please...

visit my new blog! I think I'm going to throw the towel in for this one. :) It's just too much work to maintain two...

Drumroll please...

www.pamirn.blogspot.com

Nurses still wear caps?

Did you know that in some parts of the world, registered nurses still wear those white caps? And they still wear white stockings? And they still wear white dresses or outfits? Yes, it's true! Yesterday I went with my dad to one of the major hospitals over here and I snuck a few pictures of the nurses (hence the lame shots). These hospitals are state-of-the-art, top-notch hospitals!!
Can you imagine what would happen if US nurses were still required to wear the caps? I'm glad I don't have to wear it, but it some ways it would be helpful for our patients to identify us as the RNs. With so many allied health professionals in the hospitals (nurses aids, doctors, occupational therapists, speech therapists, house-keeping, physical therapists, etc, etc, etc) all wearing scrubs, patients often get confused who the nurse is...the person ultimately in charge of their minute-by-minute care. Hmmmm...something to think about.

Been a While

I've turned into a horrid blogger! I was doing so well. But I refuse to give up and phase out. :)

Part of the reason for the long absence is because I've been scrambling to get ready for my trip to the Philippines in just two weeks! I've been sending out newsletters, applying to Action, working like crazy, moving to a new city, etc...

The big news in the blogospheric world is that I've started a NEW blog. No...I'm not giving up on this one, but this new blog is expressly for my missionary work. Hospital related stories will stay on this site. I may decide to merge them down the road, but I created the new site that has a shorter address so people can find it easier. So if you want to stay on top of that particular adventure, look for my other blogs or e-mail me for the address.

Giving

We've all heard the saying (it's Biblical!) that giving is better than receiving. And yet on Christmas morning as a kid, it was SO much better to receive! :-)

The other day I had an older gentleman for a patient. I had been warned by the day shift that he was quite the talker, which is pretty amazing considering he had just come out of surgery. Nonetheless, I realized what the day nurse meant as soon as I stepped in the room and introduced myself. He lamented that I hadn't been able to meet his dear wife as she had just left for the night. Then he got this undeniable twinkle in his eye as he said, "you know, I still bring her breakfast in bed every morning that I can!" He went on to say that he never used to buy the saying that giving was better than receiving, but ever since he started to really serve his wife, he had experienced a major change of heart. And this was no cold cereal and fruit. This was poached eggs, bacon, pancakes, smoothies...the whole nine yards. He said that ever since he'd gotten sick, there was now a fun war in their home as to whom could get breakfast for the other first! What a delightful man.

It made me realize that is what I want in life. Not just marriage, though I think service is key to a good and healthy marriage, but also life in general. Today's culture screams out at us that #1 is the most important person in the world: we don't love ourselves enough, we don't take care of ourselves, we're too self-sacrificing. The rate of prescribed anti-depressants has sky-rocketed. I don't just think that it's because it was previously underdiagnosed (though it HAS been underdiagnosed in some circumstances). I personally believe that some of it is because as the attention is turned inward rather than outward, people don't like what they see, but they don't know how to change it other than passing the buck to everyone else for all their problems. However, when we turn our attention outward, focusing on giving to others rather than constantly expecting to be on the receiving end, we find ourselves pleasantly surprised at how happy we become.

"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" - Acts 20:35

Not just another holiday

Today is Memorial Day. CNN had a poll asking if "we" thought that Memorial Day had lost its meaning. Is it just another day to sleep in? Spend time with family? Throw a couple steaks on the grill? Or is really a day to remember the fallen heroes and those who serve our country to protect our rights and the rights of others...

Having grown up in a different culture, I remember always being awed when we would come back to the States. The clean roads, closed sewage systems, potable drinking water from the tap, no street kids... I never took that for granted. Now that I've lived here for 8 years, I find myself beginning to develop the calloused heart that I found so concerning in the average American on the street when I first came here.

So what is Memorial Day if it's not just another holiday? As a believer, I think it holds deeper meaning. Yes, it is a time to remember those who have given their lives and personal freedoms so that we can keep ours. I know several veterans who have lost their lives for my country. And I know so many more who carry both physical and emotional wounds from war. To them, I am grateful beyond words. I never want to make light of their sacrifice for us.

But the deeper meaning lies in the ultimate sacrifice of the ultimate war. Christ gave up His life so that we could have freedom beyond our understanding. The war is for our eternity, the sacrifice is the cross. But the beauty of Christ's ultimate sacrifice is that we can rejoice in it. For by His stripes we are healed...For many Americans, it can be hard to equate the sacrifice of our servicemen when we don't see the suffering other parts of the world experience without the freedoms we have. But we all experience life without the greatest freedom of all. Christ's sacrifice is absolutely personal, worth appreciating, and worth accepting. For this, I am truly grateful.

Quite possibly the best invention ever!

Ever since I started working nights, I've tried to be creative with finding ways, nonpharmacologic ways, to help me sleep during the day. I tried draping dark blankets around my bed, cheap eye masks, etc... but I'm still suffering from "work-lag." This is the time between 3am-7am that I can't sleep, no matter what time I went to bed or what I have going on that day. While this waking up in the middle of the night isn't ideal, it is giving me time to have my devos in solitude and quietness. I've been praying that I'd be more motivated and I guess this is God's answer!

BUT, I have found a most excellent eye-mask. It's made of that memory foam stuff and lets in zero light...I mean ZERO light. It's a bit spendy: $35, but so worth it if you really want to sleep. It has little pockets inside that hold it away from the eyes so there's no pressure on the eyes. So lovely.

So while I think I should get some compensation for this little plug, if you want a good eye-mask, go to Brookstone and get it. Seriously amazing.

Hmmm...what to say...

It's been a while since I've posted. Not because there hasn't been much going on, quite the opposite. I cannot wait for this semester to be over with so that I can really focus on work. The timing is actually quite impeccable. The week school is over is the same week I start as an RN "on my own." (Anyone else have Les Mis running through their head now?) For the last 9 weeks I've had another RN shadowing me, helping precept me to the life of a new nurse.

One quick story: I had a south Asian patient the other day who didn't speak more than 5 words of English: NO!, yes, sank you, there, and fix. We struggled all night as she wanted her curtain, pillows, blankets, and gown JUST so. After going in to her room about 3-5 times an hour all night, we ended the shift with her morning meds. When I walked in, she motioned brushing her teeth. I finally put my foot down and said that the nursing aid would help her brush her teeth AFTER she took her meds. Every two minutes after that she was calling for us so she could brush her teeth. By now I was thoroughly frustrated. My aid was busy so I gave her a toothbrush and paste only to hear a resounding, "NO!" She wanted to walk to the sink. Alright, I know what it's like to be in the hospital, so I'll go with it. I got her to the sink when she suddenly grasped my arm in a death grip. These little old ladies are STRONG! She started motioning something about her tongue. Clueless I grabbed every supply I could think of, hearing only, "no!" every time. Finally I grabbed the basin with all her toiletries from beside her bed. She pounced on this curved, ornate silver object and proceeded to scrape her tongue. Of course, why didn't I think of a tongue scraper. grrrr...

I was so ready to pass this lady on to the day shift and warned them that she was very needy and used to being the matriarch. As we were walking out of the room, she grabbed my hand and said very clearly, "I love you!" Sigh...you just can't hate them for long.

<---her tongue scraper was much fancier than this...