Hello there my friends out in cyberspace. I have just finished my time on nights, which was not that bad. It was a lot of learning that I had actually done even if it was just a few things here and there. For example, one of the biggest things I learned was to steadfastly say no to people who were manipulative in trying to get their narcotics. It is very hard to say to someone who says that they are in pain that they cannot have medication for it. However, I did learn to differentiate between people who are truly in pain and who will benefit from powerful pain medicines and someone who is an addict and is there for you to be their personal drug dealer.
But you can then argue to me "Well, addiction is also a medical condition so you are treating them aren't you? And by withholding the narcotics are you not forcing them to go through withdrawl?" And to these questions I say Yes and No. Yes, addiction is a disease that needs treatment. However, you do not go see a Chiropractor for your heart attack. If the patient truly wants to get off of the junk, they need to be properly treated in a detox unit by a medical staff that is properly trained to handle it. I am not one of them. And yes, I can learn but that is more of a specialty and one that I am not interested in pursuing. And No, you are not treating them by giving them the narcotics that they are addicted to. You treat the withdrawl symptoms and make the personal comfortable. Besides, you can tell when these people are lying because they embelish everything. From the amount of pain they are in (a person who tells me that their pain is 10/10 but when I see them as I walk in the room and they are sleeping or watching TV or talking on the phone without missing a beat). I have seen people in severe pain and they cannot stay still long enough to answer any of my questions let alone talk on the phone.
Another thing I learned was how to handle sleep problems in the hospital. Yes, it is very easy when the nurse calls about the patient not sleeping to give a verbal order for sleeping pills, but are you really doing the patient a service or a disservice by giving them that pill. For starters, it is a hospital and not a hotel. The beds are not the most comfortable thing in the world. Second, there are other people around making noise. Third, you are not in your own environment and maybe warmer or colder than you normally are and finally, you are in the hospital because you are ill for one reason or another. So your sleeping patterns will also be affected. What I started to do was to look at why the patient is here, what other medicines they are on and more importantly talk to the patient. Most of the time, the patient is not on a sleeping pill at home and there is no reason for them to be on one now. They have the TV on or the light on. So I suggest that they create a better sleep environment by turning off the TV, turning off the light and closing the door. There is no reason why the door to the hospital room has to be open. Most of the time, they understand.
Finally, I started to learn how to really put out fires and life endangering problems. While I do need to learn some more, I feel a lot more comfortable doing it or even just starting it.
I was thinking about adding a video every now and again. But only if my readers would like it. Please tell me what your thoughts are about that.
And to close, the NonTrad tip of this posting: One of the greatest assets that us non traditional students have is our maturity and our experience in previous careers. Take your knowledge of office politics and what not to do, and your customer service knowledge about selling your product and apply it to the nurses and the patients. Never say anything that you will regret, and always acknowledge the concerns the families have. And always follow through with what you said you will do. Even if the answer is no or if the news is not positive, the fact that you followed through is enough for the families and the patient.
