I don't think so

I have a 15 year old female patient who claims she can't see after getting hit in the face with a cell phone.  She obviously has a swollen black eye to one side but no trauma to the other side.  She refuses to even try to open her eye (unless she thinks you're not looking where she'll not only open both eyes but she is able to text from her phone without any problem until you walk in the room where she'll then pretend she can't read/write anymore on her phone).

At one point she needed to walk to the bathroom, once again "walking blindly" with her younger sister helping her out.  She calls my name and grabs my elbow (how could she see where that was?) so I can help "guide" her to the bathroom (where she then proceeds to take care of everything herself, presumably, because no way in hell I'm hanging out in there).

By the end of the night it's time to determine whether or not her eye will need stitches.  Because of all the dried blood near the site of injury (because when you're bleeding you just let it run down your face, no need to try and control it) we have to soak (damp cloth) and scrub (gauze and elbow grease). Because of the pain she is in (honestly I believe she hurt, just milked it for everything) she said she needed to hold my hand.  At this point she reaches out and grabs my hand (miraculously able to see exactly where my hand was even though her eyes were still "swollen shut").  Keep in mind her girlfriend (whose perfume smelled a lot like wacky tobacky), mother and sister are in the room with her cousin cleaning the room next door (who also couldn't figure out how to unlock a push lock door, that's something special).

Seriously, she just needed to push the handle down to unlock it and she couldn't figure it out.  Please don't breed...

I don't think so.  I literally pulled my hand away from her and pointed out her family and friends who could hold her hand during this "traumatizing moment" (ok, I didn't actually say traumatizing moment, just told her about her family in the room who could hold her hand).

Several co-workers said I should have just let her hold my hand so she could get a contact buzz from the situation (I think there was enough buzz in that room just going second hand. Here's hoping I don't get drug tested any time soon).

So, what would you do in this scenario?

Witch Hunt

Our hospital "upgraded" our specimen collection system to something called Beaker.  Now instead of the lab collecting the specimens sent to them in the computer the nurses and techs do that.  It was a big readjustment for all of us, including myself.

Over the last several weeks they have received unlabeled specimens from our emergency department more frequently.  It's becoming aggravating to my boss to have to deal with the lab and something that should easily be taken care of from our end, just an extra minute of documentation on the computer before leaving the room and you're good.

Because of the number of calls the boss is getting on unlabeled specimens (specimens are usually blood and urine though can include many other things) it feels as though he is on a witch hunt now.

Earlier this week he sent me an email informing me not to send unlabeled specimens to the lab.  He included the patient ID for me to look into the chart.

My response was simple.  If the specimen was unlabeled, how does he know which patient it came from? Or even how did he know it came from me?

As you can see (I think) I also pointed out that the patient in question had results from the urine that was supposedly unlabeled and sent to them along with a collection from myself.

Being the boss man of course I'm going to make it sound a little more professional than that.  His response, it was recollected.

I'm not the only one he has done this to.  Two other people in my department got emails from Big Boss Man with similar accusations.  Their response was similar to mine.  How does he know which patient the unlabeled specimen came from and how does he know which person to blame for sending it to the lab without the proper label?

It honestly sounds like he wants to correct the problem (rightfully so) but it also sounds like a giant witch hunt to me.  Maybe he thinks if he sends enough of these accusations out the problem will correct itself.  Regardless of how he handles it I'm in the clear as far as I can tell.

What's going on?

Over the last couple of years I've had more than a few coworkers get fired.  Most of them deserved it (in my opinion), they would take a lunch break lasting an hour when it should only be 30 minutes or disappear for long periods of time.  One of them was so verbally abusive to any female "subordinate" he would make them cry.

One trend that is surprisingly shocking (to me) is the amount of my coworkers that have been fired for drug use/mismanagement.

As nurses we have to document when we take narcotics out of the Omnicell.  If the patients refuse the medication or the doctor orders a partial dose we have a second nurse sign off showing the narcotic was disposed of appropriately.

In the last 2.5 years there have been 5 nurses terminated for drug problems.  The first one I got called at home and asked if I had seen her dispose of the narcotic.  Turns out one of the patients noticed she was getting tylenol instead of percocet and reported the problem to the provider.  That led to the first nurse being terminated.

The next 2 took place about a year later.  One of them was spastic and would disappear for long periods of time.  Technically she resigned from her position and was going to work somewhere else in the hospital but she was so bad at abandoning her patients she was told not to worry about finishing her 2 weeks and she could leave then.  She was pulled over a few weeks later and admitted to the police she had been using drugs (LSD, PCP and Mary Jane).

Shortly after her the second never showed up to his shift.  There was a huge snowstorm coming in (we ended up getting 4 feet of snow in a 24 hour period).  We ended up calling the police near where he lived.  They reported he was safely in jail.  Confused we asked what was going on.  Apparently he was arrested for possession of drugs with the intent to sell to minors (he was in a school zone or something like that).  That one caught us all by surprise.

Another was busted under the influence while at work during this time frame as well.

Most recently two of my friends were dismissed for the same thing.  They were withdrawing narcotics with "verbal orders" on patients that they weren't even taking care of.  These two were more shocking to me because they were both friends of mine (the rest were like those annoying coworkers who you deal with because you need to make it through your shift without harming anyone).

WTF were they thinking?  Not only did they lose their jobs but they may have even lost their nursing license.  I worked my ass off for my license, why would I risk losing my livelihood and potentially my entire family over something so stupid and easily remedied?  Obviously their situations at home were different than mine but still.  Of all these people only one that I know of has bounced back but she is still not sure if the boss that fired her is going to press charges.  If so she will be in the same boat as the other 4.

I pray for them that they may be able to overcome whatever problem they have at home.  I wish them all the best in their ventures.  As for me, no way I'm going to throw my nursing license away for something so mundane.

Board Games

This post will show the dorkier side of me.

Some friends invited me to a board game convention.  I had a blast.  Basically we arrived on Thursday morning, started playing board games and eventually went to sleep and repeat the next day. Once again, I'm a dork but it was awesome.

Now, not just any board game was played.  Board games like Monopoly and Sorry are "frowned upon" (admittedly just for this I wanted to buy a copy of Monopoly and play the game just to see their reactions).  The games that are played there are more along the obscure side but still entertaining.  Fortunately one of my friends there was more than happy to learn the new games while we played games we are familiar with.

Here are some of those games we played and my take on each one. There are literally hundreds of games there.  Keep in mind most of these games can be time consuming, taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half or more.  Because we were still learning most of these games it took a lot longer to play.  Once learned these games would move a lot more quickly.

This will be a long post (we played a lot of games over 2 days) so here are the games I played:  Colosseum, 7 Wonders, Alibi, Can't Stop, Ticket to Ride, Last Spike, Colossal Arena, Furstenfeld, Bacchus' Banquet, Patchwork (I will own this game at some point), Small World, Istanbul, Settlers of Catan, Asteroids, Roll for the Galaxy, Blood Rage (one of my favorites), Code Name Pictures, Loch Ness, Hornet

Colosseum

It's like you're Commodus putting on a show for your people

So with this game you own a colosseum and you're trying to put on the best show.  You collect tiles, trade with your competitors to put on a show.  You try to get the emperor, senators and nobles in your colosseum to get more points.

The game in all it's glory

My take on this game, it's long and entertaining.  I wouldn't play this game with less than 4 people, it's a 5 person max.  It takes at least 2 games to figure out a decent strategy but even with meticulous planning (which can take a while for some people, I tend to be on the quicker side of planning) things can go awry.  I ended up playing the game twice during my stay.  I wouldn't own it but if it gets pulled out somewhere I wouldn't mind joining the game.

Bacchus' Banquet

Caligula has invited you to party like it's 37 AD.  Some of the guests are there to get gifts, some are there to eat and drink and others there to kill him.  You have to watch your waistline while trying to survive this feast.  Literally.  If you eat too much you die.  And that's just what Caligula wants. In order for him to win he either kills 3 people or eats and drinks a certain amount.  Depending on your character you either try to kill him or attempting to thrive off his scraps.  

This was a very entertaining game.  My only complaint is the turn taking. You only take your turn if someone gives you a gift that you accept.  This can mean you wait a long while between turns.  Overall it moves quickly.

Can't Stop

By far the easiest game I learned to play.  Roll the dice, place your 3 markers on the first 3 numbers rolled.  Move your token each time your number is rolled until it reaches the end.  If you don't roll your number before saving your spot you lose your place and start over.

We played this game while the game master learned a new game.  Very addicting but I wouldn't pay full price for this game.  If you see it at a garage sale totally worthwhile.

Last Spike

You're competing track builders trying to buy as much property before the last spike is driven between St. Louis and Sacramento.  The more you own, the more money you get.

This was another filler game while the game master learned another.  This one could be worth purchasing if you had a group of regulars that play games.  Though it can be played with 2 people it would be much more entertaining with more.  At $40 new I'm not sure it would be completely worth it but I don't have enough people to play this game with regularly (and the ones that invited me already own it).  Maybe another day.

7 Wonders

Build your army, build your city, get points, that's about all I know about this game.  

The problem I had with this game was it was a last minute game right before we ran off to dinner and 2 people joined.  No problem, no need to be exclusive.  The problem was I was the only person who had never played the game before, I had no clue about the strategy, no idea what was going on and that's about it.  I thought I was doing decent but honestly I don't know what was going on.  I'd be willing to give this game another shot but it would need to be under completely different circumstances.

Ticket to Ride

You build trains to get to your destination.  The longer the train the more points you get.  You can get blocked quickly if you don't build fast enough.  

I actually own this game, got it for Christmas one year from my wife.  I really enjoy this game, the more the merrier.  As I said earlier, this is yet another time consuming game.  It can last over an hour, easily.  Definitely worthwhile.  Though I haven't played the other variations of this game I'm sure they would be great to play.

Furstenfeld

In this game you're a farmer who sells goods to local breweries.  The supply and demand of those products determines the amount you can sell those products for.  Ultimately you want to buy your own castle, the first to do so wins.

This game was a blast to play.  Though you can play it with 2 people it is definitely meant to be played with more.  The more people playing makes it more difficult to win and competition is always more exciting.

Patchwork

You're trying to build a quilt and fill in as many spaces as you can.  You only have patches to work with.  It's only for 2 players.

This is a game I will definitely own.  It's quick to play and easy to learn.  A wonderful game for one on one time with family.

Settlers of Catan

"The game that started it all".  From what everyone I spoke with at the convention they claim this game is the one that helped propel board gaming to it's current status.  This game is a blast to play.  You're settling a new area and with limited resources you have to build cities, roads, and more settlements.

I've owned this game since the early 2000's.  I bought the 5-6 player expansion along with different expansion games available at that time, Cities and Knights and Seafarers of Catan.  I love this game and wish I could play it much more frequently than I do.  If you haven't played this game, I say go out and get it. After writing this post to give you links I think I own some classic games worth quite a bit of money.  WOOHOO!

Alibi

This game is like Clue with cards.  And motives.  And so many specifics that it's pretty difficult to figure everything out.

I hate the game Clue (the movie was terrific, love it).  And this game is almost identical to clue.  But instead of who, with what and where you also have why.  And to make it more difficult you may have the right person but if you guess the wrong time of day you get it wrong anyway.  It's horrible and takes forever.  I personally wouldn't bother with this game at all.

Colossal Arena

This game, from what I understand, has been out of print for a while.  You place bets on which monster you think will survive the arena, while you are able to control (to an extent) what happens and who survives.

This game was entertaining, and with a few tweaks it would be worth purchasing.  Once again if it were in print.  We'll see what happens.  I enjoyed this game.

Smallworld

This is a game of world conquest.  Different races (elves, trolls, magicians, dwarves, skeletons, etc) fight to control the most territory.  You control one race at a time and you choose when to let your current race die and start another race to continue the world domination.

I enjoyed this game.  I could see myself owning this game at some point, if my kids start enjoying games more (and develop more patience).  There are several expansions and again it looks to be worthwhile.

Istanbul

You're a merchant in Istanbul (not Constantinople) and you're trading goods for gems.  You can only move a certain number of spaces and if you run out of "help" you can't do anything until you've collected them.

This was a fun game, takes a while to set up but easy to learn and many different ways to win.  A fun game to play with friends.

Asteroyds

For those of us who can remember arcades I'm sure you remember Asteroids.  It was painfully addicting and I'm sure you spend many quarters trying to perfect your game (I never did, I'm horrible at arcade games but it never stopped me from trying).  

This game you're trying to fly your spacecraft to 4 different checkpoints avoiding asteroids along the way. The asteroids move with each dice roll and the number rolled determines the direction each asteroid moves.  We played the easy version of this game, there was no timer.  To increase difficulty you can set a timer so you don't have as much time to plan your route.  

I can't imagine what this game is like using the timer, anxiety increases just thinking about adding that component.  It would take quite a while to plan a route and even then I would miss something and either get hit or run into an asteroid.  There are also other variations of this game, maybe one day I'll venture farther out and play more.

Roll for the Galaxy

The gist of this game is you roll dice to build and explore the galaxy.  Unfortunately the person who taught me this game wasn't that great at explaining it at all.  It would be worthwhile to learn again but maybe I actually attempt to learn it better myself instead of relying on someone else.

Hornet

You're a hornet that collects pollen and makes honey.  I always thought bees collected pollen and made honey while hornets were carnivorous thieves.  I don't understand it but the game is amusing.  You definitely have to plan several steps ahead and pray for a lot of luck that things go as planned.

Codename Pictures

It's your typical party game where you're divided into teams and have to describe to the team where you're pictures are located without actually revealing the actual picture.  You can't guess wrong or the other team wins.

I prefer other party games to this one.  I like games where there is more interaction between everyone, one person here can only say one word and everyone else talks.

Loch Ness

You're a tourist trying to take pictures of the Loch Ness monster.  You move around thinking where the best picture is going to be while the Nessie moves around the lake.

This was a fun game but considering the logistics of the game, it would be much more entertaining with more than 2 people.

Blood Rage

The gist of this game is you're a bunch of viking clans wanting to die in battle to get to Valhalla in order to be resurrected in Ragnorak.  You have a bunch of missions and rage to help you in this quest of a glorious death.  

This honestly was one of my favorite games played there.  The person who explained how to play this game was the same one who explained the Roll for the Galaxy and didn't do a great job but we all caught the gist and it was a load of fun.  If I had people that would play this game regularly with me I would buy this game.

The Nacho Incident

You're trying to smuggle good Mexican food into Canada trying to avoid getting caught by the Mounties.

The premise is simple but it takes a bit to learn.  Unfortunately because of how long it took me to play this game the first time with my family I don't think it'll be played frequently in this household.  I do like this game though and might look into some of the other games this developer has.