Thursday, June 18, 2009

It's been a Very Long Time

Sorry everyone for slacking on the blog homefront. Clinicals and school has resumed for the summer semester, and let me express my enthusiasm for being in class three days every week for the entire summer. Granted, the teachers did give us a four day break for the 4th of July. Thank God.

I began this blog to document my way through nursing school, but things have become more and more mundane. However, I did get to an ER rotation last week that peaked my interest. ER is really what I want to do after I graduate. As it was during the day, it was slow in the ED, but I did get to see an OD patient come in. I got there just in time to do his catheter. YAY! This was interesting experience, cathing this IV drug user while the RN's are pushing narcan and watching his O2 sat. This man was 34 years old, but you couldn't tell he was that young. He looked 40+ easily. What kind of sad things happen to people that they end up like this? I am not one to pass judgement, and I believe that if you are, you need to get the hell out of nursing. Intellectually I know that that man couldn't hear what any of us were saying, but one of the RNs says in front of everyone, "What a waste of resources, this is just someone with drug habit that is probably going to end up dying anyway." My face did this: D:

I am an optimist. I believe that people can be pulled from a very deep pit of addiction if that person is willing to work. No one gets better with peope saying shit like that. It is okay to think those things as long as your standard of care isn't effected, but its hard to say whether or not you can think those things and still provide the best care that you can possibly give. It makes me sad that a nurse, especially in the ED, could say that out loud. I am almost positive that the family could hear her. I mean, come on lady, go work on a med surg floor with a bunch of old people if you can't do anything but judge someone during a drug overdose. That's a major part of ER work, is dealing with all sorts of people.

It just chafes my ass.