Tuesday, January 17, 2012

That's Why the Lady is a....

I got an urgent phone call from Ellen on my day off.
"Hi, EDNurseasauras?  Sorry to call you but the nurses were very busy and asked me to go down the list.  Is there any possibility you could come in and help out?"
Me: "I'll be right there".

I have only gotten a call like this once at my current job.  My name is at the end of the alphabet and they usually find someone before they get to me. Usually Second in Command, whose name is at the beginning of the alphabet, gets this type of urgent call and jumps right on it because she is an Overtime Whore.  Me, not so much.  Except lately because Kate has been going through some health problems and I have pretty much made myself her personal bitch when it comes to covering her time.  Also because it annoys the crap out of Second in Command. 

I made it to work in about 7 minutes, expecting that there would be 2 Medflight choppers circling, simultaneous codes, any number of disasters.

Instead, I walked in to find 4 patients awaiting transfers because Inappropriate Drop paramedic was working today.  Among the things that shouldn't come to us but did thanks to Inappropriate Drop paramedic:
Head injuries
Probable hip fractures
End Stage COPD'ers (unless coding)
Transfers from doctor's offices with beds at the hospital.  The OTHER hospital
and.........
The Lady on Elm St. with vomiting.  I fu*ing hate Inappropriate Drop medic sometimes.

Not just regular vomiting.  Lying flat on her 400 pound back and just letting it rip like Mt. Vesuvius.  Because, she said, "Whatever I put in just comes right back up".

When things come right back up, it is probably an indication to stop putting stuff in.  Like Cheeto's.  Not a concept she'll be getting any time soon

Lady was the straw that broke the camel's back, a clean-up job requiring reinforcement nurses.