I won't be sharing any Crazy ER Stories for the duration of this assignment, per hospital policy.
We always go to great lengths to protect patient privacy. We have both received HIPAA training. Brandon is 110% HIPAA compliant and never gives me any potentially identifiable information when he tells me stories about his day. The situations-- read: the punchlines-- in Crazy ER Stories are all real and true, but the details about patients, patient families, medical problems, dates of treatment, location of treatment, etc., are changed or completely made up.
But his new hospital has a policy that goes even beyond HIPAA. All employees are asked to sign a document that prevents any discussion of patient situations at all, even if all potentially identifying information is withheld, and even for the purpose of professional case studies or training of other healthcare providers.
We will respect and uphold this policy, which means a temporary end to stories from the ER.
(random side note: I recently had a good friend tell me that it really hurt her feelings that I never acknowledged her illness and hospital stay a couple of years ago. I had no idea what she was talking about. She had assumed that Brandon would tell me that she was sick, since he was her attending RN. Nope, he had never breathed a word. So if you are my friend and are in the hospital and want me to know, give me a phone call!)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Oops, we did it again.
Brandon's last assignment in St. Louis was a nightmare.
It was his first (and only) straight nights assignment. We both hated the nights schedule. We were constantly tired and had to be quiet all the time. The hospital was in the heart of St. Louis and was constant chaos. The hospital also paid less than anywhere we had ever been, so we took an unfurnished apartment to save money and slept on an air mattress and camping chairs. It was one of the hardest assignments we've ever done.
It left such a bad taste in our mouths that we said, "Never again." But when priorities change, you do things you wouldn't otherwise do. . . which is why we turned down much better situations to be able to live at home and move forward in our adoption.
We had no intentions of getting another unfurnished apartment, but as we checked into a variety of places, we realized we had a big decision to make-- a nicely furnished apartment in a rough area, or an unfurnished apartment in a wonderful community with the lowest crime rate I've ever seen. We picked the latter.
Still, we thought we would furnish through a rental company. But have you seen those prices? It's insane. It might be worth it if the furnishings were super nice and new, but they never are. So, since Brandon was going to have block scheduling and only have to be here 3 days a week... we skipped the furniture rental.
Which is why we found ourselves again driving to St. Louis with our camping chairs in the back of our car. Only this time, we didn't even have an air mattress (it didn't survive the last St. Louis assignment).
Our guest bed (which may end up being a child's bed depending on what age we adopt) desperately needed new mattresses anyway, so we ordered a new mattress to be delivered to the St. Louis apartment. It was supposed to arrive on the same day Brandon moved in. But. . . we got 9 inches of snow. So for three nights, we've been sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags. Talk about roughing it!
You're probably expecting me to say how miserable we are, and how we regret doing this. But we're not, and we don't. Strangely enough, this assignment seems to have a lot of great potential. It's a different hospital, and so far, Brandon has been really impressed by the quality of his coworkers and the way the ER is ran. The apartment is quiet and private, and in a gorgeous area. . . made even more beautiful by the undisturbed snow. We have a great place within walking distance for the dogs to play, and a wonderful grocery store right down the road. So far, everything about this assignment has surpassed our expectations. I imagine it will only get better when Brandon's bed arrives.
I'm happy that we'll mostly be at home, but I'm also glad that it's looking like a good situation for Brandon. It always helps to have a good hospital and a comfortable place to stay.
It was his first (and only) straight nights assignment. We both hated the nights schedule. We were constantly tired and had to be quiet all the time. The hospital was in the heart of St. Louis and was constant chaos. The hospital also paid less than anywhere we had ever been, so we took an unfurnished apartment to save money and slept on an air mattress and camping chairs. It was one of the hardest assignments we've ever done.
It left such a bad taste in our mouths that we said, "Never again." But when priorities change, you do things you wouldn't otherwise do. . . which is why we turned down much better situations to be able to live at home and move forward in our adoption.
We had no intentions of getting another unfurnished apartment, but as we checked into a variety of places, we realized we had a big decision to make-- a nicely furnished apartment in a rough area, or an unfurnished apartment in a wonderful community with the lowest crime rate I've ever seen. We picked the latter.
Still, we thought we would furnish through a rental company. But have you seen those prices? It's insane. It might be worth it if the furnishings were super nice and new, but they never are. So, since Brandon was going to have block scheduling and only have to be here 3 days a week... we skipped the furniture rental.
Which is why we found ourselves again driving to St. Louis with our camping chairs in the back of our car. Only this time, we didn't even have an air mattress (it didn't survive the last St. Louis assignment).
Our guest bed (which may end up being a child's bed depending on what age we adopt) desperately needed new mattresses anyway, so we ordered a new mattress to be delivered to the St. Louis apartment. It was supposed to arrive on the same day Brandon moved in. But. . . we got 9 inches of snow. So for three nights, we've been sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags. Talk about roughing it!
You're probably expecting me to say how miserable we are, and how we regret doing this. But we're not, and we don't. Strangely enough, this assignment seems to have a lot of great potential. It's a different hospital, and so far, Brandon has been really impressed by the quality of his coworkers and the way the ER is ran. The apartment is quiet and private, and in a gorgeous area. . . made even more beautiful by the undisturbed snow. We have a great place within walking distance for the dogs to play, and a wonderful grocery store right down the road. So far, everything about this assignment has surpassed our expectations. I imagine it will only get better when Brandon's bed arrives.
I'm happy that we'll mostly be at home, but I'm also glad that it's looking like a good situation for Brandon. It always helps to have a good hospital and a comfortable place to stay.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Post Wisconsin
Leaving Wisconsin was very strange. We had extended Brandon's contract there for so long that it had really started feeling "permanent." Even the hospital staff had completely forgotten that Brandon was temporary. By the end, he had been there longer than many of their permanent nurses, and was actually orienting new hires to the department. We had gotten really comfortable at our church, we had made friends in the community, and we were getting involved in ways we normally don't. It was definitely not a normal travel assignment.
So on one hand, it was a relief to leave-- we're obviously ready to have a more settled, involved life, and despite our Wisconsin involvement, it still felt like limbo. It still wasn't home, and we couldn't move forward in our adoption while working so far away.
But on the other hand, it was actually tough to say goodbye. We had bonded with people on a much deeper level. Leaving was the best thing for us, but it was hard.
But going home was amazing. Seriously amazing.
That's where we are now. Living at home. Normalcy. Stability. Pretty radical stuff for us. =)
Brandon is still a travel nurse, but he took an assignment in a city close to St. Louis and negotiated block scheduling so that he only has to be there three days a week. Brandon's new non-travel job will start at some point later this year (and again, I'm sorry that I can't share those details like I promised. Brandon still isn't quite comfortable with it), and we are hopeful that he will be able to extend his Missouri contract until the new permanent job begins.
Oh, and as a side note. . . we got to celebrate New Years together this year, in our house, with a bottle of champagne and a kiss at midnight. I'm pretty sure that means that 2011 is going to be awesome. There are BIG changes happening this year, but I am crazy excited about everything that is to come!
So on one hand, it was a relief to leave-- we're obviously ready to have a more settled, involved life, and despite our Wisconsin involvement, it still felt like limbo. It still wasn't home, and we couldn't move forward in our adoption while working so far away.
But on the other hand, it was actually tough to say goodbye. We had bonded with people on a much deeper level. Leaving was the best thing for us, but it was hard.
But going home was amazing. Seriously amazing.
That's where we are now. Living at home. Normalcy. Stability. Pretty radical stuff for us. =)
Brandon is still a travel nurse, but he took an assignment in a city close to St. Louis and negotiated block scheduling so that he only has to be there three days a week. Brandon's new non-travel job will start at some point later this year (and again, I'm sorry that I can't share those details like I promised. Brandon still isn't quite comfortable with it), and we are hopeful that he will be able to extend his Missouri contract until the new permanent job begins.
Oh, and as a side note. . . we got to celebrate New Years together this year, in our house, with a bottle of champagne and a kiss at midnight. I'm pretty sure that means that 2011 is going to be awesome. There are BIG changes happening this year, but I am crazy excited about everything that is to come!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Moving Day
I apologize (again) for the lack of updating (wow, I feel like I'm always apologizing for that!). Our life has been in a crazy state of upheaval and I took a serious break from the computer. So let me catch you up. . .
Since my last post, I've had some interesting discussions with people about healthcare, insurance, ethics, moral responsibility, and personal responsibility. I am still interested in hearing what YOU think, so drop me a line and let me know!
Also since my last post, Brandon finished his assignment in Wisconsin. Our last week in WI was crazy, as Brandon was working 5 back to back 12 hour shifts, and I was overwhelmed with trying to pack up our apartment (on top of finishing up handmade Christmas items, baby gifts, and Etsy orders).
Moving day was insane. We woke up early that morning to find that our neighbor was also moving, and had parked a semi in front of our apartment. They had turned our walkway into a moving ramp. So we couldn't pull our car up anywhere close to the apartment, and we couldn't use the walkway. We had to carry our stuff across the yard and around the truck. Did I mention that we had just received a foot of snow? And the snow plows had pushed it up to our yard? Which meant that we were crawling over about two feet of snow with our giant suitcases and tubs?
Oh, and remember the bet I mentioned? How I bet Brandon that I could fit everything inside of our car without shipping anything home? Well that bet was made with the understanding that all of Brandon's clothes, Brandon's shoes, the Wii, the Wii balance board, and his Wii games would fit into his suitcase. He assured me that was the case. So in my mind, I had the car mapped out-- the trunk would hold both of our large suitcases, our yoga mats and my craft supplies; the backseat would hold the dog kennel (with Ralph inside), the laundry basket (with towels, washcloths, blankets, and ski pants inside), our overnight bags and the laptops. Everything else (books, dvds, kitchen gear, dog gear, Christmas gifts, etc.) would be squeezed in wherever it would fit, and I would hold Fiona in my lap.
So imagine my surprise when Brandon brought out a full suitcase, a garbage bag full of clothes, a third bag full of shoes, and a fourth bag packed with the Wii items. Instead of switching clothes out over the last few months, he had just brought more and more to Wisconsin.
I was not happy.
But I'm incredibly stubborn, and I was DETERMINED to win the bet. Brandon felt really bad that he had so much, and he wanted to just head to the post office to immediately ship a huge box home. No way. I was going to make it happen, somehow.
So I packed and repacked, and found ways to save space. I packed shampoo bottles in Brandon's shoes and crammed items into every square inch. It took me four hours straight to pack that car, but I did it. No shipping items home, no throwing items away.
That was only the beginning. We still needed to do a final cleaning of the apartment. . . and the apartment management was PICKY. The cleaning list they sent us asked me to do things like clean the windows inside and out. Easy enough with the normal windows, but the picture windows that were 16 feet off the ground in the entryway? Right, because travel nurses always travel with 12 foot ladders in their cars.
But the worst part of the cleaning process was when the vacuum cleaner died. . . about 30 seconds after I started to vacuum. Now this was bad. Really bad. Our floors looked awful. We tried so hard to not track in snow and sidewalk salt, but the entryway was pretty rough after four hours of loading the car. I had also cut 13 yarn pom poms the night before, which meant that the carpet in front of my crocheting chair was absolutely covered in fuzz.
We spent two hours trying to find a vacuum we could borrow. Nada. We finally gave up and did the best we could with a broom and a damp rag.
By the time we hit the road, we only had an hour and a half of daylight left. We wimped out. We drove four hours before we pulled over to spend the night in a hotel.
I think we're getting too old for this.
Since my last post, I've had some interesting discussions with people about healthcare, insurance, ethics, moral responsibility, and personal responsibility. I am still interested in hearing what YOU think, so drop me a line and let me know!
Also since my last post, Brandon finished his assignment in Wisconsin. Our last week in WI was crazy, as Brandon was working 5 back to back 12 hour shifts, and I was overwhelmed with trying to pack up our apartment (on top of finishing up handmade Christmas items, baby gifts, and Etsy orders).
Moving day was insane. We woke up early that morning to find that our neighbor was also moving, and had parked a semi in front of our apartment. They had turned our walkway into a moving ramp. So we couldn't pull our car up anywhere close to the apartment, and we couldn't use the walkway. We had to carry our stuff across the yard and around the truck. Did I mention that we had just received a foot of snow? And the snow plows had pushed it up to our yard? Which meant that we were crawling over about two feet of snow with our giant suitcases and tubs?
Oh, and remember the bet I mentioned? How I bet Brandon that I could fit everything inside of our car without shipping anything home? Well that bet was made with the understanding that all of Brandon's clothes, Brandon's shoes, the Wii, the Wii balance board, and his Wii games would fit into his suitcase. He assured me that was the case. So in my mind, I had the car mapped out-- the trunk would hold both of our large suitcases, our yoga mats and my craft supplies; the backseat would hold the dog kennel (with Ralph inside), the laundry basket (with towels, washcloths, blankets, and ski pants inside), our overnight bags and the laptops. Everything else (books, dvds, kitchen gear, dog gear, Christmas gifts, etc.) would be squeezed in wherever it would fit, and I would hold Fiona in my lap.
So imagine my surprise when Brandon brought out a full suitcase, a garbage bag full of clothes, a third bag full of shoes, and a fourth bag packed with the Wii items. Instead of switching clothes out over the last few months, he had just brought more and more to Wisconsin.
I was not happy.
But I'm incredibly stubborn, and I was DETERMINED to win the bet. Brandon felt really bad that he had so much, and he wanted to just head to the post office to immediately ship a huge box home. No way. I was going to make it happen, somehow.
So I packed and repacked, and found ways to save space. I packed shampoo bottles in Brandon's shoes and crammed items into every square inch. It took me four hours straight to pack that car, but I did it. No shipping items home, no throwing items away.
That was only the beginning. We still needed to do a final cleaning of the apartment. . . and the apartment management was PICKY. The cleaning list they sent us asked me to do things like clean the windows inside and out. Easy enough with the normal windows, but the picture windows that were 16 feet off the ground in the entryway? Right, because travel nurses always travel with 12 foot ladders in their cars.
But the worst part of the cleaning process was when the vacuum cleaner died. . . about 30 seconds after I started to vacuum. Now this was bad. Really bad. Our floors looked awful. We tried so hard to not track in snow and sidewalk salt, but the entryway was pretty rough after four hours of loading the car. I had also cut 13 yarn pom poms the night before, which meant that the carpet in front of my crocheting chair was absolutely covered in fuzz.
We spent two hours trying to find a vacuum we could borrow. Nada. We finally gave up and did the best we could with a broom and a damp rag.
By the time we hit the road, we only had an hour and a half of daylight left. We wimped out. We drove four hours before we pulled over to spend the night in a hotel.
I think we're getting too old for this.
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