Yum Yum Eat them up!!

Lateral Violence~~ victims unite!
Funny video with a deep message you need to know!

What is on the menu for today? nurses, new ones, young ones, old ones, fat ones, little ones, all colors, no discrimination here when it comes to lateral violence. Everyone is at risk to eaten alive and spat out like yesterdays trash.
Until I had been a nurse for many years did I ever know what the term lateral violence was, I just thought it meant slapping somebody sideways(laterally) or something stupid like that (yes I can be a ding bat at times), but I had been a victim of this incredibly uncalled for bull-crap for many years, so may instances I have lost count.  I can remember being that brand new nurse fresh out of school as an RN (even though I had already been in the medical field since I was age 15) and one of the first preceptors on the floor with me was just plain mean, had no patience with me and only worried about when her breaks were so she could go smoke. The comments I overheard her say about me in the hallway one day nearly crushed me, I just could not understand why she was so hateful and if she was that miserable in her career choice, get out.
Fast forward to several years later when I finally got to go back to the ER and work as a nurse, my dream job I thought. The first day was chaotic and confusing , we had a female who was shot in the head with a small caliber gun, she was awake and talking but needed to be transferred to another facility for trauma care. On my first day it was just funny to the other nurses to throw me into that room and say, "here is your first patient, welcome to the ER". Well that's just fine, if she is alive now, I am gonna kill her before she gets on that helicopter because I had no idea what I am doing. A--B--C--- thats all I kept repeating to myself.
In my element of adrenaline flowing freely I marched on and for another 20+ years kept the pace as an ER nurse. I have witnessed so many times over the countless backbiting, backstabbing, jealousy, gossip and formation of cliques that it somedays embarrassed me to be a nurse. I overheard several hurtful comments made by other supposed "team mates" that did not know I was in ears distance & I began to feel so low and my self esteem plummeted into a spiral of depression and unworth.
I had been a strong, smart, resourceful, compassionate nurse that because of lateral violence was now wanting to just walk out the door. I was physically ill because I did not want to go into work, not because of my patients or the work itself, but because of the people I had to work with. Now don't get me wrong, I did work with many very sweet caring and compassionate nurses, but I also had to listen to the gossip and nasty comments that other nurses said about them all the time. You never knew who you could talk to and if what you said would be twisted around and told back to someone else much differently. So I began to trust No-One! Many of the really good nurses either left or still endure the backstabbing because they know no different. They think these negative nurses are their friends, they are so wrong.
Sadly enough the management of my department did nothing to remedy any of the problems, they listened to only chosen nurses and totally ignored the most experienced and loyal nurses there. That was my cue to get out of dodge. I could tell that somebody was after me, maybe I was a threat, my 24 + years of loyalty to one institution apparently meant nothing. They let me just walk out that door with not so much as a goodbye, except from those who I still call friends.

Are the pastures greener on the other side??? Oh yeah they sure are!!
I myself found the greener pasture and made a run for it! sprinted across that pasture!  After almost 24 years working for one healthcare system, I made the jump to another one. A much better one.I have been so impressed with my new employer, they are wonderful. It was in nursing orientation that one of the instructors did a lecture on this thing called "lateral violence in the workplace" and how it would NOT be tolerated at all in our work setting. We are to report anything and can do it anonymously via our online reporting system. WOW
I am still working in an ER and loving my job everyday I go, my self esteem is back and I am back. The person I once was is back! I am a nurse and I am here to take care of humanity, comfort the sick, assist the dying to a better place, or save their butts. My co-workers now are fantastic, they are team players, take care and own up to patient care. We have all the latest technology and equipment. The system(CHS) actually cares about its nurses and its people in addition to the patients.
I am not here to gossip, wield a knife of sharp piercing stares or words, or let my fellow nurse down. I have many years of knowledge and I am to share that knowledge eagerly with other nurses and gladly accept knowledge and wisdom from them. I am never to old to learn new things and should relish the moments in time spent with others. I am to greet each day anew with a positive outlook and song in my heart. We are not promised another day, we should make the best out of the days we do have.

Thanks you for reading this, just something I had to write and pass on to others so that you can know even strong appearing women or men can hide pain inside. Don't be that person who caused the pain. Be the healer, be the nurse!
Nurse Up your fellow nurse not tear down!!!

Leslie~~~ 

Friday funny: Ectopoopy

I think every ER nurse has had an Ectopoopy moment, that moment when your gut just tells you that the patient that just walked into triage is the patient you need to address first. He might be looking sorta grey, sweating, clutching his chest, or maybe not at all. The female patient might just have very vague complaints like, sudden dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath or abdominal pain. We girls are stubborn and wait out our symptoms until its to late. I have always told my family that they will most likely step over me on the floor having my big MI because I was to stubborn to listen to my own body's symptoms. I can just hear them now, "Mommy" I'm hungry, get up off the floor.
An ER nurse's gut instincts are a gift from above, listen to your gut when it tells you to act on something. Anytime I have ignored my gut, my patient has suffered for it. No one should ever put you down for following your gut instincts as a patient advocate, we are nurses because we care for people, that's our job.
Have a great weekend and remember to smile at your fellow co-workers today!

Internet Acronyms- Get Smart --KPC

20 Internet Acronyms All Parents Should Know - Learn more about the importance of understanding your teen's language with the short video, "Text Messaging: Lost in Translation?" 

1. POS  = Parents over Shoulders
2. PIR  = Parents In Room
3. P911  = Parents Alert
4. PAW  = Parents Are Watching
5. PAL  = Parents Are Listening
6. ASL  = Age/Sex/Location
7. MORF = Male or Female
8. SORG  = Straight or Gay
9. LMIRL = Lets Meet In Real Life
10. KPC  = Keeping Parents Clueless
11. TD2M  = Talk Dirty To Me
12. IWSN  = I Want Sex Now
13. NIFOC = Nude In Front of Computer
14. GYPO  = Get Your Pants Off
15. ADR  = Address
16. WYCM = Will You Call Me
17. KFU  = Kisses For You
18. MOOS = Member of Opposite Sex
19. MOSS  = Member of Same Sex
20. NALOPKT = Not A Lot Of People Know This
    

Where might you see these acronyms used? Whether it's MySpace, Flickr or Facebook, chances are your child has some sort of profile online. Take action on social networks, instant messaging, and text messagin

What language is your child speaking online? There are thousands of internet acronyms. Some are harmless, but others may be drug slang and "code words."
LOL, POS, AFK, 420—What Does it All Mean?
LOL means Laugh Out Loud. | POS means Parent over Shoulder. | AFK means Away from the Computer. | 420 means Marijuana.

As a parent, there's a real reason to learn the language your child is speaking when they're communicating online or via cell phone text messaging. What may appear to be random letters, numbers, and gibberish are actually phrases and "code words" that teens use to get their point across quickly. Just have a quick look at the Text Messaging: Lost in Translation? video.
Begin with our list of the 20 Internet Acronyms All Parents Should Know. Then, download our Get Smart About Slang desktop widget. The widget uses the DEA Get Smart About Drugs database to help you identify drug slang terms used to describe substances.
The Internet offers a plethora of resources for parents interested in learning how to understand and speak their child's messaging language. To further your knowledge, please visit these additional resources: 
NoSlang has compiled a list of the Top 25 Internet Slang Terms all Parents Should Know.
TeenChatDecoder.com boasts a 6,000+ online acronym database that you can search for phrases you don't understand.
NetLingo offers an Internet slang dictionary that contains acronyms typically used in IM, text messages, and e-mail.

 Stay Smart~~ don't blow it!

Inhale Me ~ Let me make you a statistic

With all the hoopla the past few weeks over Demi Moore passing out and having a seizure after inhaling whippets, you might wonder why suddenly everyone is so concerned now that inhalants are so dangerous. As nurses we can tell you that inhalants have been deadly and dangerous for many years, nothing has changed.
What exactly is in a "whippet" ? Lets look at NO(Nitrous Oxide) inhalants and what is in them.
Think its harmless, think again.............

Nitrous Oxide

a. Found in whipped cream canisters, whippets.

b. Characterized by distinctive modes of access and settings of abuse.

c. The most serious abuse complication is death via brain anoxia when the pure gas is extensively inhaled.

d. Altered perception and motor coordination caused by nitrous oxide intoxication have been a significant cause of motor vehicle and other accidents.

e. Prominent venous dilatory effects of nitrous oxide inhalation can cause sudden position-related blood pressure changes sufficient to induce syncopal ("blackout") episodes, with potential for serious injury.

f. Chronic abuse, though unusual, can occur. Such abuse may interfere with vitamin B-12 metabolism resulting in neurologic and hematologic complications.

g. Chronic abuse may result in both depression of heart muscular functioning and in cardiac rhythm disturbances.

i. Chronic abuse has also been linked with risk of miscarriage, birth defects, kidney and liver defects.

Health Hazards
Nearly all abused inhalants produce effects similar to anesthetics, which act to slow down the body's functions. When inhaled in sufficient concentrations, inhalants can cause intoxicating effects that can last only a few minutes or several hours if inhalants are taken repeatedly. Initially, users may feel slightly stimulated; with successive inhalations, they may feel less inhibited and less in control; finally, a user can lose consciousness.
Irreversible hazards. Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can directly induce heart failure and death. This is especially common from the abuse of fluorocarbons and butane-type gases. High concentrations of inhalants also cause death from suffocation by displacing oxygen in the lungs and then in the central nervous system so that breathing ceases. Other irreversible effects caused by inhaling specific solvents are:

• Hearing loss - toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers) and trichloroethylene (cleaning fluids, correction fluids)
• Peripheral neuropathies or limb spasms - hexane (glues, gasoline) and nitrous oxide (whipping cream, gas cylinders)
• Central nervous system or brain damage - toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers)
• Bone marrow damage - benzene (gasoline)
• Liver and kidney damage - toluene- containing substances and chlorinated hydrocarbons (correction fluids, dry- cleaning fluids)
• Blood oxygen depletion - organic nitrites ("poppers," "bold," and "rush") and methylene chloride (varnish removers, paint thinners)

Simple fix.............don't do it

Get help if you do

Educate yourself and others

As a parent, know the signs and know your kid!

Some more helpful websites: 

http://www.inhalants.org/

http://www.inhalant-abuse.net

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/infofacts/inhalants

http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/inhalants.html

#NurseUp and Educate On!! Support Each Other!

Nurses all over the US are upset and simply can't understand how on earth a nurse could be fired for being a patient advocate, educating her patient on all aspects of their care and explaining in detail treatment plans, which led to a greater understanding by her patient and subsequent change in plans. Amanda Trujillo is an advocate for her patients, she did what we all do every shift that we work, make sure our patients understand what is wrong with them, the plan of care, which includes educating them on any treatments, procedures, medications, surgeries, activities or anything else the patient or family asks of us.
It is common for patients in the hospital setting to lack the knowledge they need to make informed decisions, whether it be the stress of the situation or the educational level of your patient. You are not thinking clearly as the patient in that hospital bed (I have been that patient before) and the doctor comes in to talk to you, he talks at a level way above your head. Then he runs out the door and leaves you lost, because the patient(you) is to embarrassed to ask him to explain, they think they trust their doctor and he knows best. But does he always ?? No its your body for peets sake!!! you as the patient deserve a detailed play by play of your care, your treatment, your medications, any questions you have, all explained to you in plain ol' English, not medical jibberish that you do not understand. As a nurse for nearly 30 yrs, I don't understand some of that jibberish at times, so don't feel bad!

Now back to Amanda Trujillo... if you don't know her story, I encourage you to read, search and learn all about this, it may very well change our profession as a whole.
I came across this article online and video of a TV station speaking with her, and I wanted to share :

PHOENIX (CBS5) - Inside Banner Del Webb Hospital in Sun City West, nurses are constantly tending to sick patients.
That's what Amanda Trujillo said she was doing last April when she spoke with a patient on the eve of their surgery.
"I discovered that they had a very big misunderstanding about what they were about to participate in," Trujillo told CBS 5 News.

Trujillo, a licensed nurse in Arizona since 2006, said she advised the patient of possible complications.

The patient decided to delay the surgery and reconsider his or her options.

Trujillo said she also ordered a case management consult for the patient to be educated about hospice care.

"The doctor, ultimately, is the focal point that directs care for patients," said Banner spokesman Bill Byron, who said company policy prevents nurses from ordering a case management consult.
"This is what we go to school to do. We are licensed to teach our patients, we are licensed to advocate," said Trujillo.

Right after that conversation, Trujillo said she was let go and a complaint was filed against her with the Arizona Board of Nursing. 

Now, Trujillo said she is fighting to clear her name - not just for herself, but so other nurses aren't afraid to do their jobs.

"What this hospital is doing is establishing a culture of fear, and what the board is doing by supporting that is they're setting that example that the education of a nurse is not valued," said Trujillo.
The Arizona Board of Nursing said they will discuss Trujillo's case at their next meeting in March.
Copyright 2012 KPHO (Meredith Corporation).  All rights reserved.

Let me encourage you now as a nurse to support your fellow nurse, support Amanda by going to the facebook page "Nurse Up" for Amanda Trujillo
you can stay informed about her case and see updates from other nurse bloggers that are posting about this.

This says it all, a post tonight from a fellow nurse, I have so felt the same way for years myself, Rock on!! we can do this together!

I was preaching about this 25 years ago. I was panicked and I felt guilty. I knew what I knew and I knew "regular" people didn't. So as a nurse I felt some responsibility. We have helped keep patients in the dark, and therefore dis-empowered them by our silence. We have not supported each other enough. We have not shown up, we have not stood up, we have not spoken up for either ourselves or our patients. WE have allowed ourselves to be treated badly though we've done our work well. WE have allowed our caretaking and nurturance to be devalued as a healing tool, and have let the "business" of Medicine threaten us. No more. They can't beat us if we stick together, and if they don't beat us, the patients will win! They will understand their choices. We promised them that. We owe ourselves and our patients that. WE are healers. Let's heal ourselves so we can help others' heal. It's time.

Amen sister to that~~ 

Nurses Care~~ Inspire~ Heal~ Nurture~ Each other~ 

Leslie~~ ER Nurses Care

Alarming Wave of Death- get involved!

The Petition: http://www.petition2congress.com/5809/stop-choking-game/

There is an alarming wave of deaths among our country’s youth; a wave that continues to go unnoticed by mainstream media. Adolescents across the nation are victims of unintentional fatalities caused by their participation in the “choking game” and though known by many names, the intent is to pass out purposely for amusement or for a “buzz”. This silent epidemic that focuses the most brutal results on our very young middle schoolers, remains hidden from public attention because currently there is no way to accurately track and report the number of cases. This lack of statistical proof also limits prevention efforts promoted by the grass-roots organization of the thousands of grieving families who have lost a child to this insidious “game”.

As your constituent, I have signed my name below to ask that you help us help our children by doing the following:

1. Call the CDC and request to be briefed on the issue of the “choking game”.

2. Support the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services by requesting that the World Health Organization add a sub code that includes the “choking game” as a cause of death.

3. Include the “choking game” among the health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth in the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and make the YRBS affordable and accessible for all states.

4. Support the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) model of education as the means to disseminate information regarding the “choking game”.


Enduring the death of a child is heartbreaking. As my representative to Congress, I ask that you help me prevent other families from this heartache by showing your support in establishing statistical evidence of the “choking game,” Your efforts will assist us in heightening awareness among teens and their parents, teachers, and health care providers.

Thank you,  Leslie C Block RN


My Response: I emailed and also had my letters hand delivered to my Congress men and women in Washington, I wanted my voice heard!
As a Registered Nurse for over 24 years most of my years have been spent in Emergency Nursing and the countless deaths of children and teens that are called "suicides" may possibly actually be cause from this youth risk behavior named TCG or the choking game. We at Ed4Ed4all.com have devoted our lives to helping STOP this behavior and other risky behaviors like it that are taking our loved and cherished children away. Our Education for educators and parents is available free. Please help us to stop the choking game so more parents can actually see their kids graduate high school, walk down the aisle at their weddings and raise grandchildren that are our future. Thank you for signing this petition!! I sign it for our kids!

Leslie Block RN Ed4Ed4all Injury Prevention Specialist.
Emergency Department RN Carolinas Healthcare System,
National Social Media Manager The Mommies Network
Chapter Manager CentralfoothillsMommies.com
Editorial & Graphics Team The Mommies Network