rubbery brain?

I was watching a show about learning and the brain they called the brain plastic it is much more changeable than they thought it was really interesting especially about exercising the brain. i just wanted to note it here I'm going to read more about it, but I think I need to learn new things but what?

still fluey

God this flu lasts forever. Two reflections today i just realized that the nutters that wrote the very crappy computer programs for work would be eternally modifying and "improving " the programs so as well as learning it initially we would be always adjusting to them changing it and we would have no ability to say no to any upgrading they want to do as you can on home computers. We will have all the past records on it soon as it is it is taking up a lot of nursing time. There doesnt appear to be any nursing input into the system as they bought rubbishy add on programs like diet lists that just take too long to change compared to a rubber and a pencil.
Also one of the issues at work is the birthing unit runs on minimal staff so when they get busy they like to call on the ward for help, problem is when they get busy, we get busy so they really need to call in their own staff. One of the ward midwives said at the large prob best practice hosp she trained at, the MGP (midwifery group practice) on call would be called in to help. Now this is a truly awesome idea as it will cost them no more to do this, MGP are paid a negotiated salary and it would solve a lot of staffing issues but it will totally annoy MGP midwives who think they are the elite of the job. Evil laughter, maybe they will never do it but it will certainly p them off and the idea of it will give us nobodies on the ward a big laugh. We get very sick of them swaning through the ward visiting their ladies without doing a nursing thing for them. The problems of 2 different models of work shoved together, one of which gets the glory while the other is doing the work. Yeah yeah co-op understanding of others roles. Personally I think the hardest roles are dealing with nightmarish wards, trying to get a handle on what 28 more or less patients are up to then staff mix of experience or lack of it and dont even talk about trying to get hold of doctors. Its always easier one to one even if your busy. The only reason I can take wards is because of patient allocation, I can get a grip, mostly on 7 mothers and 7 babies through a couple dont get much attention, and because I almost never get put in-charge. They suspect, rightly I might not turn up! I dont help other people anymore unless I can count on them to return the favour and I dont worry about what other people are up to, unless life theatening.

new year at work

Felt hot and uck so did my temp 37.6 told one of the girls take a panadol they said, I said dont you mean go home, no you cant go home. Said to another nurse I was sick take a panadol she said didnt bother asking the 3rd of my co's just took the panadol. Had pretty quiet night really then came home and watched Sydney fireworks on TV thru it doesnt look as good as in real life. You also keep thinking well thats a few hip replacements up in smoke, but no one is allowed to spoil the party. Watched some young guys walking up the street very drunk or drugged. You wonder about humans and their predilection for drug taking.
I feel kind of detached about everything nursing hardly means what it used to mean to me, I think the voyage out of grief is as difficult as the voyage in, part of you doesnt want to come back to life because you have to leave people behind.
Whats hard is to drop all the rubbish in your life to be free fluid and unpredictable, especially as you get older,

be careful what you wish for

I was doing the shopping at Woolies on christmas eve and I wanted to buy a chicken to cook, they had marinaded which I don't like and already cooked ones but they had run out of fresh chickens. With limited room in a small fridge and 3 of the family working in the afternoon, I was really trying not to buy too much food. Should I hunt for a fresh crook or buy a cooked one in case. Decided to buy a cooked chicken and see if the local butcher had a chicken left, he did so we ended up with 2 chickens. On christmas day 2 children working in a fast food chicken shop off they went to work ranting about money grabbing owner, losers who had to buy take away at christmas, and the injustice of working Christmas day without even penalty rates.
They came home at 10pm still complaining it had been very busy lots of students, and others driving round looking for somewhere to eat. The shop was supposed to stay open later and the owner taking over from them. They had cooked more chickens for him to sell but he rang in sick and they had to shut which is a lot of work so they were late off. They couldn't bear to thrown out all the chickens so they bought 2 home so now we are the proud owners of 3 1/2 chickens, the dog is happy. To add to the silly season the genius who stayed at home gets out a packet of chicken flavoured biscuits and munches thru it.
Today, happy boxing day by the way, we are having chicken salad.

Christmas e cards

I dont get into recommending stuff but my sister sent me an ecard from jacquie lawson, it was so cute I joined up and sent them off to everyone very handy as there is a postal strike, or was and I of course so late with christmas cards, my children laughed at me for paying for ecards but they were impressed by them. My other recommendation is Jennys red news. Jenny Haines used to run the NSW nurses union before it became a sub-branch of the right wing labour government. She posts most of the health articles and a few comments. Handy in one place. Actually a working nurse before and after her stint in power, if you can call the union power, more like lap dog headquarters.
Christmas is rolling over me the kids have been good they went out and got a tree it was the last one and quite squashed but it has sprung out well but all the decorations are memories of course and now we have my mothers ones as well. Christmas is a dodgy time of year stirring up old memories of family and old worlds. Where modernity is handy state of mind, look forward ignore history and even post modernity, pluck the past for ideas but leave the battleground but oh the call of our old peach tree in summer. The first world you were born into that you thought was the only world old aunties grandmothers who you paid as much attention to as the furniture and now I miss them all so much as we turn into them.
I went for a surf yesterday the witches say water will wash away any thing. Its funny but the more you know the more you leave things be, like children, they grow anyway you start off thinking you are going to shape them but they are growing into themselves. You are really just watching and supplying the bandaids. Enough go mop up these silly tears and make a cup of tea.

No no not in labour

This is my funny story from last shift. One of my ladies had had ruptured membranes for a while and had been niggling, good tech term, getting mild irregular contractions, since the night before. It was her 2nd baby and she had had a quick labour with her first, stating to get stronger and worrying her more, panadol and a warm shower and call partner, still on the ward not yet birthing unit. Told BU no no they said not in labour they are too irregular. I said some people deliver with irreg contractions no no they dont. Told the girl when you think you need the gas entonox tell me I'll take you round to BU. Told BU I'd be bringing her round when she needed more pain relief even if she wasnt getting more regular pains. Either she had a low pain tolerance or she was progressing either way if they need pain relief they should have it. I think it should be the mothers choice anyway.
Later she said i think i need the gas so walked her round to BU they all busy got them to give her the breathing thing and left it with them. 3/4 hr later one of the other MIdwifes rings up you know that girl that wasnt in labour shes delivered, We laughed. I'm going to give midwife no no a hard time about that,
Midwife no no comes around later says I checked her 15mins before she delivered she wasnt in labour she said, seriously some people are never wrong. We laughed again and went round to see beautiful baby girl and very clever mother who delivered not in labour.

Excellent day

I came 3rd at golf and won a ham so good, out of a 100 women. Not that I'm much good but my handicap is 45 and now its gone down to 43 which is very exciting. If I could just do better on the 3 hardest holes might score better regularly. If you blow out a hole it is so difficult to make up the points. It is a diabolical game which means when you occasionally go well its very exciting. Someone said you only have a few good games a year so I'm glad it was on ham day. Some of the ladies are over 80 and they still go well, very steady. It has that element of being in the trenches together so there is a lot of camaraderie and it has old manners with it you have to behave properly on the course (lots of well behaved drinking which is nice). We play with different ladies every week so you get to know all the members. Its the closest thing i know to working with a good group of nurses but its been a while since I felt like that through you have some shifts that are good.