The consequences of thought

Quite often -- too often -- the process of thought gets us into more trouble than it's worth.  Thought often results in judging.  If you don't judge, then you'll be forced to accept the status quo.  Yet if you judge you'll be judged in return as mean.  So what do you do?

We RTs often "think" treatments are of no use.  We are ordered to do one on a patient with an audible wheeze yet no shortness of breath, and we "think" to explain to the nurse why the treatment isn't needed.  The process is like trying to drum a nail into a brick.  By the time you're done you could have already been done with the treatment and back in the RT Cave.

Progress, thought, is never made without some form of thought, and then the reacting to that thought.  Without thought we'd have no cars, no assembly line, no electric light bulb, no Ventolin.

Yet if everyone reacted to every thought ("boy, does she have ugly hair today!") peace and tranquility would be hard to keep.  So some thoughts are best kept secret.  If you don't believe me, just ask the person who can read minds.  He went insane.

Thought can be good, and for proof just read about Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Einstein, and Stephen King.

Yet thought can also get you into trouble.  For example, I thought it was a good idea to talk to my boss about all the "useless" holter monitors that were being ordered in the ER.  I thought it was a good idea to tell him holters are not an emergency procedure and shouldn't be ordered in the ER.

Yet, lo and behold, my thought got me into trouble.  Instead of telling doctors that holter monitors were no longer to be ordered in the ER, our boss ordered 4500 new holter monitors to make sure we have enough to cover all the new holter monitor orders.  Never again will we be able to get out of work by telling ER we don't have any holter monitors. 

My thought got us into a heap of more work.  In this way, it's often better to shut up and put up with than to think.  It's better to think yet muzzle your mouth.  It's better to do and shut up.  It's better to just do the dog gone treatment than bitch and wine and educate.  Yes, it's better to shut up thought than to teach facts -- sometimes. 

I think through the course of life this is a lesson we all learn at some point or another. Yet the ones who ignore this lesson are the ones who are your inventors, your protocol creators.

You know what thought did.  Thought believed he was on the pot when he peed in his bed.  That's what thought did.  Thought got him in trouble.

Thought could get you fired.  Thought can get you a raise, thought can get you rich, yet thought can also get you fired.

So you thought it was a good idea to write a blog being honest about the profession of RT, yet if your boss ever finds out you could be fired.  To heck with the first amendment.  To heck with all the people who yearn to learn the truth.  To heck with them all.  Who cares about what's needed.  Bah humbug on need. 

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