Yearly Archives: 2008
Voice Lessons
One of my responsibilities as a psych nurse is patient education. I help my patients learn coping skills, teach them about their medications and how they work, and help them find ways to change the thoughts and attitudes that keep defeating them. It’s not a one-way street, though; my patients teach me, too. They show me new ways to look at the world; they teach me honesty and transparency, and about the resilience of the human soul. Once in a while, one comes along who teaches me more than I … Continue reading
Calendar Conspiracy
Back in my hospital CNA days, I worked the night shift. Each of the rooms on the med-surg unit where I worked had a 365-day calendar hanging on the wall to let the patient know what day it was, so one of the things I did each night as I made my rounds taking midnight vitals was to tear the previous day’s page off each calendar to update it for the new day. During one shift, I was assigned to “sit” with a somewhat confused elderly woman. She had wrecked … Continue reading
What is a Nurse?
Despite the fact that the American public consistently ranks nurses as among the top five most trustworthy types of people, nursing is one of the least-understood professions. Very few people really understand exactly who we are, what we do, or how much we have to learn in order to do it. My friend “Strong One” has put together a list that describes us quite nicely. Check it out on his blog. Thanks, Strong One!
Post-Election Thoughts
The time for choosing sides for or against a candidate is past. Now it’s time to unite as Americans and move forward. I’ve had enough of the badmouthing and doubt-casting and the “just wait, you’ll see!” doom and gloom negativity. What’s done is done. There is no longer a choice of candidates before us – what’s before us now is a choice between sitting on our butts complaining to whoever will listen because our guy didn’t get elected and we don’t think the new guy is going to be any … Continue reading
Yet Another Personality Test
I love this stuff. This one seemed to peg me pretty well, actually. The link to the site where you can take the test is down there at the bottom. NBPC – The Daydreamer Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort … Continue reading
Bureaucracy is Hurricane-Proof
My parents live in a rural area of Texas to the north of Houston, an area hard-hit by the fallout of Ike but not in spectacular and showy ways that rate media or government attention. Residents of several neighboring towns are without power because the company that supplied them with service was wiped out by the hurricane. They will be without electricity for weeks, probably longer. Local residents are trying to feed their families without refrigeration, and the stores don’t have it either so there’s nowhere to buy food. Local … Continue reading
The Nursing School Experience
Bravo to Phil Baumann, RN, for his blog post, An Open Letter to Some Nursing Education Faculty. To his list, I would also like to add “Appreciate your students’ previous knowledge and life experience.” As someone who attended nursing school after a successful career in the tech industry, it was disconcerting to be expected to forfeit my adulthood and life experiences and submit to being treated as though I were a naive and inexperienced 18-year-old just out of high school. I had lived in a foreign country and six different … Continue reading