Preceptor

Nursing is a very rewarding job and I love it but it can also be very stressful. This is especially true when you are a new nurse. The responsibility of taking care of someone very sick can keep you up at night. You got all the information in nursing school and now here you are, an RN and sick people need you to take care of them. As an experienced critical care RN I am frequently preceptor to new nurses on our unit. My job is to help them become familiar and comfortable on the unit. They spend 6 or more weeks with me before I hand them over to another nurse on the night shift and then when they are ready they are set free to work alone. During this time we usually become close. The older experienced nurses become friends, the young ones become like foster children. I'm fiercely protective of all of them, the bond is set forever and I really enjoy it.
The first few days of orientation we are getting to know each other. I introduce them to other staff members and try and make them comfortable in the unit. We usually take a few tours around the hospital which is a huge place to try and remember. If they are young inexperienced nurses they are like deer in the head lights at this stage, but with encouragement it doesn't take them long to settle in. I get them familiar with the documentation and get them to master this first. We are very lucky in our unit to have a large staff of attending physicians who love to teach and are very inclusive of new employee's. There is a lot to learn but everyone pitches in and we try to have fun.
As the weeks pass I allow them to take more responsibility for the care of the patients. This can be the reality check trying to learn how to prioritize your time and keep up with the work. Helping them to develop critical care thinking and at the same time showing compassion. It can be overwhelming for some, and they worry about when they will have to function alone. Helping them to learn their resources and who to go to for help. You can not take care of a critically ill patient alone you have to ask for help, sometimes loudly.
Other nurses can sometimes be less than patient. This is especially noticeable if we have to transfer a patient to another unit and I have the new nurse give report. What is it about nurses when we deal with each other during these transfers of patient care? Sometimes we become intimidating and are downright hateful! This same vibe can be there during shift change when we give report to the oncoming staff. Helping my new nurses through these landmines is all part of my job as their preceptor. Turning these negative moments into positives and seeing them develop into my peers...Priceless.

Dora Meulman

BODYPUMP

BODYPUMP is the world’s first class to combine high-repetition weight training with aerobic conditioning. Performed regularly, it will tone and condition your body, help you to lose weight and ultimately change your body shape, all in double-quick time. What are you waiting for? Sign up for a class, NOW! A complete balanced workouBODYPUMP is a 45 to 60 minute non-impact, resistance training programme that utilises barbells and adjustable weights. It is a studio-based group session led by highly skilled, motivating instructors who receive ongoing training to ensure every class is safe, effective and fun. After an initial all-body warm-up, all the major muscle groups are worked via a series of weight-bearing exercises including squats, presses, lifts and curls. The larger muscles of the legs, chest and back are worked first in that order. Followed by the smaller muscles of the arms, namely the biceps and triceps. The legs are worked a second time in the form of lunges followed by the shoulders before the abdominals are trained. The class finally finishes with a well-earned cool-down and stretch. Throughout the class the focus is on correct lifting technique and postural alignment, which may then be carried over into everyday activities. Using light to moderate weights and high repetitions, each muscle group is worked for about five minutes before overload is achieved. This type of endurance training is excellent for increasing lean body mass, improving muscle tone and definition but without causing bulking. So you won’t get big, just toned and strong. Stretching between tracks aids recovery while at the end of the session this helps to maintain and improve flexibility, promote good posture and help decrease the risk of injury. Who is it for? Everybody! BODYPUMP is deliberately pre-choreographed using simple moves so that it appeals to both men and women of all ages and fitness abilities... co-ordination is NOT a prerequisite! People of all fitness levels can enjoy the workout together and feel success because the self-regulated, adjustable weights mean you can control the intensity of your workout. You will find that the synergy of group training enables you to achieve a volume and intensity of work that would be difficult to replicate on an individual basis and exploring your physical limits becomes more attractive with the support of your peers. This type of endurance training is excellent for helping to increase lean body mass, improving muscle tone and definition but without causing bulking. The benefits of BODYPUMP BODYPUMP has been designed to make you stronger, get you in shape and help manage your weight by increasing your metabolism. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn. BODYPUMP will help increase your lean body mass and ultimately improve your fat-burning ability. BODYPUMP can help improve your posture by emphasising controlled and balanced strength training, reinforcing ideal postural alignment that may then be carried over into daily activities. BODYPUMP helps promotes muscular endurance and, as a result, it can also help improve performance in many sports. BODYPUMP can help to increase your overall self-confidence as well as your general well-being but be warned...It will change the shape of your body.

BODYSTEP

BODYSTEP allows you to work at the intensity you want to without having to think too hard! With simple yet effective choreography combined with powerful, athletic moves, BODYSTEP is the ultimate step workout and possibly the world’s fastest way to tone butts and thighs. Step up the intensity not the complexity of your workout.

The traditional step class has been refreshed to create a high-energy, athletic, cardio blast, simple enough for men and women of all ages and fitness abilities to attend. You can control how hard you work by simply altering the height of your step and increasing or decreasing the range of your movements. Designed by some of the world’s leading instructors, selected movements combined with motivating music make BODYSTEP classes uplifting and memorable experiences rather than just another visit to the gym.

 

The Workout

Lasting 45 minutes to one hour, each BODYSTEP class is broken down into three phases. Phase one – the first four tracks are designed to raise the body’s temperature, increase the ease of movement and finishes with the first peak of activity. Using a variety of low impact moves and postural stretches to start, then incorporating changes in music speed, direction and range of movement, you become familiar with the character and intensity of the programme. Phase two – this concentrates firstly on building strength, followed by specific tracks increasing the intensity and demands on the cardiovascular system as the class progresses. The third and final phase – it starts with balance and conditioning work incorporating the upper body and back then moves on to abdominals, finishing your workout with a well-deserved cool-down and stretch safe in the knowledge that you have maximised your workout.

 

Step up to Fitness

Cardiovascular fitness training can be challenging. Many of us find that we avoid it and miss out on the amazing benefits of aerobic training. That is until now! BODYSTEP delivers what we all want from a challenging group fitness workout – maximum results in minimum time. This exhilarating pre-choreographed workout is designed to achieve goals. The structure of the workout provides a range of benefits associated with improved cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and endurance, and flexibility. As a specific fitness programme, it allows excellent cross-training for recreational sports such as in-line skating, tennis, basketball and football. In addition to the cardiovascular benefits, BODYSTEP can help improve your fat burning capabilities, coordination, muscle strength, posture and agility.

1. BODYSTEP delivers inspiration to achieve results through the use of exciting and powerful music with inspirational instructors.
2. BODYSTEP has been designed to be an athletic, cardiovascular workout where the intensity can be self-regulated by adjusting the height of the step and the range of your movements on and around the step. .
3. BODYSTEP can help improve your body’s ability to burn fat and calories. The high intensity of the workout means there is a high rate of energy expenditure.
4. BODYSTEP can help improve muscle strength and endurance with specific conditioning tracks incorporated between bouts of aerobic activity.
5. BODYSTEP has been designed to help improve coordination and agility.
6. BODYSTEP emphasises correct posture which may then be carried through to everyday life.
7. BODYSTEP encourages regular participation in exercise. Described as "reflex with rhythm", it makes you feel great!

I have been teaching BODYSTEP for 10 plus years. I currently teach at the YMCA's in Gastonia NC. I credit BODYSTEP with keeping me lean and fit and saving my sanity by relieving me of the stress from my nursing job. My BODYSTEP peeps are my friends and I look forward to seeing their smiling faces in my classes every week. Drop in and see us sometime, you'll be glad you did.

You're a Nurse

Who are you? You’re a nurse. You spend countless days taking care of complete strangers. Some may be grateful while some not so grateful. You miss family events & are always late for supper. When there’s a snow day you get no off days. It simply means a slumber party at work. So if you know a nurse tell them thank you. You never know if they’ll take care of you one day!

My daughter Kerry posted this on my facebook wall. I want to share it with my nurse friends because all of the above is true  :)

Gluttony is a Deadly sin

I am an ICU Nurse and I love my job most of the time. Today I'm feeling tired and a little jaded after 2 12 hour shifts in MICU [Medical Intensive Care Unit]. Why today of all days? I've certainly had busier days,  when I've felt close to tears. Days when I've felt run off my feet from start to finish. Frustrated days when I've been annoyed by the documentation and the covering my ass. No tears today and  I have to admit, I hate that I feel this way. Today I'm annoyed at my patient and her lack of personal responsibility for her health and her life. Also by the way she expects all around her to wait on her hand and foot and not a thanks for any help that she gets. This women is 54 years old and weighs 520 lbs. That's right 520 lbs!!! I am sick and tired of holding my tongue. It's disgusting.
She can't breath because she's too fat. Her organs are failing because she's too fat. We're giving her medicines to fix her long list of problems which just cause more problems. Instead of fixing the main problem which is.....go on guess...that's right, she's too fat. How does someone who has a family who loves her, friends who care about her get to this place. I watched her husband today he just didn't know what to do to make her feel better. Can you give her something to make her feel better, give her some pain medicine, give her some anxiety medicine. No Sir I can not unless you want her on a ventilator. Her doctors need her to be awake and breathing. Why do we think there is a pill for everything?
She has a long list of experts taking care of her. Her Primary Care Physician who oversees her care. Pulmonary Physician because she can't breath so she's on an Bipap machine [mask fitted tight to her face to help her breath] which she refuses to wear and moans and blames us for making her miserable. She will probably end up on a ventilator and we'll never get her off. So then she'll need a tracheostomy and be prone to getting pneumonia. Nephrologist because she's got kidney problems. Endocrinologist to deal with her thyroid problems. Cardiologist because she has a heart rhythm problem called artial fibrillation. All this because she's fat.
Bear in mind this lady has not worked in years who knows maybe never so she has no insurance so she'll see a Social Worker to get the bills paid. Physiotherapist. Occupational Therapist. The list is endless. I wouldn't mind any of the above if I thought she appreciated any of it. No she treated me like her personal slave "can you turn me over, move my leg, move my arm". Not a thank you, not one. Without one bit of shame she says "I just had a bowel movement" for the 3rd time. Her husband says that's OK that's what they're here for, they'll get you cleaned up. Excuse me but this is not OK.
When I first became a nurse this kind of obesity was rare, very very rare. We might have one or two diabetics on the unit. Now the vast majority of our patient population is diabetic. Obesity is epidemic. We blame fast food, soft drinks etc etc. We need to put the blame where it belongs  on the person who is obese. If a person is so fat that they can no longer walk or care for themselves families make them worse by feeding them like the fattened cow. The sin of gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins. Gluttony is rampant in America today.

Dora Meulman

Doolin Co Clare

If you travel to Ireland be sure to visit Doolin Co Clare. Now it's in the back of the beyonds down small country roads but it's worth it. I first visited Doolin in my teens when there was a big Irish music revival going on. The place was crawling with hippies. My brother James who lives in Chicago now was into the music scene in Ireland at the time. He had a large following of mostly female groupies. We would sing traditional songs and drink until we fell down. Those were the days. I spent close to a week there with Jeff on our honeymoon. James had gotten us a house from a friend for the week FREE, you can't beat that. We immersed our self in the place, the music the people, it was brilliant. We've been back many times since. We brought my sister in law Ruthann and her husband Harold to Doolin in 2007, it hasn't changed much in 30 years.

Doolin is just one little street with a few pubs that house traditional musicians every night. People come from all over the world just to get a flavor of the culture. Drink pints of Guinness or one of the many other local brews Murphy's,  Beamish or uisce beatha [whiskey]. You don't have to drink alcohol lots of Irish drink tea by the gallon in the pub. You will get drunk on the atmosphere it's loud, lively and close to heaven.

The Irish don't know a stranger which is both a blessing and a curse. There will be no wall flowers everyone is all in even the most introvert find their voice in these pubs. Conversations from politics to religion to current events, every one's an expert, all opinions welcome. Even if you don't know the songs you'll find yourself tapping your feet.  You'll feel Irish for a night...Slainte.

Seanchai

The Irish love to talk I think it’s what we’re best at. We also love to listen to talk or stories. A visitor to Ireland will figure that out quickly just by listening to Irish radio or visiting a pub. Every Irish person has a party piece a story they like to tell. Doesn’t matter that the listener has heard it a hundred times already, this is their party piece and they have the floor. Throw in a few drinks and you’re laughing. Paddy tell us an ol’ story will ya!

In the old days Seanchai or itinerant storytellers roamed the country. In exchange for a hot meal a bed and a small donation they would tell their stories.  People would gather around the fire and the Seanchai would tell grand tales of his journeys and the great moments in Irish history. From the High Kings of Ireland to Saint Patrick and monks writing the Gospels, Norman raiders, poets and politicians, to the centuries long savage grip of the English. Illuminating the magic of Ireland and the connection of it’s people to the land. Good food, drink and a good time would be had by all. Between tales someone would play a fiddle or tin whistle and rebel songs would be sung.
At Vinegar Hill o’er the pleasant Slaney
Our heroes vainly stood back to back,
But the Yeos at Tullow took Father Murphy
And burned his body upon the rack.
God grant you glory, brave Father Murphy
And open heaven to all your men;
The cause that called you may call to-morrow
In another fight for the green again.
There are no more Seanchai but the tradition of story telling is alive and well in modern day bloggers. Everyone has a story so go on you have the floor.

Dora Meulman

Duke dog

Duke dog.

My beloved Duke dog died last October. I miss him terribly and still think of him a few times every day. First thing in the morning, because he would be up also and ready to eat. He was a Lab and food was serious business. Every time I come home and pull into the garage I think he’s going to be there in the kitchen waiting for me. When ever I cook salmon for dinner I think of him, because I always saved him some and now I get to eat it all. When I stand at my kitchen sink I can look out the window and see his little grave with the white stones. I miss him all the time and I’m not sure I will ever stop missing him.When Duke was alive I knew all the neighbors because he got 2 walks a day. I miss our walks now. I have no desire to walk alone. He could be a pest sometimes but I don’t remember any of that, just the loss.
Dora Meulman

Your Last Breath

Do you ever think of your own death or does it give you the creeps? Most Americans never give it much thought until they have it thrown in their face either their own death or the death of a loved one. Then in the mist of grief the families and friends of the deceased find themselves thumbing through the yellow pages looking up funeral homes. Not a clue of the process. Are you prepared for your final moments and the aftermath or will you leave all that for those left behind?
I have been an ICU Nurse for more years than I care to remember and I've seen many people die. It is always better when the the person dying is prepared. They have discussed their wishes with their loved ones about burial or cremation, it's sorted out. It will still be sad, tears will still flow but the awful anxiety of making these decisions under such circumstances are avoided.
My grandmother lived with us we called her Nanny. Every night that woman read the Evening Echo and the first thing she would read was the obituaries, out loud for us all. She had her own wishes all planned out, it was all done but the crying. Us Irish do have an almost weird fascination with death as you can all tell from this rambling. Irish wakes are legendary, one has to have a good send off.  On my most recent visit home an old friend's mother died. She was "Waked Out" Irish style in the parlor at home. Her husband 7 children and who knows how many grandchildren all around the coffin. Greeting friends and neighbors sipping tea and eating lovely sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Later we got into the wine and whiskey. Her life was discussed, all good of course because we have a fierce respect for the dead "Doesn't she look beautiful. She was a lovely women". Tears mixed with laughter a celebration of a life well spent. It was sad but it was good.
A few days ago a patient had an equally Good Death. Pat had been a nurse for 40 years and now at the end she was still in command. Even though she was on a ventilator she was initially alert and the family gathered. She made it clear if she did not respond to treatment she wanted everything stopped after 14 days. We withdrew care as she had wished with the family at the bedside. Dignity in death.
A while back Mr T had been a golfer his whole life he was so nice it was easy to like him. His sons and family would visit and discuss his hole in one and various other golfing trips and memories. I got very close to the family during this time. At the end we prayed and sang songs laughter mixed with tears. We assisted him on his journey to the 19th green and celebrated the great man that he was.
Death does not have to be terrible, sad yes but never traumatic and crazy. I can't even go into some of the caterwauling and gnashing of teeth we sometimes see in ICU. With screaming family members fainting and "falling out" arguing and fighting. We sometimes have to call Hospital Security and have people removed, where's the dignity in that? You are going to die some day like it or not, so it's best to be prepared and live each day like it's your last.

Dora Meulman

Hello out there this is my first post so if you're out there let me know. I talk to myself all the time but it's more fun when someone answers. Truth be told I frequently answer myself too but that's a subject for another day.