Deep pockets

'What have I got in my pocket?'

                                                                                                               Bilbo Baggins  

While on shift the other day a number of things happened that ended up with the above statement being said by myself...

1. While the SN I was working with was with a patient they knocked out their venflon and started to bleed all over the bed.  I was with the patient in the next bed space when this happened and the SN asked me to run and grab some swabs for them to help stop the bleeding... My hand went into my pocket and pulled out a pack of sterile gauze swabs and tape and passed them to the SN.

2. The SN was putting up a bag of IV fluids and had forgotten to bring a flush with them and asked me if I could go and grab one for them... My hand went into my pocket and I pulled out a flush.

3. I was providing pressure relief for a patient with another CSW and they noticed that the patient had a small op-site dressing on their back that needed changing and said they would go and grab one from the treatment room... I got them to put their hand in my pocket and they pulled out a small op-site dressing.

4. I was helping a foundation yr1 Doctor who was cannulating a patient with dementia by talking to them to keep them calm when the Doctor dropped the bung from the cannula... I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a bung.

5. I was chatting to one of the CSW's who were filling in a patients 'MUST' when they said that they were just going to get the BMI chart to work out what the patient BMI score was... I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a BMI calculator disk.

6. The SN was filling in a patients 'Falls risk' care plan and was going through their drugs chart and was filling in the section for 'is the patient on 4 or more medications'. They ticked the box for 'yes'  when I chirped up and pointed out that it was talking about medication from the falls risk list. They looked at me, 'What list?'... I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a folded up A4 piece of paper with a list of medications and handed it over.

This then resulted in the following conversation:

'Your pockets are like Mary Poppins handbag. What do you have in your pockets?'

'What have you got in your pockets!?!'

'My handover, my phone and my lip gloss.'

Ok... Everything you need to survive the day.'

I giggled and asked if I could borrow their lip gloss before emptying out my pockets...

'What have I got in my pockets? I have... a packet of sterile gauze swabs, a small op-site dressing, 2 x saline flush, 2 x IV bungs, tape, clinical skills pocket guide, drugs pocket guide, BMI calculator disk, RCN blood results, MUST height/BMI tape measure, falls risk drug list, antibiotics list, colorectal operations guide and my note book with wound tape measure, venepuncture guide, constructive writing guide and orthopaedic operations notes/pictures I've done.'

'Wow... that's a lot of things... you're like a REAL nurse! If we run out of things I will come to you 1st as its all in your pockets. hahaha.'

I like to think that most nurses carry the same amount of crap in their pockets as me.  Ive been in enough situations at work to know that you should hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Anyway it's time to go get dinner on the go so I will love you... and leave you :)

              

                                

Hard done to...

'You rise,
you fall,
you're down then you rise again.
What don't kill you'll make you more strong'

Metallica, 2008

The time was 20.45 and I was walking off  the ward from a shift that should have finished at 20.00.  Now I know that nurses getting off shift late is nothing new - when I was a CSW I was one of two members of staff who would stay late to make sure that someone was on hand for the patients while handover was taking place, but it was the reason behind me getting off late that was bugging me... *Insert flash back sceen from a movie*

I was co-running a bay with the trauma coordinator (nothing new), but due to staffing levels and a busy A&E they didn't get much time in the bay meaning it was me all the way.  The other bays had a RGN and a CSW in them while my bay had the trauma nurse and me... Or in reality it was me and the wandering dementia patient.  This mean't that when it came to things like giving pressure care the other bays had 2 people while I had just me.  I did try asking the dementia patient acting as my shadow if they wanted to help but all I got was the reply 'Don't be so stupid. I don't know why i like you so much... You're a bloody idiot.' (I do love dementia patients. LoL).  When I asked the trauma nurse if they could help me all I got was 'Im busy, go and ask one of the other CSWs to help you.'  Busy...? Busy...? You have been sat on your arse for the last 1/2hr with a cuppa laughing with one of the RGNs!  Needless to say I smiled and walked off whistling 'Fuck You' by Damage Plan (I'm such a nice person... honestly!).  By 19.00 I managed to park my cute tush next to one of the RGNs to start my writing.  This lasted all of 5min before one of the CSWs came and asked the RGN if they were free to help them provide pressure care to a few patients... 'Im doing my writing Shane will help you.'  I looked at the RGN thinking it was a joke only to realise they had not even looked up from their notes.  With a look that obviously said 'Are you taking the piss!' I closed the 1st set of notes, put my arm round the CSWs shoulder and walked off saying 'Come on my wee Irish tinker, I will help you... MY WRITING CAN WAIT I GUESS.'.  In the end I ended up spending the remaining hour helping the patients get settled for the night.  Once handover had finished the RGN who was 'working' with turned to me and said 'Come on, time to go... Oh, how much have you got left? Ah right... Well I can't really stay im afraid...'  And with that walked off the ward leaving me looking round at the night staff... 'Anyone for a cuppa then...?' 

It sometimes feels like my role as a trainee AP is abused.  Yes I can do all the careplans, yes I can do all the hands on care... But even someone as awesome as me can't do the work of 2 people at the same time. Sorry.  I guess that whatever don't kill ya will only make ya stronger.

And on that note I will say TTFN peeps :)