Hamburgers or Humans: What's more important?

Fast food workers are under a lot of stress to get food out fast and hot.  I used to work at A&W so I know what it's like.  Sometimes you have the boss over you hot and heavy to get the job done.  Sometimes my boss was downright rude to me.  There was definitely stress and I hated it.

Stress can make people act in bad ways.  Recently I went into a McDonalds and the manager was screaming at the workers.  After my family and I ordered and finished eating, I approached the counter and the manager was still at it. 

I said, "May I speak with your manager."

"About what?" the clerk said.

"I just want to make a comment."

"Okay," the clerk said, nervously.

She went to the back where the manager was berating a zit faced teen.  The teen was making fries, and he was stiff as a board.  Sweat was beeding down his face.  She stopped screaming when the clerk approached her.  "Get back to the counter!" she wailed.

"A man wants to speak with you," the clerk said, and rushed back to the counter where I stood opposite the cash register.  "Do you need something?"

"Yes, I want three vanilla ice cream cones for my three kids, and I want to talk to your manager," I said.

As the clerk was making the cones the manager came to the register.  "Can I help you?" she said, rather rudely.

"Yes, you can help me.  I think you're being rather rude to your workers.  I can hear you yelling at them all the way at my table.  I understand this job is stressful, but I work with sick people in a hospital and I never act like that.  Just think, sick people," I held up my left hand, "and hamburgers," I held up my right.  "Hmmm, which do you think is more important.  Nobody dies because you forgot to put ketchup on a hot dog."

I paused a moment for effect, and added, "You knew when you took this job you were going to be working with kids.  For God's sake, please have a little patience, respect and empathy."

The manager stood there agape, face red as a fresh apple.  As I looked beyond her I saw all work behind the counter had ceased, and all the workers, all teenagers, were staring at me, and smiling.  "That's all I have to say," I said.  The clerk handed me a container with three cones.  "Thank you," I said, grabbing the cones.

Later that night I emailed McDonalds.

A rare off kilter moment

Rarely am I ever rude to a patient.  I find it counterproductive and non professional to say the least.  Yet there are times when it's appropriate.  Last night was such a case.  The patient kept fidgeting with the Bipap and I was in the room continuously. 

"You need to knock it off," I said.  "I'm not going to be able to help you if you don't leave this alone.  If you don't want it say so. Otherwise I have to keep it on you to keep  you alive."

Of course this was after several attempts to make the mask as comfortable as I could. This time he pulled something out of the mask and I couldn't figure out where it went and his tidal volume was reading zero.  It was the pressure line, so I knew he was getting plenty of air it just wasn't reading on the machine.

He was a D-Tox guy to make matters worse.  And he said, "Fine.  Take your mask and shove it.  I'm not wearing it anymore."

"That's okay," I said, "I'll just set it over here and we can try it again later if you want." 

I left the room and reported the incident to the nurse. That reminds me, in report at the beginning of my shift I was informed the man was a PIA, and if you don't know what that is I'm not telling. 

It's best to smile and go on with your business

I was in the middle of a series of breathing treatments in the ER on one of our regular COPD patients when I over heard the following over the din of the ER rush:

"I suppose I better page Rick again," it was the unit secretary, "he's notorious for not getting his pages."

"Um, he's already doing the treatment," a nurse said in defense of me. "In fact, he happens to be standing right there."

I turned around, stared viciously at that cranky unit secretary and said, "You know what, I wouldn't take so much time getting down here if you guys didn't call me for so much crap. I'd say 80% of the stuff you call me for is B.S!"

Okay, so that's what I wanted to say. What I really did was go about my business, smile, and pretend I didn't hear that exchange. And the rest of the night I smiled, was my normal cordial, phlegmatic, equanimitous self, and went about my business.

I'm telling you guys, when you work in a busy hospital around an amalgamate of people with an amalgamate of personalities, you learn to take such things with a grain of salt -- especially when you work nights.

Some patient's come with instructions

Some patient's come with an instruction manual:

1. I don't want IV's
2. No blood draws
3. If you do draw my blood it has to be on my left arm
4. And you have to use a butterfly
5. No NG in my right nose, there's a blockage there
6. And "God!" no catheter. I had one of those before and...
7. I'd never make a good drug addict because I don't take pills...
8. and I hate needles
9. No stickers on me, I'm ticklish
10. Tape irritates my skin

Look, lady, either you want to be treated or not...