Double Shift

I am pretty proud of myself that I have managed yet again to pull a double shift. This time on little more that 3 hours of sleep after working the 2-10 last night ( Monday) I had to go back in for 6am and work till 10pm.

Ah the joys of nursing!

Another busy weekend DIY style

I think we are finally finished at the old house and I am hoping to hear back from the landlord about my money. I talked to him on Saturday and he said there were only a few small things left. So needless to say they were completed yesterday and I am done done done with the snake and ant hotel.

Saturday I did another DIY project. I started painting my upstairs hallway to complete the look the previous occupants had started and now the house is starting to look more homey. I also added a border backsplash to the kitchen and refinished a book shelf.

I'll have to hunt down more paint this coming weekend and finish the hallway and decide on a color for my bedroom and get that started. Oh and I need to take a major trip to IKEA for some white accessories for my bookshelf...

I think I watch too much HGTV ;-)

Staffing Shake-ups...

It appears that one of the day shift nurses on our station has finally been brandished her walking papers. So the day spot has become available.

With that being said the Negative Nelly on my shift is taking that position until December when the one she really was waiting for opens up.

Of course I have put my hat into the ring for that position come December when it's available again. My charge nurse for Friday is also charge for the days and really wants me on it.

So in the meantime its up up up in the air about where I will actually be working come Monday. My current hall, which is my preference at this point for the time being or because the backhall day person is doing a double, the front hall. But I have heard rumors that they hired two new nurses. Of course they would need some training. But we are in dire need of a float person again. I myself have no problems giving the front hall to the new person. But would I be training them? Hummm.. training is what I did at my old job... so we'll see.

It's like a soap opera...to be continued

Negative Nursing

Why do nurses have to eat their young, heck why do nurse have to plain old eat each other and spit them out?

I blame the concept of being able to "write up" your peers. It becomes more of a tit for tat game in the end. What other profession is given such "power" to practically discipline a peer? It simply breeds more stress to an already stressful field and a down right spiteful hateful person can have a huge impact on the career and license of someone else.

I totally can't wait for the Negative Nelly of a Nurse I replaced, who has come back for a few months, to leave again. The negative atmosphere is suffocating and causing such tension between the shifts. I do not want to be lumped in with this bullshit. Sometimes you just have to keep the shit to yourself suck it up and deal!

In other news, back at my old "side", my monotony has had a break and I am cruising right along with the shift and liking it again. Meanwhile on the other side, more complicated admits and haha... " Mrs. I have seniority and am taking my side back while I am over here." is slammed and has more "work".


K A R M A

Thoughtful Notes & Ego boosts

I tried to take a picture but I couldn't figure out how to shut off the flash so all I get is a blurry sheet of paper. But yesterday one of my residents wrote me a note.

" Christine! You are a very good LPN. You ALWAYS have a smile everytime I see you. I love you."

Awww... that was so nice.

Then later that night one of my other residents comes wheeling up to me to get their meds. I haven't been on that side for a few months and there had been some changes to the routine. But from Friday to Monday I remembered what they got and just pulled them all out as they watched. " Wow I am impressed. You did that all from memory and got it right. Everyone else has to look them up. I am very impressed."

So yeah overall it was a great ego boosting night! ;-)

Wheels

Work drama

So with all the work drama, the air of tension surrounding the whole place. The constant threats of being fired for missing a T or I is starting to wear everyone down into a grumpy bunch of nurses who can't find the time to crack a smile. We all have though started looking for work elsewhere and have a few leads on some homecare that actually has hours. So I am totally going to send my resume for it, at least to touch base and put my name out there. It pays by the visit, so needless to say first thing I need to do is get a car. But if I can get at lest 24 visits a week I will more than make my current salary and then some. The scary part is that I really don't want a car payment but I don't have the time to save up to get another car at the moment that is not going to be a beater. Plus the constant fear that I will somehow get fired for something I am or am not doing correctly in the eyes of the new ADON... well a car payment and an increase in rent are not exactly things I want to think about with no job.

Urgh stress stress stress...I need a Xanex!

Hostile work Environment

Its how a good job turns into a bad job. The rats are even jumping ship. Urgh!! This sucks.

My busy weekend

Thursday I found a table at Goodwill that I thought would be awesome to refinish. It was just exactly what I wanted. The cost was only $39.99. The table set I wanted for the kitchen was $399.99... so yeah a deal. So Saturday hubby and I headed out to the Savers, Salvation Army and finally back to the Goodwill in search of this table again. To my joy it was still there and guess what? It was half off Saturday. So I got the table for $19.99! We had the chairs already. So with a can of black semigloss for $12 I recreated the "exact" $399 table for only $31.99... well I still have some paint left and also refinished a coffee table we had and a bookshelf.. so the paint cost has totally been spread out.

Hummm... I love HGTV and DYI channel!!

Sometimes Being a Boss really sucks!!

So last night I had to tell one of my favorite CNA's that they were suspended pending administrative review of their actions. It was so hard because I know by reporting what they did that it could possibly get this person fired or worse.


What was so bad? Well... I went into a resident room and she handed me her call light, it was totally taken out of the wall. When this happens as we all know the call light will stay on and ring until its plugged back in. The call light was not oin. So as I am trying to plug it back in I notice something sticking out of the inlet. I thought the wire was broken or something. But it turns out it was the end of a tooth swab stick that was stuck in there. This kept the light from turning on. Mind you this particular resident is a pretty big PIA at times and always on the bell and /or yelling for a CNA or Nurse all the time. Her yelling is why I went into the room & found the stick.

So nurses out there... what would you have done? Honestly I feel so bad about having to report this. But in all actuality this could have been my job and licence on the line had it been known that I knew but did not report. I do not want this person fired,I hope the suspension is going to be enough. But seriously this could have been bad.

Respiratory Distressed

Last night at work it was a day for checking O2 SATS. We had an admit with COPD that was sating in the 50's to 70's all night, until finally we sent them out to the hospital. What kind of person would admit someone for respite who is so obviously in distress?

The other one was just my normal one who desats all of a sudden into the low 80's but a few SVN's later all is well.

And then for the one I had to do my first Heimlich Maneuver on! Talk about scary!! We ended up having to grab the crash cart and use deep suction. But according to the Xray I did not break a rib and they only ended up with aspiration pneumonia. Peanut butter and the elderly should NOT be allowed!!

Establishment of Services

Customer Service, " Thank you for calling Global Water how can I help you?"

Hubby, "I would like to establish new water service for our house."

Customer Service: "Great I can help you with that. When would like service?"

Hubby, " As soon as possible. Today would be great."

Customer Service, " I'm sorry Sir the soonest we can get someone out to your house is tomorrow."

Hubby, " Ok tomorrow would be fine."

Customer Service, " Ok then I will set you up for tomorrow. Someone will be there between tomorrow and next Thursday."

Hubby, " Next Thursday?"

Customer Service, " Yes Sir we have up to 5 days to install once a service request has been established."



I shit you not this was the actual conversation. Mind you the office is 1 1/2 miles from our house & yes the actual company name was used so as not to protect the guilty!

Novice Nurse vs. Experienced Nurse

Does it have to be this way? Why do I have to fix your short cuts? Why do I have to deal with an incomplete report, a messy cart missing EVERYTHING, and deal with residents that you say you medicated but in all actuality did not. You talk all the big words and sound like you know what you are doing... when you seriously don't

Last night was like a bubbling over point and I was pissed. Not only did I have to fix some person's foley that you put it wrong AGAIN, I had to play seek and find for everything!

Here's a tip if the order reads 16f 5cc do not put in an 18f 15cc. Let me tell you this is actually more painful that you can imagine. Just ask the person who couldn't eat or sit because of the pain!

Moved

Well we are pretty much moved into the new house. Of course now there is a snafu, but what would my life be without one? Its my fault and we'll have to deal with it and hope that it'll be solved by Thursday. In the meantime there will be some rearranging of plans for two days... wow what did we ever do without electricity??

crap crap crap

But the new house is nice.