Posted by Sean on January 28, 2012
Sometimes it’s very hard to teach an old dog a new trick.
Today I was told by a physician that NPs are simply hired to do all the “scut-work” that physicians don’t want or like to do. In the physician’s words, “You guys do all the crap/garbage stuff we don’t like or have time for. Is that what you really want to do?”
Follow the link and read the whole post. What do you think?
Posted in health, opinion | Tagged: health care, nurse practitioner, nursing school | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sean on October 9, 2011
When nurses need to give a “straight” answer
How long am I going to be here? How long does the surgery take? How long do I have to take this medication? How long do I have to wear this thing?
I often get these type of questions asked quite a bit from patients and their families. I get questions asking for ‘time frame’ specifics regarding any and everything about their care. Unfortunately, there really is no recipe for success in health care is there?
If I can, I always answer these questions with a bit of humor. A quick witted, “whenever the doctor says so”, seems to bring a smile to most faces. Yes, it may very well be a sarcastic smile, but a smile nonetheless.
(Oh, c’mon you know you’ve used that one before)
Isn’t it ironic that we constantly require our patients to adhere to a time schedule, yet we never can give them a straight answer about ‘how long’.
After my quick rebuttal to most of these questions, I give the long drawn out speech about how there is no recipe for success in healthcare. A + B does not always equal C. While we always have the best intentions, time is not something we can ‘predict’. Not even in the most ideal conditions.
The ‘real’ answers:
A perfectly performed surgery without any complications can still have scheduling delays. There are always emergent cases that take priority in the echelon of care. You can’t preventing the unforeseen.
Being in the hospital can be as short as 1 day and as long as 3 months (or more). There are a myriad of factors that determine whether or not the issues that brought you into the hospital can be resolved. Most of which we have no control over.
Some medication can be a lifelong venture, some can be taken for a specific time frame, while others are taken until your supply runs out.
What you are required to ‘wear’ is serving a purpose to help aid in the healing process or to probably prevent further damage. So it will be worn until it is no longer needed.
Oh, and don’t think for one second that just because you have a friend or family member that was treated for the same thing means that you’ll get the same treatment in the same frame of time. Uh-uh. No-siree-bob.
I wish I could make up a recipe book, I really do. It might make our jobs a lil easier, and I’ll bet the patients would love it!
Am I the only nurse that does this??
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: health care, nurse, patient, time | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Sean on April 2, 2011
While the original post was all about the ER from an awesome physician blogger, I’d like to think some of them apply to many, many, many parts of the patient care arena. Yes, we nurses feel your pain doc.
9) The more demanding a patient is, the less likely it is that they need medical care.
…11) NEVER ever go to work sick. Not only will it be an incredibly busy day, but you will be sicker than most of the patients you see.
…13) The more difficult the stick, the more likely the lab is to lose your patient’s blood sample.
…15) No extra shift that you reluctantly volunteer to work will ever be an easy shift.
…18) The nicer the patient and family, the worse the outcome will be.
19) I can not tell the difference between very rich patients and very poor patients – they both act the same. “When it comes to my health, money is no object!”
from: My Rules of the ER | WhiteCoat’s Call Room
Do yourself a favor and head on over to read the original post from WhiteCoat. You won’t be disappointed.
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: doctor, ER, health care, humor, nurses | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Sean on April 2, 2011
I for one think this is bold. It’s no secret how I feel about smoking and the non-compliant diabetic or obese individual. Not to mention the strain it puts on the health care system, since most, if not all of these morbidities are preventable (to some degree) and ALL are treatable.
Treatable, meaning to lessen the ‘effects’ on the health care system.
You are not born obese, not are you born with a cigarette in your mouth. Diabetes can be inherited, but once again is very manageable and treatable.
So, yeah – I think this ‘tax’ just might ‘wake’ some people up.
Arizona Medicaid considers tax on smokers, obese
PHOENIX – Arizona’s cash-strapped Medicaid program is considering charging patients $50 a year if they smoke, have diabetes or are overweight. A spokeswoman for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System said Friday that the fee is intended to rein in health care costs by pushing patients to keep themselves healthy.
“It engages the consumer to start having a greater awareness of how they fit into the bigger health care puzzle,” said Monica Coury, spokeswoman for AHCCCS. “We want to be able to provide health care to people. And we want to stretch our dollars as far as we can. Part of that is engaging people to take better care of themselves.”
Some private employers and state governments have instituted higher insurance premiums for workers who are overweight or smoke, but Arizona’s plan would mark the first time a state-federal health care program for low-income residents has charged people for unhealthy lifestyles.
The fee would apply only to certain childless adults.
One part of the proposal affects people with diabetes. Coury says diabetics who fail to follow their doctor’s orders to lose weight would be subjected to the $50 charge.
Democratic state Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said that isn’t fair to diabetics.
“This would fine people with medical conditions beyond their own power and control,” Sinema said. “I just don’t think it’s fair to vilify someone with diabetes.”
People who are obese or chronically ill, and those who smoke, would need to work with a primary-care physician to develop a plan to help them lose weight and otherwise improve their health. Patients who don’t meet specified goals would be required to pay the $50 under the proposal.
The plan requires approval by the Republican-controlled Legislature, which has been considering $500 million of cuts to Arizona’s Medicaid program to help eliminate a state budget deficit of nearly $1.5 billion.
A fee for Medicaid patients also would need federal authorization, and federal rules could prevent Arizona from enforcing the fee.
Coury says the $50 fee is a way of showing the federal government Arizona is serious about getting people healthy while stretching and managing dollars better.
“Part of that requires that we engage the consumer in active, healthy behaviors.”
Posted in random | Tagged: arizona medicaid, diabetes, health care, obese, smoking | 2 Comments »
Posted by Sean on November 19, 2010
Yep,
I’ll be the first to admit it. We are our own worst enemy. We shot ourselves in the foot many years ago and we are continually struggling to correct that mistake with efforts to give our profession the identity it deserves.
Our strength is our weakness. While the flexibility and multitude of entrance options exist (and were created) for becoming a nurse to satisfy the grave shortage situation it also is the source of our profession’s ‘professional’ weakness.
Our requirements have been spread so thin that it has weakened the very fabric and foundation of our identity.
I don’t have the answer, I wish I did.
I do know that when we can answer this ever-growing dilemma, it will roll-over and SOLVE many of the other problems we face as a profession.
The future does look bright – I just hope everyone is willing to hang on for the ride.
But the report was just as forceful in urging nurses to revamp the way they are educated, citing the decades-long struggle within the profession to define what exactly a nurse is. The term “registered nurse” can refer equally to graduates of two-year associate’s programs, four-year baccalaureate programs, and advanced master’s or doctorate programs. In addition to proposing the addition of postgraduate clinical training, or residency, programs, similar to what physicians currently go through, the panel recommended increasing the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees to 80 percent from 50 percent and doubling the number of nurses with doctorate degrees over the next 10 years. Read more at www.nytimes.com
Posted in random | Tagged: health care, nurses | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sean on December 29, 2009
I read this article this morning! This hits the nail on the head and reemphasizes everything I have been saying about personal responsibility and one’s health management.
Stop blaming other’s for your health problems.
If you eat too much, exercise too little, drink too much, smoke, take drugs, fail to wear a seat belt or ignore gun safety, there is only so much a doctor or hospital can do for you.
Unhealthy habits are what’s killing us – CNN.com
Follow the link!
Posted in opinion | Tagged: health care, obesity | 2 Comments »
Posted by Sean on October 19, 2009
Do you have health care insurance? Do you care about health care insurance?
Are you planning on ever needing or using your health care insurance?
Do you think you’ll ever get sick, and need the services of a health care professional? A Doctor? A Nurse?
If you’ve answered yes to ANY of these questions … OR if you think you might.. then please watch this short video from Better Health.com.
http://www.liveleak.com/e/b9a_1250509776
LiveLeak.com – Healthcare Reform: Putting Patients First – Medblogger Event At National Press Club
Whether we like it or not Health Care Reform is an important topic than provokes and requires NO easy answer, NO easy solution. But ignoring the problem doesn’t mean the problem will go away.
I am just as guilty as the next person. I have chosen to ignore the obvious. What can you and I do to help make health care work with and for us, not have us work for them?
A large THANK YOU to Dr. Val over at Better Health and all that she is doing.
Posted in health | Tagged: health care, healthcare | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sean on September 5, 2009
Worried about your health care? How about the impending changes to our overall health care system? Concerned about costs?
Well it seems that these retail health clinic’s dubbed ‘Minute-Clinic’s’ are the answer to reducing costs AND receiving quality-type care. Care that is on the level, or very close to the care you receive from the Doctor’s office, or hospital Emergency Department.
Study: Retail health clinics as good as doc office – Health care- msnbc.com
“study of the care provided in U.S. retail clinics, found “no difference in the quality offered to patients visiting retail clinics, physician offices and urgent care centers.” For some services, retail clinics even did slightly better than hospital emergency rooms”
These retail clinics have of course been a source of concern for some physician’s groups.
“have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the quality of care at retail clinics, where immunizations and treatment for routine illnesses like middle ear infections and sore throats are generally offered by nurse practitioners rather than doctors”
So these retail clinics are providing a quality of care for common illnesses at a much lower price and in a much more efficient timely manner. Not to mention they operate in conjunction with a Pharmacy – therefore you can get your prescription refilled right there. Most of these facilities accept most insurances due to their relationship with the Pharmacy.
So what do you think? Would you go? Have you gone?
Posted in health, opinion | Tagged: health care | 8 Comments »
Posted by Sean on June 11, 2009
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