Best News I Heard All Week

I heard the other day that starting in July/August, my hospital is beginning a training program for the DOCTORS to enter their own orders.  For the life of me, I cannot see them doing this.  I mean half of them barely have legible handwriting - how are they going to be using a computer and ordering their own things?  One of them I know can't even figure out how to sign onto the computer, much less look up any results or enter his own orders. 

I wonder how much the redlining process will decrease - since their orders won't be written anymore unless given over the phone.  I have a feeling, a lot of these doctors will be traveling with "assistants" to enter their orders.  I cannot wait to see this take place.  I'm not sure when it's going to be implemented, but it seems like it's just around the corner. 

I interviewed at another hospital yesterday.  I'm not sure if I'll get the job or not.  Hopefully I'll hear something by next week.  It's a per diem (as needed) position.  She seemed like she was ready to offer me a full-time position, but I don't want that. I'm not planning on leaving my hospital - I just want to see how it is working somewhere outside of my comfort zone.  I figure it will be a good experience and increase my confidence also.  We shall see!

I worked 4 nights in a row this week.  I'm debating about going back tonight.  I should...for the overtime money, but once I get home - the last thing I want to do is go back to work.  I'll see how I feel later.

I started off the week on the Med/Surg floor with 5 PCU patients.  We have patients on Med/Surg when PCU fills up and for some odd reason - our hospital is super busy this month.  So I was down there as the lone PCU nurse - which is sometimes good because you are basically on your own.  It has shown me that I can do just fine on my own.  I didn't even know who the charge nurse was - she never once talked to me the entire shift.  Nice, huh?  I had a patient with an active MI (heart attack).  While I was getting orders for her, the Med/Surg staff was busy celebrating someone leaving and were having a party basically.  They seem to eat a lot on that floor now that I think about it.  Anyways, they were trying to get me to join in - which was nice - but ummmm, I have a patient with an active MI....work comes first.  Their reply "You can never be too busy to eat!"  Yeah, ok!

Luckily my patient was stable and unaware she was even having a heart attack.  As the night wore on though, she was becoming a bit more confused - yet she could remember my name perfectly.  How do confused people do that?  They can forget who they are, where they are, what year it is....but they always seem to remember the nurse's name to yell out continuously.  I don't get it.

I put a call into the PCU charge nurse & said "Please don't send me back down here tomorrow night."  So the next night I was back on my usual floor.  I'm not sure it was much better patient wise - but at least I had the usual staff around.  I had one patient that was in with Altered Mental Status - but I am convinced what I was seeing was how she always is.  She sure did love her call light.  Every 15 min, she was calling - sometimes sooner, but never later.  At one point, she asked how she can cover the call light so she stops pushing it.  Ummm...how about if you just stop pushing it? 

We had another patient that was convinced she had bird mites all over her body.  Obviously she didn't, but there was no making her believe that.  She had bottles & bottles of "at home remedies" set up all around her bed.  It was pretty bizarre. 

I had another patient in which the doctors totally forgot to see him.  Try explaining that to the family members that were sitting at bedside since 9 am.  I managed to iron it out, but it wasn't pretty.

Have a great weekend!