Found in local store. Laughed my butt off thinking of Grandma and "Mercurochrome".
View from our balcony. St. Johns is a half-
step to the right (east).
Thursday, November 7, 2013
A Little Catch Up
It's been an interesting week for sure....Made it to the first day of orientation ON TIME! Discovered that there is indeed a "rush hour" from about 0730 to 0830. Speed limit on the whole Island is 35... do the math. Schools slow things down much. From what I see they are private and exist about every mile, so the crossing guards are part of the issue. The children are absolutely beautiful in their uniforms, bright eyes and cheerful faces!
Made a trip to VI Nursing License Board to get Tracy's approved credentials on Wednesday. I was told to arrive with her to see if my License was complete by HR. I had to park illegally, on European style side streets that I've only seen in movies. She was back in a flash. While she guarded the car from tickets I ran in....to the kindest ass chewing I have ever had. To fill you in I had called 3 times prior, only to be met with, "Do not call, we will call you". I was told that coming to the office was not parliamentary procedure... then told to call! I cannot go into the rest of the story, as I do not want to destroy territorial relations with my hosts. Needless to say I reported to my HR person and Manager what had transpired. By days end I was told my License was "currently in effect".
Today while leaving for work, I backed into one of our neighbors cars. It was a pretty loud crunch. Not due to speed, but the vehicles are so old, they are brittle. I left courteous message and number to the unknown neighbor. She called during my work day and I said we could meet on my return to the compound.
Pleasantly surprised to meet a 60+ transplant from New Jersey with a wonderful attitude. Linda gushed about leaving a note... and then said it was fine as her car was as beat up as my rental. I promised her dinner when we had more than lunch meat and Ra-men.
Actually spent time on the floor in the ER today. The tediousness of corporate type orientation is over. LOTS of lessons learned. Keep in mind, VI is Represented in Congress, does NOT vote in Presidential election, has taxes, both Federal and VI, all are citizens of the US, has the same Army National Guard .
There is ONE Hyperbaric Chamber. Its serves ALL the islands, and exists in one of the most visited dive areas in the world.
2 Ambulances, with 2 Paramedics and 2 EMT's for the St Thomas. 250+ calls per day.
17 bed ER. I won't do the room break-down...
1 EKG machine from circa 1980.
As an RN you draw AND run majority of your labs, EKG's, transport patients, casting, bed cleaning, plus all of the usual RN scope.
No water fountains. T.V.'s, Fish tanks, Phones, Meal trays for ER Visitors or Patients.
Computers are from Y2K and still display the time they stopped, yet are able to run the Electronic Medical Record system software.
No interpreters.
Break-room has a toaster and a Dorm fridge for your lunch, table, coffee maker that is 10 years old, that you could get for 15$, plus coffee from the staff's donations, and a cork board with some PSA's tacked on.
All staff are upbeat and happy! They ENGAGE the patients! They welcome the new people! They deal with everything with a "it is what it is" attitude. Protect what you have and be happy with it. No shipment of supplies are guaranteed, so be responsible. ALL Nurses are responsible for ALL of the patients.
I could contrast and compare for 10 pages. It's amazing.
I was speechless at the end of the day.
Made a trip to VI Nursing License Board to get Tracy's approved credentials on Wednesday. I was told to arrive with her to see if my License was complete by HR. I had to park illegally, on European style side streets that I've only seen in movies. She was back in a flash. While she guarded the car from tickets I ran in....to the kindest ass chewing I have ever had. To fill you in I had called 3 times prior, only to be met with, "Do not call, we will call you". I was told that coming to the office was not parliamentary procedure... then told to call! I cannot go into the rest of the story, as I do not want to destroy territorial relations with my hosts. Needless to say I reported to my HR person and Manager what had transpired. By days end I was told my License was "currently in effect".
Today while leaving for work, I backed into one of our neighbors cars. It was a pretty loud crunch. Not due to speed, but the vehicles are so old, they are brittle. I left courteous message and number to the unknown neighbor. She called during my work day and I said we could meet on my return to the compound.
Pleasantly surprised to meet a 60+ transplant from New Jersey with a wonderful attitude. Linda gushed about leaving a note... and then said it was fine as her car was as beat up as my rental. I promised her dinner when we had more than lunch meat and Ra-men.
Actually spent time on the floor in the ER today. The tediousness of corporate type orientation is over. LOTS of lessons learned. Keep in mind, VI is Represented in Congress, does NOT vote in Presidential election, has taxes, both Federal and VI, all are citizens of the US, has the same Army National Guard .
There is ONE Hyperbaric Chamber. Its serves ALL the islands, and exists in one of the most visited dive areas in the world.
2 Ambulances, with 2 Paramedics and 2 EMT's for the St Thomas. 250+ calls per day.
17 bed ER. I won't do the room break-down...
1 EKG machine from circa 1980.
As an RN you draw AND run majority of your labs, EKG's, transport patients, casting, bed cleaning, plus all of the usual RN scope.
No water fountains. T.V.'s, Fish tanks, Phones, Meal trays for ER Visitors or Patients.
Computers are from Y2K and still display the time they stopped, yet are able to run the Electronic Medical Record system software.
No interpreters.
Break-room has a toaster and a Dorm fridge for your lunch, table, coffee maker that is 10 years old, that you could get for 15$, plus coffee from the staff's donations, and a cork board with some PSA's tacked on.
All staff are upbeat and happy! They ENGAGE the patients! They welcome the new people! They deal with everything with a "it is what it is" attitude. Protect what you have and be happy with it. No shipment of supplies are guaranteed, so be responsible. ALL Nurses are responsible for ALL of the patients.
I could contrast and compare for 10 pages. It's amazing.
I was speechless at the end of the day.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Work
Orientation starts tomorrow morning, 0800. Roy Lester Schneider Hospital is where we'll be for the next 3 months. It will be good to settle in. Tracy had her license verified at close of business Friday. I will be crossing my fingers in the morning to see if mine has been. The board of nursing is also on "island time". Planning to flash a smile and laugh if it's not confirmed.
We've had a great time with witnessing wildlife one doesn't see often in the Midwest. Mongoose, Iguanas, Hermit Crabs all surround our condo. We even saw a Barracuda cruise by while we ate lunch the other day.
Taking a wrong turn today, while looking for Office Max, was interesting. We ran into the wealthy area of the island. The palaces couldn't compete with the beauty of the terrain though.
Smartass, I mean smartphone found the store however. Needed a cheap printer. Really no cyber café open to get things like that done. Most open, then go out of business. No updates of same seen on internet. We've learned not to trust the web and either go with what we know, or have time to explore. Thankfully we'll meet new people to resource with soon!
We've had a great time with witnessing wildlife one doesn't see often in the Midwest. Mongoose, Iguanas, Hermit Crabs all surround our condo. We even saw a Barracuda cruise by while we ate lunch the other day.
Taking a wrong turn today, while looking for Office Max, was interesting. We ran into the wealthy area of the island. The palaces couldn't compete with the beauty of the terrain though.
Smartass, I mean smartphone found the store however. Needed a cheap printer. Really no cyber café open to get things like that done. Most open, then go out of business. No updates of same seen on internet. We've learned not to trust the web and either go with what we know, or have time to explore. Thankfully we'll meet new people to resource with soon!
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