ixchel is working like the Rockstar that she is, and asked me to fill in for her. I know, I know, it's already well into the new week, so this will be short and sweet. Or will it?
A couple of nights have passed since I've talked to ixchel. We usually go 24/7. Before I realized she was working like she was, I couldn't get in touch with her. I was actually worried. Like, more than a little.
I've learned that my online friends are most definitely my real friends. Lines are blurred. I text my RL friends and I talk to my Online friends. (I actually knew this- but this week's worry popped it up for me.)
I've learned I need my AN School Nurse Co-Workers, but that my RL Co-Worker, in the form of the Social Worker that shares my office, is gold. Like Ponyboy Level Gold.
I've learned that my friends know I worry, and humor me thusly, by checking in with me PRN.
Except ixchel. For days on end...
When ixchel needed help this week, of course I obliged. The problem is, I really haven't learned much. I called on some of my friends to help me out:
From Dogen: "Ummm... I learned that people with schizophrenia were targeted by the tobacco industry, and that they funded research saying the people with psychosis were somehow resistant to cancer and also that it was critical to their recovery to let them smoke. Both of these lack evidence, but are still widely held beliefs, such that psychiatric hospitals were exempted from a federal ban on smoking in hospitals.
But really, people with schizophrenia are 4.5 times more likely to get lung cancer, and have 30% higher mortality rates than smokers without a mental illness."
Hmmm...
From WellThatsOod: "I just learned that vomited strawberries looks like jam!"
From OldDude: "I've learned my fellow nurses don't mind stepping in to defend the perpetuation of reason and support of their peers from those whose statements are unreasonable and inciteful."
(We gotchu.)
Thank you guys for helping out. Love ya.
Sports start this week in my HS. So many kids, coming down in pairs and groups, making sure their friends are appropriately cleared. I've learned that these kids know what teamwork means without setting foot on the field.
Some of our posters have been through a lot lately. DLHWB with her patient that killed himself. Poopycat with her new grandbaby (grandkitten?) Students starting school. Illness. Deaths. Weddings.
We have been helping each other here. We get flack for the snark, but I'm feeling the love.
(Just call me Farawimp.)
The theme is friendship, mental illness and the lack of good treatment those patients receive, vomit and strawberry jam, and sticking up for one another...or anything else you have learned.
I learned that my peers want me to be an alternate as a union delegate; I'm meeting today with the union to discuss what involved in contract talks.
I (re)learned that I still have a knack of figuring out diagnoses; 3/3 for flu, along with a prescription of Tamiflu to help prevent it was the reward from the provider I was working with.
I also re-learned ACLS...it took me 15 tries to not kill the last two in the simulation; then I learned that there are tutorials, including YouTube videos to help "save" the pts.
Thanks for the tip - renewing in a couple of weeks! Why do I always forget about YouTube?!
Dogen, my inner neuroscientist is coveting your swag. Damn I love the brain. Even though I'm currently cheating on it with the big muscular cardiac dude, the brain will always be my squishy numero uno. I wish I liked neuro nursing the way I love cardiac. But, when the roads divided and I had to choose between graduate school in neurobiology and a nursing career, nursing won. Who knows what the future holds??!
I learned that I'm truly starting to feel like an integral part of my unit. I've also learned that my initial game plan for "what comes next" on the professional development train may be changing. I have no idea what I'm doing, other than enjoying having an amazing boss who leads an amazing team on a pretty amazing unit. Sometimes it's okay to stop thinking about what comes next, Kaly, and just enjoy the moment.
ETA: oh Commuter. That self-talk thing, tho. I can seriously relate. I'm someone who needs an outlet - someone to talk to, physical activity, artistic expression. I have to purge before I can start reframing the internal dialogue. Hope that came out clearly. :blush: Anyway, I've found a clean slate helps.
Strong work on the topics this week, Far! To add something relevant, I've discovered that vomited gummy bears look just like glistening rainbow brite gems. Pretty pretty. [emoji183][emoji183]
Dogen, my inner neuroscientist is coveting your swag. Damn I love the brain. Even though I'm currently cheating on it with the big muscular cardiac dude, the brain will always be my squishy numero uno. I wish I liked neuro nursing the way I love cardiac. But, when the roads divided and I had to choose between graduate school in neurobiology and a nursing career, nursing won. Who knows what the future holds??!
Ditto. I tell people that deep inside I'm an electrician. I love hearts and brains. Oh sure, the heart is a pump, but it's the electricity that moves it. I went as far as applying to and interviewing for some psych/neuro PhD programs and then... Here I am in NP school instead, going to neuroscience lectures on the side. :)
This week I learned a little bit of what RNs go through when a patient wants their q6 pain meds after only 4 hours. On a related note, l learned my tounge can take a lot of biting without bleeding!
I learned that an excessively high intralipid concentration in neonates is thought to contribute to a fat embolism on rare occasions and can contribute to a massive insult to the kidneys.
I learned that our attendings are so in a rush sometimes to cover their own butts that they almost performed a serious, invasive procedure that turned out to be unnecessary. Thankfully the baby turned out completely fine but that was a giant near miss.
I learned that when you're in charge, some people will either ask for help when they are totally fine and some people won't ask for help when they are absolutely drowning. Both can be challenging to work with!
This week I learned a little bit of what RNs go through when a patient wants their q6 pain meds after only 4 hours. On a related note, l learned my tounge can take a lot of biting without bleeding!
I learned that an excessively high intralipid concentration in neonates is thought to contribute to a fat embolism on rare occasions and can contribute to a massive insult to the kidneys.
I learned that our attendings are so in a rush sometimes to cover their own butts that they almost performed a serious, invasive procedure that turned out to be unnecessary. Thankfully the baby turned out completely fine but that was a giant near miss.
I learned that when you're in charge, some people will either ask for help when they are totally fine and some people won't ask for help when they are absolutely drowning. Both can be challenging to work with!
I learned what parabens are!
Yes. Your first sentence? I don't even know what that means.
I learned you can have a crappier shift than what you thought was your crappiest shift ever.
UGH! I'm sorry.
kaly and D, the cardiac/neuro thing.
What I do like about cardio is that you can always rule IN a diagnosis. There is often treatment with the heart, and the outcome can be pretty consistent. If I give you this med, this will occur. I also like my older male cardiac patients. They are pretty much the easiest patients as a group, personality wise, that I've dealt with.
neuro is all over the place. Diagnoses are often, well, it's not this, this, this, or this, so MAYBE it's this. It's more of a ruling out than ruling in. Neuro issues are harder to treat. Neuro patients are some of the toughest out there.
What I do like about cardio is that you can always rule IN a diagnosis. There is often treatment with the heart, and the outcome can be pretty consistent. If I give you this med, this will occur. I also like my older male cardiac patients. They are pretty much the easiest patients as a group, personality wise, that I've dealt with.
neuro is all over the place. Diagnoses are often, well, it's not this, this, this, or this, so MAYBE it's this. It's more of a ruling out than ruling in. Neuro issues are harder to treat. Neuro patients are some of the toughest out there.
I totally agree with you. It's funny you say that because I love my older male patients too. I will take a group of crusty, gruff post open heart guys over the LoLs who need pacers or a heart cath any day.
And I also think you're right about the heart. Its mechanisms are mostly something tangible that we can understand. Conductivity is a little more mysterious when you really get in to it, but that's why we have pacemakers in all their glorious variety. I also enjoy the patient education that goes with cardiac nursing.
I wish I liked neuro nursing...but I just don't, outside of the occasional neuro trauma. I like neuro research. I love the thrill of the hunt and the complexity the brain provides. But from a nursing standpoint, I'll stick with hearts for now :).
The weather is going to be nice enough to open up the windows in the house and air this sucker out. I am so looking forward to warmer days!
One of our nurse managers will be leaving. She is awesomeness in scrubs, and I am truly sad that she will be leaving. She is a phenomenal resource and a great person to work with.
I keep way more paperwork than I need to. Going through old bills and mail has me getting rid of oodles of stuff!
It's truly sad to see some patients admitted over and over and over again, and to see them decline each time. One particular frequent patient is literally wasting away before our eyes, and it makes me wonder how long they will hold on.
The Cleveland Clinic just performed the first uterine transplant in the U.S. This has been done elsewhere (and will subsequent successful pregnancies) but first time here.
Three-person IVF is back in the news.
There are so many people on social media who use it for seeking approval from others--and I am amazed at how many people need constant pats on the back--or for what I call constant "woe is me" posts. Don't get me wrong, I knew people used social media for such things, but it seems like lately there is an influx of these posts. And I'm not talking about the occasional post about something going on in life but the constant barrage of these from the same people. What did these people do before social media I wonder?
How important documentation is. A physician associated with our facility is being investigated for what was said/treatment plan to one of my patients. Thankfully I had a LOT of documentation on this patient due to the weirdness of the whole situation. We'll see what happens.
Thought of two more! One is that I learned how to prime albumin. Sounds silly but this was my first time ever hanging it LOL. Second is how nasty hemorrhagic strokes are, especially when patient is on anticoags. Family only wanted comfort measures due to age of patient and the patient went from walkie talkie to death in a matter of about 12 hours
Yes. Your first sentence? I don't even know what that means.
Ha, that's what I get for writing my post shortly after waking up! My bad!
At my hospital (pediatric hospital), we run our intralipids and hyperal separately (different bags and then both given through a trifuser) vs. I think most adults have them run together as just a big bag of TPN. Recently though, we had a baby who had lipids running and was somehow given too much lipids, which our attendings think contributed to fat embolism formation.
Ha, that's what I get for writing my post shortly after waking up! My bad!
At my hospital (pediatric hospital), we run our intralipids and hyperal separately (different bags and then both given through a trifuser) vs. I think most adults have them run together as just a big bag of TPN. Recently though, we had a baby who had lipids running and was somehow given too much lipids, which our attendings think contributed to fat embolism formation.
kalycat, BSN, RN
1 Article; 553 Posts
Thanks for the tip - renewing in a couple of weeks! Why do I always forget about YouTube?!
Dogen, my inner neuroscientist is coveting your swag. Damn I love the brain. Even though I'm currently cheating on it with the big muscular cardiac dude, the brain will always be my squishy numero uno. I wish I liked neuro nursing the way I love cardiac. But, when the roads divided and I had to choose between graduate school in neurobiology and a nursing career, nursing won. Who knows what the future holds??!
I learned that I'm truly starting to feel like an integral part of my unit. I've also learned that my initial game plan for "what comes next" on the professional development train may be changing. I have no idea what I'm doing, other than enjoying having an amazing boss who leads an amazing team on a pretty amazing unit. Sometimes it's okay to stop thinking about what comes next, Kaly, and just enjoy the moment.
ETA: oh Commuter. That self-talk thing, tho. I can seriously relate. I'm someone who needs an outlet - someone to talk to, physical activity, artistic expression. I have to purge before I can start reframing the internal dialogue. Hope that came out clearly. :blush: Anyway, I've found a clean slate helps.
Strong work on the topics this week, Far! To add something relevant, I've discovered that vomited gummy bears look just like glistening rainbow brite gems. Pretty pretty. [emoji183][emoji183]