anyways…

Here are some good links for relaxation, meditation and doing nothing for we people with high stress lives. It can be used to reduce stress, increase spiritual guidance and lower blood pressure. Interesting, eh?

How to Do Nothing
How to Meditate
Harold B. Lee on Meditation
Studies Show…

This was my fourth day on the job. I spent from 7a until 3p with Rescue 1. Brian was my preceptor. We talked about what EMS does with the patient before they come into the ED. They don’t use squat for aseptic technique and there are certain protocols that each kind of patient would get (e.g. a cardiac patient will get nitro paste, BP, aspirin, maybe fentenyl, then EKG, etc.). I got a tour of the back of the rig and even went on 2 calls. I would have gone on more if there were morHe, but it was a really slow day. There were no calls. I did get to know the culture of the fire department and rescue. They are potty mouths and I felt uncomfortable being around them. The two calls I went on included a transfer from a nursing home to the hospital for blood in urine. The other one was a syncopal woman with new antihypertensive meds. I am amazed that the fire and rescue staff are so not used and rather unrespected.

I went to work at the ED after that. EKG’s were my deal. Except that I didn’t actually do any until the end of the night, where I did one. I felt like I was fumbling over myself. It was kind of like I was in clinical all over again. Oh well, I will get used to it. The ED was really slow too. Barely anybody getting hurt. That’s good, but bad for me. I was however able to get into meeting people in the ED and feel out the culture a bit. One nurse, Naomi who has been a nurse for 10 years is very opinionated. She said that emergency nurses should be in med-surg first. However, she does have faith in Nancy in that Nancy says they can train a new grad. Any new grad. I feel fortunate to be in the ED. It’s an honor. I also get it that they take a lot of patients who shouldn’t be there. Sore throats, dental pain, bruises. I am nervous. Can I do it? Yes. I can…but, it’s hard.

I have trouble with mens scrubs. I just don’t think there’s a big selection. Here’s the best selection by far, but I would like prints too. Here’s a peek at AllHeart.com

I am training to be an emergency nurse. Although I am a registered nurse, I still need to orient to the unit as well as learn specific specialty competencies. Visit the Emergency Nurse Association to find out what it means to be an emergency nurse.

Today was my first day of working at HAPPY Hospital. I was excited and it was nice to get paid for working. All I did today was tour, meet, read and take care of logistics. More of that is planned for tomorrow. They will be scheduling me for different departments in the hospital, including riding in a hospital ambulance to transfer patients. We will be building skills, learning procedures and getting socialized in the new culture of the emergency department. The other nurse is a recent graduate of my OTHER nursing school…Central Maine Medical Center School of Nursing. She and I were in the same ERI Pre-RN seminar together. Nice to see her. I look forward to tomorrow.

I will also start going to the gym again tomorrow morning. We’ll see how that turns out.

A man walks into a bank after about 24 hours of attempting to get a loan to buy an automobile. Actually, it’s a credit union - a federal credit union. Are there any credit unions, not federal credit unions? Are there any banks or credit unions NOT FDIC insured? I have never seen an ad for a bank or credit union that goes without the FDIC logo - or better yet, “we aren’t FDIC insured.” Hmmm…anyways, this federal credit union was no ordinary lender - it was the lender to offer a loan to the man at the going interest rate (respectable), and additionally, within 24 hours of applying. The man has some issues with credit - like just starting a job after a few years of school, a fair credit history, but with items that lenders might take issue with. However, the man just raced from the seller’s car lot an hour away to secure the credit, and there’s 10 minutes to closing time. All paperwork was done previous to the meeting, so it went smooth and quick. The man walks out of the credit union with a check in hand for the seller - to buy an AWESOME MINIVAN!
You guessed it, I just bought a new minivan. My old Grand Caravan was having transmission problems. It had 160K+ miles and the tranny was gonna blow. Scotty told me urgently, “She cant hold out much longer captain!” I listened and although I would have rather bought a new vehicle for myself (work, small, economic and safe for winter), the family vehicle had to take priority. The new toy is a Honda Odyssey. I’ve never had a Honda. Kim and I reminisced, though. The first time Kim realized she was in love with me was when we were test-driving a honda civic together. We were “dating” or was it just friends? I already knew I loved her (from day one), but she realized she loved me in a Honda Accord. Too bad the used car dealer was in the passenger seat and Kim was in the back while I was driving. He was just in the way. I didn’t buy the car. What a gushy story, but it’s true. So today we brought it up. We felt romantic while the kids screamed and fought in the back seat of our new HONDA van. Man, what the back seat can do.
anyways…Now on to other matters…I will start my new job on Monday! YEAH! I am looking forward to it. I will actually be a nurse. This is a new job, a new career. MAN. This is so cool!
I saw Mona today. We all went with the new van so we could pick up some stuff she was giving away. We have had a new van AND a new wardrobe - all in one day with less than $25 in our pockets. Thanks Mona and HAPPY federal credit union.

My cousin’s wife just e-mailed me today. She announced that she passed the NCLEX-RN and she is now a registered nurse! CONGRATULATIONS Amber! That makes two in the family. If you were there at my graduation party, she was the pregnant one. Becoming a registered professional nurse is such a great moment. It accentuates the pinnacle of your educational achievements, which were very hard, emotional and expensive. All the family put their best effort into the whole thing. Again, Amber - GREAT JOB!

I remember what it was like when I was a kid. I heard on the news that there was an 18 car pileup on the highway. I have to admit…that’s one of my fears. Well, there’s one of sorts in my life. OK, here’s the problem…behind on everything bills because school is done, car will take a lot of moolah to get registered and inspected, van transmission is making can shaking noises when in drive. Every bill, aspect (including the lawn not being cut yet this year), repair and just everything is on hold until I get money from working…and I get paid twice in July. It’s a long wait. I don’t know what we’ll do about the cars…the van is about to die soon and transmissions cost lots of money and time to fix or replace. That means probably getting a new one soon. We were looking at different cars today because we want to buy one when I start work so I can actually drive a car to work. Now it looks a bit different. So our life has a little 18 car pileup…I sure hope there are no casualties (figurative…not literal). Well, at least the muffler got fixed just in time for the transmission to break.

Here’s a little eye-candy…