Yes, I have been falling down on the job. I haven't posted in days and days. Sorry, a big case of life happening here. It's been a rough week, topped off with me having to spend two days at St. Mary's Hospital recertifying for TNCC (trauma nursing core). I feel like I've just spent two days on Hamburger Hill. One nice touch they added to the course this time around is LOTS of graphic pictures of trauma patients. A little bit of that is ok and educational, but 8 hours of lecture with graphic overheads of stabbings (I've seen more kitchen knifes sticking out of men's chests and backs than I ever thought possible. Advice- don't complain about dinner!), suicide attempts and successes, car accidents, PTO twisted, mangled, and removed limbs, child abuse, domestic violence, burns from kids chewing on cords, and other crispy critters, a missing chest wall from a boat propeller, and a mangled leg from an auger of some sort. These are just the ones that are replaying in my mind right now, there were lots more. Oh, I almost forgot the countless gunshot wounds. Those were especially yummy right before lunch.
I'm sorry for the graphic nature, but I believe in sharing what I have. Anyway, it was two very long days of lecture and images I could not escape from, ended by skills stations (the easy, fun part) and a VERY difficult written test that took me by surprise. I have taken this course before, but in light of the increase in natural disasters and terrorism on the rise and all other forms of violence on the rise, it has been revamped. I failed the test!! I almost cried and threw up simultaneously! (I did get to retake it and did fine the second time around). I was not prepared for all the questions on treatment for biological, chemical, and nuclear attacks. Disaster Management is HUGE. I live in my nice, quiet world, quite happily. My eyes were opened to the fact that I better get up to speed with the real world and know how to deal with the increase of natural and man-made disasters that are on the rise. This stuff is not going to go away, it's the reality of nursing in the 21st century. Much as I'd like to hope for a day off when the disaster drill is happening, I think it's time to get my head out of the sand and know what to do. This is one area of my professional development I've REALLY let slide and that was very obvious. So... much as I hate knowing about all the horrible things that can and do happen, I hereby vow to learn what to do and actually start attending some mandatory meetings. The supervisor better know what's going on, right?
I have been thinking about this prior to recertifying TNCC this week. I agreed to go to training next week to be a crisis intervention instructor in Mpls. Tues.-Friday. You would be so proud of me! I hate conflict and I hate stepping into a scary situation mostly because I don't know what to do and I don't want to get hurt. So I thought this would be very good for me. It's been years since I've done anything but the absolute minimum required to keep my job, thinking I would be quitting and being a stay-at-home mom. That's not happening and I'm now ok with that. But I do have this job, and I owe it to my employer to be effective at it, not just putting in my shifts. I came to the conclusion that I need to start stepping up to the plate and being a good nurse again. I need to start looking at the areas where I am weak personally and professionally and doing something about it. There, you're the first to hear it. I'm facing my fears and stretching myself. Ugh.
I'll let you know how it goes...
4 comments:
Thanks for the advance warning! I am not sure how I will pass that course if I don't look at the slides. Maybe if I really read the book . . .
And about the crisis intervention instructor "opportunity," I volunteered to be a CPR and a neonatal resuscitation instructor because I knew it would force me to really know the stuff. My hope was that I would know it well enough to be able to act without hesitating in a real crisis. To some degree it does help. Or at least it shortens my "deer in the headlights" time. I think a lot of healthcare people like your style of teaching too. Rosie and I were talking one time about how well Martie can tell us how to do stuff. Like "ok, do this, this and this, and NEVER do that." You'll have to get all the details, and then hand it to people simple enough that they can remember it months later when they need it. All the little stuff they can look up, but all they can remember in their heads is about 3 actions and whatever the major "no-no" would be. Literally, something they could "recite at gunpoint." And that would be your instinct anyway. I think you'll enjoy teaching it, once you get through the grueling four days in a row! Now I'd better go sign up for TNCC!
I think I might have just skipped lunch if I had to take that class. I always say I can admire & support health care professionals (like both of you) so long as I never have to man the back end of a needle!
You will be a great instructor..not just cuz you're good at triage, but you are transparent about your own learning curve. That frees students to feel like they CAN master this stuff. The patients of the world will thank all of you for practicing on dummies first (or maybe on each other, to a point).
I wonder, do nurses' kids play hospital? If yours do, the lingo probably has a higher level of credibility than when my kids festooned their Rainbow Bright & Cabbage Patch dolls with popsicle splints & gauze slings.
My kids never play hospital. Maybe because they are a little bitter about it. When Mommy is gone for long periods of time, she is at the HOSPITAL Arrrgh! They play house, war, cowboys and indians, but never hospital. Strange...
You know, when I played hospital we first had to stage the car crash and then take dolly to the hospital for ace bandages. (Ace bandages will cure anything on a doll)
Wow, that class sounds intense.
I heard about little Joshua, oh my goodness, I hope everything goes well I do not know how you would keep a 1 year old from trying to crawl or stand up. Love you all and hope it goes well.
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