Happy Re-Birthday!

Life has a funny way of moving forward, all at once!

It wasn't many weeks ago, I started to feel like I hadn't accomplished anything I wanted to accomplish in Australia, however what was I doing to make that happen?? Many many days of frustration followed, and asking for signs, anything to point me in the right direction!

This quote from the book "Eleven Minutes" made me stop dead in my tracks. I don't think it's just referring to meeting a love, but it refers to life in general.

"...I realize I didn't go into that cafe by chance; really important meetings are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other. Generally speaking, these meetings occur when we reach a limit, when we need to die and be reborn emotionally. These meetings are waiting for us, but more often than not, we avoid them happening. If we are desperate, though, if we have nothing to lose, or if we are full of enthusiasm for life, then the unknown reveals itself, and our universe changes direction." -Paul Coelho

So my meeting came at Splendour in the Grass, a music festival in Woodford, Queensland. Seeing the natural beauty of Australia outside the city was breath of fresh air from the city life I have been living this past year! Three days of incredible music, inspiring artists, and great new friends showed me that Australia was going to be my home for a bit longer.

Upon returning to Melbourne, I decided also for the first time in a year to make a career-based decision rather than a "what is the most fun thing to do?" decision. So Emergency Department here I come! New hospital, new position, new experiences. Time for my career to experience a rebirth!

But, none of this change will come before a flash trip back to Dakota, where it all began! I cannot wait!!! :) :) :)

I have to say:
"Good for you, Minnesota!"

Minnesota, my liberal neighbor in the United States, has always been a bit more progressive in some areas of politics. I have to say the news of 12,000 nurses protesting working conditions in Minnesota disturbs me, however it's about time the needs of nurses and patients are looked at closely. I cringe to think who was looking after the thousands of patients in Minnesota hospitals on June 10.

It's unfortunate it takes nurses walking off the job for administrators to take notice. Nurses are the heart of health care across the world, and things simply do not work if nurses aren't there.

We all love our jobs, otherwise we wouldn't be there. It's not about money, but rather patient safety. (And our own sanity!). And our patients deserve proper nurse:patient ratios just as much as nurses deserve better working conditions. The worst feeling as a nurse is walking away, two hours past the end of your shift, and realizing you couldn't even complete tasks which were meant to be completed because you didn't have time- and you didn't even have a break all day!

So people who think our system is fine- you're wrong! People who think our large "not-for-profit" hospitals, aren't "for-profit-" I urge you to look at your facts. Anyone who walks into a US hospital and sees the lobby with a grand piano and staircase and thinks that is OK is misguided. The most basic patient care needs aren't always met.

So I'm not happy that nurses were away from their jobs June 10. And I'm even more disturbed it took more weeks of negotiations to come to an agreement. These are YOUR family members we are looking after.

I hope people of the USA realize that we are in trouble if things don't change. Obama's plan will not solve the problem. But something has to change. Let's insure more of our citizens and promote primary prevention- catch diseases before they turn into multisystem problems. Make our population a little healthier. That will ease the burden of the healthcare system just a little.

WE CAN ALL DO OUR PART!!!!!!!

Oh the comforts of home....

Things I can NOT get down under.......

Mama Jean (not in human form, only skype form)

Taco Bell

Old Navy clothes for $5

Fast food (well i can, but it's socially unacceptable)

Bud Light

 - on that note, a beer for under $8

Summer in June! :) 

Orbit Wintergreen Gum

Target without a period at the end of it. (Look up Target Australia)

What I can get instead:

Lots of emails and skpye from Jean 

Umago Mexican Pita

Not-so-cheap clothes.... 

Macca's (only allowed when ill or hungover)

Little Creatures for $9 a pint

Winter in June!

Extra Gum

Target Period. 

Oh the simple things in life!

Hello winter- and welcome to the Southern Hemisphere!

Well I survived the worst illness I have ever had. Ever. Thank you, K. Rudd and the rest of Australian's government, for your generous sick leave. 

Now, I am back, better than ever. Ready to take on Mebourne's winter....

Notable points of an Australian Autumn/Winter:

- Lack of central heating. Layering of clothes X4 necessary. 

- Absence of snow. What is a winter without snow? Amateurs... 

-  Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain, 5 minutes of sunlight, Rain Rain 

- Notable increase of stroke patients presenting to Royal Melbourne....

- Ugg boots... they really are needed in Australia. Who knew you'd need more than Haivaianas?

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around a cold, dreary July... 

Antidotes for Winter:

Festivals 

Gumboots

Coffee

Arcadia Cafe Eggs

Nights at the pub followed by 8K "Fun" Runs

AFL, or "Footie"

Rugby

More nights at the pub....

However... Mark my words. The next Australian summer, I will be oceanside! 

Nurses make the worst patients...

A bad throat infection (Streptococcus) exacerbated by pre menstrual symptoms is not a good way to start the week. One could say I finally got a taste of my own medicine- a little Augmentin, Dr. Peter promised me would kill the pus ulcers that had invaded my mouth within 24 hours. "You need 4 things: Rest, fluids, Panadol, and this antibiotic."

Now, 43 hours later (yes, I am counting) I am waiting for the magical antibiotic to gather up enough strength in my body to start killing those WBC's....

In the meantime, I will sustain myself on Nurofen, Panadol, Callipo Pops, and bananas....   

Nurses really do make the worst patients!

And to my fellow Americans:

With the passage of the Healthcare Reform, I urge you to consider all angles of the bill. I also urge you to be happy we can extend healthcare cover to 32 million more deserving Americans. 

This is going to be a long, long process. It won't be perfect after 5, 10, or even 20 years. This bill may not be the answer. However, if healthcare continues to run the way it does, we will all be broke, sick, and unable to provide for ourselves. 

Everyone deserves healthcare. Even the "bum" who sits at home and doesn't exercise. It's not your job to change him. It's your job to worry about yourself. It's your job to take care of yourself. And to be greatful you aren't the bum on the couch!

I don't know if this is the answer. What I don't like is that hospitals in the US are becoming more like hotels, and less like places where people's basic and complex healthcare needs are met. 

So please, let's just open our minds, and realize this is a long process. And the healthcare workers of this country will never ever let there be a time where good medicine is not practiced!

Best of Both Worlds?

I have determined I have a love/hate relationship with nursing in Australia. And the same with nursing in America. Don't know if I will ever reconcile the two, and I don't know if we can ever have the best of both worlds... but we could try??? A little Aussie... A little Americana.... 

Nurse:patient ratios- appropriate and safe.   +1 Aussie

Bank staff, on-call. All the time. No one works short.    +1 Aussie

6 weeks (or more paid annual leave)         +1 Aussie

FREE continuing Education +1 USA

Scrubs, no skirts +1 USA

Forward thinking attitude, APRN involvement: +1 USA

"Team Nursing" -1 Aussie (sorry)

Patient focused care +1 Aussie

Appropriate use of protocols +1 Aussie

Inappropriate/Overuse of protocols -1 USA

Fun Medical Slang +1 Aussie

Use of Technology +1 USA

Overuse of Technology -1 USA

Underuse of Technology -1 Aussie

Aussie.... 4

USA.........3  

Tough call....

Lessons of the South Pacific... continue

In order to keep things brief, I will jot down a few more things I have picked up on "in the future:"

- South Dakotan's have poor table manners. Or maybe just I have poor table manners. Somewhere in my development I missed out on a proper way to hold a fork and knife, as well as the proper placement of forks and knives to communicate with wait staff. yeah, I think that was just me who missed out....

- Growing old, does NOT mean growing up. Only if you let it. And you can regress in maturity. 

- Some things in life do not get easier. When I say that I refer to many aspects of my job. (See past blog posts)

- Vitamin D is a great deliverer of happiness for many who get to see it. 

- You can fall in love many times a day- with a place, with a song, with a soft bed to nap on, with air con, with the ocean, with an animal... there is no limit.

- Cadbury Cream eggs do not mend a broken heart. But they sure do help. So does ice cream. 

- There are far more people in the world from Asia than I ever imagined!

- Cure for a hangover: Anything which starts with an 'S'

   Swimming

   Saltwater

   Showers

   Slushies

   Sleeping

Imperative for living. There you have it!    

Age is JUST a number....

I must say, I think I was born in the wrong country because turning 25 in the Southern Hemisphere was just pure magic.

Woke up in Apollo Bay, a tiny coastal town along Victoria's famous Great Ocean Road. Enjoyed a bad coffee and brick toast from a dodgy side-of-the-road cafe, stood with the 12 Apostles (which is actually 9, thanks to nature and time), ate some McDonald's along Torquay Beach, followed by a dip in the ocean along one of Victoria's best beaches. Returned to Melbourne and had some Afghan food "on the floor" (our Sunday night tradition), surrounded by some of my best friends from South Dakota and Australia.

All signs are pointing to a fantastic year.

'Oh the weather outside is frightful....'

Believe it or not, I chose to live in the most unpredictable, extreme climate in Australia. Just like my home state, the weather motto around here is "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it's sure to change." I can attest to that now....

Christmas Eve: 'Rain Rain Go Away'.... Our mission to the 11pm Christmas Carol Service required jeans, and a jacket. There was no white, but we're feeling the Christmas magic....

Christmas Day in Melbourne: a crisp 70 degrees F- perfect for carrying out Australian Christmas traditions: Bon Bons, BBQ at the park with fellow Christmas Orphans (hot dogs, Budweiser, and chips and dip), followed by a free tram ride to the square for drinks.

New Years Eve: Unapologetically hot. I think I took 3 showers that day. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. My Tina Turner dress and dress-up mullet did not help the situation. I learned of my true ability to "sweat like a pig" and "smell like a dog." 

New Years Day: Back to long sleeves and pants. The 19 hour heat wave over, I shower off last nights sweat and rain, and embrace what I have decided is the year of the ?-Mark

11 January- Turns out we made history this day. Hottest night in over 100 years. Don't think I slept at all that night. Walking into handover at 7am on the 12th, I could tell by the look of everyone the difference in who had air con, and who didn't.... 

12 January- Out for drinks at the local warehouse bar, back to jacket and jeans..... 

And I just wrote a blog entry based on weather... what is my life coming to????