“By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -Jesus If you are in a healthcare circle, you’re probably well aware of the uproar a Washington Senator caused this week. In a last minute amendment tacked onto a bill meant to mandate a safe amount of rest breaks for
It felt like we should have saved him. Most of our patients that come in full cardiac arrest look like they’ve had it coming for a while. Either they are elderly, obese, or have the signs of a hard life or long term illness all over them. But not this guy. He was young as
Every ER staff knows that the most dramatic and attention grabbing person in the waiting room is seldom the sickest. It's the polite man at the back of the line quietly waiting his turn that will turn out to be having a massive heart attack. So this feeling follows us around that try as you
Nurses and other healthcare workers experience some of the most ridiculous aspects of the human beast. Things that naturally provoke the single eyebrow arch and the “Are you kidding me?” stare. Were we comedians and satirists, our flow of material would be steady. But since we [generally] strive to at least project nonjudgmental concern, we have developed a
“I understand that” she said, “but I’ve been waiting too long.” An oppressive quiet had settled on the department, even in the midst of usual busyness. The chatter and joking that usually fill the margins of our work was absent. Behind the pulled curtain a battle waged for the life of a perfect, chubby legged
