C.: Hi, d.c. Did you get any sleep yesterday?
d.: Yes, Cal,E. I did. I feel much better now, but I will NOT get as much sleep today.
C.: why is that?
d.: It is a story that is both funny and frustrating. Last night, we had a human inmate come into medical complaining of chest pain. He ran down the hallway, so his blood pressure and heart rate were very elevated. We were concerned until the nurses found out that he was just trying to avoid being written up by the security guards by doing this. However, we were still obligated to do an EKG and take blood to test for an elevated troponin I level...
C.: What is that?
d.: The test tells us if there is an elevated amount of protein in his blood. If the protein in the blood tests is above a certain level, the patient is sent to the hospital. He is either about to have a heart attack, is in the process of having one, or has had one recently. It is an accurate test. If it is done in time, it can be a life-saving test. Of course, there are those, like the patient last night, that are either just playing games or trying to get out of trouble.
C.: I can see where that would be frustrating…
d.: Actually, that is the funny part. I was laughing so hard when the security guard told me why the inmate asked to come to medical that I could not take his blood!
C.: So, what did you do?
d.: Well…situations like this are a good way for inexperienced nurses to get some experience taking blood. We had a trainee helping us last night. She had just finished nursing school. I asked HER to take the patient’s blood.
C.: did she get enough blood to run the blood test?
d.: She did, after she stopped laughing and shaking. It was her first time taking blood from a real patient. She missed his veins the first couple of times, but she got one on the third try.
C.: I thought that the code was to only try twice, then let someone else try.
d.: It is in the free world, but that does not apply in the human kennel, especially when we are 98% sure that the patient is faking his symptoms. It will discourage him from doing it a second time.
C.: I see. So that was the funny part, but what is the frustrating part. And why will you not sleep as much today?
d.: Because Cal.E., the state bought us a new EKG machine without giving anyone a demonstration. It was probably a good thing that guy came in last night, because it gave me a chance to learn the machine in a low-stress situation. I figured it out after about fifteen minutes. If he had really been having a heart attack, it would have been real trouble.
C.: Was the old machine broken? And why won’t you get as much sleep today?
d.: The old machine was fine, and all the nurses understood how to use it. However, the state decided that the kennel needed a new machine. I suppose they do not believe in the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
C.: Yes, that IS frustrating. But why will you not get as much sleep today? d.: Besides coming in late this morning because I stayed and showed the day shift how to use it, I will need to do the same thing tomorrow morning for a new day crew. No one ever demonstrated how to use the machine to any of the nurses at the kennel. I am hoping that, once I show tomorrow’s day shift how to use the machine, they can pass the information along to the night crew that works opposite me. I am relieved to do this, though, since it means that everyone is back at work, and I do NOT need to work so many shifts anymore!
C.: Get some sleep, d.c. I will talk to you tomorrow.
Tune in tomorrow, folks when you hear d.c. say… (If I told you that, you would not read my blog tomorrow).
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