Kimmbo

Hi Susan, Hi all! Wow, it's great to meet some fellow geeks in health care :) !!! Me: Kim. a software engineer for 12+ years. Prior to that, I worked at a convalescent hospital while in high school, as a medical assistant while in college, and had completed all the nursing prerequisites, but fell in love with programming and changed majors. I still love programming and all stuff geekish, but I wanted to get back into health care. In 2008, I got my RN and landed a great job in a PACU at a large county hospital. I enjoy the satisfaction of being able to help pts that come to the recovery room in pain, cold, disoriented, etc.... and send them out comfortable, warm, and relieved. On a side note: as a programmer, I have spent a considerable amount of time designing and implementing user interfaces, so often find myself biased in usability aspects of the software/tools. I am surprised by some of the applications I have encountered. Some of these applications have remarkably poor/inadequate user interfaces. It's no wonder very few want to use these tools for work related tasks - it can be too time consuming/frustrating/cumbersome. It would be great to be involved, somehow (planning, design, development, whatever), so that the tools can be more user-friendly. Anyways, nice to meet y'all.

My foot pain has increased (even with various shoes and various orthotics) to the point that I am considering the bunion(osteomety) surgery in the near future. I’ve also got 2nd MTP joint synovitis/flexor plate injury on the same foot. The HMO foot doc I have been approved to see states the procedure is just like getting a tooth filled and that all I need is local anesthesia in the foot. Side note: I had a really cool 5 week OR rotation while I was in nursing school. During that time the only ortho procedure I was scrub nurse on was a carpal tunnel release (under general anesthesia). And, well, that procedure seemed a bit more involved in general than just a tooth filling to me. And just the thought of having MY bone sawed while awake makes me a little queasy. I had this surgery 5 years ago on my other foot under MAC anesthesia with no problems. Anyways, can anyone please share with me the patient’s experience having the bunion/osteotomy surgery under local foot anesthesia with 1 mg Ativan? Should I just shut up and stop being a wuss? Or could I appeal(beg) the foot doc for MAC anesthesia? Thanks in advance for any advice/input.

Rninformatics, are you planning on attending any of these? Anyone else who frequents this forum attending? Thanks!

Greetings h60avtrn, I also laughed when I read your comment about ‘a dog hearing a high pitched noise’. FWIW, I get the same kind of reaction when I ask about NI, if I get any response at all. And I live in a major metropolitan area working at a large county hospital, so the lack of information about NI is not, in my experience, limited to location. I have many unanswered questions as well, as well as the confusion about certification without experience (seems almost catch-22ish). I am also interested in NI, but I am just beginning my research on the subject. So, it’s really nice to have found this forum and to read yours and others posts. Also, I have only been an RN for about 8 months (I graduated almost a year ago), so I still have a lot to learn clinically. I have 12+ years experience as a software engineer, and wonder how, if possible, I can apply that background to NI. Thanks for your post and to those who responded. Best wishes to you, your family, and your endeavors. Looking forward to reading about your progress and any info you can provide :). Regards, kim.