Health Care

I tend to just keep my mouth shut as Health Care has become more about politics and which side you're on than about providing care to people, but seeing as this bill is happening I must say something.

Health care isn't perfect-it's far from perfect but I don't see where this bill helps correct the problem. They are "fixing" a problem and creating many, many more. I just can't see where the math adds up to make this better than what we have now.

Coming from the perspective of a nurse, this is what I see:

Many doctor's are going to leave the profession, the workload would be too great and the taxes too high to continue (see this article: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/print/62812), I've talked to a few docs at the hospital who would agree with this statement. So doctors leave and we have more patients flooding the hospitals-yes, the problems will continue in ER with people receiving their health care there because those docs that are leaving are GP's-so private physicians are gone. Where else do you go then? ER. While the Dayton area has been flooded with nurses, it is a temporary increase and the rest of the country isn't experiencing this-they are still in a nursing shortage. So now we have few doctors AND fewer nurses (and smaller paychecks for the nurses who are left, I'm sure) but MORE patients to care for. What does that mean? Well, in Advanced Care (step down ICU) we take 3-4 patient's depending on severity and work load of the patients. If we have fewer nurses then the nurse:patient ratio changes; nurses will carry a heavier team.

Nursing is a hard job, there is so much to think about and caring for 3-4 patients (and on Med Surg floors it's 5-6 patients) is difficult. We want the best for our patients. We want them to be safe, we don't want sentinel events, we don't want to miss something because we're behind and we're trying to catch up. I know for me, I like to know about my patients and their families. It's not just assess patient, pass meds, document, repeat. Not for me. I talk to my patients, I learn about them and spend time with them. I love getting to spend time with families. It's especially comforting for me to spend time with family members of someone who is critical or who is dying. And it's a great joy to take care of someone who has gotten well and comes back to tell you "thank you." It's the best part of my job. I hate to think that this will be taken away because I'll be caring for 5 or more patients on a daily basis. There won't be enough time. I know some people wouldn't think that's important but nurses treat the whole person-mind, body and soul (or mental, physical and spiritual, if you prefer) and I'll feel like such a bad nurse if I don't.

Not to mention that if you give these nurses heavier assignments that they'll get burnt out and leave the profession, giving us an even bigger shortage. And do you think many people will be waiting to become a nurse then? Sinclair won't have a waiting list for it's nursing program anymore, that's for sure.

I'm not saying we don't need changes to the way insurance companies practice and run health care. But I'm saying this is such a drastic way to change. I don't understand why we can't do little steps? Allow the purchase of insurance across state lines for starters. Don't tax people who don't have "acceptable" coverage (see house bill here: http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf p 8 subpart A) {On a side note, I did hear that surrogates will be required to be covered under all insurance plans...not sure if that's a good idea or not...you'll start seeing surrogate companies pop up all over the place and a lot of people who shouldn't be doing it will be}.

Well, that's all I can post for now. Will follow up soon though. I'm still trying to read this stupid bill. It takes awhile! :D

More soon...

Anniversary

What a great weekend! I had class til about 3 on Friday, came home and got ready for our night out. I bought a new dress to wear-deep teal-and wore it with my new short trench coat from Marshall's. Felt nice to dress up. :o) My MiL was supposed to be here at 1630 but didn't make it til almost 1700 so by the time we got to The Cheesecake Factory we had a one hour wait but since we went to The Greene, we walked next door to Bath & Body Works, then to Kay's Jewelers. I found the perfect ring for me!! So excited-and for a lot less than I was afraid it was going to be so I'm even more excited. Don't know when we're going to get it, still want to look around and see what else is out there.

Anyway, dinner was very good but portion was huge and I took home 2/3 of it! When we left we headed for Richmond (with the plan of stopping at iHop for breakfast in the morning) to stay at a hotel. We got a room with jacuzzi, which was fabulous after the very long week we both had! We slept in, which was great, but slept in so much that iHop was packed by the time we got there. Maybe in a few weeks we'll make a quick trip over there. So we came home. It was the perfect time for us! Nothing busy or rushed; just relaxing and enjoyable. I loved it.

We came home to a very messy house that I got cleaned up nicely over the weekend. Ryan stayed at Grandma's on Saturday night and that gave us some time with just Austin. <3 We never get time alone with either of the boys so when the occasion comes up we take full advantage. I let him pick out a new toy and new pair of shoes. He even got some Toy Story bed sheets. He was the happiest little boy in the world, I think. Came home and played for awhile before bed. I'm trying to think of something we can do with Ryan on his Spring Break-he always loves the Air Force Museum so that might be just the ticket! I just need to figure out how to get some more of those "lunchables" that Seth had! haha! Can't believe how much he liked that thing.

Well, I think I'll be applying to 6SAC-I wanted to go for it and apply to Coronary but I just want to transition well through things, take my time and if I get to CICU then I get there. Advanced Care (6SAC) is a wonderful unit to start on. Unfortunately, the only jobs open anywhere in the hospital are on nights. Hopefully it will only be for 6 months to a year. I can handle that. Eric likes that idea better but I'm not sure why. I'm especially worried with our house being so small-how will I sleep on weekends??? And Eric will have to take time off for sick days and school vacation days anyway (at least on days I work). We'll figure it out. And the extra 10% will be nice for sure.

This week won't be quite as busy: class on Monday, work Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I start Neuro on Monday and unfortunately with the way her schedule falls, I work next weekend too. Once again, the extra money will be nice, but I'm going to be beat! I am actually hoping to talk to one of my educators and see if I can just apply to 6SAC and stay there and not finish out the internship on Neuro. We all know I won't want to stay there. haha! My goal for this week is to make it to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday and hit the park track on Sunday if it's not raining. I am aiming for -3#. I'm doing pretty good but this weekend (pasta and cheesecake, even if it was only half of each) took it's toll! I don't have too many errands to run this week so maybe I'll get to catch up with my girls on Wednesday or Friday? We'll see.

Here's to a wonderful week!

What is your deal?

We went to the Y tonight right after work, I still had my uniform on and it reminded me to ask them about a discount for being an employee at MVH. I asked front desk girl and the Director of Marketing (aka being a giant whore to get her job) or Employee Relations or some made up job title, said, "what did she ask?" Ok, I'm standing right there. Then she says "you can just come over here and talk to me." So I very nicely went over and smiled and said that I had been told that the Y was one of the places I could use my employee discount (by one of the YMCA employees, BTW) and now that I was full time I'd like to look into it. She looked up my acct and starts by saying "You're right where you should be." Ok, that's fine. "Why did you not have this discount set up before? Didn't you know you could do that?" (Do you know how hard it is for me to have someone talk to me like an idiot. I have to try very hard not to get kicked out of places.) I told her I wasn't FT before and was told by someone that after FT status I could get the discount.

Continuing on, "you're account is being charged at the reduced rate since you made less than $40,000 and you're not eligible for a discount. You're already reduced." Great, thank you for the information. Thank you for also making me feel like poor white trash. She said, "IF (and she did place that much emphasis on the word) you start making more than $60,000 a year (which, dare I tell her that I make more than Eric now? haha! AND Eric has gotten a few raises since we signed up) then you'll be eligible for a 10% discount." Fabulous. That's all I wanted to know. Why so bitchy about it?? She wouldn't look me in the eye, she talked down to me. Seriously? Why such a bitch? I thought, gee, it'd be great to come in here in a few weeks and be like "BAM!" We make more than $60,000 now, please kiss my behind. Thanks! Then I remembered, it goes off of this past years W2's. I get the reduced rate for another two years anyway. Guess I'll get my "BAM!" moment in two years.

For the record, didn't like her before, definitely don't like her now, and she really did sleep with her boss to get her job.