We passed the Joint Commission survey.

My hospital passed the JC survey. The CEO sent us an email thanking us for the great job. We can now go back to our bad ways until 2 years from now when the next survey is due.

I floated to my old unit today. It's been 7 months and it's nice to work with my former co-workers. I'm glad the hyper charge nurse was off today. I just don't have the energy to deal with her today.

My patients were not bad at all. For the first time I went home on time. One of them was not a happy camper so I just gave in. I'm not in the mood to deal with a moody old lady. I let her have everything she wants. She was having a lot of pain so after a dose of morphine and a couple of hours of sleep, she realized that she needs pain meds. I made her day and we were friends. It's amazing how pain relief can change ones outlook in life.

The unit also has a potluck going for lunch. It was for three nurses having a birthday that weekend. Free lunch is always good.

I went to a co-workers house warming party. She called me at work to make sure that I show up. I was tired and sleepy when I arrived at her place. She bought this house for a pretty penny. There is hardly any land around her house and several houses share a large driveway. The front lawn is in the front of this large complex of houses. Her house has no front lawn and is also near the 210 freeway. Ahh, I'm still happy with my house. It is old and need upgrading but it has land.

Today was a good day. Two free meals can't be bad at all.

Home improvement.

I decided to work on my pool again. It's a love hate relationship. 30,000 gallons vs. me. While buying supplies to clean the pool, I got side tracked on buying new electrical outlets for my house. I've been meaning to upgrade my electrical outlets as they are loose. Plugs fall off in the slightest movement.

Electricity is not my favorite energy. The thing can kill you. Can't make mistakes or else 120volts of unadulterated energy will zap the bejesus out of your soul. Yesiree, fried like a pork chop.

I bought everything that the electrical book listed me to have. Bunch on Made in China electrical equipment that checks if the wiring is right and tells you if you are about to fry your brains off. It was worth the 20 something bucks. I dug up the rest of the tools I haven't used for more than 15 years. A couple of small screw drivers, a wire cutter and a wire stripper.

I started with my bathroom outlet. Taking the outlet apart is the easy part. After failing to get the ground fault circuit interupter (GFCI) receptacle installed, I settled in installing a basic receptacle. The GFCI is a better receptacle as it is now required in bathrooms and kitchens. I need to read up on this one some more.

The more I work, the more I realize that my eyesite has been bothering me as I can't read the very fine print on the receptacles. I have to look for my glasses, otherwise everything is a blur. I hate being old.

The wiring of the bathroom receptacle was a success. Fueled by this victory, I started to pull out the receptacle by the double glass door and found out that it was a receptacle in the middle of a circuit. This means three cables go into this box. Hmmm, a little complicated. I have to let this one go as I have no clue how this one works. Back to read some more.

The most important thing about home electical work is to shut off the power from the main box. Why play with electricity? I learned a lot today. With a little research, some money for tools and equipment, a little patience, and willingness to do a little work makes a project like this all worth while.

The vacuum cleaner now plugs into the bathroom without falling off. Gotta love that. One down 10+ more to go.

Joint Commission.

Every two years our hospital gets accredited by the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation. The purpose of it is to meet the strict healthcare delivery requirements that hopefully reduces unsafe practices.

Healthcare has gone a long way since I started my nursing career 10 years ago. Latin abbreviations are no longer acceptable. OU for both eyes and QD for daily are examples. I wonder why they were even implemented. Just read your prescription and see if you can read what your doctor has prescribed for you. It's scary.

I had the opportunity to finally meet some of these Joint Commision inspectors. I used to work nights and I never did meet any of them in the past 10 years. Last Tuesday, they were all over the hospital. I just did my work and hoped they are nice with me if they pick me to inter view. With my luck, they skipped my unit. They went everywhere else but my unit. Unbelievable.

I heard there was a doctor and a nurse inspector. The doctor pretty much concentrated on the chart and the nurse was focusing on nursing safety procedures. There was emphasis on "Time Out". This is basicaly taking the time before the procedure so the doctor, nurses and other vital staff can check that they have the right patient, the right procedure, the right body part is marked if applicable, the right equipment, consent was signed, and the right equipment is available. This reduces unnecessary amputations of the wrong patient.

During the inspection, I noticed that the pharmacy was quick on their feet. Most likely over staffed so that the meds kept on coming. Hehehe, it was a nice day indeed.

The managers are ofcourse on edge. They overstaffed all the units to make sure no patient is missing a nurse. All the disinfectant containers are full and in the case of our unit, the faucets are all working. A refrigerator even showed up in the unit. I guess the old one doesn't meet Joint Commission standards.

I went home disappointed. Wishing that I could have witnessed one of the most feared event in hospital history. Oh well, maybe in 2 years it will happen.

Brother is now married.

Congrats to my brother R and sister in law M. It's a match made in heaven. Seven years in the making. Their wedding is one of the most memorable I've attended.

There was Kulintang music during the procesion. The couple was blessed by the elders during the reception. What a sight! A major spiritual experience. Little bamboo plants in sets of three and a red ribbon tied around it with their names scribe on it in gold and a care was their give away. A little instruction card was included.

A woman for the best "man". S was a fascinating woman. She even offered me a job in her E.R.

I shot atleast 500 pics using 2 brands of digital SLR cameras and only the built in flash attached to them. I want to keep my "guest" persona and not look like a hired photographer. My pro equipment missed the action but I told them about how I missed them and how there was room to shoot portraits of everyone in the ballroom. Yes, there is enough room to set up a studio with room to spare.

I brought my puppy dog to the hotel room where I stayed. He had a great time.

My twin nieces has their debut. They are the youngest in the party. They will not remember this great wedding celebration but hopefully my digital pictures and prints will survive the test of time. I can't imagine electrons on magnetic strips can survive 20+ years. The photos were stored int0 3 computers hard drives and an iPod.

Almost a week and a half has passed and I'm still getting good feeling about the wedding celebration.

No certificate, no work.

In the nursing world, we need certificates for everything. Ofcourse there is the basics such as a license, without it no one can work as a nurse. Then there are the Basic Life Support and Advance Life Support. In simple terms, CPR and knowing what meds to give during a code.

These certificates expires every 2 years and like most of the time, mine is expired. It's always a nice thing. I can extend my vacation while I'm presently on suspension at the hospital. My boss, I don't have one right now, is probably pissed. I personally don't give a rat's ass. I can still work in a medical floor but why? I can always do overtime and catch up on the missed days.

I called the re-certification company but they are out to lunch. Oh well. I'll have to write a few more blogs. hihi.