Recycling???????????????

    This is a true rendition of an event i will never forget that happened to me about 10 years ago in my office.

A patient came in complaining that the new medicine i had given him for his high blood pressure was no good. My nurse asked him what he meant as his blood pressure was much better controlled now on it. He stated that he could see the pill in his stool almost everyday.( this is called a ghost tablet as the medicine comes out a small hole in the end of the capsule due to an osmotic gradient created in the GI tract). He then told her he wasn't about to waste them so he would pick them out of his stool rinse it off and take it again!!!! I gently described to him what he was seeing and told him that was normal and he didn't have to do that anymore as it was working quite well for him. He agreed and left the office. When the office heard about this you can imagine the reaction everyone had. It was quite the topic for a few weeks after that!!!

     Joke for today:   Why did the Beatles break up?

                               ( They started to bug each other!)

                                                                               
                                                                                   11-29-11

                                                                                   <p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=902">Image: Dr Joseph Valks / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>

My Nephew Wants to go to Medical School!

     I am back from a short three day trip to northwest Arkansas to visit family.
     Many of us that have worked in the healthcare field for a period of years might from time to time feel very negative about our experience. We may allow this to rub off on others who may be considering entering training into the healthcare field.  I have found the most effective way to deal with this is to suggest strongly that the individual find someone to shadow for a few days that are currently working in the area they plan to train for.
     This allows them to see for themselves the reality of what an average day is like for that individual. It would even be a good idea for them to shadow more than one person at two different institutions or offices so they get more than one viewpoint. The problem is that very often it is hard to get them to do this. It seems they are so excited about their plans they don't want anyone to spoil their plans with anything negative. This happened to me with a friends son. I offered to let him come and follow me for as long as he would like several times. He always said he would but never did. He did go to med school and became a primary care physician. I finally heard from his mother ( my friend) a few years after he finished residency. He said he should have listened to me as it hadn't turned out to be what he thought it would be at all. He was very unhappy and it was already putting pressure on his new marriage.
       If they want to sit down with you after their experience and ask you specific questions about your specific viewpoint that is fine. I suggest they write their questions down and allow you to review them ahead of time so you will have time time to give them carefully thought out answers without negative emotions. There are so many variables that each of us have experienced in our education, clinics and workplaces that we have to be careful not to apply them generally to all situations.
    I do not want to imply that everyone in healthcare is unhappy or wished they had chosen another field to work in. It can actually be one of the most rewarding jobs out there. The pay is usually good and you have the opportunity, everyday to really touch peoples lives. I just think that it is important that anyone entering the field be as informed and educated as possible, so they can make the best choices along the way for themselves and for the right reasons!!!

    Joke for the day!
                    Why did the 25 watt light bulb flunk out of school?
                      (  He wasn't bright enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

               

I went in to this field to help people!

    Most of us actually did enter this field with this goal in mind. Sometimes through the process of training or long sleepless hours, working or studying we start to lose sight of this primary goal. One of the most important things to remember that will replenish this energy and drive is to remember that for the most part we are often much luckier than many of our patients. This is especially true when it comes to our health. As we all know better than anyone else "when you have your health you have everything!"
     So the next time a smoker is admitted for the same problem again and you wonder why the patient continues to smoke and realize there is very little you can do for them, remember it is the patient who cant hardly walk to the mailbox without stopping to rest! Their smoking habit is just that, an addiction that just like any other will gradually take their quality of life from them little by little. Thankfully we as healthcare providers and associates can learn from our patients suffering so maybe we wont have to do the same.
     So what can you do for that patient? Maybe, just be kind and patient with them, and take care of them as well as you possible can so they can feel your love for them as a human being through the quality of your work!

            Joke for today:  What kind of music do they play at Stonehenge?

                                                       (Hard rock!)

                                                                             
                                                                                    11-29-11

                                                                               <p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1395">Image: Rob Wiltshire / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>

It is all about the patient!

     Say whaaa?
     Of course it is all about the patient. That is why we work in this field. To care for and nourish the medical and emotional needs of our patients. Well yes and No! One of  frustrating elements about working in healthcare is that once you are done giving your heart out to one patient (as we know some patients act like they would like to actually to do that to us for no apparent reason) there is another one down the hall or in the next room that need us too. The work is incredibly demanding at times and there never seems to be enough of us to go around.
      Well I am here to tell you if you don't take time out to nourish yourself physically and emotionally you wont last long in this business. Sometimes our coworkers and employers act like we are being selfish when we dare to say "NO" or "Give me a minute to take a break and relax for a few." There are very few jobs where you are required to give of yourself the whole time you are at work. It is unrealistic and unhealthy to have to work under these conditions day after day.
     So the next time you start to feel that overwhelmed frustrated feeling, stop ask somebody to cover for you and take a 5-10 minute break to restore yourself. You will be more productive, feel better about your job and enjoy working with your patients more. Once you make it a habit and others see this they will want some of what you have. Explain to them what you have decided to do to maintain a better balance between your work and yourself. If they question your motives or commitment, move on as you do not owe them an explanation for starting to practice what you preach to your patients and their families.
     I also think the more any of us laugh in a day the better off we will all be. Tell a joke or two. Write them down if you cant remember them and bring them to work. Then take the ones you hear at work and take them home to your family. Your family will start wondering what has happened to you! You are making them laugh instead of telling them how stressful your day was! Have you ever noticed that when you rehash a stressful day or event to someone it usually just makes you feel worse by reliving it again!
     The other most important things to do to balance your life and your health is to eat better even if that just means cutting out as much sugar as you can to start with. You know the drill from here but how often do you really follow it? Last, but not least is to exercise more. I am not only talking about the obvious forms like biking, jogging or going to the gym!!!  Just walk whenever you can. Park your car as far from the door at work and when you shop as possible as long as you are in a safe place and its well lite. Always carry a whistle or some form of personal protection male or female!
      Get the map of all the walking and biking trails in your city or county or the surrounding area, grab the kids or your significant other and the camera and go now!!!! Quit making excuses why you don't have enough time. Buy a small pocketsize book on birds or trees and start looking at nature closer. I will sooth your soul and remind you how dependent we all are on each other.
                                                                        Till Tomorrow.
                                                                           

joke for the day: What is a Grizzly Bear with no teeth called?
                           ( a gummy bear!)


<p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net">Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>

In the Beginning

    Business First then let the dogs out!!!
    The focus of this blog is to restore and replenish us so if you need to share some negative energy that is fine to do occasionally. Please try to balance it with lots of positive uplifting experiences as well. If you don't have that many in your work maybe you will learn here how to make your job easier and more fun. That is our intention when we created this blog on this wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We realized how much we have to be thankful for (inspite of the fact we have had some serious medical problems ourselves to deal with over the last 5-7 years). To quote a friend of ours who always says "I never saw anything that didn't get better." Don't analyse it to much just take it on face value!!!!
    This blog has been created to give anyone with unusual, funny ,witty, crazy, insane stories or events surrounding their experience as a member of the 'Health Care Provider Community' a chance to share them with others. We welcome anyone to join in with their stories and experiences. You can also share your frustrations about the area you work in but primarily this blog is intended to uplift us with levity and all the insane experiences we have been a part of while caring for patients and their families. I myself have been a Family Physician and part time Emergency Room Doc for 25 years. My wife is a Respiratory Therapist of 10 years so we both have plenty of our own experiences we will be adding as well.
     You are also welcome to add anything you have learned that might make someone else's job easier, more productive or more fun. Working in the field of medicine can be very draining physically and emotionally and this blog is here to help prop each other up in some small way so we know we are not alone. Sharing your experiences and feelings in a setting such as this can be very cathartic (make you feel relieved!).
     We do demand that all posts respect the confidentiality of patients, their families, coworkers and yourself. Do not include any information that could be linked to an actual person, place or time please. This is intended to protect you primarily as you are the one who would be held responsible for breaking that trust.
     We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day even if you are working. Remember at least it is not you in the hospital, nursing home or emergency room! It could always be worse!!!! Looking forward to hearing from all of you soon.
                                                                     
                                                                             11-24-12

                                                                        <p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net">Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>