Happy new year with the best RT humor of 2007

"Row, row, row, your boat...," Dr. Sam whistled calmly as he felt for the femeral pulse of the limp patient on the ER cot. "Gently down the stream..."

I handed him a bad copy of an EKG fresh off the press. "This is just a rough draft," I said.

He laughed, looked down at the EKG. "Good enough," he said, and returned his equanimitous gaze back upon the patient, and continued humming his happy tune.

Someone laid out a one-liner, and we all laughed. I set my EKG machine to the side and grabbed an ABG kit. "You want one of these I'm sure," I said, looking at the doc.

"Yepper," he said.

Obviously we wouldn't do this if the family were around, and probably not if it were a young person either. And if you were an outsider observing us, you might think we had an odd sence of humor. Truth is, we do. After you work in a hospital a while, you can't help to develop an odd sense of humor.

It is true, that despite what we do for a living, we medical workers still have to live, and we still have to maintain our senses of humor.

So, while the rest of the world is gearing up to watch the rest of the year wind down, I'm sitting here looking up RT humor, some of which I'm printing off. I think I'll post some of these on the bulleton board above where doctors interpret EKGs, and see how long it takes for them to be taken down.

Anyway, I just thought I'd end the new year highlighting some of the greatest medical humor of 2007 that I've found on the Internet. Consider, however, that I've only been doing this since October, so if I missed your brilliant post forgive me.

The following is medical humor at its best, or, since I've only been blogging since October, some brilliant observations I'll throw in here too. These are in no particular order:

1. The seven dwarves of the ICU: It's funny sometimes how unique our patients can be at times. I thought this was a spectacularly funny observation about working in the ICU.

2. Ativan nebs: I put this post up on the board over where the doctors read EKGs in our department, and it is still there 2 months later. Either that means they are avoiding it, or have read it and soon we'll be giving Ativan nebs just because instead of Albuterol just because. Our patients will love us for it, and we'll love the doctors for it, as all those troubled patients will be subdued.

3. The frequent flyer club: This is an absolute must read. Any medical person who has spent time in the ER has made the observation, "Why is he here?" Or, better yet, "The ER seems to be the hangout club of the scum of the earth." This article describes in detail the many different types of frequent flyers.

4. Stereotypical patient: Sometimes when you are working in the hospital you can't help but feel deja vu while walking from room to room. This author paints a humorous picture of the "stereotypical patient."

5. RTs -vs- RNs : This is a serious differentiation between RTs and RNs. After reading this, I spun off the humorous version: What RTs can do that RNs can't.

6. The naked, the fat and the dead: This may not have been meant to be funny, but it cracked me up none-the-less. Don't take offense at this please. I see it as a simple observation.

8. Musants: Doctor humor can sometimes be as bad as RT humor.

9. Physician's Creed: How to take care of pesky RTs : Just so I don't sound like I'm tooting my own horn, I'll quote a comment to this article: "That's possibly the best post EVAHHhhhh."

10. Ways RNs can iritate RTs: I'm sorry, but you can't keep your sanity as an RT if you don't develop a sense of humor. I compiled this and the above Physician's Creed with the help of my cohorts in the RT cave.

11. RCP, RRT, Mr. Bean: This is medical related, well sort of.

12. Weeding out the garden: This is a great analogy about respiratory therapy school.

13. Clinitian resistance to adapting new practices: Not necessarily humor, but a great observation of why RTs are so resistant to change, despite how many of us complain about frivolous orders.

14. Because I could: Here's a little Christmas poem that only a medical person could find humor in.

15. A funny story occured to me...: This is why I became an RT and not an RN.

16. The 11 Rules of Operating Room Etiquette for staff and patients: This is educational and humorous at the same time. It's seems we med workors find humor in just about everything we do.

17. Video of the week: Who thinks of this stuff anyway. Here is a video that is very educational... no, it's not educational, but it's hillarious. If you don't like spiders, you might want to not watch this one.

18. Dr's come in all shapes and sizes: Do you know what kind of doc you have tonight?


19. The dirty, dirty on ER nursing: What does it take to be a nurse? Well, you know I wouldn't be able to handle it, and this article explains why.

20. I heart pulmonologists: There must be something about working with lungs that makes people humorous and fun to work with. Well, you do know all us RTs are... Oh, never mind.

21. I could go on, but I'll stop here. This spot is reserved for all the humor or brilliant ideas not mentioned on this post. Some bloggers write so much funny stuff I couldn't possibly post it all.

Have a great new year.