mursing

Nothing that you don’t already know, but the people that actually trusts these folks up in Washington is really disturbing? Why do some people in this nation think that they are going to help us out of the current financial situation we are in when the double the deficit?! Yeah, I am biased and lean a bit towards the conservative side but this article found on Fox News shows why I absolutely do not trust the Democratic side of politics. I know, I know…they’re all screwed up in D.C. but the quote at the end of the article, really chaps my hide. Yes, President Bush made his mistakes, but the quickness that (democratic) media tries to point blame at the president, when they should be looking at the ragtags in office.

“It should be remembered that fiscal year 2009 began during the Bush administration, which left in its wake the worst recession since the 1930s, including a sharp plunge in revenues,” said Rep. John Spratt Jr., D-S.C., chairman of the House Budget Committee. “But today’s figures send us the latest alarm. As the economy stabilizes and starts to recover, we will have to turn our focus back to deficit reduction.”

Sir, your party has been in control of the House since the Bush administration, why don’t you pull your head out of your arse and take some responsibility for running up the bills?

Tags: politics, ramblings, rants by qec
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Inconsistency maybe? No…that never happens in the N.F.L.

Tags: ramblings, rants, sports by qec
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Tom Brady is a pansy. The other 2 things that chap my hide about the NFL is instant replay, and the fact that some over officious jerks are trying to control every aspect of the game.

Tags: ramblings, rants, sports by qec
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Yeah, our health care system is broke.

And there are numerous parts that need fixing. But the one that chaps my hide the most is when doctors know you are in the health care field,  I am forced to call my primary knowing I need a specialty consult. AND I HAVE TO GO IN, PAY MY DOCTOR FOR SOMETHING I ALREADY KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO TELL ME. “Oh, you need to go see a specialist.” No S#!+!!!  Now I am all for a capitalistic system but when this kind of nonsense is present, when does it stop?! What causes a doctor to forgo common sense from someone in the medical field? What drives a doctor to accept a minimal, measly copay? Is it a cut of ‘their fair share’? Have they been burned by the current mentality of society and system for which they now have to care? Part of my chaffing is also knowing that the specialist to whom she is going to send me… is her husband’s clinic and then I get to pay him double my copay, just because he’s a specialist?! Am I scratching the surface of an ethical issue here? These folks are well respected and are really good docs.  I guess the blame comes down to accountability and knowing those, much like our guests that come to the ER for a chronic toothache, that abuse they system are the reason for this nonsense. Thoughts?

Tags: health care, politics, rants by qec
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Tags: politics, rants, video by qec
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Thanks Mr. President and the politicians in government.

This could be said to Bush since he dropped his fiscal conservative approach at the end of his presidency and wanted to push a ‘stimulus’ package. The current moron is going to be no better with him wanting an additional bazillion dollars. The frustrating part is now he has morons in D.C. willing to agree with him. Wait. Did we see any change in the recent elections? We may have seen faces and names change but the concept of fiscal conservancy has long left the Republic in the hands of a bunch of spend-thrift goombahs.

Lets examine what the bible says about debt and lets see what our government has done to us with the passing of the past 2 ‘stimulus’ packages. Maybe politics and religion should mix. Maybe the crocks in office should refer to some old-time religion (but wait we can’t allow that) for some common sense regarding the financial strains and problems they are tying to our future generations.

Proverbs 6:1-5

¹My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have struck hands in pledge for another,
²if you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth,
³then do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go and humble yourself;
press your plea with your neighbor!
⁴Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
⁵Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

Proverbs 20:16

¹⁶Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

Proverbs 22:7

⁷The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Proverbs 22:26-27

²⁶Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
²⁷if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Proverbs 24:3-4

³By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
⁴through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Tags: politics, rants by qec
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I tell you what ICU psychosis is. It’s much like the definition of insanity…doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  We’re actually going to focus on the aspect of this very serious and very dangerous occurrence in the ICU setting when this form of delirium, or acute brain failure occurs in your nurses.

There are plenty of valid reasons and research that back the validity of this illness. For the patient it can be a combination of medical and environmental factors. Clinical issues for the patient can include uncontrolled pain, the actual illness or trauma they may be experiencing, drug reactions, fever, electrolyte imbalances, lack of oxygen to the brain etc.

I want to focus on the environmental aspects. I have recently been wondering if there is any research indicating alterations in the mental capacities of medical employees being in the same environmental as their patients.

Environmental Causes

• Sensory deprivation: A nurse being put in a room that often has no windows, and is away from family, friends, and all that is familiar and comforting. Also occurs in nurses working nights.

• Sleep disturbance and deprivation: The constant disturbance and noise with the hospital staff going into the rooms at all hours to check vital signs, give medications, etc. Also seen in nurses working nights.

• Continuous light levels: Continuous disruption of the normal biorhythms with lights on continually (when working nights and no reference to day or night).

• Stress: Nurses in an ICU frequently feel the almost total loss of control over their life.

• Lack of orientation: (Some) nurses loss of time and date.

Lastly and certainly not the least:

• Medical monitoring: The continuous monitoring of the patient’s vital signs, and the noise monitoring devices produce can be disturbing and create sensory overload

Let’s take for instance the last 6 days of work. Mind you I have had 2 one-on-one patients for those 6 days. Thankfully I had a 2 day respite in the middle of all the nonsense. But I swear to you, in each case, both patients being on a ventilator, cardiac monitoring and some triple pump concoction of something or another. If it wasn’t the monitor beeping, it was the one the pumps. And if it wasn’t the pump, it was the alarms on the ventilator. As soon as you get one working, the other would one would frak up and start all over again. And then run to the other patient…rinse, repeat and do the same cycle over again about 300 times during the shift.

They never tell you in nursing school that you need minor degrees or apprenticeships in plumbing, electricity and computer networking. I have recently felt that you end up trouble shooting electronics more so that trouble shooting your patient. So as you watch your equipment blink on and off and watch the thing drop vital signs and randomly turn on and off, the real kick in the arse is when BIOMED shows up and the damn things work like a charm. GGRRRR…

Tags: humor, rants by qec
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I may have said it before but I try not to dwell on politics but it’s crammed in my face of late and every thing I hear seems to send my blood boiling. I listened to the two monkey puppets we have in place and it scares me. I think, “This is who we really have to choose from for our highest office?!” The more saddening fact is the blinding stupidity of those who cannot see Obama (forthwith, Sorry Sack of Bones) for the socialist he is. Socialism is not a new idea! Look at what it did to the U.S.S.R.! Please! Both candidates tout their records and you look at them and SSOB is a freaking communist. He even says so through what he proposes and people are taking it hook line and sinker.

The debate last night about made me puke. SSOB is willing to reward those in this great nation to not strive to work hard and tax anyone making over $250k. What an absolute moron! wah! wah! wah! It’s not fair. wah! wah! wah! I know he’s trying to target folks like me that as a nurse will not come close to making $250k a year but I am not stupid like a large number of his constituency. Heaven help them…and us. I look at the entrepreneurs in my family. The parents owned a construction company, the brother has a couple of start ups and my wife and girlfriend have started their own bakery business. Not to forget other friends that have their own businesses. What pray tell would cause them to strive to achieve financial freedom under SSOB?! They will work their heart out right up to $250k and then stop?! They go above that number and under SSOB’s plan; he takes money from ‘the rich’ to give to ‘the poor’. Don’t get me wrong I am all for helping those in true need but SSOB’s definition of poor include those that have bilked the system already, not willing to get out and work but would rather suck from the teat of free governmental handouts. Supposedly it’s only a 3% tax increase, but when will the government stop at taking more to reward those who are not responsible? The recent bailout is a perfect example.

Tags: politics, rants by qec
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Yeah, I passed the NCLEX. I am legit. I am surprised that I am not more excited. Actually I am more surprised at the whole anti-climatic aspect considering the feelings and emotions that I experienced through nursing school. I may address the stupidity of the NCLEX and how it DOES NOT test nursing knowledge but purely test taking skills. I think it’s just another bureaucratic sham crammed down our throats from nursing boards. Needless to say that was not what I am writing about today.

I wanted to rant about one of our own for those that are in our extended family. I was off to work the other a.m. and an ambulance passes on a call, lights blaring, obviously in a hurry to get to the hospital. Out in front is some stupid jackass in a Mini-Coop not yielding the right-of-way. Having had aspirations to be a firefighter in my previous life, I rode out with the fellas on a few occasions. I have more respect for those nuts that will run into a burning building because it obviously takes a level of courage (not insanity) many of us are unable to fathom.

At some point in their lack of common sense, said Mini-Coop decided to pull their dumb a$$ out of the way and let the ambulance pass. Interesting to see that Mini-dumb-a$$ pulls into the parking lot for the physicians at our hospital. I can see why said resident emerging from the Mini-Coop has garnered little respect among their peers and why the nurses that daily interact with them, have little to no respect either. And some doctors wonder why nurses call their intelligence into question.

Tags: rants by qec
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2: government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority

3: a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation

A.K.A. stupidity.

I had to write about it. The ‘burden’ placed on our current cost of medical insurance in this country is certainly NOT the medical industry. It is the vast paper pushing bureaucrats in the insurance industry itself that is the cause of these dreaded financial woes.

Cutting out the middle man of TPA’s would create so much less a hassle. Let me build this incredibly exciting scene. Yeah…right. So I recently accepted my new job at General Hospitals Are Us. Your (a)typical County Medical, largest employee in the area etc. HR says, “Well all you need to do is show our TPA your records that you had credible coverage and you will not have to proceed through medical questionnaires proving that you had coverage for you and your spouse while you were in school”.  The onslaught of the paper wave tsunami hit the house. Granted it didn’t help that we had 3 changes of coverage while I was in school but I am sure it is a HIPPA initiated requirement that every time any smidgen of information is changed or requested in your coverage, you are to be notified. So along with the 3 changes, I think we received them all in duplicate. From each provider. As well as from the TPA. Seriously. I have a stack of paper requesting the same information 3 times and getting letters from the TPA that inquiries have been made regarding coverages. So the TPA is sending letters, the previous providers are sending letters. You get the picture?

So I receive a final letter from the TPA indicated that now they have received my (patch worked) proof of coverage over the following year, but yet they need the medical questionnaires anyway. WHAT?! Egg sucking, mother trucking, gosh for saken *&%$#@! You mean to tell me this could have been nipped in the bud 4 weeks ago when I specifically asked the TPA which would be easier, filling out the medical questionnaire or sending in proof of coverage?! We could have saved a couple of trees during the process. I swear it must be a set-up between the insurance industry and the postal service for job security.

Tags: politics, rants by qec
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