Quiet....

If you are a nurse or are in the medical field, you all know that QUIET is not the word of choice when things at the hospital are unusually not chaotic!!! Once that word is said all hell breaks lose and no one can stay caught up, but this weekend QUIET described the CVICU to a tee!!!  We had two patients on Saturday, one of which went home, and just one patient last night!  Now, I have NEVER been in an ICU, of any sort, and been the only staff person there....and that was last night! I guess there is a first for everything! There came a time when I was wishing something would happen, so that I would have something to do or someone to talk to!!!  Surprisingly enough, I was able to stay awake throughout the night and I scored some CEU credits!!!!
I had some drama this last week with my ACLS certifcation...for those of you that don't know, ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support...pretty much when you are in a code blue situtation you are able to run a code and give meds until a doctor can get to you and the patient.  Because you have to recertify every two years, I have taken this class many times.  My certification is due to expire at the end of May so I signed up for a class here at the hospital I am working at.  Well, I knew in the back of my mind that it was odd, as a travel nurse, that I wasn't required to pay for it, but I just thought maaybe this hospital goes above and beyond for their travelers...well I was wrong!  As I was driving to the class that morning...the thought did cross my mind that I should have gotten a packet with a pre-test in it, but I wasn't worried about it.  So, I went to the class and told the instructor that I didn't recieve a packet or anything...and from then on I think it was "Let's make Allison feel two feet tall day."  I have never in my life been talked down to like the lady in the education departmenr talked to me that day, the way she looked at me, the way she moved her head when she was talking to me, the tone of her voice; she acted like I had just commited a federal crime...it was all I could do just to walk away.  Need less to say, I paid for the class online and took it online.  With some of the things she was saying to me that morning, made me realize that I DO NOT miss the politics that goes along with being a staff nurse in a hospital...it's definitely not about what we can do to help you out and make your life/job easier. 

I switch back to day shift tomorrow morning...and only have 3 weeks left of this contract!!!  I am so excited to hit the road and begin my journey back to western KS with my first stop being one of my favorite cities with my favorite people...KANSAS CITY!!!!  WHOOP WHOOP!!!! :)

My Recruiter: Ashley

I wouldn't be where I am in my career if it wasn't for my recruiter Ashley!  a couple weeks ago she asked me to write her a reference letter to send out to new nurses that she gets after the first time that she talks to them...when I first saw reference letter in the email my heart dropped...I truly thought that she was going to say that she had applied for a different job.  I know that if that would have been the case, I don't know that I would continue on my journey as a travel nurse.  THANK GOODNESS it was the complete opposite!!  I have only known Ashley for about a year and I have never met her, but she has become a close friend and I talk to her many times in one week! 
I am going to copy the letter I wrote for her on this entry.  Maybe it will help some of you grasp how much she really has done for me and how much I appreicate her!!! 

When my life took a turn that I wasn’t expecting and I needed a huge change to start over, I met a girl that was a travel nurse at the hospital I was working at. After an in depth conversation with her about the career as travel nurse, she gave me her card with a number on the back that would soon change my life. After debating back and forth as to whether or not travel nursing would be the career for me, I decided to call the number on the back of that card to just see what it was about. Little did I know that the nice, bubbly voice on the other end of the phone was one that I would eventually talk to about not only about my nursing career and about finding the next job, but about my personal life as well. The first time I talked to Ashley Miller, it was like talking to one of my friends that I had known for years. She related to me and what I was going through at that time in my life, and she encouraged me not to run from unpleasant things, but to be a travel nurse because I truly wanted to be. The first conversation we had lasted about 45 minutes, and to my surprise it was mostly about me: what I do, what my hobbies were, what interests me, what made me happy, and what I wanted to make of a travel nurse career. Ashley was more that efficient in explaining her role and the agency that would soon make me a travel nurse.

From the beginning, Ashley has been more to me than just my recruiter, she has been my friend. There are times that I talk to her more in one week than I talk to some of my closest friends. One thing that is important for a nurse/recruiter relationship is having a recruiter that you can trust. You have to keep in mind that ultimately this person has your livelihood in their hands. They are the ones that work endlessly to find you a job, make sure that the job will suite your personality and skills, actually submit you to a job, and then anxiously wait with you for your interview. I trust Ashley more than ever, she is true to her word and I have never been disappointed with the timeline of submitting for a job that she lays out for me. She is honest with me when she thinks that I would be bored with a certain job or area or when she thinks that I need to submit my resume to a job.
There was a time when I was looking into other companies, just to have a wider variety of jobs and more opportunities. I was open with Ashley about it, and she was very accepting about it. However, she promised me that she wasn’t going to lose me to another company and she would have me a great job by the end of that week, and Ashley was true to her word! She landed me a job on the east coast in the specialty that I love!
As I look back on my career as a travel nurse, Ashley always pops in my mind! I wouldn’t be where I am with my career if it wasn’t for her time, friendship, work ethic, and positive attitude. She has proven time after time that I more than a business associate, but her friend that she cares about. I would recommend Ashley to anybody that I come in contact with that is considering a career in travel nursing.
If you are reading this letter, you have already had a conversation with Ashley; I can reassure you that she is the recruiter to go with. I gave her a chance to make my career one that I have always dreamed of, and she succeeded!!!
~Allison Chaput, travel nurse with Medical Solutions

I was going to steal a picture of her off her facebook, but I'm not sure which one she would like the best...so I decided to wait until we can take a picture together!!!  I'm hoping that I will finally get to met this bubbly voice that I talk to all the time when I am in Lincoln for a week with my little sister during my time off between assignments!!!

Rough Week...

It has been a rough week in the CVICU...we have had a patient that has been there since April 4th, each one of us grew fond of this man and I know that he touched each of us!  This patient had open heart surgery, then had to go back to surgery for abdominal issues,  and then back to surgery to have a permanent pacemaker placed...so he was with us through the long haul.  This week as I was working nights, I did my usual as I did everyday I worked and popped into his room to say hi and see how he was doing, but on Thursday night, I didn't have time to get in there before I started my assesments as I had a fresh post-op open heart and another patient that was 2nd day post-op.  So, when Jamie came to me and said, "Allison, I need your help, he is having bright red bloody stools." my heart seriously dropped.  From then on, it was a night from hell.  We rapidly infused 7 units of blood after we put in a NG tube (a tube that goes in your nose and down to your stomach) and sucked out a liter of blood, we were pushing calcium, bicarb, and amps of epinephrine like it was going out of style, and he was on every pressor (medication to keep your blood pressure up) known to man-kind. He had the look of death written all over his face. There was one time when Jamie looked at him and asked him if he want to keep fighting and he shook his head no, I seriously lost it!!!  There was no way that I was going to be able to stop from crying!  This is the patient that everyone spoiled...when he was NPO (nothing by mouth) after his abdominal surgery, we would give him soda to dip his swabs in, we did a cheer when he first started passing gas after his surgery that made him laugh, we praised him when he was able to get up and walk down the hallway, when he was doing well we took him outside on nice days to get some fresh air since he had been in the hospital so long, he was the patient that called you sweetheart even when you made him do something that he didn't want to do or didn't have the energy to do, he was the patient that just put a smile on my face.
Despite every effort that we did that night, he didn't make it and he went to heaven to be reunited with his wife that he only lost in November.  I pray that his son makes it through grieving for both parents, because personally, I don't know if I would be able to survive losing both of my parents in a 6 month time.
As I sit here tonight, with my balcony door open listening to the waves of the ocean, I hope that he is looking over me and all the other nurses that took care of him.  I pray that he continues to look over each of us nurses on the CVICU as we continue to take care of the people that need us the most!  It's patients like him that make our job worthwhile and makes dealing with the difficult patients a little bit easier!

It's been a while.....

To everyone that follows my blog...I am so sorry that I have been MIA!!!  I went To Sioux Falls, SD for Easter and when I got back I worked a week of night shifts!!!  I finally have a day off and start back on days tomorrow...so it's been a busy couple of weeks!!!

I went to Sioux Falls, SD for Easter to see my family and we had a fabulous time!!!  I love my family more than anything in the this world, but I love the fact that we are so close even more!  When I was able to see my family whenever I wanted I took it for granted, and now that I am not able to just jump in my car and drive a few hours to see them, I cherish every moment we have together even more!  Our weekend consisited of the one thing that bonds us together as a family: church!  As we sat in church on Easter Sunday and listened to the homily it seriously touched each of us individually and as a whole family!  There were many times when I thought the priest was talking to me and there were also times when I thought he was talking to my family as a whole!!  As a family we have definitely taken our turn on carrying our cross just like Jesus did, and the way the priest put it into persceptive it really hit home!!! 
Our weekend didn't only consist of church...we went shopping, to a movie, had taco night at my sister's house, had a fabulous Easter dinner, and of course my mom's famous 3 mile walks!!!! 

Our whole family LOVES Madea, especially my nephew, so when we saw that the new movie was coming out the weekend of Easter is wasn't even a question as to wether we were going or not!!!  My nephew is growing up way to fast and got every joke that was in the movie, including some of the ones that as an aunt thinks he shouldn't have got!!!! 

Tori is waiting patiently for Lee's family so that we can take family photos!!  Once again, she loves sticking that thumb out there!!!!

My wonderful family!!!  Love them!!!!

SISTERS!!!  :)  I have to clarify that I am the tallest one of us three, however, I chose to wear flats and they chose to wear heels!!! :)

After the family pictures, we all got comfortable and got cozy on the couch!!  Mom even dozed off for a snooze!!!!

Since being in Delaware, I have made some good friends!!!  Unfortantely, Ashley, a travel nurse as well, has just finished her contract and is back in Arkansas.  I miss her already!!!  We did lots of things together!

Here are some pictures at a party after several people that I work with did the Mud Run!

Ashley, Jamie, and I

Ashley and I



I have started the count down to the end of my contract!!  I have 4 weeks left!!  I can't believe how fast this contract has come and gone!!!  I am super excited to be home in KS and spend two weeks with my family preparing and celebrating my little sister's wedding!!! 

Easter Goodies

There are somethings that I love during the Easter season that aren't exactly good for me, but I love then nonetheless, and I buy them every year during this season! 

PEEPS!!!  I love these things!!!  I know that they now make them for different holidays, but they aren't a peep unless they are the chicks and yellow!!!  I am picky...I have to have the chicks and the yellow ones.  Now, I know that the pink, blue, purple chicks or bunnies don't taste any different, but I don't like my mouth to be different colors, and the chicks are the cutest!!!  So, when I have a peep it has to be the yellow chicks!

These are my FAVORITE!!!  I love these mini eggs!!  There is nothing better than the crisp sugar shell that is on the outside of the chocolate!!!  I have make myself only buy one small bag of these every Easter, if I don't just keep it to one, I will eat multiple bags!

I am so excited for Easter!!!  I am flying to South Dakota to my older sister's house, where I will also meet up with my mom, dad and little sister!!!  I can't wait to see my family!!  I haven't seen my mom, dad, and little sister since I was home in Feburary, and I haven't seen my older sister and her family since Christmas!!!  I am counting down the days!!!!

Bus Trip!

Last Thursday I went on a bus trip to Washington DC to see the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and to the Francisan Monestary!  Now, I signed up for the this trip after seeing it in the church bulletin, so I had an idea that I was going to be the youngest person on the trip, and well, I was right!  I was on this bus trip with 47 senior citizens...so I was the youngest by 30 years!!!  When I first got on the bus the bus driver (who could have been my grandpa) said to me "Well, what are you doing here, you are young."  I just laughed, but I really wanted to slap him and say that young people can be interested the the Shrine and Monestary.  So, I find my seat and here come this little old lady asking if the seat next to me was taken, when I said no she asked if she could sit with me, and I said sure!  Well, she was a talking tammy, I finally had to pretend that I was sleeping so that she would be quite for a few minutes, but that didn't stop her, she just turned to the people across the aisle and talked to them! 

The Shrine was absolutely beautiful: 
I am going to put a few pictures on here from the internet because my computer won't let me download my photos at this time and these pics are prettier!!!

The front of the National Shrine

From the back of the shrine

This mosaic is at the front of the shrine and absolutely breathtaking.  It is made of 3 million little mosaic pieces!

View of the National Shrine

The Fransican Monestary was beautiful also!  The gardens around the building were amazing with all the tulips, bleeding hearts, and pansies in bloom! 

The last supper

Inside of the monastary

At Calgary

So while I was walking around the gardens outside one of the eldery men came up to me and asked me if I was hired as the nurse to be on this bus in case one of the senior citizens fell or got sick.  I was like serioulsy!!!  But, I politely said to him "No, I paid the same amount of money as you did to come on this trip and I just happen to have a degree in nursing!"

While on the bus ride home that little old lady that sat next to me gave me her phone number, address and gave me turn by turn directions on how to get to her house, she said "Come over some day, and we'll go bike riding.  I ride a bike with 3 wheels, but I have one with 2 wheels that you can ride."  I just laughed, however, she was so sweet, I  might just take her up on it!!! 

Over all, I had a great time on this trip and it was very interesting to see all these things that pertain to my faith!!!  I would like to go back and see it again, because we didn't have near enough time to soak everything in!

Open Chest...SAY WHAT???

This last weekend I was thinking about my blog, about how it is my adventures as a travel nurse. I'm out here in this great big world experiencing all kinds of things...and I don't think I have ever blogged about something that pertains to my job!!!  Well, something exciting happened today that I have never experienced before and to get my hands in the mix of this crazy afternoon, was, well fabulous!  If you are a healthcare provider, you will completely understand that adrenaline and "fun" that today brought, however if you aren't a healthcare provider you are going to think this is pretty gruesome!
The day started like any other, expect the fact that we were starting to computer chart everything for the first time...that was the least of our worries by the end of the day!  We had 3 patients, and one was being whisked to the OR for open heart surgery as I arrived...after that the day was calm!  We got our line placement call from the OR, then we got our "on pump" call, which means the patient is on the bypass machine so the heart can be stopped for surgery, we got our "off pump" call, then we got the "we are back on pump" call (which is not a good thing), then we got our "off pump for the second time" call (ok things are looking a little better), then we got the "we are coming to you with an open chest" call!  You read that right, AN OPEN CHEST!!!!  Seriously, when the nurse that took the call said this out loud, I had to turn around and say, "What did you say?"  But, she wasn't kidding!!! 
After that call and by the time the patient arrived to us in the ICU it was CRAZY!!!  Imagine this...a small hospital room, with 4 IV poles, 8 IV pumps with 8 different drips, 2 chest tubes, a IABP, a temporay pacemaker, all the cords to both A-lines and a CVP with the transducers, a patient with an open chest, a bed, a heart cart, a respiratory therapist, 3 nurses, 3 PA's,  the perfusionist, 2 cardiovascular surgeons, and 2 anesthesologists....and our manager running all over the unit getting the things we needed...IT WAS NUTS!!!  People were shouting orders, and yelling get this and get that, then there was me...and all of a sudden we lost a pulse...everyone was so concentrated on what everyone else was doing, so above all the chaos, I yelled "WE LOST THE PULSE"...and of course we couldn't do chest compressions, so all we could do was shock the patient...thank goodness the patient was in vfib and not asystole, so the shocking worked!!!  We were slamming adenosine and digoxin into this patient, giving him blood, titrating drips like a mad man, all while performing fantastic teamwork...it was so much fun!  I know some of you are thinking that is morbid...but I go to work everyday to take care of the sickest people in the hospital...and that is exactly what I did today!!!