Sunday, October 28, 2007
Division essay - intro
In the nineteen years my husband and I have been together, we have met and socialized with many different people. We have continued some friendships and discontinued others due to a lack of common interests. Through the years I have discovered that couples, including us, can be divided into three groups.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Process essay
"Marj, can you order me an IV pump for 719? Thanks!", Jess, an RN, asks as she rushes by to check on another patient. Before I can call dispatch, the phone rings. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi!" a voice on the line says. "My friend is having a baby. How is she doing?" I transfer the voice to the labor room. I pick up the phone to call dispatch, and the nurse call goes off, room 711. I hang up the phone, and answer the nurse call phone. "Can I help you?" The patient in room 711 asks for pain meds, so I track down her nurse and pass on the message. I finally call dispatch, order the pump, and attempt to enter doctor's medication orders into the computer. And so begins another day as unit secretary on Grant 7.
7:00 am
A new patient has come over from the labor room. The nurse hands me the chart to enter her postpartum orders into the computer. As I start entering her medication into the computer, Jackie, an RN, walks up to me. "Marj, the printer won't work. Could you come and take a look at it?" I follow her to the back room, open the paper tray to the printer, and discover that it's out of paper. As I'm adding paper, I hear the phone ring up front. I hurry to answer it. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi Marj, this is Kellie. Can you order one of my patients some pancakes?" I look at the caller ID. She's calling me from the room behind me. "Sure Kellie. As soon as I get this patient's orders in." I hang up the phone and work on entering the orders. I'm almost finished when the baby alarm goes off. I check the baby monitor and send a nurse to check the baby's electronic band. The phone rings - it's security asking if everything is OK. The baby is fine - just another safe-place malfunction, but better safe than sorry. I cancel the alarm, finish entering the postpartum's orders, and order Kellie's patient some pancakes. I glance at the clock and realize that an hour has gone by already. I get up from my desk and hurry to the kitchen to get some coffee. As soon as I reach the coffeemaker, I hear the nurse call system going off. I grab some coffee and run back to my desk, answer the call, and then hunt for the nurse to give her the message. By the time I get back to my desk, the phone is ringing and my coffee is cold.
12:00 pm
The recovery room calls. "Hey Marj, it's Linda. We'll be bringing that hysterectomy out in 15 minutes. Where is she going?" I check my list. "Put her in 700A - Kellie will be her nurse. See you in 15!" I hang up the phone and hunt for Kellie. "Kellie, 700A in 15!" After 700A's arrival Linda gives me her chart. Oh, great! Dr. G's patient. His orders are always a pain in the ass to enter, as he varies the medication from the order sets in the computer. All the meds he ordered will have to be entered separately. I stare at the chart and try to decipher his horrible penmanship. Is that phenergan? Is that a 2 or a 7? What kind of a test is that? The phone rings. "Hi. May I speak with Jane Doe?" I look at my patient list. "Is Jane having a baby, or has she already had one?" The voice sighs loudly. "No, she had the baby last week, and the baby had to stay. She's there visiting him." I transfer her to pediatrics. I'm now one half of the way through Dr. G's orders for his hysterectomy patient. Jackie drops off a food order for me to enter. "When you have time, Marj, I'd really appreciate it!" Nurse call goes off for three patients. I answer each call and track down their nurses. I walk back to my computer and discover that it has booted me out of the system, and I will have to re-enter Dr. G's orders.
5:00pm
Right on schedule, nurse call goes off. "Can I help you?", I say. "Yes. I didn't like my supper. Could you order me something else?" I take her order and enter it into the computer as nurse call goes off again, three patients at the same time calling out. All want something different to eat, which I enter while answering phone calls and directing visitors to patient rooms. In the meantime, a new patient has come over from the labor room, along with another chart with medications to enter. I field five phone calls, transfer one to the lactation office, help three with locating patients, and transfer one to the charge nurse. Two nurses stop by and hand me charts of patients they have discharged. Lori from housekeeping walks up. "Marj, 712 and 715 have left. Could you discharge them from the computer so I can clean the rooms?" "Sure thing, Lori!", I say as I discharge the patients. It's almost 7:00 pm now, and I think I'm caught up until I look at the floor's inbox almost overflowing onto the floor. Thirty minutes later, the mail is delivered and I am eagerly awaiting my night replacement.
Unit secretaries are definitely underpaid at the hospital. It is amazing that they have so many simultaneous responsibilities while they are entering medication dosages into the computer. EMMC is trying to rectify this by requiring physicians to enter their own orders. Computerized Physician Order Entry, or CPOE, goes live November 1. It will be good for the secretaries, the hospital pharmacy, and especially the patients.
7:00 am
A new patient has come over from the labor room. The nurse hands me the chart to enter her postpartum orders into the computer. As I start entering her medication into the computer, Jackie, an RN, walks up to me. "Marj, the printer won't work. Could you come and take a look at it?" I follow her to the back room, open the paper tray to the printer, and discover that it's out of paper. As I'm adding paper, I hear the phone ring up front. I hurry to answer it. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi Marj, this is Kellie. Can you order one of my patients some pancakes?" I look at the caller ID. She's calling me from the room behind me. "Sure Kellie. As soon as I get this patient's orders in." I hang up the phone and work on entering the orders. I'm almost finished when the baby alarm goes off. I check the baby monitor and send a nurse to check the baby's electronic band. The phone rings - it's security asking if everything is OK. The baby is fine - just another safe-place malfunction, but better safe than sorry. I cancel the alarm, finish entering the postpartum's orders, and order Kellie's patient some pancakes. I glance at the clock and realize that an hour has gone by already. I get up from my desk and hurry to the kitchen to get some coffee. As soon as I reach the coffeemaker, I hear the nurse call system going off. I grab some coffee and run back to my desk, answer the call, and then hunt for the nurse to give her the message. By the time I get back to my desk, the phone is ringing and my coffee is cold.
12:00 pm
The recovery room calls. "Hey Marj, it's Linda. We'll be bringing that hysterectomy out in 15 minutes. Where is she going?" I check my list. "Put her in 700A - Kellie will be her nurse. See you in 15!" I hang up the phone and hunt for Kellie. "Kellie, 700A in 15!" After 700A's arrival Linda gives me her chart. Oh, great! Dr. G's patient. His orders are always a pain in the ass to enter, as he varies the medication from the order sets in the computer. All the meds he ordered will have to be entered separately. I stare at the chart and try to decipher his horrible penmanship. Is that phenergan? Is that a 2 or a 7? What kind of a test is that? The phone rings. "Hi. May I speak with Jane Doe?" I look at my patient list. "Is Jane having a baby, or has she already had one?" The voice sighs loudly. "No, she had the baby last week, and the baby had to stay. She's there visiting him." I transfer her to pediatrics. I'm now one half of the way through Dr. G's orders for his hysterectomy patient. Jackie drops off a food order for me to enter. "When you have time, Marj, I'd really appreciate it!" Nurse call goes off for three patients. I answer each call and track down their nurses. I walk back to my computer and discover that it has booted me out of the system, and I will have to re-enter Dr. G's orders.
5:00pm
Right on schedule, nurse call goes off. "Can I help you?", I say. "Yes. I didn't like my supper. Could you order me something else?" I take her order and enter it into the computer as nurse call goes off again, three patients at the same time calling out. All want something different to eat, which I enter while answering phone calls and directing visitors to patient rooms. In the meantime, a new patient has come over from the labor room, along with another chart with medications to enter. I field five phone calls, transfer one to the lactation office, help three with locating patients, and transfer one to the charge nurse. Two nurses stop by and hand me charts of patients they have discharged. Lori from housekeeping walks up. "Marj, 712 and 715 have left. Could you discharge them from the computer so I can clean the rooms?" "Sure thing, Lori!", I say as I discharge the patients. It's almost 7:00 pm now, and I think I'm caught up until I look at the floor's inbox almost overflowing onto the floor. Thirty minutes later, the mail is delivered and I am eagerly awaiting my night replacement.
Unit secretaries are definitely underpaid at the hospital. It is amazing that they have so many simultaneous responsibilities while they are entering medication dosages into the computer. EMMC is trying to rectify this by requiring physicians to enter their own orders. Computerized Physician Order Entry, or CPOE, goes live November 1. It will be good for the secretaries, the hospital pharmacy, and especially the patients.
Intro - process essay
"Marj, can you order me an IV pump for 719? Thanks!", Jess, an RN, asks as she rushes by to check on another patient. Before I can call dispatch, the phone rings. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi!" a voice on the line says. "My friend is having a baby. How is she doing?" I transfer the voice to the labor room. I pick up the phone to call dispatch, and the nurse call goes off, room 711. I hang up the phone, and answer the nurse call phone. "Can I help you?" The patient in room 711 asks for pain meds, so I track down her nurse and pass on the message. I finally call dispatch, order the pump, and attempt to enter doctor's medication orders into the computer. And so begins another day as unit secretary on Grant 7.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Redo of Graf #10
I have to say that I love the internet! When I was in high school twenty years ago, research involved getting at least fifty pounds of books from the library. I would then spend hours going through each book, sometimes getting only one page of information out of a 300 page book. My kids have no idea how good they have it - they grab their laptops, curl up on the couch by the woodstove, and within an hour they have a ton of sources for their projects. I definitely believe that having such great access to information via the internet promotes better research and more informative reports.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
early bibliography
"Advisor Team and Keirsey Present Your Temperment." Google. 19 September 2007 http://home.comcast.net/~neptunec/taking_it_to_the_net_2.htm
This was interesting. It is a detailed profile of my Keirsey temperment.
"An Internet Study of the Basic Dimensions of Personality." Google. 19 September 2007
http://test.personality-project.org/
This test was from Northwestern University.
"Bloginality Weblogger Personality" Google. September 2007
http://bloginality.love-productions.com/
This site was not very helpful - too few questions to pinpoint a personality type.
"Human Metrics - Jung Typology Test." Google. 19 September 2007 http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
This was the Jung typology test.
"Keirsey Temperment Sorter-II." Google. 19 September 2007
http://www.advisorteam.com/temperament_sorter/register.asp?partid=1
This test was the Keirsey temperment sorter.
"Typelogic test links." Google. 19 September 2007 http://typelogic.com/typelinks.shtml#tests
This website was great. It gave links to many different tests.
This was interesting. It is a detailed profile of my Keirsey temperment.
"An Internet Study of the Basic Dimensions of Personality." Google. 19 September 2007
http://test.personality-project.org/
This test was from Northwestern University.
"Bloginality Weblogger Personality" Google. September 2007
http://bloginality.love-productions.com/
This site was not very helpful - too few questions to pinpoint a personality type.
"Human Metrics - Jung Typology Test." Google. 19 September 2007 http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
This was the Jung typology test.
"Keirsey Temperment Sorter-II." Google. 19 September 2007
http://www.advisorteam.com/temperament_sorter/register.asp?partid=1
This test was the Keirsey temperment sorter.
"Typelogic test links." Google. 19 September 2007 http://typelogic.com/typelinks.shtml#tests
This website was great. It gave links to many different tests.
Graf #10
For my I-search, the first thing I researched was personality and career questionnaires. I took quite a few of them and compared the results. The results opened up a few more job possibilities that I hadn't previously thought of, such as human resources and social work. I then researched government job websites to look into these different jobs to see what the qualifications were. Looking at both the State of Maine and U.S. government job websites brought up a few more job possibilities that I never even knew existed. This knowledge brought up one of my questions, however - how would the hours fit into my schedule? However, would the government pay and benefits be worth possibly missing a few school activities here and there? One important thing that I haven't considered regarding my kids is the fact that one will have a driver's license in a few years, which will help tremendously when either needs a ride to or from school.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Contrast essay
My husband, Paul and his brother, Ralph were raised in a devoutly Baptist family. The Christian family of mother, father and three sons went to church every Wednesday and twice on Sunday. The five of them went on many camping trips together. The boys played different sports, and their parents attended many games throughout the years. Their parents raised them with good family values. With an identical upbringing, one would expect Paul and Ralph to be alike, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Despite being raised in the same family, these two men are very different. From their teen years to their present family life, it's hard to believe that they were brought up together.
Paul and Ralph had a good family life growing up. Paul was the "good son." He was quiet in school and stayed out of trouble during his teen years. His brother, Ralph, on the other hand, was a teen rebel. He constantly skipped school, smoked pot and took drugs. He got into so much trouble that Paul's parents enrolled their youngest son in Bangor Christian, fearful that he would follow in Ralph's footsteps.
As the years went by, Paul and Ralph each got married and started families. Paul and I married and had our first child five years later and our second two years after that. Unlike Paul, Ralph didn't want to get married. However, his girlfiend got pregnant and they married four months before their daughter was born. Their second child came a few years later. Paul enjoyed family life, and we rarely went out without our children. Conversely, Ralph's kids spent most weekends and all summer with Ralph's parents, so he and his wife could go out with their friends and not be tied down. As for family vacations, Paul and I take our kids somewhere every year, as we believe it's educational for them to see different places. We went on one vacation without our kids and missed them terribly. Contrarily, Ralph takes his wife on two vacations every year without their kids. Whether it's a cruise or a trip to Las Vegas, the kids are left home alone.
Paul has encouraged his boys to play sports, and attends every event. If the kids need a ride home from a dance late at night, Paul always goes to get them. Unlike Paul, when Ralph's kids played sports, it was their grandparents that watched them and gave them rides home, as Ralph "didn't have the time". If Ralph's kids went to a dance or late night game, they would have to find a ride home.
These two men, despite being raised together, have totally different family values and priorities. Paul is a family man who puts his children first. Ralph would rather go out with friends than stay home with his kids. Unfortunately, there are consequences - Ralph's son is a juvenile delinquent and his daughter is an unwed mom getting ready to go on welfare. Paul's sons have an excellent reputation at their schools and are active in sports and other school activities. Perhaps if Paul's brother had followed his parents' example, he would have done a better job parenting.
Paul and Ralph had a good family life growing up. Paul was the "good son." He was quiet in school and stayed out of trouble during his teen years. His brother, Ralph, on the other hand, was a teen rebel. He constantly skipped school, smoked pot and took drugs. He got into so much trouble that Paul's parents enrolled their youngest son in Bangor Christian, fearful that he would follow in Ralph's footsteps.
As the years went by, Paul and Ralph each got married and started families. Paul and I married and had our first child five years later and our second two years after that. Unlike Paul, Ralph didn't want to get married. However, his girlfiend got pregnant and they married four months before their daughter was born. Their second child came a few years later. Paul enjoyed family life, and we rarely went out without our children. Conversely, Ralph's kids spent most weekends and all summer with Ralph's parents, so he and his wife could go out with their friends and not be tied down. As for family vacations, Paul and I take our kids somewhere every year, as we believe it's educational for them to see different places. We went on one vacation without our kids and missed them terribly. Contrarily, Ralph takes his wife on two vacations every year without their kids. Whether it's a cruise or a trip to Las Vegas, the kids are left home alone.
Paul has encouraged his boys to play sports, and attends every event. If the kids need a ride home from a dance late at night, Paul always goes to get them. Unlike Paul, when Ralph's kids played sports, it was their grandparents that watched them and gave them rides home, as Ralph "didn't have the time". If Ralph's kids went to a dance or late night game, they would have to find a ride home.
These two men, despite being raised together, have totally different family values and priorities. Paul is a family man who puts his children first. Ralph would rather go out with friends than stay home with his kids. Unfortunately, there are consequences - Ralph's son is a juvenile delinquent and his daughter is an unwed mom getting ready to go on welfare. Paul's sons have an excellent reputation at their schools and are active in sports and other school activities. Perhaps if Paul's brother had followed his parents' example, he would have done a better job parenting.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
What I know - I-search
I know that I like working with people. I don't especially like working weekends, and I hate working holidays. I don't like sitting all day, but I'm not sure how I will feel on my feet all day when I'm 50. I am getting ready to start a new job at the hospital as a CNA. I expect that I will like it, as I'm told the floor I will be working on is very fast-paced. Grant 5 has a wide variety of patients, so I won't likely get bored. I need to be constantly challenged. I am expecting that the hospital or another healthcare setting is where I will find myself the happiest. There are many departments that are closed weekends and holidays. But who knows? There are so many other possibilities out there, from human resources to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
It is also extremely important to me to have a job that allows me to attend my kids' school and sporting events. Right now I work some weekends to give me time off during the week to be available for the kids. The problem with working weekends is that I am missing family time, when all four of us would be together.
If, after all my research, I am unable to come up with the perfect job for me, I hope I can find something that is a close second that I will be happy with for the next five years, until the boys are out of high school.
It is also extremely important to me to have a job that allows me to attend my kids' school and sporting events. Right now I work some weekends to give me time off during the week to be available for the kids. The problem with working weekends is that I am missing family time, when all four of us would be together.
If, after all my research, I am unable to come up with the perfect job for me, I hope I can find something that is a close second that I will be happy with for the next five years, until the boys are out of high school.
Intro #3 - contrast essay
My husband, Paul and his brother, Ralph were raised in a devoutly Baptist family. The Christian family of mother, father and three sons went to church every Wednesday and twice on Sunday. The five of them went on many camping trips together. The boys played different sports, and their parents attended many games throughout the years. Their parents raised them with good family values. With an identical upbringing, one would expect Paul and Ralph to be alike, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Despite being raised in the same family, these two men are very different. From their teen years to their present family life, it's hard to believe that they were brought up together.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Intro #2 - Contrast essay
My husband, Paul, and his brother were raised in a devoutly Baptist family and were taught good family values during their childhood. However, despite being in the same family and having an identical upbringing, they are two very different men.
Intro #1 - Contrast essay
My husband and his brother may have come from the same set of parents, but they couldn't be more different from each other. From the teen years to their present family life, it's hard to believe that they were raised together.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I-Search "Why"
The reason that I'm doing my I-search on finding the best job for my personality, that also meshes well with my family life is obvious. I want to find the job that's right for me. I don't want to be "job-hopper", changing jobs every year or so when I get bored. I want to be happy with what I'm doing - who doesn't? I want to research many different types of jobs to make a determination of what is best for me. I have watched friends go to school for four years, get a degree, and two years later quit their profession because they hate it. I don't want to be like them.
I currently work twelve hour shifts at EMMC. It sounded perfect when I started - five days off a week. The twelve hour shifts proved to be grueling, especially when you work all weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The shift is actually 7am to 7:30pm, which of course would be thirty seven 1/2 hours in three days. There are other options to investigate - eight hour shifts, which I will be starting in a few weeks in another department, medical office work, which would be Monday through Friday and no holidays, and overnight shifts, which pay more. Unfortunately, I don't think my body was made for overnight shifts.
With each type of job, there are even more options as to the setting I might work in. For example, as a CNA I could work in a hospital, nursing home, hospice, home health, doctor's office, psychiatric facility, and private duty. As an RN, I would have the same options plus school nurse, management, and teaching, all with much better pay than a CNA, but less hands on patient care.
Health care positions are in great abundance, but most require you to work holidays and weekends, and EMMC only allows employees one week of vacation time in the summer.
I would like to find out if healthcare is the best place for me, or would I be better suited back at a school, with weekends, holidays and summers off, an office as a secretary or assistant, or maybe even the DMV or a human resourses department. Each potential position brings up more questions. Would I like this job? Will it suit my personality? Will the hours work with my home life? Will I be continually challenged? Will I be happy? Will I be able to find a job that meets all this criteria, or will I have to settle for something else for now and start this job in five years when my kids are out of school? Hopefully, by the end of my I-search I will have my answers.
I currently work twelve hour shifts at EMMC. It sounded perfect when I started - five days off a week. The twelve hour shifts proved to be grueling, especially when you work all weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The shift is actually 7am to 7:30pm, which of course would be thirty seven 1/2 hours in three days. There are other options to investigate - eight hour shifts, which I will be starting in a few weeks in another department, medical office work, which would be Monday through Friday and no holidays, and overnight shifts, which pay more. Unfortunately, I don't think my body was made for overnight shifts.
With each type of job, there are even more options as to the setting I might work in. For example, as a CNA I could work in a hospital, nursing home, hospice, home health, doctor's office, psychiatric facility, and private duty. As an RN, I would have the same options plus school nurse, management, and teaching, all with much better pay than a CNA, but less hands on patient care.
Health care positions are in great abundance, but most require you to work holidays and weekends, and EMMC only allows employees one week of vacation time in the summer.
I would like to find out if healthcare is the best place for me, or would I be better suited back at a school, with weekends, holidays and summers off, an office as a secretary or assistant, or maybe even the DMV or a human resourses department. Each potential position brings up more questions. Would I like this job? Will it suit my personality? Will the hours work with my home life? Will I be continually challenged? Will I be happy? Will I be able to find a job that meets all this criteria, or will I have to settle for something else for now and start this job in five years when my kids are out of school? Hopefully, by the end of my I-search I will have my answers.
Classification essay
There are people who think that the nurses on the maternity ward at EMMC have it so easy -- they get to hold babies all day long! I'm sure that they wish that this were true, but their job is to take care of the postpartum patient and her child. Usually, this is a happy job, but not always. Sometimes, there are high risk moms, desperate to carry a baby to term, who receive a memory box instead of a newborn baby. Thankfully, there is a much higher percentage of ordinary moms who get pregnant, come in, deliver a healthy baby, and go home. The last type, with a startling increase in numbers, is the woman addicted to drugs, who gives birth to a drug addicted baby that has to detox in a special unit. These three types of women make up the majority of the patient population on our floor.
The first type of mother I've seen on Grant 7 is the desperate mom. She would do absolutely anything to ensure the well being of her unborn child. Some of these pregnant women are on strict bed rest - they can't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom. They lay in bed in the Trendelenburg position, which means that their head is slanted lower than the rest of their body, in the hope that their unborn child will slide back farther into the uterus. With these babies every week left inside their mother greatly increases their chance of survival. Some women are on bed rest for months. Despite all efforts, sometimes these desperate women go through it all and still end up losing their baby. There aren't many things more heartbreaking than a postpartum woman holding a deceased newborn all day long. These women are given a memory box. It contains an outfit the baby was dressed in, footprints, handprints, usually a picture of the baby, the blanket the baby was wrapped in, and a lock of hair if possible.
The second type of mother is the ordinary, everyday mom. They have had a normal pregnancy and come to the hospital with their husbands. Older siblings excitedly come to see the new baby. This is, of course, a very happy time for these families. Most take it for granted that they will have a normal pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby. They usually have no idea of the ordeal of the desperate moms. We smile as big brother or sister, usually a small child, toddles by with a little munchkin voice.
The last type of mom is trash. These women abuse drugs and alcohol throughout their pregnancy. They don't care that this can cause irreversible damage to their innocent, unborn child. These poor babies have to detox for a week or two before leaving the hospital. If they're lucky, they don't go home with Mom. One woman came in by ambulance. She was covered in crystal meth sores. Apparently, she was too stoned to know that she was in labor, and had given birth in a friend's bathroom. Her baby was absolutely beautiful. The day she came in, still under the influence of drugs, a desperate mom's baby lost its fight for life in our neonatal ICU. Another woman at least made it to the labor room to have her baby. However, being stoned, she wore her sunglasses the entire time and sat on the toilet, fully clothed, until her nurse said that she didn't deliver babies in underwear or on the toilet. Shortly after the baby's birth, this woman couldn't wait to get off of our floor. She wanted to go "to the cafeteria". When she came to the desk to tell me that she was going off the floor I had to hide my revulsion. She had sores on her face, many missing or rotted teeth, and she wouldn't look me in the eye because she was still high.
All women, rich or poor, married or not, naturalist or drug addict have the right to the same quality of health care. The nurses on Grant 7 should be commended for putting their feelings aside and delivering excellent care to all mothers. I'm not sure if I could be so non-judgemental. Despite the circumstances surrounding some pregnancies and deliveries, all newborns are innocent little miracles and are cherished while on Grant 7. Hopefully, when they arrive home, they are cherished there as well.
The first type of mother I've seen on Grant 7 is the desperate mom. She would do absolutely anything to ensure the well being of her unborn child. Some of these pregnant women are on strict bed rest - they can't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom. They lay in bed in the Trendelenburg position, which means that their head is slanted lower than the rest of their body, in the hope that their unborn child will slide back farther into the uterus. With these babies every week left inside their mother greatly increases their chance of survival. Some women are on bed rest for months. Despite all efforts, sometimes these desperate women go through it all and still end up losing their baby. There aren't many things more heartbreaking than a postpartum woman holding a deceased newborn all day long. These women are given a memory box. It contains an outfit the baby was dressed in, footprints, handprints, usually a picture of the baby, the blanket the baby was wrapped in, and a lock of hair if possible.
The second type of mother is the ordinary, everyday mom. They have had a normal pregnancy and come to the hospital with their husbands. Older siblings excitedly come to see the new baby. This is, of course, a very happy time for these families. Most take it for granted that they will have a normal pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby. They usually have no idea of the ordeal of the desperate moms. We smile as big brother or sister, usually a small child, toddles by with a little munchkin voice.
The last type of mom is trash. These women abuse drugs and alcohol throughout their pregnancy. They don't care that this can cause irreversible damage to their innocent, unborn child. These poor babies have to detox for a week or two before leaving the hospital. If they're lucky, they don't go home with Mom. One woman came in by ambulance. She was covered in crystal meth sores. Apparently, she was too stoned to know that she was in labor, and had given birth in a friend's bathroom. Her baby was absolutely beautiful. The day she came in, still under the influence of drugs, a desperate mom's baby lost its fight for life in our neonatal ICU. Another woman at least made it to the labor room to have her baby. However, being stoned, she wore her sunglasses the entire time and sat on the toilet, fully clothed, until her nurse said that she didn't deliver babies in underwear or on the toilet. Shortly after the baby's birth, this woman couldn't wait to get off of our floor. She wanted to go "to the cafeteria". When she came to the desk to tell me that she was going off the floor I had to hide my revulsion. She had sores on her face, many missing or rotted teeth, and she wouldn't look me in the eye because she was still high.
All women, rich or poor, married or not, naturalist or drug addict have the right to the same quality of health care. The nurses on Grant 7 should be commended for putting their feelings aside and delivering excellent care to all mothers. I'm not sure if I could be so non-judgemental. Despite the circumstances surrounding some pregnancies and deliveries, all newborns are innocent little miracles and are cherished while on Grant 7. Hopefully, when they arrive home, they are cherished there as well.
Monday, October 1, 2007
I-Search Intro, background
Before I had kids I worked a Monday through Friday job at US Bank in Portland, Oregon, as a customer service representative. It was your basic bank job with weekends and holidays off, vacation and sick time, and of course health benefits. I worked at the bank's call center, where customers would call in to make balance inquiries, ask for help balancing their account, or request a balance transfer. I learned the job quickly. It wasn't the most exciting job, but there were advancement opportunities. Instead of advancing there, my husband and I had our first child and moved back home to Maine. I became a stay at home mom, and two years later had another child. After my youngest was a year old, I wanted to help make ends meet financially, and started waitressing at Governor's Restaurant. I worked evenings so I could spend my days with the babies, and so my husband could be with them when I wasn't. It was hard work, but the tips were good. After the kids started school and were gone all day, I tried changing my schedule at Governor's to days so I could be with my family after school. Unfortunately, it seemed like every time there was no school because of snow, holiday, or vacation I had to work. My kids were not old enough to be left alone, so I dropped to a fill in basis at Governor's. That way I could stay home with them if they were sick or on vacation. After seven years I was really getting burned out from waitressing. With all the new restaurants opening, business and tips were down. I had also been volunteering at the kid's school and was asked if I would like to be a substitute teacher. I decided to give it a try, and filled in at the school for five years. The hours were perfect and I had all snow days and vacation days off, but the pay was pitiful. At the same time my husband and I ran a snowmobile/ATV rental business out of our home. We discovered that it wasn't all we thought it would be and closed it after five years. I decided to try to get a job at EMMC, and was hired as a unit secretary on the maternity ward. I work two twelve hour shifts a week, and figured it would be easy to schedule my two days around my kids' activities. Unfortunately, with only two other secretaries it is hard to mesh everyone's schedule. With the twelve hour shifts I am gone from morning until bedtime and am unable to help my kids with their homework on those days. I took a CNA course this past summer and have a new position waiting for me on a different floor working 6:30-3:00. This will work for after school activities but not for getting the kids to school. We live 1/2 mile from the bus stop, so it's difficult for the kids to go up alone to wait for the bus.
Classification outro
All women, rich or poor, married or not, naturalist or drug addict have the right to the same quality of health care. The nurses on Grant 7 should be commended for putting their feelings aside and delivering excellent care to all mothers. I'm not sure if I could be so non-judgemental. Despite the circumstances surrounding some pregnancies and deliveries, all newborns are innocent little miracles and are cherished while on Grant 7. Hopefully, when they arrive home, they are cherished there as well.
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