Saturday, October 25, 2008

Pass the Cheese, I've Got the Whine!


You can win some people over and then there are those who will always be impossible to please. Those squeaky wheels irritate the hell out of me. I've long ago forsaken the nurse as handmaiden to the physician. Even most docs I know treat us in a more collaborative manner these days. I just wish others would get the message. There are still people who think it's OK to treat the nurse poorly. When it happens in someone's home, I get the hell out. You don't have to talk to me more than once like that. Luckily, we have management that takes those problems seriously. When it happens in a hospital, it's a little more dicey.

I admitted a patient the other day who passed away during the admission. There was a delay in getting the new admitting paperwork from hospital registration. The chaplain was not very pleasant to deal with regarding this delay but without the new digits, there couldn't be a proper chain of custody to transfer this patient to the morgue and then the funeral home. If I had to choose a word to describe this woman, it would be harridan. I'll wait while you click on that word to see the definition. There. Great word, isn't it? I'd have said bitch, but she's a chaplain, and I'm working hard these days to stay out of hell.

At this particular hospital, the 24/7 chaplain handles all the releases and interacts with the family. The chaplain took it upon herself to denigrate the hospice staff me to the family for this delay. Which pissed off the family. Jeeze Louise, if I could have done the registration myself, I would have. What should have been a 2 hour admission turned into a two hour admit with a 2 hour death visit. The family had a laundry list of requests and kept me hopping. After 4 hours, one of them said to me, "so let me get this right, my loved one was a hospice patient for 2 hours and you're going to bill us for this." "Right?" "Well, not exactly" I answered. "We're going to bill her insurance- NOT YOU. In return, you and your family will get 13 months of bereavement services." Sheesh. I'm plum out of good will. If I bump into this chaplain again, I'm gonna let her know how I feel. I don't care how many crosses she has around her neck, she's going to need them all to fend me off. If she is going to behave in this manner, she needs to take her costume off. I'd have let her have it if I hadn't been working so hard to keep a lid on this family's emotions.

I've been lax in doing too much of anything except work this week. I've had so many problems to solve in the off shift that really need addressing during the day. This is my biggest gripe- the lack of a time out. I'm whipped and officially, work is over. The paper work is up to snuff and I don't go back until 4 PM Monday. I've got better things to do this weekend.

Speaking of better things, I need to thank Sue B for the GIANT bag of black fleece for knitting warm and fuzzy things for a special soldier in our lives. Wow Sue. Thank you so much! There will be thrummed items for Pat really soon and I'm certain, he'll be glad to have it. He deployed last week but we're still not sure exactly where. When he gets this stuff, I'll be sure to tell him of your generosity.


I've purchased the beads, the proper sized needles and wound the precious skein of cashmere for Odessa. I said screw working on my off time today and even knit the swatch. I unwound my swatch because I may need all of that yarn and don't feel like wasting cashmere. I'm close enough on the gauge and plan to cast on tomorrow, right after I thread a couple hundred beads onto my yarn. I've always added beads one at a time with a small crochet hook, but this time, I'm going to do it as the pattern is written.


I cheated on my local yarn store and went somewhere new today. Damn, they had everything including Malibrigo, Prism, Rowan, Koigu and hell, I forget. The choices were so astounding, I practically swooned in that place. I went in to buy beads and left with 3 different colors of beads (when I only need one) and 3 skeins of yarn. What the hell? Maybe I'm crazy.

13 comments:

Jane said...

Hope you have a great weekend and get to knot out some of that stress

Winifred said...

Hope the knitting calms you Rudee.

Maybe suggest the chaplain takes up knitting too and also goes to see a careers advisor to get advice about a job she's more suited to. Maybe professional thorn in the flesh, Bad Samaritan or spin doctor for the Taliban!

laurie said...

I'd have said bitch, but she's a chaplain, and I'm working hard these days to stay out of hell.

excellent line!

but seriously--can you drop that harridan a note? and let her know how much harder she has made your job? i imagine she thought she was soothing the family in some misguided way, but hell, she shouldnt do it at the expense of the hospice staff. ie., you.

Brenda said...

It is so nice to have a hobby that just 'Takes Us Away" for awhile. Can't wait to see the beaded hat!

Gill - That British Woman said...

I think you are a saint having to work with all that stress day in day out.......

Have a peaceful weekend.....

Gill in Canada

Rose said...

I've been catching up since our computer is dying a slow death. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. So blog reading is behind and blog writing is worse. I think Laurie's note idea is a good one. Enjoy your weekend and PS? I LOVED playing Carmen Sandiago with my oldest (24 now); used the Fodar book and everything!!

Lisa L said...

((((Rudee))) Massive buckets of empathy from over here in Hawaii. The chaplain doing that to you? She deserves to be reported...I would, and I'm trying like mad to stay out of hell too! I HATE it when people set us up like that...makes it so difficult to gain the family's trust doesn't it? What a bitch.

The Crusty Crone said...

Harridan is a great word!! But I miss the feel of venum one gets with the word BITCH!

I worked in a teaching hospital (admit clerk) for 15 years. That's where I learned doctors are not all competent and without the nurses the hospital would fold and there would be a lot more dead people. I figure the odds apply to every profession.

Just because someone is in a religious line of work doesn't make them special. A bitch is a bitch no matter what disguise they wear. (Can you lodge a formal complaint? There may be other complaints and this would get the woman into a different occupation.)

I see from your equipment that you weren't kidding about being a knitter. (00)

Rudee said...

Thanks everyone. I wrote this at like 2 in the morning when I finally finished my work for the week. I was feeling rather bitter. Now, I feel oddly better. Either it's you guys, or it's the Sam Adams. Probably both.

Anonymous said...

i am so glad you got the fiber. it's been sitting in my closet awaiting spinning for a year now. it was time to find it a new home and it will go for a good purpose--keeping a soldier's hands warm.

Lisa L said...

Sam Adams..my fave :)

sandy said...

Your poss are ALWAYS so interesting. Enjoyed reading about your Ordeal even though I know it wasn't enjoyable for you...but geez, you write with such flare you make it enjoyable...

have a great break!

sandy said...

oh yes and wanted to mention that I enjoyed learning a new word today, as I had never heard that one before... and so glad you are trying to stay out of hell. Personally, I live in it daily...

ha!