Wandering Thoughts

I haven't posted for a few days, and at this moment in time I have plenty of things I'd like to talk about, but my will to take the time to do so just isn't up to snuff, so I'm going to content myself with commentary about things that are rambling through my head.

Been heavily involved in work this week. Come to think of it, I always am heavily involved when I'm there, but not only did I have to teach my usual two nights, but I also picked up an afternoon today for the University's pathology med labs. They wanted me to assist in teaching the physician assistant students the very basics of drawing blood.

The students, no matter if they are medical students, physician assistants, nurses, whatever, always crack me up. There's always total panic involved; there's always one loud mouth know-it-all, there's always one who almost passes out with the fear of either needles or the act of getting stuck by one. The students who "fail" to get "blood" on the artificial arms almost always are fantastic when they stick their fellow students. For many of them, it will be the last time they ever do a stick on a human being. This group, being PA's will get some sticks in, but many who end up working in doctor's offices will be able to call a phlebotomist to do that work, too.

I'm a bad ass, but there is a certain delight in watching the know-it-alls turn into bumbling masses of clumsiness, finding that this procedure which looks easy, is actually not.

For giggles, I'm going to list what goes into a typical blood draw for an inpatient.
1. Enter room, introduce yourself to patient and explain you're from the lab to draw a blood sample.
2. Check the ID bracelet and identifiers to make sure you have the correct patient.
3. Check lab requisition or label for samples to be drawn.
4. Pull out correct tubes, alcohol swab, gauze, tape.
5. Tie tourniquet on patient and do preliminary check for draw site.
6. Release tourniquet.
7. Swab draw site with alcohol and let air dry.
8. Assemble the rest of the equipment you need, such as straight needles and hub/syringe, or butterfly needle and hub/syringes.
9. Put on gloves if you haven't previously put them on.
10. Tie tourniquet again
11. Draw blood sample.
12. Remove needle after blood draw, stop bleeding from draw site and cover site with gauze pressure bandage/coband/tape.
14. If blood is syringe draw and not vacutainers, transfer blood to vacutainer tubes.
15. Label samples, place in bag for transport to lab.

And, that's the basics. There easily can be other factors, such as 20 minutes or more of searching for a vein, trips to find nurses for questions that need answering, last minute decisions on type of needle to use, or to change to a capillary puncture.

The know-it-alls never have thought it all out, though. They seem to have some sort of vision that you actually *can* just pick up a straight needle and draw blood. When they can't do so, it throws them into an absolute tailspin, for it seems to ruin their perception of their own place in the world.

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Saw a commercial tonight for a movie coming out next week called "Ghostrider". It stars Nicolas Cage and Sam Elliott (lusty sigh more for Sam, but I wouldn't kick Mr. Cage out of bed for eating crackers, either!)

I haven't figured the movie out from the commercial I saw, but it apparently involves some kind of spell/body change in which Cage beomes a fiery skeleton who rides a motorcycle in the night hours, fighting evil wherever it turns up; sounds like he's just a regular guy during the daylight hours. My question is, when would he sleep? Or would he even need to? At any rate, I think I would like to see that particular show at the theater.

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It is flippin' FRIGID in Iowa!!! I'm so effing sick and tired of being cold to the bone. My skin even hurts because it feels dehydrated and itchy. Maybe I should just make an appointment for a massage and tell 'em "double lotion, please".

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Have you ever had a telephone conversation that was so rude you were absolutely baffled? I've had three important phone calls this week. Two of the three fell into the "rude" category.

In my work lifetime, much of it has involved phone work, i.e. customer service, secretarial, NOT telemarketer. I am good on the phone. I get my business done, and while I'm at it, I try to inject humor and kindness, and a smiling voice into my conversations. I try even harder when it's a new customer, or request that needs to be filled.

Call number one was delightful. I was searching for handout information for my class. In this case, it was to a company who makes a great little product called a Venoscope. This device is a high intensity light which can be used to locate veins on folks who are "hard sticks". Not only did the gentleman I spoke to have information he could send to me to give my class, he also said he was going to try to locate a returned Venoscope for my use both in classroom and daily work. WOW! I was planning on purchasing one for myself anyway (and may yet do so) but to have one 'given' to me/the class is fantastic!

Call number two was to a (name brand) yarn supplier. I am frantically trying to finish up the baby afghan for Snippet's soon to be born little girl...and I am running out of yarn. No problem there, till I discovered it was no longer available on the retail market. Called the company, ordered what I needed to finish the project. As I finished the conversation with the customer service rep, she asked me if there was anything else she could help me with. I chuckled and said, "Well, I think that's all unless you happen to be able to send me someone to finish this project for me."

The woman SNARLED at me, "We don't have TIME to help people like you get things finished."

Shit, lady, it was a JOKE!!!! DUHHHHH!

Call number three just about took the cake. I'm getting ready to take national boards, and am also involved in trying to help set up a study program at work. One of our foreign born students applied to take the test a couple of years ago and was refused because she didn't have a copy of her high school transcript. She can only get it if she appears in person at her high school. Now, it's not like she can hop a plane easily and run to Eqypt over the weekend, is it?

Oh...and to top it off, this particular woman has her masters degree, but *cough* they still won't let her take the test without her high school transcript.

Anyway, WV, my boss, asked me if I would call and verify any new rules for application, and find out policy for high school transcripts/diplomas for those who cannot get them readily.

I made the call. Explained it to the operator who then passed the call along to the appropriate person. I explained it again.

And...would you believe I got my ass chewed for asking? I was informed that they have NEVER required a foreign born student to have a copy of transcript/diploma. I explained to the lady that my coworker had received a letter which stated that very thing.

"She DID NOT. *I* am the only one who has been reviewing these applicatios for the past 20 years and NO ONE has ever been refused! IT WAS SOME OTHER REASON!"

Have you ever taken the phone from your ear and looked at the receiver in disbelief because you cannot fathom why on earth the person on the other end of the line is: a) being so incredibly rude; and b)wondering what the hell you did that was so horrible that you needed to be talked to in that manner?

So, to my credit, I didn't tell her to go fuck herself, (from the way she was carrying on, ohhh...never mind...I won't finish that thought)...instead I decided to choose the standard, "let me make sure I understand what you are saying..." thing, and I repeated what she had said. She had said that all the person needed to do was fill out the name of the high school, location of same and year graduated. I repeated this back to her, then double checked with her again that even though the application specifically said that a copy of the high school diploma/transcript needed to be attached, it wouldn't be a problem.

The woman screamed at me that I simply needed to read the application and fill in the appropriate blanks. Well...DUH!!!

This particular incident isn't quite over yet. I'll try to remember to update this when it comes to some sort of a resolution.

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I was watching Oprah again today. Didn't get in on the whole show since I was teaching, but the panel today was a group of folks who apparently had something to do with a book called "The Secret"

Looks like it may be an interesting read. I believe the premise of the book is dealing with Universal energy and how its ebb and flow affects all of us. It sounds like a deeply spiritual book - not religious - SPIRITUAL.

What I heard on the show seems to reflect the beliefs most Pagan folks follow. It may be that someone in the religious conformity world has found a way to put a bug in the ear of folks who can't hear past the thump thump of their Good Book.

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My granddog, Gentleman Gem, aka Jimmy, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday. Although it may be for the best, my heart is broken once again, for I believe that Jimmy is the last of the Springer line that I was familiar with. Not only that, he was one of the sweetest, most lovable dogs there has ever been, even if he wasn't always the brightest bulb in the box.

I'm a firm believer that animals tell you when it's time to let them go. And, there's a huge part of me that is infuriated with my daughter and son-in-law over this. To be fair, though, I haven't talked to either of them to find out the final details of what led to this decision to put him down. It may have been time for him from a health perspective. But he howled when the shot was given; in his mind he wasn't ready to leave. That hurts me to my core, and I tear up every time I think of it.

I know that I haven't heard from my daughter because she's taking it very hard, as is my SIL. And, I know she is avoiding me because she knows I'll be upset for awhile.

At least it was done on the anniversary of Mom's death. I never know whether to think that these things happen so I know that Mom is watching out for all my animals, or because, dammit, she wants them with her.

Ironic, isn't it? I can handle the death of humans far better than the death of my animals. Maybe I should look more seriously into the Shinto religion.

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I wasn't trying to fill this post with sad ramblings, and I hope you all don't think I need to check myself in someplace for a "rest"! LOL

I've got a small snip of a video I'll try to load over the weekend. I have some footage of Yama out playing in the snow. I think you'll like it.

Almost time for bed. I've been on my feet since 4:30 this morning and it's now almost 11 p.m., so it's time to go crawl under the covers.