Gotham Nurse

Formerly known as Canuck Nurse. Trials, triumphs and tribulations of a critical care nurse in Gotham.
About Me

Your average generally agreeable guy, registered nurse, new Canadian citizen and queer geek just returned to Manhattan for a stay after an amazing 3 years in Canada. Nursing is a second career, having spent 12 years way back when, as a software QA engineer.

Free time, what there is of it, consists of tipping back a pint or two with friends, going back to Toronto, traveling in general or trying to remain hidden with a good book.

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A few days away from the hospital only to become a patient myself

I headed to South Florida (or G-d's waiting room as it's sometimes known) on Wednesday for a few days. I was staying with my 92 yr old grandmother which meant very loud television and her kicking my ass at Scrabble as well as side trips to the casino so she could win at something new and different.

I survive several days of trips up and down the FL turnpike, and many close encounters in shopping centre parking lots. Only to be rear-ended in my rented Prius by an 80 year old in her 40-cylinder, 6-ton Cadillac at the end of the trip. While I was stopped. At a traffic light.

The Prius' battery compartment suffered big damage while my neck and back now require PRN oxycodone to keep me from weeping. What is it with the State of Florida giving licensed to all of these elderly drivers??? Why do the physicians keep signing off as they're supposed to do? they're dangerous. All of them. My grandmother still drives around town at 92 and she will eventually hit someone as her car drifts too far to the right ALL the time!

Something needs to stop. As a health care professional, I can tell you a 92 year old has no business driving. Their reaction time is crap, hearing is crap and they often can't see properly. Something really has to change. My back is proof of it...

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Filed under  //  Family   Health   rant   Travel  
Comments (4)
Posted 10 months ago

The ugly side of nursing

I attended my first staff meeting since joining the MS/NICU. Bottom line, it was the most troubling staff meeting I've ever attended and also my first real exposure to nurses who have clearly worked too long, become angry and divisive. Well-skilled nurses treated our manager who was running the meeting, like a big punching bag.

The issues? Endless, nitpicky issues for the most part, in my judgement. All designed to cut down the amount of physical labour they have to undertake for their *one* patient. They don't like having to check more than one Picsys (a giant automated pharmacy dispensing computer) for the occasional med. They don't like how they have to move a heavy pole of IVs when they take a pt to CT scan. They don't like that the ice machine was taken away after we moved into the unit's new home. And on and on.

I might not have minded so much had their attitude been more pleasant. Instead, for one or two of these older nurses, they felt it was ok to be adverserial, contradict every valid point the manager made and generally come across as old, bitter and tired.

If you can't address your manager or fellow employees in a nice manner, keep talking about how bad things on the unit have been in the past while solutions are being talked about for the present, and are generally crochety and uncooperative, perhaps it's time to take your Ontario Hospital Pension Plan and go home. The rest of us are positive, looking for solutions and ready to provide our very ill patients and family the best care possible.

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Filed under  //  nursing   rant  
Comments (6)
Posted 1 year ago