3. PACU traditionally consists of 4 ten hour shifts a week, plus weeknight and weekend call. We have had a few nurses leave who want to go back to the 3 12 hour shift workweek. More overtime for me!

 4. When I get home, I want to play with my kids and sleep. I know I need to exercise, but soooo tired. Maybe I will lay my head down on the table right now........................................


 

Solid Gold

I had an elderly female patient in PACU yesterday, who had just gotten a knee replacement. As she was being hooked up to the PACU monitors, her gown got a little sideways, briefly exposing her nether regions. We immediately covered her with a warm blanket as she burst out laughing. "Girls" she cackled "you best not show that to the crowd. It'll blind them. It is solid gold!"

Family in the Recovery Room

Does your hospital allow family members to visit patients in the Recovery Room/PACU?

My hospital does, and some nurses really do not approve. It is all that I have ever known, so I am used to it. I absolutely think that parents of young children should be back there. Also when we have had confused or developmentally disabled adults in PACU, a familiar face and voice truly helped them calm down and relax. However, if a patient is asleep or we have not yet gotten their pain under control, I would rather wait to bring a family member back. What do you think?

Busy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I have not posted lately. I am taking my hospital's critical care course, which has classroom, computer, and practicum components. The computer part is the ECCO curriculum, which the instructors warned me would be time consuming. I didn't believe them, but I do now. The cardiovascular lesson took hours! And the test was actually kind of hard. My kids were like "Mom, how can it be hard? You can look at your notes while you take it."
I said "Well, yes, but the questions can be complicated. You actually have to think." 
"Thinking! Ewwwwww!" they said. I have to agree : )

It is also mandatory education time at the hospital. This is where the employees have to take about a hundred tests online about various topics, ranging from preventing falls to disaster management to radiation safety. You used to be able to take the test without actually reading the learning material. They fixed that though, so now one must wade through the lesson before taking the test. Why I have to know the routes of transmission for Ebola, I'm not sure. And learning how to prevent surgical fires when I'm not an OR nurse? Hmmm.
I liked this answer option regarding what do do if you are passing by a room and see that an elderly patient on fall precautions is struggling to get out of their bed: "Close the door and go to lunch". The correct answer was probably "stay with the patient and call for help", but I really liked the other one better.

Yesterday one of the doctors told me that I looked like Juliette Lewis. I'm not sure if that is a compliment or what. She has played some really crazy characters. I asked him if he thought I was psycho. He said that he thought that she and I had some similar features and that he hoped that I would refrain from psychotic behavior, at least at work. I told him I would try.

Later on in the day, a patient was waking up in the PACU. I explained to him that his surgery was over. He said "Really? I thought you were an angel!"

Sweet talker.