Hello Blogosphere

How to start. I want the ground to shake, I want to sound smart and snarky, I want people to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy reading their blogs. Hmmmmm, I think there is something wrong here, a little too much need for other's approval. SO we'll just drop those ideas for blog goal, and instead we will use the blog as a place to get out thoughts and ideas that would otherwise boil uncontrollably in my brain or bore my husband to tears. Yeah, that's a better idea.
Whew! This is so much easier now that we have set a tone. Is it overly nurse-like that I have to set a goal for my blog, and then educate my readers about it? Why must nursing bleed into all corners of my life, is nothing sacred? Ack!
So, let's change the topic to rural nursing.
Rural difference # 1 (in no particular order): Ancillary Staffing.
Example- I understand that in big hospitals, depending on acuity, nurses are expected to take about 5-6 patients per shift on a general medical floor. ER nurses seem to be expected to take about 3-6 beds/ shift that rotate through pretty rapidly (though not always).  Evidently there are NAC's or ER techs that are assigned to these places that also help take care of these patients. Rural hospitals seem to have less ancillary staff.
"Hi, my name is Finesse. I work at backroads hospital. We have 22 beds, and in any given shift I am expected to care for a 10 bed nursing home, three bed ER, 3 extended rehab patients, 4 general medical patients, and perform out patient treatments and do IV starts for Radiology. To help out with this, there is one other RN, and two NAC's. One problem with the NAC's- they stay busy enough with the 10 nursing home patients, they rarely make it far enough down the hall out of the NH to even catch an acute care call bell let alone collect a set of VS in the ER. Oh yeah, we also have one Unit Coordinator to do admits, but she also stays busy auditing charts for completeness while there are managers outside chain smoking or in meetings."

Hmmmm, perhaps we shouldnt' start the blog with this story. May be a little too bitter. Is it to late to mention that Finesse *loves* rural nursing? That she semi-sadistically enjoys getting her ass handed to her and going home and crashing into the bed? That it gives her great satisfaction to serve as a nurse to her family, community members, and fellow man (even said managers who seem to have better things to do than help take care of the catharsis that is the nursing floor)? Its probably never too late to mention those things. People like to hear those things- DAMN!!!! We are back to the cursed approval of others issue! Well, at least it all comes full-circle in the end!