Workplace Stress Reliever

[Davey Do]

I swear: The CEO of Wrongway Regional Medical Center must ask this during administrative meetings..

Instead of me griping and complaining about the things that irk me, I make a quick cartoon about the situation.

I keep a journal and pen with me at all times either in my knapsack or the right leg pocket of my scrubs.

My journal is a great way to relieve some stress. I'll draw quick sketches of things that cause me stress as as a type of catharsis. Most times I can immediately see the humor in a negative situation, which allows me to have instant relief. The drawings don't have to be "good". Any quick expression will do.

[Davey Do]

Last May, my work wife Eleanor and I, on the geriatric psych unit, had a patient go into cardiac arrest. We were with the patient when it happened, immediately stated CPR, called a code, got the crash cart, etc, but the patient expired.

I did this quick sketch sometime after the ordeal was over:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27781[/ATTACH]

[Davey Do]

Sometimes patients are obnoxious and irksome and a two minute art vacation really helps.

[Davey Do]

Instead of attempting to draw a caricature of the involved parties, I will make what I call "ball people" which are merely little balls with arms and legs and maybe a distinguishing characteristic.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27783[/ATTACH]

[Davey Do]

I get ideas, and see things which interest me on the way to work, that I jot down as soon as I get there:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27784[/ATTACH]

[Davey Do]

My work wife Eleanor has a reputation for being an excellent nurse that's carved in concrete. She got a little upset when she learned of this situation.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27785[/ATTACH]

I supported Eleanor in order to help her deal with her stress. I believe showing her this drawing helped too, because she laughed at the way I caricatured the gap between her two front teeth. "It's so attractive!" I said.

I edited this drawing with the computer's script because the original was unreadable. That, and because I just noticed that I misspelled the word because in the post before last.

Sheesh! A right brain/left brain thing, I think.

[Davey Do]

The new supervisor of the geriatric psych unit put a patient I named "Loquacious Luke" on a one to one status because on MNs he would go into the day room when staff wasn't around and shoot spitballs at the walls.

"I'm not going to have him shoot spitballs at my walls!" she said.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27786[/ATTACH]

[Davey Do]

I was pulled to the women's psych unit last January and had to deal with, along with my other patients and duties, three high maintenance patients. One was psychotic, throwing a fit and wanted to be discharged AMA. Another was ripping out her stitches from a self-inflicted laceration on her arm.

The third was quite a large young lady with an I.Q. of 62 who was a big behavior problem, among other things, would lay on the floor, and throw temper tantrums.

There were a few code greens that night.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27788[/ATTACH]

[Daisy4RN]

Instead of attempting to draw a caricature of the involved parties, I will make what I call "ball people" which are merely little balls with arms and legs and maybe a distinguishing characteristic.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27783[/ATTACH]

Its not just psych patients that do this, ugh!

[Davey Do]

Its not just psych patients that do this, ugh!

Yeah, but it was kind of poetic, wouldn't you say, Daisy4RN?

Sort of like a bluesy rock n roll tune.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27803[/ATTACH]

[mimibrown, ADN, BSN]

Your drawings and comments are always hilarious and entertaining! You seem to put a fun spin on things. Thanks for sharing with us!!