Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Attitude Adjustment

It has been pointed out to me that the reason that I am burned out could very well be that I am focusing on the negative instead of the positive. So in an attempt to counteract the cloud of negativity that seems to be following me, I have compiled the following:

Six things that I love about my job

1. The look that little old ladies give me when I give them a blanket fresh out of the blanket warmer. It's amazing to me that a warm blanket has the same effect on a little old lady as 1 mg of Dilaudid has on a drug seeker.

2. That rush of adrenaline that I get when we get the first look at the EKG of a STEMI. Yes, I'm a dork. I love STEMIs. That tombstone gets my blood flowing like nothing else. Well, at work, anyway.

3. When floppy, listless babies turn into normal, crying babies with the help of some Tylenol, Motrin and and a fluid bolus or two. Some people think that the sound of babies crying is bad. I disagree. Crying babies are music to my ears. It's the ones that don't cry that make me nervous.

4.*POP*SNAP*SNAP*SNAP*!!!!!! The fact that I love it when belligerent drunks get tazed in my ER doesn't make me a bad person, does it?

5. When I get an IV on someone that's already been stuck 10 times. Because now that poor, sick person can get some medicine to help them feel better...... No, not really. It's an ego thing. I admit it.

6. The sound that the automatic door makes as it closes behind me on my way home. Sorry guys. If you're looking for something deep and meaningful, this is not the blog for you.

Wow! I feel so much better! In fact, I think I can make it through the last three nights of my five night stretch now.

Thank goodness for the positive people. It gives me someone to focus my negativity on.

If all else fails, watch this. It'll put you in a good mood, guaranteed. Unless you're a sociopath, of course.

10 comments:

Jessica L said...

You go for it. I'm not participating in this one. It's sunny and beautiful today. Funk's gone. I think... I hope. Congrats on the IV thing. You can be egocentric every once in a while... If you got it, flant it, baby. :รพ

Joeymom said...

Ah, six good things:

A really good discussion board exchange. I love it when students LEARN something.

When 50% or better of my exams are "A"s. My tests are not easy. If students are acing them, I am doing my job.

Working from bed. I teach online. I can stay in my pajamas.

Making new presentations for my students. I get to sift through wonderful art objects and talk about them. How's THAT for a job?

Field trips. Who doesn't love field trips? I like to think of myself as the Ms. Frizzle of art history.

Reading essays. No really. Sometimes students come up with whole new ways of seeing things. Some of them are funny: like the kid who thought Stonehenge was made up of blue stones from whales. Some are insightful, like the student who realized that architecture was not about walls, but about spaces. And it always gives me a chance to support my local English profs by helping kids learn to write.

:)

Joeymom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I agree with #3 especially. Crying babies are a good sign...it's when they don't cry that we have a problem.

Drama>Trauma said...

Number 4 always makes my night a little better! If only they would let me carry one.. just hand them out along with our leg bags when we clock in.

Garrett said...

Excellent TE clip choice. Didn't recognize him at first.

Mother Jones RN said...

Six very good things. Pop, snap, snap,snap...too funny! I love you Monkey Girl!

MJ

Asclepius said...

I think its good to have a healthy dose of negativity. Hard to do this job without turning into a cynic. Although all the paeds nurses I know seem to be happy 24:7. Thats just wierd!

ERP said...

Damn, that guy is good!As a player that will give me something to work towards.

Mom In Scrubs said...

Warm Blankets and successful difficult IV's...those were the days!