Click the link and please take the time to read this through.
1703. That’s the first time I met you. You were a late admission to my unit and I was the lucky nurse who got to admit you. You were sent to me in septic shock and you were scared senseless. Who wouldn’t be? You were whisked away from your family and taken to an ICU. As your bed was pushed…
There are actually few non-nursing friends in my life; even my husband is a PT and can join, and keep moving along, with nursing conversations.
Since this is usually the response, or blank stares at how involved the work is, conversations with the few friends (and definitely family) have to drift to something else.
Bet that you’ve seen this look, though.
(via fyeahnursingthings)
Scrubs Magazine has an article about military nurses, published to remember the nursing contribution to Memorial Day.
Nurses have been going to war since the 1700’s to administer aid and reduce suffering.
Their service continues today in demanding roles as the ways to inflict injury and death change.
The technology to deal with battlefield trauma has moved into civilian treatment for the traumas our society incurs.
Not quite thrilled with the title of the article, because I think that we already come equipped with the ‘brain’ part.
But lord knows, a good cheat sheet re: patient information is always part of my pocket contents. (click on link for full article, and downloadable pdf examples for various settings.)
Hope that you find them helpful! Enjoy, and ease back a bit on the brain strain.
Previously, I’d written about articles written by the LA Times regarding the uncertainty in hospital bills, and the disparity between charges from hospitals in the same region (see: first post, second post for further background).
They (the Times) have come out today with another article today examining how this practice of the vagaries of charges between insurance companies, consumers with insurance and cash-paying consumers exists between not only hospitals but also in outpatient services and tests.
One example that they list is a woman who, in 2009, had abdominal pain and received an abdominal/pelvic CT at a free-standing imaging center. The negotiated rate that she paid, with insurance, was $660. The results of the CT led to surgery on her colon (no indication of the result of CT).
The pain lingered to the point where, in 2010, she had another CT of the abdomen and pelvis ordered. She was charged $6707 (with insurance) for the same CT scan, and after insurance disallowed charges and paid she was left with a balance of $2336. These charges were incurred at a hospital-based imaging center.
She continues to work, in part so that she can afford her $700/month premium (out-of-pocket) for health insurance. She also filed a complaint in April in Orange County Superior court against her insurance company for unfair business practices, breach of good faith and misrepresentation of her medical bills.
Medical facilities continue to charge more for those with insurance than those without, or who pay cash. The rationale is that they must make up their expenses by charging more to those with insurance, and the insurance companies are willing to pay more (but thankfully not all) of the charges. But then the insurers pass this on to businesses and ultimately employees, or to individual policy holders.
In a statement that I find rather bold for a hospital CFO, he stated that the higher rates charged to those with insurance are “a backdoor tax on employers and consumers.”
The article also links to a website, written by 2 doctors, which examines “a view of healthcare costs from the inside”. I’d highly recommend a reading of it, or at the very least, a good skimming. Please pass it on if you find it useful and enlightening.
An additional resource, from a page about help when you have no health insurance, is the Healthcare Blue Book. It gives you comparative prices for various health services in your area.
Double-lung transplant recipient Helene Campbell demonstrates how life has changed after her surgery.
After she was listed on the transplant list, she started several blog sites (alungstory.ca; sorry can’t get HTML to take it) to document her story, and the successes that she had in enlisting the star-power of celebrities (Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres are mentioned, but there are others) and her story has been featured across multiple Canadian and US outlets.
I’m not sure that took many breaths during this video; what exuberance!
I received this in an email, took it and circulated to several nurses that I know. Interestingly, we all ended up with the answer “Grace Kelly”. I don’t know if this is a nursing trait of my cohorts and I, or just circumstance.
Perhaps it’s an unofficial version of those personality trait tests that we’ve taken in college like the Strong-Campbell or Myers-Briggs. So, as a (female; sorry, that’s who it’s for) nurse, which star are you? And do you think this is appropriate for how you perceive yourself?
Number your paper from 1 to 10, then answer each question with the choice that most describes you at this point in your life, and then add up the points that correspond with your answers.
1. Which describes your perfect date? A) Candlelight dinner for two B) Amusement Park C) Roller blading in the park D) Rock Concert E) Have dinner and see a movie F) Dinner at home with a loved one
2. What is your favorite type of music? A) Rock and Roll B) Alternative C) Soft Rock D) Classical E) Christian F) Jazz
3. What is your favorite type of movie? A) Comedy B) Horror C) Musical D) Romance E) Documentary F ) Mystery
4. Which of the following jobs would you choose if you were given only these choices? A) Waiter/Waitress B) Sports Player C) Teacher D) Policeman E) Bartender F) Business person
5. Which would you rather do if you had an hour to waste? A) Work out B) Make out C) Watch TV D) Listen to the radio E) Sleep F) Read
6. Of the following colors, which do you like best A) Yellow B) White C) Sky blue D) Teal E) Gold F) Red
7. Which one of the following would you like to eat right now? A) Ice cream B) Pizza C) Sushi D) Pasta E) Salad F) Lobster Tail
8. Which is your favorite holiday? A) Halloween B) Christmas C) New Year’s D) Valentine’s Day E) Thanksgiving F) Canada Day
9. If you could go to any of the following places, which would it be? A) Reno B) Spain C) Las Vegas D) Hawaii E) Hollywood F) British Columbia
10. Of the following, who would you rather spend time with? A) Someone who is smart B) Someone with good looks B) Someone with good looks C) Someone who is a party animal D)Someone who has fun all the time E) Someone who is very emotional F) Someone who is fun to be with
Now total up your points on each question: Note that each numbered question has its own and different matches. (The ‘-’ sign is only separating the letter from the number; it does not mean to subtract that amount.)
1 a-4 ; b-2 ; c-5 ; d-1 ; e-3 ; f-6
2. A-2 ; b-1 ; c-4 ; d-5 ; e-3 ; f-6
3. A-2 ; b-1 ; c-3 ; d-4;e-5 ; f-6
4. A-4 ; b-5 ; c-3 ; d-2 ; e-1 ; f-6
5. A-5 ; b-4 ; c-2 ; d-1 ; e-3 ; f-6
6. A-1 ; b-5 ; c-3 ; d-2 ; e-4 ; f-6
7. A-3 ; b-2 ; c-1 ; d-4 ; e-5 ; f-6
8. A-1 ; b-3 ; c-2 ; d-4 ; e-5 ; f -6
9. A-4 ; b-5 ; c-1 ; d-4 ; e-3 ; f-6
10. A-5 ; b-2 ; c-1 ; d-3 ; e-4 ; f-6
(10-17 points) You are MADONNA: You are wild and crazy and you know it. You know how to have fun, but you may take it to extremes. You know what you are doing though, and are much in control of your own life . People don’t always see things your way, but that doesn’t mean that you should do away with your beliefs. Try to remember that your wild spirit can lead to hurting yourself and others.
(18-26 points) You are DORIS DAY: You are fun, friendly, and popular! You are a real crowd pleaser. You have probably been out on the town your share of times, yet you come home with the values that your mother taught you. Marriage and children are very important to you, but only after you have fun. Don ‘t let the people you please influence you to stray.
(27-34 points) You are DEBBIE REYNOLDS: You are cute, and everyone loves you. You are a best friend that no one takes the chance of losing. You never hurt feelings and seldom have your own feelings hurt. Life is a breeze. You are witty, and calm most of the time. Just keep clear of back stabbers, and you are worry free.
(35-42 points) You are GRACE KELLY: You are a lover. Romance, flowers, and wine are all you need to enjoy yourself . You are serious about all commitments and are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday, and never forget a Birthday.. Don ‘t let your passion for romance get confused with the real thing.
(43-50 points) You are KATHERINE HEPBURN: You are smart, a real thinker. Every situation is approached with a plan. You are very healthy in mind and body. You don’t take crap from anyone. You have only a couple of individuals that you consider ‘real friends’. You teach strong family values. Keep your feet planted in them, but don’t overlook a bad situation when it does happen.
(51-60 points) You are ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Everyone is in awe of you. You know what you want and how to get it. You have more friends than you know what to do with. Your word is your bond.. Everyone knows when you say something it is money in the bank. You attract the opposite sex. Your intelligence overwhelms most. Your memory is the next thing to photographic. Everyone admires you because you are so considerate and lovable. You know how to enjoy life and treat people right.
There are some public health issues that should seem relatively easy to help limit; wear a seat belt when driving, test the bath water for excessive temperature before putting a child in it, take your pre-natal vitamins and go to regularly scheduled appointments, don’t drink and drive (or, text for that matter), get tested for HIV if you engage in ‘risky’ sex, take your TB meds, etc.
But the world has its share of complexities and personalities. Take the situation of a person who is diagnosed with TB, and has been informed of their medical condition and the need to take medication on a regular routine, but doesn’t.
And the reason for non-compliance is that he goes on alcohol and meth binges.
Not only are the physical changes with methamphetamine use obvious on the outside, but the combination of alcohol, meth and the TB medications are apparently quite liver toxic.
So he wouldn’t take his meds while he binged. Which is fine if we’re talking about someone not taking their baby aspirin for a day, but this is much more than that.
TB is an acknowledged public health issue, to the point of WHO developing a ‘Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis’ in 2006. And granted, the medications (there are 10 approved by the FDA, these are the most common for ‘active’ TB)
come with their own liver toxicity risk; which is why regular liver function tests may be required.
When there are co-morbidities, or lifestyles that can impact a medication regimen, healthcare providers have to work extra hard to ensure compliance. And sometimes (rarely) the legal system must get involved also.
It’s for a PDA; I miss my Palm TX, or any of the Palm product that pre-dated it.
In its time PalmRN was a great resource, also.
(Source: tr-i-life)
Kudos for the spirit behind this. Best wishes to those in the video, and others who are doing the hard work of getting back to health.
Oncology nurses rock, also.
My work and my passion are in the field of healthcare advocacy, because healthcare is a very foreign land. The words, actions and expectations of everyone there are different than you might expect.
I want to be a guide in the foreign place.
