25- Laughing in the face danger is so nursing

There is a well-known, little understood meme about Ralph Wiggins of Simpson’s fame sitting near the back of a bus and saying, with a chuckle, “I’m in danger.” I say well known because Ralph Wiggins is a popular character on the Simpsons. I say little understood because this scene is not part of the Simpsons. Instead, it is from a Family Guy crossover episode.

It is understood that Ralph is laughing in the face of danger. Or that he doesn’t understand the consequences of the danger he is in. Both things can be true

Why I am writing about this will become clear.

There was a bulletin released last week, on March 18 about the danger in hospitals.

Do you know what I am talking about? It’s okay if you don’t. So much crap is thrown at us every damned day by the administration and various ill-intentioned groups. Often young men who don’t have their entire pre-frontal cortex completely formed yet who are susceptible to rhetoric.

Hint, hint, part of why we are in this mess with this administration that is acting illegally every day and no one in the other 2 branches of government are doing diddly squat.

The American Health Association (AHA) and the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) issued a joint bulletin warning of a potential terror threat that targets hospitals. These hospitals are not named, just that it is to be multi-city terrorist attacks, in mid-sized cities.

This information is from “chatter” from ISIS-K groups and the likely methods noted are likely to involve vehicles and explosives. At level 1 trauma centers. You know, the ones most likely to be able to handle such a mass casualty event.

My hospital system has already taken steps in the face of this bulletin. And my hospital has already done the

After covid and working through a global pandemic is this supposed to scare us nurses?

Um, have they met us?

Nurses are the ones who wade in where angels fear to tread.

We care for all who come through our doors.

Is this horrible and could a lot of people die?
Absolutely.

Will we as a society meet the challenge?
Absolutely not.

Will nurses save us?
Yes. Yes, we will.

Are nurses laughing in the face of danger, while also acknowledging that we are in danger?
Always.

School Me Saturday 3/22/25- What’s in a department anyway

I’m going more macro on this post for School Me Saturday.

Let’s talk about the Department of Education and all that it does.

Well. Did. Does to the best of its ability every day.

The Department of Education is not the newest kid on the department on the block. Far from it.

The DOE was established in 1979 by Jimmy Carter. According to an article by the Oregon Public Broadcasting, its roots stretch back to the Civil War. The goal at that time was the ensure civil rights. You know, what there had just been an entire war fought over. There was the office of education that became the bureau of education that was enveloped by the Health Education and Welfare. This large bureau/department was split by Jimmy Carter into two- the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Are you with me so far?

Department, bureau, office, no matter what it is called, has a central tenet to defend civil rights. Against those who would take the civil rights away.

Gee, a subset of the population that doesn’t want to give those they deem as less worthy any consideration at all.

This sounds very familiar.

And fits right into the white man grievance that is driving this administration.

The question we should be asking is what does a white man have to be grieved about? The answer that all too often is given is that why should X be given something that I didn’t get. No matter that X has been shat upon by these same people and under their feet for as long as we’ve been a country. Longer even.

There is a misconception that the DOE sets curricula. No, no they do not. Those are set by states.

If you want to blame the government for under performing schools and things that you don’t agree with being on the curriculum, perhaps look to the voting record and who has been voted in to decide on this stuff.

The Department of Education does far more than just give money and guidance to the states. It holds the massive student loan debt and administers to it. It makes rules that a struggling student can get an IEP (individualized education plan) instead of rubber stamping square pegs into circle holes they don’t fit into.

The Department of Education also allows for the disabled kids to attend school. To feel normal. Something that is lacking in their lives.

The establishment of the Department of Education was a bi-partisan effort. No matter what the asshole revisionists say. At its core, the DOE is creating a level ground for all the students in the US, no matter their socio-economic background, no matter their perceived ability to even be in school.

And making sure that all the states have an equal say and that students have equal civil rights.

FFS Friday 3/21/25 Futile

The famous quote from Star Trek the Next Generation, AKA the Star Trek I grew up watching, is “Resistance is Futile”. Specifically from the movie First Contact.

The Borg Queen says it.

The Borg are the race who are tearing through the galaxy/universe in search of unique beings/species that it can add to its collective. Any species or being that is not or who is not assimilated is destroyed.

The Borg Queen famously responds when challenged that “We are the Borg. You will be assimilated, your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own; your culture will adapt to serve us. Resistance is futile.”

That’s a bit on the nose, Star Trek Next Generation.

Jean Luc Picard and the rest of the Next Generation starship do not take kindly to this message or this directive. They resist.

And prevail.

I love looking to older sci-fi to explain modern events.

Resistance is futile is the message that is being broadcast during these days of shock and awe. If they drown us in bad messaging, we can be overwhelmed and while we are distracted the bad actors (you know who they are) can sneak around and do very real damage to our country.

Fuck that shit.

It is vital that these state and country ending actions be witnessed and called out for the vile plots that they are.

It is when they want us to look away that we have to refocus our attention. I realize that I am writing this from a position of privilege. Mostly because I am discounted because I am a woman. Or, to use the Ferengi slur “FE-male”.

Yes, still a Star Trek reference, but from Deep Space Nine referencing the Ferengi. The alien race whose entire world view can be split into two camps. 1) women are not to be trusted and must be kept naked and down trodden,and 2) the pursuit of profit is above everything. Even if you have to lie and steal and cheat. But that is an F for another Friday.

Resist this abomination of a regime. Ignore the ones who tell you resistance is Futile. They don’t know anything and are banking on your sleep walking to our destruction.

Make sure you are reading and listening to trusted sources. But always question and have a second source on news that seems like rage bait.

Do not engage with bots online.

Do not engage with scam accounts online. These may not be the same.

Do not freely give your attention and your likes away. This is their currency.

Currently I am tripling down on my pocketbook protesting. Is there a more impactful phrasing than that? I mean that I am spending as little as possible and from a carefully curated list of establishments.

I am not responding to people I know don’t have my best interests in mind and have voted accordingly.

Would it be easier to just go with the flow and let them do whatever they want?

Yes.

But, again, fuck that shit.

Cookie Thursday 3/20/25- spinach feta sconelets

By sconelets, I mean baby scones.

This does continue the Baking the Freezer and No Buy March. No ingredients were bought.

Did you know that you can put bags of spinach straight into the freezer? To use as needed in recipes? Me, neither. I read about it a few months ago and when I was not using the bag of spinach for salads one week, I decided to test the hypothesis.

Works like a charm. I’ve done it one of two ways. I have just chucked the entire bag into the freezer with no prep. I have also sautéed the spinach in a dry pan and then froze it when it was cool.

I used the second method today. Worked amazingly well.

I have made these before and they are frequently asked for/reminisced about.

The star of today’s show is not the spinach but rather a baking pan that I already owned. I believe its original intention was as a cake pop pan. It is like a mini muffin tin but the output is round.

I used it over the weekend to use up the mashed potatoes in the fridge and the results were little mashed potato balls of goodness. I thought to myself I have to use this pan more.

Today’s output is little spinach feta balls of goodness.

Did I mention that the pan is non-stick? Do I remember where I got it? Absolutely not.

Certified Nurses Day 2025

Many households, all alike in dignity. In the fair hospital (or outpatient), we lay our scene.

Yeah, that’s the beginning sentences to Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet.

Happy Certified Nurses Day 2025 to all who celebrate it.

Not all nursing specialties have certifications, but most do.

You take a band of nurses who all work in different areas of the hospital. This one works on med-surg, this one works on labor and delivery, this one works post partum, this one works in cath lab, this one works in the operating room, and this one works in the emergency room.

OB has beef with the OR. ICU has beef with med-surg. Everyone has beef with the ER.

Stop!

We are all nurses and healthcare professionals, just trying to do our best for the patients. And their families. And our work families. And our real life families. And our pets.

Whether you are interested and pursue certification is up to you and who you go home to at night.

Whether you are interested and pursue additional education is up to you and who you go home to at night.

Certified, not certified for whatever reason, we all passed the same NCLEX.

Which makes us sisters and brothers.

Ignore the bratty younger sister and brother. Also ignore the know it all older sibling.

You are enough.

Tuesday Top of Mind 3/18/25- Where’s Buttercup?

This post is about our current political situation and the greatest movie of all time “The Princess Bride”. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading and go find it. It is probably playing on tv somewhere. And then come back when you have an inkling of what I am referring to.

You know when Wesley is panicked after being dosed with Miracle Max’s pill and he is demanding answers to, among other things who are you, are we enemies, why am I am on this wall, where’s Buttercup, why won’t my arms move? And Inigo Montoya calmly responds “Let me explain…” and pauses and continues “No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”

That is the mood today.

There has been an entire stream of shit decision and shittier actions from this administration. A firehose stream. The intention is to drown us. Or to give us so much information and things to react to that we cease to react.

The hits keep coming.

There are hits to education that are the 50% reduction in force to “return the education to the states”. Well and good, but there are states that are struggling with what the government gives them. West Virginia, are you paying attention? West Virginia is frequently 50/50 states, and not in a good way, in education.

There are hits to the healthcare industry. Medicaid is on life support at the moment. Reminder, there are over 72 million Americans on Medicaid. This pays for elder care, nursing homes, the children that are under treatment for all sorts of things. You know, like the children that survive being born at 23 weeks that are heralded as miracles. Miracles that will most likely need care for their entire lives. Medicaid also provides healthcare for at least 37 million children. These are vaccinations and well child visits. To lose Medicaid would put a double whammy on the hospital systems that are already struggling.

There are hits to the National Parks system. Not only did 1000 workers lose their jobs, but some parks had to adjust hours and are no longer allowing overnight visits. There are 63 named National Parks but that does not come close to explaining the breadth of what they do.

There is an unelected person who bought the election running around with a group of under aged 25 boys pulling the pieces of the government apart. A la the neighborhood bullies torturing the neighborhood pets.

There is the megalomaniac despot wanna be running a smear and revenge campaign against anyone he thinks has ever wronged him. Someone needs to remind him that it is speak softly and carry a big stick, not scream and shout and use the stick against anyone he deems as lesser. Psst, that is everyone who has less than $1 billion dollars.

That is where we are now. At the mercy of the man child.

I love that for us.

We need a Dread Pirate Roberts. Or, at the very least, an Inigo Montoya. Or a Brute Squad Fezzik.

I’m not picky.

But we need a Miracle Max, not a Prince Humperdinck flailing about.

Sunday Post-it 3/16/25-LOL

The post-it reads “Alpha numeric spelling is just coding.”

This post-it got me thinking about coding in a couple of different ways. What is meant by coding? It is a communication style that seeks to with hold information that might be damaging or incomprehensible to the non speakers. For example the anesthesiologist can say that they need an ABG, CBC, BMP, PT/PTT, T&C and a lollipop, and I know that something bad is happening or has the potential to happen at the head of the table.

I was kidding about the lollipop.

This spate of orders makes me wonder if there is unanticipated bleeding and the patient is not doing well. In response, I would look at the suction canister to see if I can see what they are seeing, and I would offer to get the tube colors that they need as a way to confirm the colors that they need. I would also glance at the back table/mayo and offer the scrub tech additional lap sponges if I see they are down to one or two. I would nudge the red lined kick bucket to be more accessible for the scrub tech.

I would also ask if the patient needs a higher level of care. By that, I mean does the patient require ICU or a transfer to a tertiary hospital. This is code

My next step is to call the supervisor to request an additional set of hands or the ICU bed or to get the ball rolling on the EMTALA paperwork. Which is the Emergency Medical Treatment Act and Labor that allows the emergency treatment of patients.

All of that from the sudden request for lab tests. But, to be more specific, those lab tests. The 17 letters tell a story.

Yes, but… Talking in medical code, AKA the acronyms that you know are near and dear to the heart of all medical personnel, is also done to protect patients. After all, little pitchers have big ears. This means that there is always someone who is listening. And being human they often will take the worst inference of what was just said. AKA the patients will jump to conclusions that aren’t true. And panic.

Parents do this too. Parents can spell out a word that they know the child will react to. Such as B*A*T*H or I*C*E*C*R*E*A*M.

Pet owners do this as well. Such as spelling out the word R*I*D*E or V*E*T.

Both times it works until the kid or the pet can work out is being spelled.

Are we coding in these instances so that the kid or the pet doesn’t become too excited?

I am writing this post because I caught myself coding a social media post the other day. I didn’t care how other people perceived the post but I wanted to share the information for those who are also frustrated by the current atmosphere.

And there I go again! AARRGH!

I think I need a N*A*P.

School Me Saturday 3/15/25- Spring Break!

It is Spring Break.

You might be on break right now, or frantically cramming/writing before your next big test/big paper is due, or you might be going back into the thick of things. This is dependent on when the school schedules the break in the school calendar.

Time to not be in class.

Time to see your loved ones.

Time to hit the beach. I mean, Miami did tell people not to come last month. Time to not hit the beach or find a more accepting one.

Time to sleep.

Time to read the book that’s been on your list all year long.

You’re flexible. After all, you are in college now.

Just be sure to rest up before the push toward the end of the semester.

No matter your plans, be sure to hydrate.

And if you are pulling extra hours because of the break, I see you. I was you.

Take a nap; I won’t tell your boss. Or your professor.

FFS Friday 3/14/25- Full moon rising

I’ve written about full moons and the hospitals before.

It deserves a sweary post on FFS too!

Last night, March 13, 2025, there was a lunar eclipse that was visible from North Carolina. This is also known as the blood moon because it turns the moon red.

This nighttime solar galaxy gift was going to be from midnight-ish to full eclipse at 0226 to finishing at 0600.

My neighbors were having a quiet conversation around their grill yesterday evening and I stopped to talk to them. All of them said they hoped to be in their bed. I said I hoped to not be at the hospital doing cases. They know what I do and they sent me off with the same wishes as I went back inside to wait for the phone to ring.

And ring it did at 2156.

I kind of got my wish. I got home from a case at 2342 just before the dimming started.

I knew, I just knew, that there would be a case. Even if the moon wasn’t quite full. I was right. Like I knew, I just knew, that the OB department was going to fill up quickly. Yep, that happened.

The full moon can have its effects on all of the departments.

When I left last night there were 54 patients in the ER that only has 24 beds.

Every healthcare person that I know, when I mention casually that it is a full moon, looks up to the sky, even in broad daylight, and swears. Sometimes they kick the walls, wheels of the gurney, the OR table, whatever is close by and won’t object to the treatment.

In the before times they would look at me and offer up their call. Which I would take because, well, workaholic.

But last night was calm with no additional calls or cases.

Did I mention that it was nearly payday too? That has its own resonance and people acting out.

Cookie Thursday 3/13/25- Dreamies

No, not the kind that you have in bed while you are asleep.

Let me explain.

This is the second week of the Baking the Freezer theme for March. Where I delve into my freezer and make up cookies based on the ingredients.

I was in the kitchen freezer and I realized that there were two(!) frozen loaves of bread. Which created something of a quandary. I could make croutons but would people like them as a Cookie Thursday is a Thing offering? I also still have a boatload of cheese in the fridge. Perhaps another Why is There Still So Much Cheese month?

No, no, Kate, stop getting distracted.

Back to the recipe books. I saw this vintage recipe for itty bitty grilled cheese looking bites. They go by different names, depending on the era, but the earliest recipe I was able to find was from 1910.

Bread, cheese, butter, spices. What can go wrong?

The uniqueness of this recipe is that the cheese goes on the outside and the butter goes on the inside of the itty bitty sandwiches. And then they are baked. Kind of like a reverse grilled cheese. Interesting. Y’all know I like an interesting cookie. Even though this is a bake.

I think a dab of mustard powder in the butter mixture might set this one up well.

Hours later…

The Cookie Thursday is a Thing offering has been made at the hospital.

The best thing I can write about this is to trust the process.

The best advice that I can write is to bake it on a warm enough day so that the all the windows in the house can be opened.

Because this recipe? Is a smoky one. Not smoke as in “eek, there is a fire”. But smoky as in the ingredients gave off a lot of fragrant steam. Or I need to clean my oven. Or a combination of the two.

The taste is 10/10. Would absolutely do again, perhaps with a bit of Worcerstershire sauce.

I am off to clean my top oven.