Martha's So-Called Life

entering the electronic age

This week at work, the whole hospital went live with electronic charting.  Yup, that's right, the whole hospital...all at once.  For several months we have been taking classes and attempting to learn the new system.  I was one of the lucky "super users." That means that I got to learn it first, and am supposed to help everyone else troubleshoot as they learn the system. Let me tell you...it wasn't very much fun.  At 0001 on 2/26, the entire hospital switched over.  At first it was kind of like Y2K, we all stood around and waited for something to happen.  Nothing happened.  Well, nothing obvious.  Then we started trying to actually do things.  First, we discovered that the machine that we get our medications out of was resetting itself (a 10-20 minute process).  That meant that we could not get any medications out...which is all fine and dandy until an emergency walks through the door (which happens more often than you might think).  As the night went on, we slowly discovered more and more things that didn't work the way they were supposed to. As for those of us lucky enough to be "super users," we spent the night trying to help everyone who had a patient keep up with their charting.  Thank goodness we weren't busy and there were lots of nurses around to help.  The second night was much worse than the first.  Things worked a little better, but there was a lot of frustration because this system has changed our workflow a little.  And sometimes, change brings out the worst in people.  I spent the whole night holding the hands of a few nurses who apparently couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that the job is still the same...the "paperwork" is still the same, just a different format. I always thought it was a bad idea to roll the whole thing out at the same time.  Apparently the hospital knew it was going to suck too because they kept us stocked in snacks and inspirational messages.  Each unit has a theme...ours is Finding Nemo and the "motto" is "just keep swimming."  Yeah, that's subtle. The biggest problem is that the hospital didn't fork out enough money to have the whole system customized.  My understanding is that they bought the generic system and then paid their own people to customize it.  I realize that they spent a whole bunch of money to get the system in the first place (I've heard several different numbers, but they have all been in the 10+ million dollars).  This is a prime example of what I like to call the "{Unamed} Hosptial Difference." (For the sake of my job I will refrain from naming the hospital...if you know...great.  If not, it's not important.) They spend a lot of money to do something, but not quite enough to do it right (or make it work the way we need it to work). I just hope people stop freaking out and remember to take care of their patients.  My suggestion is if you live in Anchorage, don't get sick and need to go to the hospital for the next few weeks...

focus52 week 8 {celebrating me}

Due to illness, lack of sleep, and work...I have taken zero photos this week.  Yup, zero.  Never fear though!  I have scoured the archives and created a post about myself (hey...that was the focus52 prompt this week, "celebrate you"). Enjoy! John and I on our cruise in November One of my favorite foods (I love everything cranberry, but these particular berries are my favorite...they come from just outside the sauna at the family cabin): Some of you may already know this story, but for those of you who don't, my very first Thanksgiving (I was just under a year old) all I ate was my grandma's cranberry sauce.  There's a picture of me somewhere and I'm covered in it.  These berries and I go way back! Me and my puppy (pardon the photo quality, it's a phone photo):   And a few reasons why I love Alaska:

unexpectedly good

I love it when I read a book that I don't think is going to be all that great, and end up thinking it's really good.  I just finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  It kept popping up on my recommendations and showing up in the "People who bought this book also bought..." on Amazon.com, so I decided to break down and read it. Sure it has it's downfalls, most books do.  The biggest was that I found the main female character, Marlena, to be a bit dull.  Although, I tend to have that problem with female characters (ask me how I feel about Bella in the Twilight series).  Luckily, her role was not vital to my enjoyment of the story (important, yes, but not so much that it ruined the whole book). The story is about an old man remembering his younger days traveling with a circus.  It really wasn't something I thought I would enjoy, but I read it very quickly and found it rather enjoyable. Now I'm reading Percy Jackson Lightning Thief.  It's my Harry Potter substitute...since I can't get the series for my Kindle.  I've already read the entire series, but I was thinking it might be nice to have them all (Harry Potter, not Percy Jackson) in electronic form so I could revisit them.  Then I discovered that the author thinks we should be reading actual books and does not want them published in electronic form.  I've got news for her...it is highly unlikely that I will every purchase the series in its entirety in book form.  That is a large amount of book poundage.  I am most likely to read them (again) while on vacation, and I am NOT hauling 100lbs of books around on a trip.  Enter the Kindle.  My most favorite electronic device EVER.  Less than a pound (I think) and holds a gazillion books (ok, not quite).  Problem solved.  Unless you are J.K. Rowling, then you think I should haul around 100lbs of books on my trip.  (PS. I still read real books too...I love real books.  I just don't have the space for very many more of them.)

my job and reality tv (and a small rant)

I made the most amazing discovery this week.  It's a TV show called One Born Every Minute.  Yes it's on Lifetime, I know.  When I first heard about it I was sure that it was going to be lame.  Then someone at work told me it was pretty good.  Then I watched it.  It's totally realistic (which is saying a lot for realty TV these days)!  Granted it's heavily edited for the sake of a good story, but overall it is an extremely accurate representation of L&D Nursing.  John watched it with me and kept asking me if that was really how it was.  It is!  I was so happy to hear some of the nurses on the show say some of the exact same things I say! Some important points that I'm glad they touched on: -The (in some cases dreaded) epidural.  They quoted a patient as saying "You wouldn't go to the dentist and get a tooth pulled without being numb.  Why would you have a baby without an epidural?" Miracles of modern medicine people!  As one of my very favorite nurses (she taught me everything I know about being an L&D nurse) once said, "people need to just get an epidural.  This isn't the old days." -The birth plan.  I'm glad they had an all natural couple on the show because it really showed how we, as nurses in the hospital, are not out to sabotage your birth plan.  As the nurse taking care of the couple said, when you get a lengthy birth plan, it comes across as inflexibility...which almost always causes problems.  My goal is not to make you do things you don't want to do, my goal is to have both you and your baby come out of the labor process alive and healthy.  I'm not kidding.  It doesn't always happen that way.  Most of the time our goal is the least amount of intervention.  We don't push pain meds on people, unless we think that they will prevent the need for further intervention.  Would you rather have a little dose of narcotics, or a c-section.  Seriously...I'm still not kidding.  Pitocin is not my favorite thing in the world, it's usually better for everyone if your body can labor of it's own accord.  BUT would you rather have some pitocin...or a c-section?  So, when I suggest that you might want to think about...a particular intervention, it's not because I want to ruin your birth plan, it's because I have two goals #1 a (healthy, breathing) baby, and #2 to prevent the need for further intervention. I think I've finally found my ER replacement!

doggie school

On Wednesday night I had the opportunity to go to obedience class with John and Kiva.  This was the fourth week, but I have had to work every Wednesday night since it started, so it was nice to finally be able to go. All I can say is that Kiva is pretty much exactly like I was in school.  She was very well behaved, but completely bored.  Granted she didn't do everything exactly right, she did the minimum required to get her treat (that pretty much sums up my academic philosophy).  At times it was clear that she thought the whole thing was beneath her.  Her expression clearly read, really? I just have to stand here and I get a treat? (the command was "stand" and then "stay" so they could be examined).

(Pardon the small photo...technology problems)

Hopefully she can keep it together long enough to get through this class and another class so she can start doing things that challenge her!

a not very well researched but very strongly worded rant

Disclaimer:  This post is about my pro-choice views.  If you think it will make you angry, don't read it.  If you disagree with me, that's fine, we can agree to disagree.  If you can't agree to disagree...don't read this. First off, I would like to say that just because I am pro-choice DOES NOT mean I am pro-abortion.  I'm not sure where people got that idea, but it's stupid, and it needs to change.  I support a woman's right to decide what is right for her and her body.  I believe that each choice is a unique one and depends on many things. I think that it is absurd to force a woman to carry a child that is the product of rape.  If she wants to continue such a pregnancy, then more power to her.  Hopefully she has an amazing support system and access to the resources that will help her get over the emotional trauma of her situation.  If she does not want to put herself through that, then she shouldn't have to. If the pregnancy is detrimental to the mother's health, I don't think that she should be forced to continue that pregnancy (unless she understands the risks and potential outcomes and still wants to). If it is determined that the fetus has defects that are incompatible with life, I don't think that a woman should be forced to continue that pregnancy.  Hopefully her physician will advise her as to the course of action that is best for both mom and baby.  I think that it is selfish to bring a life into the world just to watch it end very quickly.  I've seen it.  It's traumatic for the mother and painful and traumatic for the baby.  However, if the mother makes the choice to continue such a pregnancy and bring that life into the world, I will not judge her, I'm sure she had her reasons.  If she was my patient, I would support her and care for her the same way I would care for any other patient. Do you see where I am going with this?  It's all about choice.  I don't know your circumstances, so who am I to tell you what to do? This post was sparked by a letter going around on the internets and a discussion I had with some friends on Facebook. The House voted to ban Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding.  Yes Planned Parenthood performs abortions.  (Side note: Here is a direct quote from the section on their website addressing "Unintended Pregnancy" - "If you are pregnant, you have three options to think about — abortion, adoption, and parenting." And for those of you who notice they list abortion first...look more closely, the list is in alphabetical order. But do you know what else they do?  They provide birth control (I realize this is also a controversial subject, but using birth control is better than having an abortion), they provide BASIC health care (flu vaccines, physical exams, diabetes testing and support, etc.), they address issues related to men's health (prostate cancer screening, infertility, and birth control for men), they help women who are pregnant or considering having a baby find the appropriate care and support, they provide information and support to help maintain healthy relationships, and they provide STD screening. If you are interested in supporting Planned Parenthood, visit this link: http://istandwithplannedparenthood.org The conversation on Facebook stemmed from this article: Senate Panel Kills Bill That Would Have Banned Smoking in Cars with Children.  I'll summarize some of the comments:

So, pro-life Republicans fight tooth and nail to defend the rights of the unborn. But not so much for the newly born. I get it now.

Unborn babies can't fight for themselves. Newborn babies could possibly grow up and become liberals....

The Traditional Values Coalition's form letter to stop the funding for Planned Parenthood says "As Americans are struggling to make ends meet, and the federal government is attempting to close a $1.4 trillion spending gap, it makes no sense... for Americans to be subsidizing an organization in the business of killing off future taxpayers" They say right there, we can't kill off future taxpayers. WTF? If you're are going to have an argument against abortion it better be better than that!

Here is the thing that bothers me most about the planned parenthood debate. We can't have sex education here, they don't want planned parenthood and the likes, we just want to pretend that no one is having sex except married couples making ...babies. So we are just going to ignore the issue. All they need is religion, it will make it all better. And yet we have skyrocketing chlamydia cases, people complaining about young moms on welfare, etc. These things go together people! You can't just make the symptom go away without addressing the problem.

Let's use Bristol Palin as our shinning example of how well non-sex ed works. I also know several people who went to Christian private schools and even THEY said there was a need for sex ed. Because when it came down to it, some people ended up pregnant because they didn't know HOW you actually got pregnant. So when it happened it was a complete surprise to them. Maybe God will only forgive you for having sex and getting pregnant if you aren't married only if you didn't know how it worked. But if you know how it works, and knew you weren't supposed to do it, but did it anyway, maybe that makes "forgiveness" harder? (note excessive sarcasm here)

I realize that some of the comments are said in jest, but I think they all have validity.

Do I have a point?  Why yes I do!  I respect that people have morals that do not align with mine.  I respect that.  However, I encourage you to examine all sides of the issue before judging people for their choices or deciding they are wrong.  Remember that you may think you know where they are coming from, but in all reality, you probably have no idea. This is something that I constantly relearn in my job.

etsy gotta have it: ToaSamoa

my silly little black dog

Sometimes I forget my dog is a dog and not a person.  I guess that's what happens when we stay home together all day...I start talking to her like she's a person.  She never answers, but I'm pretty sure she always understands. The problem is, I don't always understand what she's saying.  Last night, when we went to bed, I said to Kiva, "come on, let's go to bed."  By the time we got upstairs, she had made herself comfortable ON our bed (not allowed, never has been, never will be, but she's definitely figured out that's the good place to sleep).  Later, I was in bed, and John was brushing his teeth, she grabbed her bed and dragged it into the hallway and laid down on it...outside the bathroom door...where John was brushing his teeth.  She was clearly making a statement that she was NOT going to sleep in the same room as me without him.  I'm sure this statement was loud and clear to her, but I can only speculate what she meant.  My guess is it's probably related to the fact that I have not walked her much lately (John has been doing all the walking and I've been doing a lot of working) and I don't take her fun places (John has also been taking her to obedience class...while I've been working). I wish I knew what she was thinking...

focus52 week 7

Late afternoon sunshine This sign makes me laugh.  Only in Alaska would you find an active airstrip AND a dog sled trail designated in the same sign (the photo above is the airstrip...clearly it's not active in the winter...hence the dog sled trail).

skijoring lessons

On Monday Kiva and I attempted skijoring for the very first time.  It was a failure of epic proportions.  We didn't even actually make it onto the trail.  Kiva got all harnessed up and as soon as I put my skis on she freaked out.  She started digging and barking at my skis (not uncommon behavior for her).  So we went home. On Tuesday night, I enlisted John's help.  We went out after dark (so there would be fewer distractions) and got all harnessed up.  I skied around for awhile to get her to stop barking ferociously at me and my skis.  Then once she was attached, John had to run with her out front so she would not get distracted by my skis.  She did a pretty good job.  By the end she would sort of run in front even if John wasn't there. I think it's definitely going to be a two person affair for awhile.  All of a sudden Kiva will remember that she is doing work and she decides she doesn't like it so she turns around and barks at my skis.  That makes it hard not to ski over the rope (which causes one to decelerate very quickly).  She also doesn't like being attached to things from her back end (which causes her to get offended when she's actually pulling). She WAS tired after an hour of hauling around 4x her weight though (ok...I didn't make her pull my full weight...the whole time), which is a small miracle, since she's never tired after anything...ever. Anyway, we have a ways to go, but I think eventually she will get it.  Unless she's too smart  and figures out that she's doing all the work...in which case, she will never be good at it.