James Garrity

Well,from what I have learned thus far,start up is pretty expensive,I mean stuff like transport vents,heart monitor/defibulators,O2 equipment,x-ray,ect,ect.But since I will be dealing with a very narrow segment of the population,and then only one patient,rarly 2,eventuly it will be cost efective.But as I said,the technology exist to put an ER/ICU in the field and be able to stablize a pt. for up to 73 hrs befor medevac arives,and in some cases,that won't even be needed.and of course there is working in all kinds of enviorments;desert,jungle,high altitude mountaineering,polar,off shore petrolium industry,commercial fishing in the Bearing Sea(and all that goes with that), profiding first world medical care to scientist,fishermen,oil exploration(and all that goes with that),wilderness expeditions,commercial diving and being able to preform on land,sea and air(and all that goes with that).some other training im looking at will be Diagnostic Imaging tech, Wildeness EMT,Dive Medic,Hyperbaric Medical Tech,helicopter medevac and rescue certification.basicly,I will be to the medical team what Special Forces is to the ARMY,,But,the jobs will be high on the adventure scale.So yea,it will be great.I will send you an email though.

I have plans that when Im finished my BSN and worked for awhile in ICU /trauma,and after getting my Acute Care Nurse Practitioner licence,to go into business for my self as an expedition medic(some other training will follow for wilderness EMT,diver medic,maratime/helicopter rescue) . I have a design for a portable,field deployable ER/ICU that would be treating patients in a wide degree of risk level enviorments (first class medical care,in third world conditions),such as commercial fishing ships,off shore oil,wilderness travel ect.The technology is there that can make that happen(a large thanks to the military for that) and from my research,the market is there,but what do you think? and oh yes,I know about the cost of equipment and keep in mind,I would be treating relativly healthy and young people who have had some kind of acute illness or trauna while far away from medical attention.Thank y'all,James

Hello,I hope some one can give me some input on this. In the spring of 2006 I started my volunteer hours at a large Pediatric hospital in central alabama as a Clinical Asstant,orthopedic dept,I assted with their cast clinic once a week, Once the techs and staff saw that I was on the ball and had a can do attitude,I was given far more responsibility and what started as a 3 hr a week job became some time 3 times a week 8 hrs a day(un paid mind you) doing every thing from assting in OR,to actualy helping set traction on a patient! something volunteers NEVER do.I felt blessed to have the experence and had the praises of the staff I worked with.But then one day,I get an email from volunteer services my srevices were not needed at this time and thanked me for being a valued staff member. I went down to the hospital and was told directly by the volunteer co-ordinator that they were changing the way volunteers were being used in ortho dept.,that new residents and med school students would be comming in (like that had changed?) and I was told I was not the only one(volunteers) getting an email like that.Ok, but some time later,I was visiting the ortho dept and was told"man we need you back these other volunteers there sending us are not worth a flip"yada yada. So I asked,"your saying y'all have volunteers working up here now"? hmmm I went to the volunteer directors office to inquire about this,and had a bomb dropped on me,after going over the fact that at times, I had left without clocking out(I discussed this withe volunteer co-ordinator)and for using more than one meal ticket(vol.get 1 meal ticket for ever4 hrs of work,8 hrs/2,do the math,also discussed with the vol co. previously) I was told that I was being let go for these reasons,and "if I were a paid employee,I would have been terminated long ago",That I was being "demanding and threatning" in the clinic,when I asked to what exactly she was refereing to,I did not get any specifics and that the ortho. supervisor requested my removal.no explination,no calling in the office to discuss it,nothing,just being lied to by the vol.co-ordinator and if I hadn't push and ask what was up,they would not have told me anything at all,just leave oblivious to what had actualy happened. Now,there was no question at all about my work performance and my dedication to the hospital (I drove and hour each way for no more than free parking and lunch,leaving at 5:00am to be there by 6:00,and start at 8:00)doing jobs the techs told me I should have been paid to do,but I did it because I have a burden for sick children and loved what I was doing. I feel stabbed in the back,(my supervisor wrote me a glowing letter,after a year of being there,and I thought I had his trust),.I dont know what happened,I only have what they told me as I have no recourse,but I can say this,I wasnt in a position to,or would ever be "threatning or demanding"However,I will say,if I was "employed as a future nurse,then I can be very demanding on some one who is not doing their job and a life could be at stake,I have no patience for people or equipment that dont do what they/it is suppose to do,but I would never,ever be "threatning" I was told I could come back in May,be put in a diferent dept("But what ever,you will never be back in orthopedics") And I would be directly under the watch of the volunteer administrator and"if any thing further happend,I would be gone", But I have decided I do not wish to be working for an organazation that would treat there "good" workers that way,much less the bad ones.Ifeel insulted and betrayed by the entire system there.Any advice?) I want to say I still belive in what that hospital is doing for childrens health care.

Hello every one. I want to ask if any one has ever had to deal with age discrimination or suspect that they have. I am 50,a very young and healthy 50(back pack,mountain bike, ect) I know by law they cant ask you your age,as well as some other questions,but,as I have discovered,there is a loop hole,its called the aplication,especaly,the "on line aplication",(if you dont enter any thing,your aplication cant be proccesed)Where after you enter your SS#,"date of birth",once HR or nursing recruters see that on the aplication,you may never even get to the interview,the same goes for race,nationality and gender.They can decide if they want you,without ever having to meet you. So,has any had any experence in this area? Thanks,James

hello, i too have dyscalculai diagnosed it myself but still went through half a day of testing to be told somthing i already know failed first year dosage calculations,but passed it over the summer because...i had my calculator!.i am pursuing a bsn at uab in birmingham al. i crashed and burned in my chem i class and had to get special acomodations and permmision to take that course on line,somthing about being enrolled at two colleges.i am still facing a stats course and pre calc algebra i plan to clep the pca corse going all in on a single exam, but i dont know about the stats couse yet.imlucky in that i have enough biology that i dont need to take o chem.but i cant do the stats couse in a class room either,i have been diagnosed with sever test anxiety,hence the online class method(i got a b in chem i ).now,since the advent of the palm pilot/i touch,ect and the dosage calculators built into drug guides by sky scape and epocrates,there is no reason,any nurse ,especaly with a math disorder should be asked to resign or be fired(i would look into the legality of that)these programs are fail safe,as long as you enter the right values,but to say you cant work here because you cant do math because of a disability,is in fact aganst the ada law and schools are required to make these accomodations,by law.the bottom line is,there are excelent ways to acomodate some one with a math learning disability,so they no longer have an exxcuse.

Hello every one. I wish to get some input because I'm not sure about this. Uppon getting my BSN/RN licence,I want to sign on with Doctors Without Borders/MSF for a 3 month rotation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.They have a need for nurses with a back ground in Pediatric Orthopedics(3 years of volunteer as a clinical aid at Childrens Hospital ortho dept) and who speaks french.I do.I am also Male,single,no kids,well,my cat,but he can stay with my parents. My question is,what do y'all think? I have a burden and passion for kids who are hurting and wish to eventualy be a PACU /ICU nurse at Childrens Hospital. I have been told " it will be a wonderful experence"," you will learn so much",ect.But the fact is,its no vacation,it is still very,very dangerous,and yes I know I will learn things I could never learn in a clean,safe state side hospital,and the DRC is as stable as stacked wine glasses on an endo board.But I feel,this is somthing I have to do.So your input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,James

I just wear what the docs wear,plain ol scrubs that I buy from the med school or the book store,$14 a pair,in OR green or light blue.The brand name is Fashion Seal,they are very durable,comfortable and rather inexpensive,and if I feel like identifing my self as a "male", long sleeve black Under Armor "loose fit" tee's or Mossy Oak long sleeve tee's under the top's.All my nursing tools are stainless steel and black ruber,and my shoes are New Balance 686's,no confusuion from the other nurses as to which sex I am.

I have posted on this subject before,but in regards to a watch with a "sweep" second hand,it refrers to the "movement" of the second hand.You can get an inexpensive watch with a second hand,but it will no doubt be of the "quartz" variety,which run on battery power,nothing wrong with that except when your taking a pulse and looking at your watch,you could end up counting the "clicks" for each second instead of actual heart beats.A true "sweep" second hand is just that,there is no click stops just a smoothe movement of the second hand,the down side is,these are "mechanical" movement which need to be wound and in some cases are "automatic" which means as long as your wearing the watch,it is keeping wound,the other down side is,they are rather expensive.But,they are also some of the most acurate watches available.For me,the perfect nursing watch,IMHO,is the Rolex Explorer II,it is made from a solid block of surgical stainless steel,hermeticly sealed from dust,water,bodily fluids,heat,cold and you can drop it and it keeps on going,and although I have never did it,it can be autoclaved.It has 24 hr/military time on the bezel with a special 24 hr hand,the all important sweep second hand,you can read it in total darkness without disturbing a PT. because it has a luminox dial.And because it is a "certified chonometer"it keeps time acurate enough to navigate an ocean and is "prepetual" or automatic winding with a 12 hr reserve.This is not so much a watch to me as it is a tool,and one I can hand down to my grand kids.But that is what is meant in horilogical terms as a "sweep"second hand.If cost is an issue,I recomend the Timex Military watch,if being 100% acurate is,look into Rolex.

You know,I think its the same thing with a lot of steriotypes,most people dont really know what its all about or never bothered to be educated about it,so,they live in ignorance.I had a friend and we were at a Christmas Party,and we met another guy,who happened to be a male cheer leader at some college.My friend started making comments about being manly and what kind of guy would be a cheer leader,yada,yada,yada. I didnt see it that way,because I know what goes into being a male cheer leader.power,strength,agility,stamina.To be able to do repeated back flips and summersaults and catch a 110 lb girl flying through the air and into your arms,without an accedent, takes quite a bit of "man power"in my book.And once I pointed that out to my friend,he began to take on a different tone with the guy,probably because he could never hope of being in that kind of shape,and the fact that if that guy wanted to,he could twist my friend into a pretzle. And the average person,hasnt got a clue about nursing other than what they see on TV,they have no idea what its like in a burn unit(the hospital BU I went to had a 3:1 ratio of guys vs gals) or whats involved in advanced practice like CRNA. So I just smile and let them be blisfully ignorant and think one day they may show up in an ER,and be looking up at a guy who's going to make it all better,then they may know what males in nursing is all about.

Other proposals have been voiced,but the democrats on the far left,lead by Nancy Palosi, have shot down or dismissed many meanigful and good plans,but did not have a public option or any plan with launguage that prohibit tax payer abortion.Again,this is not about health care,they have made that obvious.It is about control,the Obama administration would like,no love and dream ,of seeing this country a socalized utopia of every one have the same thing,wether you worked for it or not,no more free market,no more of working hard to do better,no more freedom to seek the american dream if thats what you want and your willing to work hard to get it.If Obams people were really interested in health care,he would take a long hard look at some of the republicans and others have proposed that do not scrap the current system,but make those improvements that would make a great system already,even greater,without goverment control,and a healthy freemarket.

I think,from my personal experence,that one of the most dangerous things that can happen,althoug rare,is snake bite. Snake bite on a kid is extreemly bad,they do not have the body mass to absorb the venom(this is true with black widow bites as well)Also,there is the possibility of A.S.,which can kill a kid in mere minuets,I know,it happened to me and fortunatly,I was only up the street from the hospital(less than 10 min.)but was circling the drain when I arived with a BP of 35/60 and respitory distress,all because I had a reaction to a componet in the venom,the bite itself while painful,was not very serious at all,as Cotton Mouth bites go any way.I would have the following at camp: 1. A bite protocol,this will give detailed info to EMT and ER docs as to what to do,meds,poison control and other numbers and they are species specific,You can get one emailed or down loaded from http://www.venomousreptiles.org You will be suprissed how little they know in the ER about snake bite,unless the attending is Dr. Shun Bush. 2.Find out about the species of venomous snakes that will be in the area,get pictures and again,the bite protocols.http://www.venomous reptiles.org. 3.know the latest snake bite first aid,NOT cutting and sucking,NOT the use of ice and constriction bands,see the web site. 4.have an epi-pen on hand,as a nurse,you know what to do with that.O2 wouldnt hurt either to help calm a frightened child 5. know that you DO NOT need to kill the snake for identification,you only risk getting bit again.In north america,if you have symptoms of envenomation,there is one brand of Anti Venom that is being used,Cro Fab,and it covers all noth american pit viper envenomations,the ER should have this,again,this info is in the bite protocols 6.know that snake bites are rare,and deaths from them even more rare,but boys will be boys and even a baby rattle snake can do a world of hurt to an adult,much less a kid 7.remember,"time is tissue" so dont waste time getting the victem to proper,knowlagable(bite protocol) help Any way,hope you have a wonderful time at camp:D

No,dont think so.If that were the case,why is the launguage in the bill?And who is doing this debunking? the Liberal left who want this passed? The people have spoken,they do not want this,or the huge taxes that go with it.And when has the goverment ever got control of somthing and it didnt turn to crap? The VA and American Indian Health Service for example.Yes we need some changes,but not Obamas changes.

Yes guys,I did the same thing,got me cheap watch to start school as I didnt want to use my good one,had the same problem with the second hand,that you will find on all inexpensive watches.So,im using my rolex,it has never let me down.Its not just a watch,its my constant companion.

9/28/09 Thanks for getting back with me about profusionist.But let me ask you,I will need some experence in the medical field,plus ,a BS degree,can I move into there with a BSN and working in ICU? Thank you. James

In regards to sweeping second hand.On a inexpensive watch,you most likely will not find one as they use the cheaper "quartz movement",it is run by battery power and has a "click,click,click" movement(hard to take a pulse like that,you can end up counting clicks instead of beats).A "sweep" second hand is just that,it steadly sweeps along without and click stops.However,these are found on "mechanical" movements(you wind them)more expensive swiss watches have a "prepetual" movement where as long as you wear it,the watch is winding and has a reserve for when you take it off so it is still keeping accurate time.They are however expensive,but worth it for duribility and acuracy.I posted on another thread about "perfect nurse watch" mine is a Rolex Explorer II.why do I consider it perfect for nursing? First it is made from a solid block of 904 L(surgical grade) stainless steel with a saphire chrystal and is preasure proof to 330 feet,some down to 600 feet,its autoclave proof,as is the "Officaly Certified Chonometer" movement. A Luminox dial can be read in total darkness,without disturbing the Pt.it has a 24 hour hand witch tells me Military time at a glance and 2 time zones and a date window and it is impervious to any thing a nurses hand would come in contact with.It is however ,a guys watch and is a heavty investment,you can hand it down to your grand kids.But,if quality and acuracy are what you want in a durible,classy,ultra rugged, acurate watch.The Explorer II is it,sorry,they do not make a ladies version as of yet James