Jan. 26, 2022
Yes, it's been another while
Well now that I am far away from the boorish behavioral health unit as a night shift "nurse", I am so much happier to come to work. It's not work except that I am away from my home, and I get paid. One big difference is that at this unit, referred to as 2nd Brightleaf (second floor of the older building, facing Brightleaf Rd) which is really a medical-surgical unit that has a plethora of different things going on. I am so glad to get my hands and my heart and my head back into real nursing. Sorry BH nurses - you're a different breed on the unit, and like chicken wire and mud, we didn't blend well. All good because shortly after arriving here (just before thanksgiving) they opened a position that pays me nearly 50% more than I am already getting, per hour, to work Monday through Thursday. I'm not sure how I feel about the fourth day yet, but I won't have to worry about money for a while. I have some upcoming expenses I'll need to cover, and rather than looking for another part time job (where is North Carolina home health? Haven't heard from them in 6 months, I'm getting ready to resign there anyway), or doing an overtime shift in BH, which is what I offered to help pay for these expenses.
I have been wanting so much to sit down and add to my writings, but hey - I don't have the 6 hours a night I used to have. I'm trying to get my craft/sewing room to support an office too so that I can make it comfortable to use the desk in there to write. I could pretty much put my lap top anywhere to write, so I have to stop making that an excuse and just sit down sometimes and empty my brain and all the quotes and topics I have been saving.
My rant for this week is related to the continuation of the Covid - 19 pandemic. We are in year 2 of this horrible disease. At the very beginning I was working on the Medical-Surgical floor of Brookwood Baptist hospital in Jasper, AL. Talk about a panic. Initially we were given N95 respirator masks - the very ones we are "fit-tested" for once per year. We had to place these masks, along with other personal protective equipment (aka PPE) on in a specific manner, in a specific order. They were to be used for one patient, and one patient only, for one day. At the time, we were given only one patient per nurse. Then, when supplies began to run low, we were told we could use them for more than one shift for that patient, but we were given paper bags to place them in. Lunch bags everywhere. I remember when we wore gowns, we had to throw them away inside the patient room. Then, just as the masks ran scarce, so did the gowns. So management decided it was ok to bring them OUT of the rooms and hang them in the hallway by the patient doors. RIIGGGHT.
This pandemic is like no other - but then again what pandemic happens more than once without the world being able to quash it eventually? No one knows how to react. Many don't believe the government's recommendations. Many don't believe the CDC. Since nursing and most medical practices are "evidence based practices", we must have evidence that something works to incorporate it into our patient care. Mask on, mask off, don't touch the face part, don't touch the inside, wipe googles off with alcohol, no not alcohol, purple top wipes, no now gray top wipes (the color of the top of the wipes determines the strength of the cleaner on them). Wait, now companies and private parties are making face masks, some with filters, some with double layers. Even Tommy Copper has his own version. For a time we were allowed to wear them as long as they had a double layer. Some we could put in the washing machine. But, when it came to dealing with a covid positive patient, the N95 masks were required.
For those that don't understand any of this, the N95 respirator mask is a specific mask that eliminates air particles. We visit the Employee Health Department yearly, have said mask on, then an astronaut type hood placed over our heads. The EH nurse sprays saccharine into the hood and we are told to repeat a silly adage, and let her know if we can taste the saccharine. We move our heads from side to side, back and forth, attempting to smell and taste the sprayed chemical. If we can, we get a different mask and try again. Once we are unable to smell or taste the saccharine, we have our N95. And this mask, we keep. We know what kind, what size, we need. If the wearer has a beard, the mask may not work. We hold on tight to this mask. But only by the elastic. Don't touch the outside, that's where the particles live. Don't touch the inside, your hands may be contaminated. Only touch the elastic.
Here comes my rant. The government, as well as many medical and pharmacies, are giving these away to the public. Not by the dozens, so they can be used carefully. Nope, one mask, one person. No training, no fit testing. No saccharine spray.
i used to love watching those in the government, mostly members of Congress and even both POTUS's wear their masks. I can't remember the Republican POTUS but I know the current Democratic one is always pulling on the outside of his mask, as much as he probably pulls down his pants to pee. Ewe. Just sayin'.
Another rant tomorrow, another "do it THAT way, no do it THIS way".