Busy bee

I suspect I won't be writing too much about the job that pays the bills for the next 6 weeks.

I think I'm slightly in over my head with the summer semester. Although I have to write more papers in a single semester than ever before, that's not even what I'm worried about. See, I signed up for statistics 2 but I'm beginning to realize I should have taken Stats I again. It's been 4 years since I took it. As I'm sitting here looking at the syllabus and exercises due within the next two weeks, I'm cowering in fear for lack of understanding. The problems look like calculus to me at this point.

I don't know what to do.

As for my job as an EMT, that's been cut down to weekends only for the next 6 weeks. At least I have a couple of weekends off here and there.

Work work work!

It's 10:48pm right now and I'm crossing my fingers that this horrible stomach ache goes away... I ate a Wendy's salad not too long ago and I'm starting to wonder whether it was completely fresh. I mean, it tasted fine but my stomach is doing all sorts of crazy stuff in there. If I have to miss work tomorrow I will scream.

And of course, I will continue my discourse about work now, since that's what I made this blog for...

As I've said before, now that I see an end in sight I like my job slightly more than usual. But I got to thinking today; the fact of the matter is that the kind of degree I'm graduating with in December isn't one that's going to allow me the luxury of leaving this job as soon as I'd like. The truth is that any other job I might find will probably end up paying the same amount of money as I'm making now, with the disadvantage of having to work regular workweeks like everyone else...Working a 3 days work week is not too shabby. I thought about how much free time that would leave me with, though, and it's not all too welcoming a thought. It's not like I run a household and have a million errands to run...Everyone I know works regular 5 day 9-5 jobs... what am I supposed to do with all that time off? I could get a second job, I suppose...OR I could also use this current job as cushioning during the weekends while I invest my weekdays in trying to succeed in what I'd ideally like: the music industry. That sounds like a good plan, actually.

Anyway, I didn't really come on here to write about that, but it was on my mind so I thought I'd add that in there.

Work is getting ridiculously out of control, as far as our manager's expectations of us (as EMTs). Last week there was a staff meeting in which possible additional tasks that will be added to our job descriptions were discussed; particularly, transporting patients from the ER to their inpatient rooms. We all (and I mean ALL...nurses included), think this is a huge problem.

There are countless tasks within our job descriptions as it is...And on a slow day, I don't mind taking a patient or two upstairs if the Transportation Department is backed up, or being lazy...But it shows that our manager no longer works on the floor, since it appears she's lost sight of everything that we have to do on a busy day in the ER. Perhaps she's forgotten.

On a busy day, how am I supposed to transport patients to their rooms while I have blood to draw in three rooms, urine to collect in another, a splint to place on a broken leg, two beds to clean, a wound to dress, an EKG to do, someone to take to XRay, AND ALL THE WHILE make sure my patients' vital signs are done every two hours?! It takes 20 minutes to half an hour just to transport the patient from our department to the floor...Thus, all my patients waiting in the department have now added half an hour to their stay in the ER. This issue will result in the delay of patient care! WE HAVE TRANSPORTERS FOR A REASON!

I find it hard to believe that someone in a position of authority over me lacks the common sense to see that this is a huge problem.

free time

Wow... 10 days off work...

I kinda wish they were calling me to come in... I need the money more than I need the time off.

A bleep on the radar screen

After a week of calm at work (thanks in part to the end of the school year), yesterday we got a poor little baby girl who came in with a complaint of cyanosis and limp limbs.

The baby was breathing just fine, but just one look at her told you there was something very very wrong with her. When you would lift her up to move her around in the crib, it was all dead weight. We immediately got to working on her.

We did a bedside glucose check, and the results were appalling. She had a blood sugar of 497, aka CRITICAL HIGH. The normal limits are betwen 70 and 120.

We drew blood on her and I ran it to the lab myself to make sure the lab technicians ran the tests as soon as possible; every minute wasted was a minute too much. Luckily, they pulled through and we had results within 15 minutes for the electrolytes and complete blood count.

Her white blood cell count was fine, which ruled out the possibility of the baby being septic; her electrolytes, however, were completely out of whack. She was going into hypovolemic shock.

It turns out she had diabetes. I wasn't aware that such a young baby (6 months old) could develop diabetes. After inquiring with one of the attending doctors, he told me that babies usually present with diabetes as a result of a viral illness or infection. Interesting. I learned something new, but it's a shame that I had to learn it at the expense of a precious life in danger.
I wish I would have read that in a book somewhere instead of having to experience it hands on.

Although I hate working weekends, this one wasn't so bad. I think it has alot to do with the fact that now I see some light at the end of the tunnel, and the reality of not having to be there forever is finally shining through. Now that I know I will soon be moving on to bigger and better things, work doesn't seem as bad as it used to.