Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
February 21, 2009
Yeah!!! Tomorrow I am flying to Boston and will stop over and watch the Oscars with Kate and Leslie!!!! Yeah!!!! Dow will come in on Monday, and we will both fly back to Portland on Tuesday!! Yeah!!
I just worked three long days on the unit. After doing a large work book first, I had a training moment on the PCA system, then I will have a test. One of the charge nurses just failed the test. Ok. PCAs are not through an IV site, but rather, through the subcutaneous route that I referred to earlier, usually in the upper arm.
Patients who are going for procedures such as a ct or xray are sent down in their bed with a porter and a nurse, along with an emergency bag with an ambu bag in it. When patients go to surgery, the nurse goes down with them and into the pre-surgical area. Then when they are ready to leave recovery, the nurse goes back down with the emergency bag, gets report from the recovery nurse, and brings them back up on the floor with the porter.
One clarification about the MRSA situation. Patients are nasally swabbed on admit and a week later in their nose. The patients who were negative initially, then positive later had it in their nose. Not in wounds.
I have seen several frontal/temporal lobectomies.
The weather in London today was fantastic. The sidewalks were crammed with people on the shopping streets. I am starting to look forward to more nice days.
I will see a lot of you in Portland. Cheers until then.
p.s. the elevator in my dorm will be out of order for 14 weeks!!! Let's just hope the plumbing does not go out next!
I just worked three long days on the unit. After doing a large work book first, I had a training moment on the PCA system, then I will have a test. One of the charge nurses just failed the test. Ok. PCAs are not through an IV site, but rather, through the subcutaneous route that I referred to earlier, usually in the upper arm.
Patients who are going for procedures such as a ct or xray are sent down in their bed with a porter and a nurse, along with an emergency bag with an ambu bag in it. When patients go to surgery, the nurse goes down with them and into the pre-surgical area. Then when they are ready to leave recovery, the nurse goes back down with the emergency bag, gets report from the recovery nurse, and brings them back up on the floor with the porter.
One clarification about the MRSA situation. Patients are nasally swabbed on admit and a week later in their nose. The patients who were negative initially, then positive later had it in their nose. Not in wounds.
I have seen several frontal/temporal lobectomies.
The weather in London today was fantastic. The sidewalks were crammed with people on the shopping streets. I am starting to look forward to more nice days.
I will see a lot of you in Portland. Cheers until then.
p.s. the elevator in my dorm will be out of order for 14 weeks!!! Let's just hope the plumbing does not go out next!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I am soon to come to the U.S.!!
February 16, 2009
Greetings to all!!! I have rallied from my four night shifts. It took a while, as they somewhat wiped me out. That is a long shift to endure through the night. It can be quite a surreal environment, with 24 sleeping or not bodies throughout the ward. There was one moment at about 10pm one evening when I wished I had my camera and permission to take the picture. The 6 Nation rugby tournament is going on, which apparently is a big deal here in the U.K. In one of the men’s bays a television was airing the game and about 5 men were all gathered around it, all of them with head bandages from their brain surgeries.
I have been seeing a lot of different types of surgery that are interesting to me, such as temporal and frontal lobectomies, that are done for people with seizures. I am looking forward to learning more about them.
Today I went to another new staff induction. I know I still have a few more days of induction. One part of the induction that has been the most impressive to me is the presentation that the fire safety manager does. It has been so informative and educational and has left an indelible mark on me in regards to fire awareness and procedure. The fire doors have never made more sense to me until now.
Yesterday I went to the opera La Boheme with my nurse friend, Jacqueline, at the Coliseum. What a beautiful theater, and the opera was very nice. We went to dinner afterwards. She is very interesting and I learn a lot from her about English ways in the medical field. As she is a neonatal nurse, she has a lot of interesting stories. One topic that she has talked about extensively is childbirth and the parent’s ability to totally call the shots regarding how the delivery goes, even if it leads to a poor outcome. According to her, the baby has no rights in the delivery scene, and that parents can refuse recommended treatment that would give the baby the safest delivery.
Afterwards we walked through Covent Garden and window-shopped.
I work three more long days, then head off for the states!!!!! Yeah!!! I am trying to see as many movies as I can to be ready for the Oscars!
Greetings to all!!! I have rallied from my four night shifts. It took a while, as they somewhat wiped me out. That is a long shift to endure through the night. It can be quite a surreal environment, with 24 sleeping or not bodies throughout the ward. There was one moment at about 10pm one evening when I wished I had my camera and permission to take the picture. The 6 Nation rugby tournament is going on, which apparently is a big deal here in the U.K. In one of the men’s bays a television was airing the game and about 5 men were all gathered around it, all of them with head bandages from their brain surgeries.
I have been seeing a lot of different types of surgery that are interesting to me, such as temporal and frontal lobectomies, that are done for people with seizures. I am looking forward to learning more about them.
Today I went to another new staff induction. I know I still have a few more days of induction. One part of the induction that has been the most impressive to me is the presentation that the fire safety manager does. It has been so informative and educational and has left an indelible mark on me in regards to fire awareness and procedure. The fire doors have never made more sense to me until now.
Yesterday I went to the opera La Boheme with my nurse friend, Jacqueline, at the Coliseum. What a beautiful theater, and the opera was very nice. We went to dinner afterwards. She is very interesting and I learn a lot from her about English ways in the medical field. As she is a neonatal nurse, she has a lot of interesting stories. One topic that she has talked about extensively is childbirth and the parent’s ability to totally call the shots regarding how the delivery goes, even if it leads to a poor outcome. According to her, the baby has no rights in the delivery scene, and that parents can refuse recommended treatment that would give the baby the safest delivery.
Afterwards we walked through Covent Garden and window-shopped.
I work three more long days, then head off for the states!!!!! Yeah!!! I am trying to see as many movies as I can to be ready for the Oscars!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February 12, another cold, snowy day!
Greetings! I just worked 3 12.5 hour night shifts. I was worried about them dragging on forever, but they actually went by decently quickly. A very interesting environment, as you have a room filled with 24 people in various stages of sleep or not. As you walk around, the sounds of sleep are apparent, some people are just breathing in a very regular breathing pattern, while others are snoring, from quiet, gentle snoring, to loud snoring. Some patients are not asleep at all, as they may be reading, restless, and/or disturbing others. We as nurses work in a very dark environment, trying to keep everyone calm and quiet, and that can be a challenge. It is impressive to me to see some patients sleep through anything/everything that is going on around them. At 6am, the place starts coming to life again, as vital signs are started and medication passed out. By 730am, the lights are on and we start preparing for handover, where we go from bed to bed and do report.
I work with many nurses from Africa. Last night one of them was shopping for a 4-wheel drive vehicle to take to Malawi. He would have it shipped to a port, then drive it to his country, about 8 hours away. I offered to help him make the drive. Another nurse was planning her trip to her home in Japan. With 7 weeks of vacation a year, nurses are able to do some regular commuting home. One nurse is from the Philipines, and her husband and two young sons live there.
I have tonight off, then do another night shift tomorrow night. I am not minding it at all. There is one patient who I have been talking to who is very interesting. He has been a pub owner in Kent, England, and has some interesting stories to share. Last night I took in my ipod so that he could listen to the Robert Plantt and Allison Kraus cd, Raising Sand, that won 6 Grammys last week. Thank you, Mike, for loaning me your cd so that I could put it on my ipod!
I have attached pictures of the "sluice" machine that I described earlier. It always chuckles me when I use it. You use your foot to open it, slide in the bedpans/urinals, then start it. It sounds somewhat like a dishwasher, and then, there you go, clean items!!
I hope this finds everyone well. I have been here a month and a half, and despite the fact that I am marveling at what I am doing, I always have a moment of the day where I long for Portland and everyone who goes along with it!! Cheers to all!!!
I work with many nurses from Africa. Last night one of them was shopping for a 4-wheel drive vehicle to take to Malawi. He would have it shipped to a port, then drive it to his country, about 8 hours away. I offered to help him make the drive. Another nurse was planning her trip to her home in Japan. With 7 weeks of vacation a year, nurses are able to do some regular commuting home. One nurse is from the Philipines, and her husband and two young sons live there.
I have tonight off, then do another night shift tomorrow night. I am not minding it at all. There is one patient who I have been talking to who is very interesting. He has been a pub owner in Kent, England, and has some interesting stories to share. Last night I took in my ipod so that he could listen to the Robert Plantt and Allison Kraus cd, Raising Sand, that won 6 Grammys last week. Thank you, Mike, for loaning me your cd so that I could put it on my ipod!
I have attached pictures of the "sluice" machine that I described earlier. It always chuckles me when I use it. You use your foot to open it, slide in the bedpans/urinals, then start it. It sounds somewhat like a dishwasher, and then, there you go, clean items!!
I hope this finds everyone well. I have been here a month and a half, and despite the fact that I am marveling at what I am doing, I always have a moment of the day where I long for Portland and everyone who goes along with it!! Cheers to all!!!
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