"God is Great, Beer is Good and People are Crazy"

'Life, is beautiful,

but its complicated, we barely make it.

We don't need to understand,

there are miracles, in our path.' - Life is Beautiful, Vega 4

When your rushing through textbooks and studying all the time for a simple certification you don't realize that as soon as your in the job everything will change. At 17 years old, working in a nursing home really is no fun, your lifting people heavier than you, some of the things you deal with are unsatisfactory and in the end, you feel really empty, you worked so hard and your blood, sweat and tears seem all for nothing. But there was so much beauty there, how did I miss it?

Did the doctors just love me enough to send me perfect patients last night? Did the nurses and the other aide love me enough to make sure they were in great shape and completely happy? Maybe my patients got a memo that I was off my game (and for those of you who read my OTHER post, I apologize, even then I was off my game), either way the night went perfectly.

Last night I studied up on my drugs, and still feel overwhelmed, so I'm gonna keep studying tonight. While hugging a tube of Bacitracin, I sat and studied up on Atropine, Lidocaine, Adenosine and a few others, still not sure why I'm having such a hard time with it, however my nurse is excellent and is having me do all my on-line and in textbook homework, before sitting me down for the lesson. She even pulled out a few 2mL syringes and marked them with the dosages of the medication, so that I could see the tiny amount those drugs need.

But, my mind wandered, and before too long Pandora was on and I was busy making flashcards on all the information I had found, and before too long I was singing along to Billy Currington's latest song which has a fitting chours for anyone in medicine.

'God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.'

The drive home is amazing, no matter when I get off, but last night the city seemed to sparkle like a fresh cut diamond. As I drove home I kept thinking of how many hospitals and clinics I pass to get to work every day, and its a pretty large number, however, it is totally worth every minute of my drive. So I turn up the radio and sing for all I'm worth, because this is life. It only happens once, and I'll never re-live this moment again. So wasting my time whining ain't gonna happen.

I also promised one of our nurses I would post this photo. She had to give me my final Hep B shot in the series and I was giving her a hard time, telling her that my band-aid better be pretty freaking awesome. When she slapped it on my arm (I'm a bleeder) I saw that and busted up laughing. This is my definition of patient care!

Teammates. Partners. Colleagues.

Only 30 minutes into my shift and the nurse and I are deep in conversation. About what you may ask? Foley catheter's. Some may find this a boring subject, but when you work where I work, its never the play-by-play of how to do it. These conversations come jam-packed with side stories; bladders that have been ruptured, injured or just plain funny faces from patients during a totally uncomfortable process.

It's another slow night at my friendly neighborhood job site and so I'm taking the time to read up on blogs, read my textbooks and whine about the boss man and their crazy ideas. (Trust me, if your boss thought you should stay awake for 40 some-odd hours you would bitch too.) While doing all of this and practicing patient care, the nurse and I continue a long conversation that should last all night.

The conversation jumps and suddenly we are on the topic of partners. How odd. I think to myself as I listen to her talk about past hospitals she has worked in. This was the last topic on the Handover Blog... Ironic. However, as I have come to learn to do in this job I just roll with it. The nurse I am working with and I haven't always gotten along well. We are from the same mold, she and I. Both stubborn, outspoken, smart, and fiery. We discussed how we hated each other when I began working with her, and then how over time we quickly became close colleagues.

When I first came to this unit I quickly became close friends with one nurse, and disliked the other, because the other nurse was very vocal about her opinions and me being the new girl took ALL of it to heart. (The nurse with the conspiracy theories is the one who I befriended first. There's only two night nurses that I work with) However, it didn't take long to realize why, it was because we were both strangers to each other, and that scared us both. Working one-on-one with somebody is a tough thing to do for 12 hours a day, 3 days a week; which is why if you like your partner, (or colleague) its a blessing unlike any other.

In EMT school my teacher always emphasized on how we would walk away from that class with lifelong friends. I rolled my eyes and sighed every time I heard it, however, those kids, the EMT's in my life are the people who I have loved, hated, befriended, disliked, and after so long everything has fallen into place that we are all still amazing friends. My partner from that class, for example was assigned to me, and I was scared to see where things went. I was a rough-neck hillbilly from Crazy Hick High School, and she came from the prissy rich upper East side. At first I laughed at her and begged my teacher for the other hillbilly student in hopes that between practicing CPR I could use trucks and mudding as conversations. But my request was denied and my partner stayed the 90 lb. brunette. It only took days before we became best friends, and still to this day are great friends. Some of the other kids in my class that we shared rooms with, shared good and bad days with, we have all stayed in touch... I never thought that a couple of kids saving lives for fun could turn into such an amazing bond.


My nurse, knowing my dream of becoming a paramedic, asks me about some of the decisions I have made regarding schooling, work and my personal life. We talk about it for awhile and she looks to me. "You're learning so much more here, doing shifts like these than a textbook paramedic, so even if your gonna be doing what you do for a little while longer, that's okay. It'll make you better in the long run."

I looked to her. "Yeah," I agree, "But do you think I'll learn paramedic skills in a hospital?"

"Absolutely." She replies, grabbing a chart. "You'll learn it all the slow way, perfect it then be able to whip it outta nowhere when it comes time for you to preform in an emergent situation. Hell, the nurses station can be your little ambulance bay!" We both laugh and continue on with our shift. But it made me think about how lucky I am to have such a great team here, and such great night shift 'partners.' When you think about it, its not just working nights. Its working when its just us, and no one else. In our hospital, if shit hits the fan, then we are forced to dial 911, not the ER, which can be scary.

But another big thing happened tonight. When shift change is over we are supposed to go introduce ourselves to the patients by giving them our name and title. Generally if the other is busy with another task we do it for the other, so I would write my name and title on the board, and then the nurses. Every night, I see Dani, CNA (or HCA) written on the board, but tonight, I saw something different. Dani, EMT-B

Tools of the Trade

"Do you wanna hear my latest conspiracy theory?"

It's 2230 pm and I'm in the middle of a 1600-0400 shift when my nurse turns to me and asks me this question. I cannot help but smile, not because I am as into her conspiracies as she would like, but because she and I are close. When you work as long of hours as often as we do in the medical field, you become close. The colleague you simply talked boy talk with in the beginning suddenly becomes your sister, the nurse who answered all of your questions from how to cook certain meals to how to draw blood becomes your mentor and the doctors become your brothers. You become a family, and you learn to love them, crazy as they may be.

For those of you who keep up with my blog, you have come to understand that working in medicine is a roller-coaster ride unlike any other. However, tonight I have time to sit back and look around me, to study the tools of my trade. The things that make us the professionals we are.

My scrub pockets are loaded down with various items, I have sticky notes in my back pocket, pens in both front pockets and in my side pocket on my thigh I have a pair of trauma shears, two markers, a highlighter and more pens. In my chest pocket I have the patent's information, as well as any other odds and ends I may have picked up while in a patients room. Hung around my neck is my stethoscope, the same old tool I have used since I was in CNA school, almost 5 years ago now.

Scattered around the desk behind me is more tools. Medicine cups, gloves, gauze, adhesives and lots of medical tape. Our center focuses on Ortho, on bones, on muscles, on joints, so the tape ranges anything from scotch tape, so simple IV tape, silk and so many more. It seems as if all the doctors do in our unit is ace wraps and tape, but its effective, so we keep it on hand. Needles are hidden in the cupboard above, and all ranges and sizes of them, from the butterfly's (25 g) to the regular 18 gauge needles. Oddly enough, ultrasound gel is also placed in the same cupboard, but not for pregnancy as many would assume, but for anesthesiology (to help place nerve blocks).

In almost every unit of the hospital we give patients the basic essentials to help them feel more comfortable during their stay, however, they may not always like these items. Usually this includes a big basin, a kidney basin, a kleenex box, lotion, baby powder, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, a water mug and an incentives spirometer. These are also stored nearby and some of these things are simple needs with understandable explainations, but as I study these tools I smile as I come to the incentives spirometer. Its the simplest of any tool you will come across in the hospital, designed like a game, and has so many purposes to help you with your health. Who would think that this tool (pictured left) would help you with your pain management, let alone assisting your body in preventing blood clots?

My job has become a family business. I take care of the basic needs and odds and ends, while my sisters have become pro's in medication administration, IV acess and treatment needs. They take care of the wound care, and I'll assist. In the family business we make things work, and for the best, because our patients live, and while their in our care, usually are extremely happy.

I call that one hell of a job well done.