Updates and musings from one momma nurse

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Monday, November 28, 2011

No Wonder I'm Tired

The beginning of my shift went something like this.

0715- Get report from offgoing RN. Find out Patient A will need two units of blood. Blood isn't ready yet.

0720- Start to look at charts. Make it through one.

0730- Call light goes off. Patient B needs to use the bedpan, and is very particular (read: slow) about it.

0740- Go back to charts. Make it halfway through a second one.

0745- Another call light goes off. Patient C needs to get up to the commode, and though she moves steadily, she certainly does not earn any prizes for speed.

0755- Back to the charts.

0800- Another call light. Confused Patient D engages me in conversation for a while before I can politely excuse myself.

0820- Finally finish with charts and make it to the med room to start pulling up morning meds.

0840- Lab calls and lets me know about a critical hemoglobin on one of my patients.

0842- Discharge planning.

0845- Spy doctor at a nearby computer. Notify him of aforementioned hemoglobin. Receive orders to transfuse two units.

...You get the idea, no?

The rest of the day went something like this:
Start a unit of blood, put someone on a commode, take a set of vitals, take someone off a commode, receive a call from somebody's family member, pass some pain medicine, page a doctor to clarify an order, start another unit of blood, receive call back from doctor, remind confused patient how to use call light, call report to ECF, check on blood again, discharge patient, grab some saltines to tide me over, sit down for approximately 7 minutes to chart a couple things, finish a unit of blood, head to lab to get another, start another unit, give a suppository..

Lather.
Rinse.
Repeat.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Thanks, I think.

One of my more demanding patients recently told me that I was "one of the better ones."

I think it was meant as a compliment.

During my initial assessment of a new (elderly) patient, I asked her why she was here. Her response: "I just had a baby downstairs. Have you seen my baby?"