I found out last week that I will be going on resource next month.  Basically that means that I am on my own, but I have a specific person to whom I can use as a "resource".  I'm kind of nervous, but at the same time completely excited because this is what I've been working for these past 7 months. Woo hoo! I know I'm ready, I feel ready, but at the same time, I'm still scared to be free of the leash I've had on for all this time.

On another note, I was just thinking today that at this time last year I was getting ready for my final semester at Lourdes.  Hard to believe I've been out of school this long already.  I still feel like I'm supposed to be writing down my clinical experiences to be handed in to my instructors (which I miss you all, by the way!) or that there's going to be a test or something like that.  But I digress...

As usual, I'd like to offer a little advice to those of you who are going to be finished with your nursing degree this December. 

First things first--it's never too early to start looking for a job.  I applied to the Toledo Hospital in April, a full six months before I was finished with school.  I handed in my resume at St. V's in September.  I had a job lined up by November.  You all know where I chose to work.  Give yourself time to really think about the area you want to go into and what kind of hospital you want to work for.  Do you want to work in a big, level I trauma hospital or does the appeal of a small, county hospital seem like a good setting?  If you're into ICU, naturally I am going to suggest TTH for the simple fact that it is such a well-rounded program and I am not afraid to float because I've been to each area, including cardiac and neuro. 

Ok, so now you've got the whole job thing situated, or not, depending on what type of person you are.  Second thing, don't fall prey to senioritis.  It's a nasty little bug that creeps up on you about mid-semester.  You know you've got it when you don't even care what grades you get anymore, you just want to get your assignments done.  Wrong attitude.  This is the last hurrah.  Push yourself because just scraping by is going to lower that GPA of yours and possibly hinder any chance of getting into graduate school (should your little heart desire that).  Keep up on your work, don't procrastinate. 

Your final semester will kick you hard in the keester.  You will be exhausted, you will be emotional, you will be everyone's worst nightmare.  Say adios to your social life.  Nothing I say can even compare to what you will actually experience.  It's a roller coaster.  But once you're finished, it's all good. 

Next, prepare to be spending mucho time in the WIN Center or library.  If you don't know anyone there, you will by December.  And you'll know their life stories. And they'll be your surrogate family.  Kelly will be your mother and Kevin will be your brother/best friend.  Seriously.  And don't be afraid to use Kelly as your go to person for APA formatting.  She's a great resource.  Book group rooms early because they tend to go fast.  You will be using these rooms for your Management project.  Trust me.  I practically slept there.

Keep your heads up.  This semester has the potential to be the best and worst or both.  Don't let the bad times get you down.  More than ever you will rely on your classmates for support--including emotional support.  There will be laughter, there will be tears.  You can't get through this on your own. 

For a better idea of what my final semester at Lourdes was like, go to the "Students" category and click on "Kimberly".  Feel free to leave comments! 

Best of luck and I hope to see some of you here at the hospital!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 5:38:23 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I almost finished with my residency here at the hospital and I am getting more excited every day!  These last six months have been ridiculous.  In that sense I mean good, bad, ugly, sad, depressing, and everything in between.  I now have a unit to call my home--Medical ICU.  It's a fabulous unit full of great learning experiences and great people as well.  As I become more adapted into yet another new nursing role, I would like offer all the new nurses out there some tips.

1.  Never, ever be afraid to ask questions.  How are you supposed to learn anything or be challenged if you don't ask questions?  Can you really take care of a patient you know nothing about? Would you be comfortable doing a procedure you have never done before? Ask!  Always ask!  This also comes in handy when you have a preceptor/co-worker/doctor who thinks he/she knows everything.  Feed the ego.  It can't hurt.

2. Be prepared for anything.  Sometimes the job isn't as exciting as you think it will be.  It is most certainly not nearly as enthralling as an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" or "ER".  Sometimes it might be, but most nights, not so much.  Then again, a disaster could strike at any minute and you could be thrust into the most action-filled night of your life.

3.  Know your unit.  Be aware of where everything is, regardless of how unimportant it may seem.  Know where the crash carts are, the codes to get into the supply room, where the Pyxis is, etc.  You never know when you may need this stuff and it will save you from running amok on the unit.

4.  It's ok to cry.  I do it a lot.  Sometimes you just get physically drained, sometimes you are working a devastating case.  Sometimes you just have to let it out.  I have cried during break, on the way home, on the phone with my mom, with families, when I go to bed.  Things will affect more than you think, especially when you are running on fumes.

5.  Don't be intimidated by doctors.  Easier said than done.  I am still going through that, but I think it's great advice.  Every nurse will tell you not to take offense to the docs who are pompous/mean/overbearing.  They will also tell you when and when not to call the doctors.  Always ask another nurse before calling a doc.  You may be able to avoid it.

6.  Learn to adjust to working nights.  Unless you get EXTREMELY lucky, most of you will be working nights.  There is really no easy way to make the transition.  You just have to be patient.  Get some room-darkening shades and tack them around the window to block out the light. Put a blanket at the top of the curtain rod to block out any additional light.  When you get home at 8am the last thing you want is to be awakened by the high noon sun.  Darkness is your friend.  I've been on nights for almost four months and I am just now sleeping for at least five straight hours.

7.  Ask for help.  Quick-you just got a new admission and your other patient needs to use the bedpan.  What do you do?  Ask for help.  As long as you maintain a healthy, professional relationship with your co-workers and give help in return when you can, someone will almost always be there to come to your aid. 

8.  Be yourself.  The quickest way to lose points among your co-workers is to be stuffy, mean, and have a know-it-all attitude.  Be who you are--and accept the people who are not the nicest folks.  You may need them someday.

9.  Vent!  We all need to do it, and who better to vent to than your fellow nursing friends.  (Family and friends outside of the healthcare realm are essentially clueless when it comes to our line of work).  I have several friends from Lourdes that I work with that I can count on, as well as several new friends I met in the program here at the hospital.  As you get to know the seasoned nurses, you will be able to complain away freely on the unit.  Just don't do it in front of patients/families/people who you don't want to hear.  You will feel better getting all the bullcrap off your chest.

10.  Breathe!  Collect yourself.  This could be very overwhelming.  Remember that you are new, you don't know everything, and you may feel utterly stupid.  This field of work is always full of surprises, new learning experiences, and whatnot.  The day you stop learning is the day you are either an uber genius or realize this is not the line of work for you. 

11.  Research.  You probably thought that after Nursing Research, Community, and Management there wouldn't be research until you decided to go for your doctorate (no offense, nursing staff!! :>) )  WRONG!  The only way to really get what you're doing (example: cardiac output, using a Swan-Ganz catheter, understanding sepsis) is to look it up.  The AACN's Essentials of Critical Care Nursing is my bible, and along with the Internet, as well as my co-workers, I have information at my fingertips.  I also subscribe to several nursing journals, which are also a great source.

Well, I think that's about it for now.  It's almost 3am and my shift is almost over.  So much for finishing up my Hemodynamic Monitoring module in ECCO.  There's always next week.   

Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:51:27 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2] | 

As I sit in my patient's room to keep an eye on them, it has dawned on me that I haven't posted in a month.  How this month has flown by, with some days I wish would last forever and other days that couldn't end soon enough. 

I am finally transitioning into the world of nursing and feeling comfortable with it.  Aside from the things that are beyond me, such as neuro and open heart surgery, I have really started to piece things together and get my routine down.  Managing two stable patients is no longer something I feel apprehensive about; it's something I look forward to.  I'm now at the phase in my program that I am able to start taking the unstable patients, yet those are hard to come by, especially when you have a preceptor who wants to treat you like a nursing student. 

Six months is a decent amount of time to get acclimated to the world of nursing.  Routines fall into place, time management continues to improve, and patients begin to push your buttons even more as the mere thrill of taking care of a squirrely patient wears off.  Tolerance levels and empathy levels begin to ebb and flow, as you begin to not feel sorry for the people who overdose; rather, you feel sorry for their families and friends.  And also, as evidenced by tonight, your patience wears extremely thin when you realize four hours into your shift that your night will be spent reminding your patient not to pull on wires or IV's and that no one wants to see their goods, if you know what I mean. 

Night time does strange things to patients, young and old.  Most of the older folks I take care of who are not sedated and on a ventilator get Sundowners.  And they are nuts.  There is nothing you can do to prevent it, just go with it.  Like my patient tonight.  From tossing off the blankets to pulling off the gown to pulling off the wires and IV's, it becomes like a three-ring circus.  As much as it is irritating, it can be amusing. 

Regardless of the patients I get now, it dawns on me a little more every day that I am finally adjusting to life after nursing school and that I can get the hang of this.  Ok, I gotta go keep my guy from pulling out his NG!

Saturday, June 21, 2008 11:11:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2] | 

Tomorrow my college life will officially be over, thus far.  I don't really know what to think about the whole thing, except that I am overjoyed.  It's hard to express what I feel at this moment because of all of the different emotions pouring out of my heart right now. 

I am the first person to graduate from college in my family.  And boy, is my family proud.  It's almost embarassing, really.  Just last night at dinner, my parents and grandparents carried on to the server about how I'm a nurse, I went to Lourdes, my commencement is tomorrow, yadda yadda.  I sat there with my head down at first, but then I thought, "accept the fact that they are proud!" It's embarassing at times, but I wallow in it. It feels good to have someone share your pride.  And to feed it a little bit, too.

I come from a blue collar family.  My dad's a plumber.  Grandpa was a truck driver, Nana was a bank teller.  My mom works at a fabric store.  My brother delivers medical equipment.  And here I am, a nurse, with a Bachelor's degree.  The very first in my family.  And I couldn't happier. 

This is leaps and bounds from where I came from. I was a wild child.  To look at me, you would not guess that, but everyone has their skeletons in the closet.  I went through a lot of rough spots at the end of high school and got in with the wrong crowd.  I was stuck in a downward spiral for several years, making my life and my family's lives living hell until I decided I'd had enough. 

I started at a community college in the fall of 2000 and got straight A's.  By that fall, I transferred to Lourdes and was going to be a teacher.  Well, we all know that was not meant to be, because here I am, almost 7 years later with a degree in nursing. 

The road was long and bumpy, it seemed I had setback after setback.  One step forward, two steps back, I used to say.  But I perservered.  And even though I didn't make it into the honors' society and I wasn't one of the people who received awards for being great, I know, deep down, that I am great.  And I am honored.  I did the best that I could.  Knowing that means more than any plaque or vocal recognition.  

So when tomorrow comes, I will proudly walk across the Sea Gate Center stage and accept my certificate from Dr. Helmer with pride. I am proud of myself.  For the first time in my life I can say that and it feels good. 

Friday, May 16, 2008 4:15:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [3] | 

I suppose that sooner or later it would dawn on me that I've been out of touch with the "real" world for some time now.  I just found out last night that John McCain is not running against anyone, that's why the focus is on Hillary and Obama right now.  Not that I'm one to follow politics, I sway neither Republican nor Democrat, I vote the person who has a better platform.  Now, this all hit me last night while watching the 11pm news following CSI:Miami, which I apparently have not caught up on lately as one of the characters left the show and I knew nothing about it. 

My dad said, "Yeah, it was on the previews from last week."

I replied, "When did the writer's strike end?"

I guess that's what happens when you essentially live, eat, and breathe hospital.  Most people assume that on a day off one would kick back and watch TV, catch up on their soap opera, be a couch potato.  Not me.  I get out of the house.  I drive to different places around northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan and I enjoy the fantastic weather.  And I try to get some sleep.  I am caught up in things other than what is really going on this world.  Except gas prices.  You can't ignore that no matter how hard you try. 

So I came up with a plan: 

1.  Read the newspaper.  Even though the Blade's proofreading leaves little to be desired, I vow to partake in it long enough to get in touch with the goings on around here.

2.  Utilize my DVR more often.  That way I really can spend a day being a couch potato.  I can't tell you the last time I watched Top Chef or Hell's Kitchen the same week they aired. 

3.  Click on the top stories on the AOL homepage when I check my email.  That way I can get in touch with some of the more tabloid aspects of life. 

Whether or not these will work, I don't know.  But maybe I should focus a little less on the fact that I live, eat, and breathe hospital. 

Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:19:59 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

I am so tired right now!  I've been on nights now for two weeks and it's been a difficult transition so far.  It's 11:45am right now and I got off work at 3:30am.  I was up at 9am.  And I haven't been back to sleep.  So here I am, staring bleary-eyed at a computer monitor in an almost catatonic state.  I was on the day shift for four months and detested getting up before the sun came out.  I never really got used to that at all.  I had the opportunity to switch to nights at the end of April and I jumped at it.  I'm used to late nights in a hospital.  There is a different atmosphere on nights, I guess.  For instance, the lights are turned down low, patients are bathed and readied for bed, and it's quieter.  Most nights. 

For me, nights are the best time to learn as a new nurse because you have time to sit with your preceptor and pick their brains.  You can gain so much knowledge from your preceptors and co-workers because nights are so much more relaxed (for the most part)and you don't have to worry about catching the doctors or dealing with visitors or the regular hustle and bustle that exists during the day.  At night you can sit back (if your patients are stable) and discuss your patient with your preceptor and really get a grip on the whole critical thinking aspect of nursing. 

In two weeks on nights I have learned how to view brain hemorrhages on a CT scan, how to draw blood off of an arterial line, how check a cardiac index on a Swan, what a proper CVP waveform looks like and how to troubleshoot a bad waveform, how to recognize an aortic aneurysm on a CT, what a procedure called a Whipple is, and how to call doctors on the phone and not make them upset because I'm calling about something little.  I've also perfected the art of giving a bed bath in under 15 minutes while completing my midnight assessment.  What accomplishments!

I also like nights because that's when I think a lot of excitement happens.  New admits come in who aren't stable, and the unit I'm on now gets the traumas, surgeries, and just about anything else that is critical.  The patients could potentially crash at any given moment and to me it's all very exciting--I like the adrenaline rush of having someone's life in your hands.  It's very fast-paced when a new admit comes.  There are about 10 people helping out, with someone documenting, someone else is getting supplies, several people are getting the patient moved onto the bed, and various people are hooking the patient up to the monitor, changing the linens, running the ventilator, cleaning up messes, hooking up IV lines and drips, and so on.  There's a lot going on in a limited amount of space and it's all exciting to me.

There are other nights when nothing is going on and it's all I can do to stay awake.  I've developed a caffeine habit that consists of Red Bull and coffee.  I hate coffee.  But it keeps me up as long as I put in a boat load of cream and sugar.  I get the yawns around 3am.  Between 3 and 5 I am a zombie.  I caught myself nodding off while charting my assessment last week.  In order to stay awake, I take a brisk walk down the hall or I do a few jumping jacks (not in front of everyone, but I go to the bathroom or the supply room and do them).  Then there are some nights that, regardless of what I do, I am either wired or exhausted and there's no way around it.  Nurses have it rough at night because we are constantly fighting our own bodies' response to Circadian rhythms.  Most people's bodies are not used to staying up through the night, and mine is certainly no exception. 

So while I love nights I hate the fact that I am not sleeping a lot during the day.  It'll take some time to get used to, but I can deal with it.  I'll have to regardless because almost all new nurses get put on the night shift after orientation anyway. 

Time to get back to bed.

Saturday, May 03, 2008 12:05:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

It is absolutely beautiful outside and I am stuck in a basement computer room at the hospital working on my ECCO (Essentials of Critical Care Orientation).  Yes, I should be paying attention, but it's a web-based program that has a voice with a speech impediment.  Not that I am knocking anyone who has one, but to listen to a woman with a weird New England-type accent mispronounce words for roughly four hours at a time--I mean, really, come on now.

I am counting down the hours--it's been about 2 1/2 and I have another 1 1/2 to go, but there are so many better things I could be doing right now.  Like being outside.  And going for a cruise.  And getting some ice cream from some little hole in the wall roadside place.  And walking through a park.  And feeding some ducks/geese.  And I could go on and on, but alas I will not as this blog could easily become a list of the things I would do right now if I were not stuck in this room the size of a broom closet. 

And I digress...

I just finished my rotation on another unit this week and on Monday I start anew yet again.  Only now I'm on nights.  Yippee ki ay.  And yes, there is a lot of sarcastic enthusiasm there.  But I guess it's not that bad.  It's really the issue of working on the unit from 7p-3a and then sitting in front of a computer from 3a-7a to work on ECCO.  I tried it for an hour yesterday morning and I was ready to curl up in an empty hospital bed somewhere.  So I left and have to make up my hours on my day off.  Sure, I was off yesterday, but my plans to be here were thwarted by the fact that I had to drive to Findlay to pick up my brother from the hospital (nothing serious).  So that took up a few minutes of my time.  Then, he was hungry, had to return something to Best Buy, yadda yadda, and I'm like, seriously dude, you got a shot of morphine so let's get you home.  When all was said and done, I had no time left to come here. 

But here I am today.  And I'm so over it already.  Being alone in this room with nothing but a computer (cell phones don't work down here) really makes a person's thoughts wander. 

I have to make a hair appointment. 

Will the hospital track me down if they find out I'm surfing bored.com?  

Why doesn't environmental services come and clean up this room more often? 

I can't believe that I missed Top Chef this week. 

Did I set my DVR for Degrassi tonight? 

I'm hungry. 

I think I will bring in some pictures to hang on these stark white walls.  Maybe one of a kitten and one of the Care Bears. 

I wonder how old the printer in here is? 

I miss my dude.  

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh, the right stuff... 

Why is it that you can't get a fabulous cell phone signal in the Franklin Park Mall? 

I think I have to use the restroom.  Maybe not.

We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind...

It's nonstop random thoughts.  How does one deal?  Maybe I should just go back to listening so I can get it done.  There's a thought!

Friday, April 25, 2008 3:37:09 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2] | 

Yes, it has been awhile since I have posted and I apologize.  I have been attempting to get used to my life as an ICU resident and it is not easy.  I feel like I've forgotten everything I've ever learned in nursing school.  No one ever tells you that what you learn in school basically gets thrown out the window and you have to adapt to it.  So many times I have found myself thinking, "That's not how we learned it in school," or "That's not the way the book says to do it."  HELLO! That is the hardest thing to do, throwing away everything you think you know and trying to do something you know the book didn't teach you.

Take IV's.  God bless my instructors at Lourdes College for teaching my how to "properly" tape an IV, but frankly, I have not used that technique outside of school.  It is just not something that gets used.  And for goodness sake, learning to put Foley catheters in NEVER works the way you learn it in school.  Not at all.  Not unless you are inserting it in a corpse.  But I digress.

The school way and reality are at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Just because you learn it a certain way in school does not mean that it will be set in stone forever.  The school way will not always be the be-all, end-all of nursing techniques.  I have had to throw some things completely out the window and adapt to the real world of nursing, which includes not using a u-chevron to secure an IV, doing wet-to-dry dressing changes without forceps and using non-sterile gloves while doing so.  It's hard to throw some things away and adapt, but sometimes it's hard to so you just keep doing it the school way.  Some things that I still do according to the school way include the technique for pushing IV meds, assessment, and giving shots. 

On top of adapting to these changes, I have to accept change every three weeks as I change units that regularly and I change preceptors even more often than that.  And don't get me started about preceptors. I have been blessed to have preceptors that rival the angels of heaven and I have been cursed to have preceptors that rival the spawn of the devil.  The latter are the ones who feed you to the wolves without thinking twice.  They leave you completely alone, fending for yourself, and then try to take credit for what you have done.  I am not kidding.  It has happened to me and it is not a picnic.  I have had to ask to be moved from my unit because I swear I have been tempted more than once to toss my preceptor out the window.  Sometimes those thoughts are all that gets me through the day. 

But alas, I am a lowly new nurse, and I've taken a lot of crap for having a Bachelor's degree from some of the above listed satan spawn.  To them, Bachelor's educated nurses don't have the clinical experience.  We are not as prepared as our Associate degree brethren.  However, after being paired with some new ADN nurses, we all feel that we are in the same boat. We all feel like we know nothing, that we lack what they don't and vice versa.  Just because I have a Bachelor's doesn't mean I'm dog poo.  Far from it.  Sorry I didn't wait to get 30 years under my belt first, but I don't plan on being on a unit forever.  So I played it smart. Big deal, get over it.

And another thing about the whole Bachelor's/ADN thing--the new ADN nurses I have been working with have become some of my closest friends at work.  Because there are only five BSN's in this residency, three of us in ICU, all of us from Lourdes, we are kind of hard to come by and we get paired up differently every few months.  These girls have become my lifeline at work.  I can't stress enough how important it is to form relationships with your work peers.  These friendships have gotten me through so much thus far. 

So, all of you nurses graduating in May or those of you just starting out and everyone in between:  take it from me, being a new grad is scary, stressful, awesome and fun all at once.  You need to be open to change and have the ability to adapt.  Without it, you will go nowhere fast.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 6:01:34 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2] | 

At least I'm not as bad as last week.  Last week was all work related.  This week it's life in general.  Life in general has had its way with me for the past few days.  And life in general comes in the form of beloved fiance.  We have been together for three years and at times it seems like three years too long.  We were raised differently in EVERY way possible, and naturally that makes things really interesting.  Or really irritating.  Or really awesome.  But I digress...

So we've been together this long, been engaged for almost a year, and we want to move in together.  Cool, I'm all for that.  So how much money should we have saved before we decide to vamos?  We've set some goals, and I, being the logical one, would like to have a happy little nest egg saved so that I may also be able to take care of my student loans when they get out of the grace period and have some money to buy some nice things with.  Well, apparently my beloved just wants to save "X" amount of money and once we get that then we'll move out the next weekend.  HUH?

Ok, so that's peachy and all for someone who flies by the seat of their pants. But for me, said weekend would more than likely fall somewhere into the area of my pinning ceremony, commencement, and graduation party.  But he just wants to move out.  And because I'm busy in May, that's just an excuse not to move out.  Where's the common ground here?  I guess I just feel like my priorities are not respected or recognized.  Just because I am out of college does not mean I focus on him 24/7.  He is a huge part of my life, but I am just getting into the swing of things with my new job and I'm trying to adjust. 

Well, what if we moved out here, or on this date, or whatever.  Newsflash:  We don't even know where we are going to live nor what our dwelling will be.  He'd be happy if we found a field of mud and made a house out of mud and slapped a tin roof on it.  As long as he's with me.  He'd have been happy if we went out last weekend and built an igloo.  As long as I'm with him.  I'm surprised he didn't go find a cave somewhere, build a fire and then bring home a carcass to show his devotion to me. 

I want to move out. I am so ready.  At 29 I still live with my parents.  My little brother has been out on his own for over 2 years.  I love my parents, but my mom has this menopause issue going on that sometimes proves quite entertaining but more often than not proves to be a nightmare.  It can be like living with Linda Blair from the Exorcist.  Then there's my dad.  He walks after work.  Then he sits at the computer.  Wow. Stimulating.  But that could also be a diversion from the Damien-like creature known as mom, who by the way, is convinced that an owl lives in the tree next door and she hears it on a nightly basis.  Maybe she's got more than menopause going on...

The long and short of is that I'm ready. But I'm afraid to get my feet wet.  What if I make a mistake? What if things get worse between me and my dude? What if, what if, what if...

To Be Continued...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 5:51:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

I am really irritated today. 

First, I just got home from work after being there for 13 hours and there is an extremely annoying banging sound outside my house.  I have looked out the windows and cannot locate said irritating noise, so either it's so loud it's travelling my way or it is merely a figment of my annoyed mind.  And it isn't stopping.

I just don't understand how or why certain people are the way they are.  It's like they've been living in a cave in an undiscovered part of the world and all of a sudden here they are.  I don't know how a person cannot know things about their health. Or why they are so ignorant about it that they go into respiratory arrest and nearly die yet they keep on keeping on.  I don't get it. 

I don't understand why people become helpless little lost bunnies when they are coming in for a procedure they have already had before.  And their families are equally helpless.  I understand being concerned, but questioning me every five minutes about a heart rate bouncing between 80 and 90 is a little excessive.  (By the way, that is a normal heart rate, and it fluctuates because of activity.)

No, you are not going to die if you get out of bed and sit in a chair.  But you will cause damage to your body if you don't move.  And the same goes for eating.  You need fluids and food to help your body.  Refusing to eat is not an option for getting better. 

Hospitals are scary places, I agree.  I am just getting comfortable with my new unit and it is still intimidating.  So please don't go poking around the machinery by yourself. Ask someone to explain it to you.  For example, don't mess with the oxygen meter while your father is using it to breathe.  It's programmed where it needs to be programmed and you technically aren't supposed to touch anything in the room besides the patient and the sink. 

I could go on and on, but I won't.  I just had one of those weeks--overbearing and uncooperative patients and overbearing uncooperative families.  It happens, I know.  So thanks for listening to my ranting. 

And that noise still has not stopped!

Thursday, March 20, 2008 8:10:29 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] |