The Last Straw by TMFS786

By far the most asked question I am asked is why would I choose to go from police officer to nurse? It's a legitimate question, because some people have see NYPD blue and think we get to throw people around and why would anyone want to leave that. The truth is a series of events in stories that are way to long to put into one blog. I have been able to isolate what may be the three biggest facets of my decision: 1) the justice system sucks, 2) aspects of the jobs themselves, and 3) specific events that happened as a police officer. Before we go any further I think it should be said that I love being a police officer (I still do it part-time) and the officers are great people. Nothing said should be seen as a reflection of the people wearing the uniform and doing their job.

The justice system is broken. I hear a lot of complaints about the health care system and everything that is wrong with it. Well, it looks like a diamond shinning in the sun compared to the justice system. Health care is flawed and I doubt there is a good way to fix it that will satisfy everyone. The justice system just seems to be screwing over most people involved with it. Health care still essentially does it job. If you are sick, most likely, you will be fixed. Yes, there are tragic stories of insurance companies turning down people that need an operation or procedure. Do I feel for those people, of course I do and it sucks. The difference is those are isolated scenarios that need fixed. The justice system has a systemic infection that can't be corrected easily. The joke is lawyers are to blame and in essence that's not a joke. It is heart breaking to stand in court and the suspect say he is guilty and the judge tell him to reverse his plea, because he may be able to get a better deal. Especially when you have put in back breaking hours and manpower into finding a thief, then you have to go to court and then that happens. Afterwards the family inevitably blames the police even though they know we arrested them. When I take care of a patient they get better or they get worse. I get to see it and I can deal with that, but to have a win taken because a judge doesn't care is just heartbreaking. Defense attorneys are another breed of slime that's hard to deal with on a daily basis. They are doing their jobs…blah, blah, blah. A person that can defend another person who admits to molesting children by trying to insinuate that the police officers were wrong is pretty disgusting. Imagine a person that just stood in a room and every time you went to start an IV moved the persons arm.

People hate cops. It's a fact of life any police officer will likely tell you depending on how much complaining he wants to deal with after they are honest. People want us out busting crime, enforcing traffic laws and making society safe. That is until we start asking them questions then we are nothing but worthless and harassing someone. It always has to be that they are black or a woman or they drive an expensive car. Nobody has ever said “I realize you stopped me because I match the description of the person robbing houses and I happened to drop my wallet in their house” or “I know I was in the wrong going fifteen miles over the speed limit.” In the end it's always our fault that they did something wrong. A nurse is seen as something in society that represents what people aspire to be. We are trusted and thought of as capable by the public. I want to do my job and do it the best as I can without people hating me for doing it. Another officer and I responded to a child drowning. It was at a house party and accidents happen. The officer and I arrived to find the girl and began doing life saving measures and actually got the young lady to begin breathing again even it wasn't pretty. The party however never stopped and I yelled for the music to be turned down and people to step back, because silly me I wanted to let EMS know what was going on and to have room to work. After the incident several family members came up to me and demanded an apology. I wasn't expecting a thank you, but I certainly didn't see this coming. They said it was obvious since I was the only white person there that the reason I yelled for the music to be turned down was because it was rap music and I was racist. It never occurred to them I guess that I wanted to relay information to the paramedics who were on their way to get the daughter. That was a hell of a way to end that call. The other day, working as a nurse, a parent thanked me profusely for saving their kids life, even after I told them repeatedly that I only helped and I really didn't do that much. That everyone else around me had done much more. It's hard to argue with an appreciative mother with tears in her eyes. That is another reason to leave being a cop and become a nurse. Not only was I thanked, but I was thanked for just being there.

I have been in way worse situations as a police officer then I will ever be as a nurse. That doesn't mean there isn't stress, there is a ton of stress as a nurse, but it's not the same in the field when you are involved in the action. One of the boring but safe reasons for being a nurse over a cop is there is dramatic drop in the safety of being at work. Never has a room burst into flames while passing meds. Nobody has pulled a gun on me while adjusting them in bed. I have seen a lot of things that have made me different than I was before them. Some things can not be unseen or changed in your memory no matter what you do. Trust me I tried and tried. I don't know how I became so unlucky but I had a habit of being at the wrong place, at the wrong time, a lot as a police officer. Over time these incidents wore on me and they still place a weight on my shoulders. It is expected and it hasn't inhibited me in any real sense of measure. A lot of times I am asked essentially “what straw broke the camel's back?” A story that I will keep brief and I have been told may be too graphic for many is the answer. A structure fire was reported and then it was dispatched that children may be in the house. If I had drove to that house any faster I would have went back in time. I had been in some tough situations before, but anything involving kids always seems to hit harder. The house was hot…real hot when we arrived and I knew it was going to be bad. The flames had busted out the front and sides of the house and were extending pretty far into the air. It's something I don't know if I can explain with a thermometer but looked like something out of a movie. I just didn't think it could be real. Eventually we were able to get one child out of the house and into the hands of paramedics who took the child away. One was still reported in the house. I screamed and inhaled black smoke at an alarming rate something I am sure my lungs will repay me for in the future. In the end we got the other one out but it wasn't enough. At the hospital helping the coroner, I saw all the nurses standing there. They were upset but they had done everything possible to help both children which was way more than I had felt I had done. I was envious of the feeling of being able to help and I wanted to feel it more than anything else I could imagine. Hopelessness is the absolute worst feeling in the world. So I made the decision pretty much right then and there. As nurses we affect lives directly and indirectly and we do so from the moment we clock in till the moment we clock out. I am proud to be a police officer and I would never trade this time for anything, but I look forward to the time spent helping others and maybe someday someone will remember that one murse that helped them.

Dealing with Grouchy Nurses

So several people have requested that I write about how to deal with grouchy nurses… and some of this is not going to be cheerful news.  First things first, you are going to deal with bitchy people in any profession… There are bitches in nursing, bitch doctors, bitch lawyers, bitch mechanics… hell even bitches in the Burger King.  The idea is to learn how to handle the situation appropriately so that you remain sane and don’t become the bitch yourself. 

If you are a nursing student and the nurses on the floor are being grouchy… sorry but it’s best to keep your mouth shut, keep your head down and survive the day.  If you butt heads with a nurse on the floor as a student… you will lose every time.  Every clinical day should be a job interview because you never know if you will be colleagues with these people and if you snap on the floor you will get blackballed in that department… hell maybe even the whole facility.

If you are a new nurse, you need to do a few things to deal with the grouches.

• ·         Realize that nurses eat their young.. It’s not pleasant but it’s true.  Put yourself in their position. As they get older or grouchy, they figure their days are going to be numbered.. so to them they see you as the replacement (and they have to train you). In their clouded sense of judgment, if they run you off they won’t be replaced.

• ·         Learn how to deal with that specific grouch. 

o   Some of them are dealing with problems at home or general unhappiness.  If that’s the case either it will get better eventually or they will stay a grouch and you either try to friend them.. or avoid them.

o   Some may be grouchy, but only at work.  These are those grouches that are horrible to work with, but when you go hang out away from work they are fun, relaxed, and a joy to be around.  These nurses typically have been “the bitch” for so long they feel obligated to live up to that role.  Nurse Ratched is a bitch… but Becky is fun to hang out with.  Once you figure out this type, the grouchiness at work won’t bother you near as much.

o   Last common type is those nurses that are trying to push your buttons.  They want to push you to see how far you’ll go and to test you.  My dealing with this type of grouch was about 3 months into my time of working there.  I worked the night shift and this nurse came in and without asking about my night she immediately started complaining about me not stocking.  Finally being pushed far enough, I stood up and yelled that if she’d like I’d stay after my fucking shift and stock the ER.  From the point that I stood up to her, we never had another problem.  She wanted to push me to see if I would stand up to it and once I did, we were fine.

• ·         Don’t take it personal.  Do you think they woke up and said.. hmmm I’m gonna be a bitch to Debbie today?   If that’s happening or you’re thinking it’s happening, then those issues go deeper than this blog.  Don’t let their shitty attitude get you down.  There is enough stuff in nursing that can get you down, depressed, or become cynical… don’t let one shitty attitude be the downfall to your day. 

·         Find the positives in your day.  The patient smile, the thank you’s, the pimpin murse, the slurse that you can tell is wearing a thong, the free drink in the cafeteria cause the cashier sensed your bad day, getting an IV on the first stick, or realizing…..shit you’re getting paid for this now. 

Couldn’t end this on a negative note and didn’t want you think I hate nursing.  I love it….. there are times it sucks. But the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Lastly, shoutout and huge thanks to @weshelton for featuring our blog on his website, www.weshelton.com, check it out (We are listed on the partners page http://www.weshelton.com/partner/) .  Dude is a multitasking fool… looking over his site, I think he’s doing a little bit of everything.

And as always gotta do a shameless plug.  Follow me @that1murse and my buddy @mursewisdom

@That1Murse

@MurseWisdom the Combat Medic

Before I transitioned to civilian life, and before I became an RN, and Long before I became @MurseWisdom, I was "Doc" the Combat Medic. 

I enlisted prior to 9/11... Hell, I enlisted when Clinton was in office.  I became a Combat Medic and a Practical Nurse in 2001.  I will leave specific details out to maintain anonymity.  I was a assigned to a combat arms unit.  I spent a tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, we were the first troops in.  Well, our task force went in on the first day as did the 101st and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF).  As a matter of fact, I was assigned to the same task force as Jessica Lynch, if anyone remembers her 15 minutes of fame. 

The purpose of this blog is not to talk about combat, or my personal experiences there.  That's between me and the VA. Suffice it to say I saw my share of the "Shit" and it is wild, terrifying, and surreal. Men died, men were wounded for life, and I know what a man being burned to death smells and sounds like.  My intention here is to talk about the self reliance and the amount of responsibility one has as a Combat Medic in a forward area.

First off it should be understood that almost all decisions made by a Combat Medic has one general purpose and that is to "Preserve the Fighting Strength". Which means to keep 'em healthy enough to fight or send them to someone who can.  We always operated under the "guidance" of a Medical Officer (PA) and a Brigade Surgeon (MD) however they were usually distant and only reachable by radio. (Cell Phones had yet to be widely used by the military at this time)

Let me do some copy and paste work here and provide the Army's description of a Medics duties and then I will compare and contrast.

The Health Care Specialist is primarily responsible for providing emergency medical treatment, limited primary care and health protection and evacuation from a point of injury or illness. Health Care Specialists are often called "combat medics" in the Army, because some Soldiers in this MOS are assigned to deploy with Army combat units, and provide emergency medical treatment directly on the battlefield. Other Heath Care Specialists are assigned to military hospitals and clinics to assist doctors and nurses with the health care needs of patients.

Duties performed by Soldiers in this MOS include:

Administer emergency medical treatment to battlefield casualties.

Assist with outpatient and inpatient care and treatment.

 Interview patients and recording their medical histories.

Take patients' temperature, pulse and blood pressure.  

Prepare blood samples for laboratory analysis.

Keep health records and clinical files up-to-date.

Give shots and medicines to patients.

Prepare patients, operating rooms, equipment and supplies for surgery.

In addition to all of that listed above I also had to know how to be a diesel mechanic to fix my Humvee and to fix generators if needed. I also had to be an expert on indigenous wildlife, including venomous arthropods and snakes.  And specifically for my mission, I was the team "Wheeler and Dealer" trading medical goods for supplies/services to help with the mission.  I was especially good at trading.  I was once able to trade some OTC meds for a case of Starbuck's Carmel Frappachinos which made me a hero amongst the 11 other men in my team. 

I have performed minor surgeries, however minor they may have been it still involved local anesthesia in the form of a total nerve block, along with the cutting and stitching involved.  Yes, I did stitches, staples, & I prescribed meds.  All of those things well beyond my scope of practice.  I would on occasion have the opportunity to call in Dustoff, but most of my Evacs were by ground. I assisted in the inoculation of some 10,000 troops with Anthrax and Small Pox vaccines.  I was doing all of this without the supervision of my Medical Officer and all at the age of 20, and without ever losing a pt under my care. 

Now, here I am, almost 30, and I have to call a doctor to get an order for a band aid to treat a <1cm skin tear.  And I've had more training than I ever had as a Medic.  It is frustrating to me that we have achieved so much throughout nursing school and so much in the last century as a profession and we still have our hands tied.  "Dr Mom" is allowed to do more than we are without a Doctor writing an order. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to go back into the Army.  My body is broken down now thanks to the Army and I'm afraid that is a young man's game.  Any of you considering military service after nursing school need to approach it with an open mind.  My service was unique to me and my unit, and does not reflect the everyday mission of nurses in the Army or other branches of service.  However, I currently have a Congressman's card in my wallet who wants me to call him about serving in the National Guard, apparently he is also a Colonel or General or something.  Don't hold you breath, pal!

I am interested in working for the VA or the DHHS.  Hell, I would love to work for the CDC or FEMA, but those are dream jobs...  The VA is attainable and I may try that in the near future.

If you have any comments, please feel free to leave them.  Questions can be emailed to Mursewisdom@gmail.com be sure to follow me on twitter @MurseWisdom.

I would also like to give a special thank you to Wes Helton, @BigWesYall for plugging us on his website www.weshelton.com Go check out his website, I think he sells edible clothing, which is always good to have in the event of an emergency.  It may prevent starvation.

@MurseWisdom

Stories from the ER

At the request of @MGstudent, I figured I would tell a few stories of the ER and maybe mention a few mistakes along the way.

First mistake is to know the dosages of your medications, particularly sedation medications.  We had a young lady come into the ER with a dislocated joint.  I had been bragging to the EMS staff about the medication.  Unfortunately, the dose of the medication was 0.3 mg/kg and our doc was not wise to the medicine so he took my recommendation of 0.1 mg/kg.  We didn’t sedate her, just got her good and drunk and she started spouting off pick-up lines… “Wanna play lion tamer? You be the lion and put your head in my mouth.” And  “Is that a keg in your pants, cause I’d love to tap that ass.”  Needless to say, I was the laughing stock of the ER for a while and we ended up calling anesthesia to sedate her.

Second was an error on the docs side.  We had an STEMI come in and he ordered TPA so we could ship to a larger facility with a cardiologist.  I mixed it, drew it up, and was walking to the patient when he ran in telling me not to give it.  I realized at this point that I would have to waste a 3,000-4,000 dollar medication.

Last “mistake” would be a word of advice.  Remember that sometimes the patients you think are faking are sometimes the sickest and will make you feel the shittest about your cynical attitude.  Like the mom that had an ear infection that caused a brain abscess or the man that walked into ER that had a spinal tumor (he didn’t know about) paralyze him while in the ER.

So let’s not end on a sour note…   Thorough my several ERs that I’ve worked.  I’ve fought a cranked up naked black man at 5 in the morning in the middle of the ER.  I took care of a guy that danced around with an artillery shell firework and explode out the back and burnt his leg (missed his package by millimeters) and the guy that left a dildo up his ass for 3 days hoping that it would pass on its own.

I’ve known of nurses blowing doctors while on duty.  I’ve walked in on people fucking in the ER, blowjobs in the ER, handjobs in the ER, fingerings in the ER… Not sure what the hell it is about the ER that makes people wanna get busy in there.  

I’m not sure that I had a point to this blog other than to provide a few experiences from the ER.  You will literally see everything from birth to death, crazy to sane, and skanky to slutty.  

But I loved it, it’s a rush not know what’s going to walk in the ER and that you could go from no patients to 5 traumas at once and back to no patients.  If you think you would like to work in an ER, I say try it.  It’s a trial by fire and you get thrown into the shit pretty much instantly but it really is an experience.  

@That1Murse

As always, comment here or on twitter.  Follow me the other author on twitter.  @That1Murse and @MurseWisdom

www.HyperSmash.com

Another Rant by @TMFS786

  I am a murse. In school I never thought I would actually get to say that. I drove my
friends, and family nuts with the talk about making it. It’s crazy that a few months ago
all I could think about was school and the Nclex and now I sit here and wonder what
was I so worried about it. Notice I said murse, not nurse. Of course I am a nurse; I am a
Registered Nurse to be exact. That’s not what most people see they see a male and then
they see a nurse. You ever hear someone say “oh there goes a girl nurse.” Even in my
department which has a heavy male concentration we are still out numbered at least 6 to 1.
 
 In school on an OB rotation a woman thought I was a doctor, I don’t know how. I was
standing in scrubs that had my school name embroidered all over it and in completely
different colors than any other nurse near me. She sat there and asked me questions and
thoughts on things. When she thought I was a doctor I could have put my arm up to my
elbow in her vagina and she wouldn’t have cared at all. It was going great even if I was
unhappy about it. I mean I don’t want to see birth; it’s like a vagina blowing a meat
bubble. Then there are things called the “Wood’s screw maneuver” I mean Christ on a
crutch it makes me flinch thinking about it on my couch. Anyways eventually she found
out I was a student-nurse and she blew up. She didn’t scream that I was a student; she
repeatedly said “you’re a nurse?” She said it with a tone in her voice like I asked her
for a rim job. I wanted to say, “Yeah a nurse just like I was when I walked in here.” She
freaked out so bad she kicked her husband out. Poor guy was surprised and he should be I
mean didn’t she realize he obviously had seen whatever she had going on down there?
Does anyone get into this job for the scenery? It makes me gag when guys say they
should be a gynecologist. First, ladies it’s like staring at the predator down there. Second,
these guys obviously forget that while the Victoria Secret Angels have to get checked up
so do the woman from Jerry Springer. There are a lot more ugly women that hot ones.
Choose wisely when you are trying to decide what you want to specialize in. I can only
imagine the nightmares I would have in an OBGYN office. I don’t think enough steel
wool and bleach exist to clean my eyes after seeing what they see. Third, it’s not all about
looks that would be too easy. Ever smell your gym bag after a week? Yea get the hint.

 Not to say that guys are always the cleanest creatures on earth. I have never experienced
it but I have heard many stories from friends who work in nursing homes about guys.
My kid will be circumcised, guaranteed. The horror of hearing “you have a yeast
infection…in your penis.” I couldn’t deal with that. Oh the world of a male nurse. I am
glad though I love it when someone calls me “doctor.” Not that I really want to be a
doctor but man it pisses off nurses and some female doctors. Especially when someone
looks past them because they believe I am the doctor. It’s a sweet victory.

Misconceptions of Nursing

What is it about non-nurses that make them think they know everything about MY profession. I know it probably happens to everyone at some point.  That guy who argues with the cops because he knows his rights, or the that picky customer at the butcher shop who knows exactly how to cut a steak.  "Really sir, you don't like T-bones but you love a NY strip?"

So, lets get into this.  This is for the friends, siblings, in-laws, and various others who seem to think that they know how to do your job. 

1. I don't care if you took A&P and can name all of the bones in the human body.  That is child's play. Try telling me the difference between Buck's traction, Bryant's traction, Dunlop's traction and Russell's traction!  How bout that smart-ass?
2. Oh you watch every episode of Nurse Jackie? Well, I learned to be a fighter pilot by watching Top Gun!
3. This is a little off track, but the next person that gives me that knowing look, that makes me want to fucking vomit, as the warn me about having to change poopy diapers in my newborn, I'm going to lose my shit! Really?!? Breast milk/Formula poop?  Try C-diff and GI Bleeds! Try a 400 lb man's diaper! Try changing a 96y/o combative Alzheimer's pt who is screaming "Rape!"  GTFOH!
4.  The next Dr I hear say that I don't know anything because I'm a nurse....  I'm going to show him that I know how to throw a punch! Who brings all of these little things to your attention? Who did the assessment that gave you all the information you needed for a Dx? This know-nothing Nurse did.
5. I heard a guy once tell me that he has his Med-aide certification, which is practically an LPN which is practically an RN.  Well, I played HS football, which is basically college football, which is basically the NFL.
6. Did you guys know that all you do as a Nurse is sit on your ass at the nurses station and play on the computer? 
7. Paramedics... I love you guys, but you are not Nurses. I've done your job, and I've done your job while under fire.  There are days when that was easier than Nursing.

Well, the wife has dinner ready and I'm running out of material.  Have you had any moments like these? Post a comment and share.

@MurseWisdom

Preceptorship/Nursing attitudes

At the request of @xoBSox I will discuss preceptorships and at the request of @MomofDivas2 about the attitude of nurses and I’m pretty damn sure I can incorporate both into this entry.

First off, think of preceptors as your own personal Yoda of nursing. “To you will be given education.” Now there are good preceptors and bad preceptors and you really can learn from both and before you decide if your preceptor is good or bad put yourself into their position for a minute. If I’m precepting you as a new graduate nurse, #1 My day just went from 12 hours to probably 14 and #2 I’m going to have to provide more explanation of everything that I’m doing. 95% of my days, I’m fine with that but those days where I’m assholes and elbows busy, it’s a pain in the ass. Now I know this isn’t your fault but you are probably going to take the brunt of my attitude because you’re there. Now I might sound like an asshole and a “bad” preceptor but I’m not, I’m being real. Most days I will sit and explain everything to you but other days you need to realize it’s not a good day to ask what “NIBP” means (I’ve been asked that in the middle of a code?).

Precepting is walking a fine line between teaching you nursing and letting you experience nursing. If I was a “good” preceptor and let you watch everything I did and didn’t let you do anything , then you’d be frustrated as hell and think I was bad. But if I just toss you out there and expect you to do it, then you’d be frustrated as hell and think I was bad.

Regardless of the type of preceptor you have, you will learn nursing whether you think you are or not. I was the one that was tossed out there to sink or swim. I swam and became a strong nurse, others floundered and sank. It happens. Take what your preceptor says… Learn from it.. and make it your own. Regardless of how your preceptor gets you to the end you still get there. Be strong enough to survive no matter the type of nurse that gets assigned as your preceptor. Which brings me to my other point…. Don’t be the nurse that sits on your ass at the desk. NEWSFLASH You are not the queen of the fucking hospital or nursing home and you are no better than the CNAs that are turning patients and wiping asses. When I started at a nursing home, I asked to be placed on the floor as an aide my first 3 days. The DON looked at me like I was crazy. My point was that I was brand new to the facility and wanted to show the staff I was willing to do what they do. I earned their respect and when I got jacked around at that job…those aides came to my defense….because I didn’t put myself on a pedestal above them. Also because I had their respect, they did anything that I asked. Your CNAs can make your day pleasant or completely fuck your day up.. so don’t be a condescending asshole to them and your days will run a bit smoother.

@That1Murse