jokes? English Speaking?

Nurses are a curious lot. So many personality types. It's no surprise all the Filipina nurses are still talking in Tagalog, Bisaya etc even at work. Of course the other staff will mimic us and say "nama kahagata ata aga bagata". That's how we sound to them. And we get "the eye" sometimes to warn us to shift back to English, which we readily do. I still catch myself saying words twice, first in the Filipino-English way-cough is "kaf", followed by "kof" to correct my ACCENT and you'll see the expression on your patient's face when she understands (finally) what you mean. We do appreciate our patients who have to put up with our accents especially since not all Pinays will change the way they speak. Think "telepoan" and "wats dat?"
O sige, babay na.

saline locks,heparin locks and such stuffs

It's been awhile, but just to let you nurses in the old country a little taste of nursing in the USA, we seldom keep patients (at least the doctors don't) on iv fluids for a long time on a keep vein open anymore. We get patients with a saline lock(hep lock works the same way) or maybe two if they are in telemetry and anytime an iv is ordered, we just hook them up. Of course, the iv sites need to be replaced every 3 days and the iv tubing every 24 hours. Infusion pumps are routine here too. I wonder if we use these saline locks routinely in the Philippines already?

Another kidnapping,another day in the Philippines

This morning Ces Drilon was released by the group that kidnapped her and 2 others in the southern Philippines. This is life in the Philippines. Full of drama, chaos, uncertainty. I sometimes forget how different life is in the country,compared to the serene,peaceful life in the USA. Still, we have grown to expect the unexpected. Hopefully, we learn to sway like the mighty bamboo. Inspite of these events, the country calls to all its sons and daughters. Ive always said that to those who have a little money to spend, who are in relatively good health,and who have family here, the Philippines is a secret paradise, rich in natural resources, full of sunshine and smiling people, and the only place to retire.

Hi. It s been a while but browsing around the blog world gets you fired up again. I wanted to blog my real life experiences but part of me wants to remain anonymous. But like a great public speaker or a great stand up comedian, those who blog about themselves are those that appear sincere and touch our hearts. Im going for a vacation in the Philippines and suddenly every day is a little better, every difficult unenjoyable task gets lighter, because it gets me closer to the day we can go back home and enjoy all true and familiar things. So what is it about the country that we miss, even while we are surrounded by all the best that money can buy here? Even if we drive around in an expensive car, (borrowed,of course), nothing beats my 8 year old compact car in RP. And the friends? Sisters and family and brothers and neignbors.I know you can make a home anywhere you find yourself with your husband and kids but if I had my way and didnt need to think of security and money terms, back to the old country I d go in a heartbeat. The journey continues and we carve our own paths. When we get back here, Ill start all over again, maybe in a new job, a new place, who knows? Being a nurse affords me the luxury of finding a job anywhere and anytime. In the meantime, pack those spams and soaps and towels for pasalubong and get ready for some serious fun in my hometown.

elopement

For us Filipinos elopement means going away with someone to get married secretly. But here, especially in hospitals and nursing homes, elopement means to run away, escape, walk away or get away unsupervised from the facility. This ia a major event, as harm could befall a patient which was supposed to be under your care. The steps we take are simple.1.Do a head count.Even if you are sure who is missing, someone else might be missing, too. Everyone should start looking.2.Look outside the facility while doing the head count.3. Sound an alarm, like a Code Houdini(missing person) and notify the family members, the attending doctor and the police . You should also look at your facility's own operating procedures. Once found, conduct a thorough examination of the patient to ensure any injuries are detected. Modify the care plan as necessary. Many times a resident is found wandering away a few feet from the exit, but occassionally, they have gone and round a bus back to their homes.
Every patient should be evaluated regarding the risk of elopement upon admission, and
care designed according to this risk.

"Eat the young"

Last week we had a small problem in the unit. We were given a new nurse manager, but she was a little younger and not that old in nursing. So did we "eat the young" as they say? and pick on the youngest? Not really, but she did get a request for a meeting from the older ones and we gave her a piece of our mind. Not that we feel superior, but what was supposed to be our team leader became some sort of a policeman. Do this do that, you didnt do this, etc. And she said she had to work overtime so we wouldnt get in trouble because of the sloppy work. Of course that was the end of that. The moral I guess is, we have to learn to work together and to be a good manager, you have to be a team player. I told her she was missing the forest for the trees, seeing all the minute details and not seeing the real work we were doing maintaining the unit safe and the patients safe, not having medication errors and not getting injuries and missing patients. The one thing we were glad was we talked to her and didnt go to our superiors like we were told.

art supplies

Hi. Yesterday, I had a nice chat with a patient. He is an artist and is retired now. I asked him where one can buy art supplies and he said, as a struggling artist, they used to buy art supplies, oil paints and other stuff from New York at a store in Third Avenue. I think that s the New York Central Art Supply store. Here s their website: www.nycentralart.com