So, I realized that we say some of the funniest, dumbest, and honest things during the wee hours of the morning. I thought I would start a list. I will put down the ones I know right now, and add them as I come accross them.
1. "Not it" (when the pager goes off in the room and its not yours)
2. "Tight as a tick" (the lungs you dirty people)
3. "Mama/Sir, did you have any alcohol tonight?" (response) "No!" (+alch in blood)
4. "Why were you smoking with your oxygen on?"
5. "This will only hurt real quick"
6. "No, I'm not 17 and taking care of you, I promise I'm old enough"
7. RN: "the patient is brain dead" Student: "when are they going to wake up?"
8. "Can you check that patients stats?" Me: "well, do you want age? height? weight?" person: "no, their stats!" Me: "you want me to check their sats?" Person: "yes!!!" *SIGH*
9. MD: "Oh! So, you want some sexy vent settings?" (coming from the MD it came from, I grinned ear to ear)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
When do you stop searching?
So, I'm 28 (soon to be 29 years old). I've worked the past 8 years as an RT. I have my B.S., hold 4 state licenses, RRT, I taught college for a year, and have worked at a few of the best hospitals on the East coast. You would think...that would be enough. You are sorely mistaken.
Friday, I interviewed at the #1 hospital in the U.S. As you remember from older posts, U.S News does there poll every year, and this makes them #1 for the 20th year in a row. I am speaking of none other than Johns Hopkins. The two days prior to the interview, I was so nervous my stomach wouldn't settle down. It's just like any other interview right? NO, its HOPKINS! hello!? People come from around the world to go here. So with a little self reminding, "you are qualified for this job...right?" "shut up, you are qualified for this job" I dove in.
I spent 4.5 hours between HR and the Respiratory department, (without a tour people). Once there, the Director decided I was going to in fact interview for two positions and not just one. Crap. As I'm sitting with the Director speaking with him, he said something that threw me off alittle. Why? Because it's something that's only ever been in my head. I've never said it out loud, or expressed it to anyone that mattered...but here he is calling me out after 15 mins of meeting me. He said, "You are looking for the up and coming, the bigger and better, the new and exciting, something more challenging" I smiled. He said, "I was you about 16 years ago, and if I didn't find that bigger better, I was going to get out."
I always knew from the start I would need "new and exciting." I am someone who needs to be challenged. Once I've sucked a place dry of everything it has to offer, I look. So, it begs the question, will there ever be somewhere that can constantly give me what I'm looking for? A never ending stream of better, exciting, challenging things to keep me busy? If not, what's my option, settle...or get the hell out?
I hit the ground running out of school. I wanted my resume to look a certain way, and it does. Along with that comes all my clinical and practical experience. I am what they call, "the ideal hire."
Maybe this time, I could stay put? Try and keep my interest peaked and enjoy what the new experience has to offer. Maybe I will bolt after 2 years, claiming, "it just wasn't enough." Who knows, either way, it makes things more interesting.
Friday, I interviewed at the #1 hospital in the U.S. As you remember from older posts, U.S News does there poll every year, and this makes them #1 for the 20th year in a row. I am speaking of none other than Johns Hopkins. The two days prior to the interview, I was so nervous my stomach wouldn't settle down. It's just like any other interview right? NO, its HOPKINS! hello!? People come from around the world to go here. So with a little self reminding, "you are qualified for this job...right?" "shut up, you are qualified for this job" I dove in.
I spent 4.5 hours between HR and the Respiratory department, (without a tour people). Once there, the Director decided I was going to in fact interview for two positions and not just one. Crap. As I'm sitting with the Director speaking with him, he said something that threw me off alittle. Why? Because it's something that's only ever been in my head. I've never said it out loud, or expressed it to anyone that mattered...but here he is calling me out after 15 mins of meeting me. He said, "You are looking for the up and coming, the bigger and better, the new and exciting, something more challenging" I smiled. He said, "I was you about 16 years ago, and if I didn't find that bigger better, I was going to get out."
I always knew from the start I would need "new and exciting." I am someone who needs to be challenged. Once I've sucked a place dry of everything it has to offer, I look. So, it begs the question, will there ever be somewhere that can constantly give me what I'm looking for? A never ending stream of better, exciting, challenging things to keep me busy? If not, what's my option, settle...or get the hell out?
I hit the ground running out of school. I wanted my resume to look a certain way, and it does. Along with that comes all my clinical and practical experience. I am what they call, "the ideal hire."
Maybe this time, I could stay put? Try and keep my interest peaked and enjoy what the new experience has to offer. Maybe I will bolt after 2 years, claiming, "it just wasn't enough." Who knows, either way, it makes things more interesting.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
I am the Trauma Queen
For any of you that ever thought they were a "black cloud" aka shit magnet...I am your match. From the first time I ever laid my hands on a trauma pager, it was done. The ER would be peaceful and calm, and then I would grab my stuff and let the trouble commence.
I used to try and not touch the pager for as long as possible. I would let it lay on the table in front of me, until I HAD to get up and go see a patient. It was like a challenge! "will it wait till I touch it today?" and sadly, most days, it did.
So I started honing my "gut" into how my night was going to go. Yes, I know what you are thinking, trauma is unpredictable, but, there were a few patterns that I just couldn't ignore. Mondays are always the worst, maybe its a East coast thing? My worst nights in the bay, have been on Monday nights. Next, is there a sporting event near by? Cause when I lived in NC near the speedway, do you know how many drunk people fall of their campers? Alot. How is the weather outside? If it just snowed, and the fools around me aren't used to it, should I call out sick? How about the full moon? Do you know that a few MD's actually did a study that showed hospital activity doesn't increase or change around a full moon...I say, go back to your cubicle!!
So, I use all these things to get a gauge on the evening. I also use trauma juju. Laugh if you may. I generally will not let anyone wish me a "good night at work" before a night at work. If they do, I'm guaranteed a night from hell. Don't say "quite" EVER when at work. If it's quite, you be quite too. When someone says, "oh, this is going to be an easy night" I cringe, and promptly remind them they are my trauma backup. I don't ever sit on the trauma stretcher anymore waiting for the pt to arrive. I try and head off anything that could cause the night to go downhill.
That being said, does it always work? No, but for the most part I feel better about going in to it most days. When I was in NC, I had an incident where I had 26 intubated traumas in one night. They were all separate issues (except for the last 3, they were the same car). This was not 26 from a mass casualty or anything like that. This was 26 people of my black cloud hell. It came out to be roughly 2.1 intubations an hour.
My current hospital gets a small taste of this everyday. I can literally, take the ER calm as a clam and make it ground zero. I walked in to the hospital a few months ago and said to the night supervisor, "I have a bad feeling about tonight" He was like, "why would you say that?!" and I said, "my gut is never wrong" Sure enough, I hit the ground running 10 mins later and didn't look back until 0700.
Some nights are better than others, but I love what I do. I am the trauma Queen, and until someone can beat my 26 single injury intubated traumas, I will keep my crown. My gut never lies, too bad they didn't teach me that in Respiratory school.
I used to try and not touch the pager for as long as possible. I would let it lay on the table in front of me, until I HAD to get up and go see a patient. It was like a challenge! "will it wait till I touch it today?" and sadly, most days, it did.
So I started honing my "gut" into how my night was going to go. Yes, I know what you are thinking, trauma is unpredictable, but, there were a few patterns that I just couldn't ignore. Mondays are always the worst, maybe its a East coast thing? My worst nights in the bay, have been on Monday nights. Next, is there a sporting event near by? Cause when I lived in NC near the speedway, do you know how many drunk people fall of their campers? Alot. How is the weather outside? If it just snowed, and the fools around me aren't used to it, should I call out sick? How about the full moon? Do you know that a few MD's actually did a study that showed hospital activity doesn't increase or change around a full moon...I say, go back to your cubicle!!
So, I use all these things to get a gauge on the evening. I also use trauma juju. Laugh if you may. I generally will not let anyone wish me a "good night at work" before a night at work. If they do, I'm guaranteed a night from hell. Don't say "quite" EVER when at work. If it's quite, you be quite too. When someone says, "oh, this is going to be an easy night" I cringe, and promptly remind them they are my trauma backup. I don't ever sit on the trauma stretcher anymore waiting for the pt to arrive. I try and head off anything that could cause the night to go downhill.
That being said, does it always work? No, but for the most part I feel better about going in to it most days. When I was in NC, I had an incident where I had 26 intubated traumas in one night. They were all separate issues (except for the last 3, they were the same car). This was not 26 from a mass casualty or anything like that. This was 26 people of my black cloud hell. It came out to be roughly 2.1 intubations an hour.
My current hospital gets a small taste of this everyday. I can literally, take the ER calm as a clam and make it ground zero. I walked in to the hospital a few months ago and said to the night supervisor, "I have a bad feeling about tonight" He was like, "why would you say that?!" and I said, "my gut is never wrong" Sure enough, I hit the ground running 10 mins later and didn't look back until 0700.
Some nights are better than others, but I love what I do. I am the trauma Queen, and until someone can beat my 26 single injury intubated traumas, I will keep my crown. My gut never lies, too bad they didn't teach me that in Respiratory school.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Best of the Best...
Every year U.S. News gets down and dirty with the hospital systems of this country. The new numbers are out for 2010-2011. I actually had a good laugh when I saw the rankings this year. In years past, I've seen a few of the hospitals that I've worked at among the top 10 or 20 in the ranks. This year, not even the one I currently work for made top 10 in any category. They push us to be the best, to give the best care, to exceed what's expected....and yet, here we sit.
I'm going to show you a few of the breakdowns from this season:
Pulmonology: 1. National Jewish Health (Denver), 2. Mayo Clinic (MN), 3. Cleveland Clinic (Ohio)
**Being the RT that I am, this was the first breakdown I looked at. Now, I'm going to add a little to this and tell you that, John Hopkins came in at #4, Mass Gen in Boston #5, Duke in NC #6, and at #7 UPMC- Univ of Pitt Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Are they all great hospitals? Yes. Factoid of the night: UPMC has the highest success rate of lung transplant on the east coast at the moment. Above Hopkins, Mass Gen, and Duke...yet it sits at #7 for Pulmonology.
Cardiovascular: 1. Cleveland Clinic 2. Mayo 3. John Hopkins
Neurology and Neurosurgery: 1. John Hopkins 2. Mayo
Kidney Disorders: 1. Mayo 2. John Hopkins 3. Cleveland Clinic
I could keep going, but do we see the trend? There are several different specialities listed, and no...these three aren't the top 3 the whole time, but obviously they are doing something right.
National standards help keep patients safe, control facilities and make hospitals better...but why is it, that year after year following the rules, one outshines the other?
There are lots of reasons. Some for the good and some for the worse.
Maybe if we all excelled for the high standard that everyone did, the polls wouldn't look so outnumbered.
I'm going to show you a few of the breakdowns from this season:
Pulmonology: 1. National Jewish Health (Denver), 2. Mayo Clinic (MN), 3. Cleveland Clinic (Ohio)
**Being the RT that I am, this was the first breakdown I looked at. Now, I'm going to add a little to this and tell you that, John Hopkins came in at #4, Mass Gen in Boston #5, Duke in NC #6, and at #7 UPMC- Univ of Pitt Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Are they all great hospitals? Yes. Factoid of the night: UPMC has the highest success rate of lung transplant on the east coast at the moment. Above Hopkins, Mass Gen, and Duke...yet it sits at #7 for Pulmonology.
Cardiovascular: 1. Cleveland Clinic 2. Mayo 3. John Hopkins
Neurology and Neurosurgery: 1. John Hopkins 2. Mayo
Kidney Disorders: 1. Mayo 2. John Hopkins 3. Cleveland Clinic
I could keep going, but do we see the trend? There are several different specialities listed, and no...these three aren't the top 3 the whole time, but obviously they are doing something right.
National standards help keep patients safe, control facilities and make hospitals better...but why is it, that year after year following the rules, one outshines the other?
There are lots of reasons. Some for the good and some for the worse.
Maybe if we all excelled for the high standard that everyone did, the polls wouldn't look so outnumbered.
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