Wine Country Weekend - Day Two

After a VERY lazy morning, we headed up the hill on High Valley Road to Brassfield Estates Winery. High Valley is breathtaking and apparently the perfect appellation for a vineyard. The wines were so fantastic that I joined their wine club! They have big plans for expansion....lodging, conference center, restaurant, picnic grounds, etc. Definitely a must see if you are ever in the area. After another late lakeside lunch, we headed back to the RV park to sit in our lounge chairs by the lake until it was time to say good-bye.

Wine Country Weekend - Day One

I don't know if I have mentioned that while I am on a travel assignment, I continue to work my part-time job at Mercy in Redding, CA. This does not allow for much time off for fun, but this I have this weekend off while I am in Clearlake. My boyfriend drove down and we headed off to do some exploring. Our first stop was the Ceago Winery, the only "boat-in" winery on the lake (we drove in). The grounds were gorgeous and the wine was spectacular! Bubba tasted the whites while I sampled the reds. We left with three bottles. We drove past Tulip Hill Winery, which of course had a field of blooming tulips out front, but decided we better eat lunch before doing any more tasting:) Lunch/dinner (lunner?) was at the Blue Wing Saloon next to the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake. We shared fish and chips and beef sliders with sweet potato fries...... with a wine selection from Tulip Hill. It was all delicious and we enjoyed dining out on their patio by the fountain. We continued our drive all the way around the lake (100 miles of shoreline), checking out the little towns as we passed. We made our way back to the fifth-wheel, after a brief stop at Walmart to buy a bucket...the hot water tank valve has started leaking:( After watching a movie, snuggled up in front of the fireplace, we fell asleep for 10 hours!

What's up with Dilaudid?

This week I have had three different post-op c/s patients who had poor pain control. I spent the first half of my shift knocking myself out trying to get their pain under control.....giving Toradol to supplement pain relief, adding comfort measures, encouraging more frequent doses, increasing their dose, etc. When I was finally able to switch them to po pain med's, their pain relief improved dramatically! All three were on IV Dilaudid. Has anyone else noticed this? Very frustrating!!!!! I also find myself frustrated with some nurse's and physician's attitudes regarding pain medication, especially for people with a history of substance abuse. We all deserve adequate pain relief regardless of mistakes we have made, or are currently making for that matter. I have had a patient for the last two nights who is in a rehab program and is now recovering from an emergency c/s to deliver her first child at age 38. When I first met her she was in quite a lot of pain and had been receiving stingy doses of pain medicine. I added the Toradol that had been ordered prn (that she had not been receiving) and made sure she was medicated regularly through the night. That, combined with a little empathy and kindness was rewarded with the sweetest, most heartbreaking look of gratitude through moist eyes that I think I have ever received. We should never underestimate the impact we have on people's lives and we should strive to always use that power for good.

Medical Solutions

I am very happy to report that I love my new travel nurse company, Medical Solutions. I used Preferred Healthcare Staffing (AMN) for my last assignment and it was a nightmare! I opted to extend my 8 week assignment and ended up working without a contract for a while due to poor communication and multiple errors on the part of my recruiter and other members of her company. I spent countless hours on the phone and e-mailing just to get paid! In the end, they neglected to pay me the completion bonus that I was promised and after 2 months (yes, I gave them 2 months) of more phone calls and e-mails, I was forced to file a complaint with the labor board. Working with my Medical Solutions recruiter, Jeremiah Zech, has been delightful. I was placed in my first assignment quickly and seamlessly. My paychecks are always deposited on time and they are for the exact amount promised. In the middle of my assignment, I received in the mail a canvas tote bag and an electric foot massager:) They also have great tips on travel nursing at TravelNursingBlogs.com

8 weeks and counting..............

I feel sort of like I have "hit the wall" this week. I am tired, but can't sleep....I miss my family and feel like I am neglecting them.....and I am trying to remember why I thought this was such a good idea. The experience has been good and the extra money is nice, of course, but I am ready to be done with this assignment. My biggest issue with the hospital is no central monitoring. Their reason?..."the nurses won't spend enough time in the patient's room". Not a reason to risk patient safety as far as I am concerned. I am nervous wreck when I can't see my monitor strip. I have met some fantastic, interesting people while I have been here.....a lovely nurse who has worked in every area from med/surg to OB to critical care (was even the DON) and is now starting her own staffing/education company, a single OB nurse who moonlights as a massage therapist named Venus at a "clothing optional" resort and a brilliant, dynamic nursing supervisor who doesn't like to wear jewelry because it "slows her reaction time"!:) I have also had my first experience with a mid-wife delivery (loved it, loved her).
The area is not what I expected either, I was thinking quaint wine country town and have actually found it to be very non-touristy with a lot of crime and drug use. It is sad because it is really gorgeous country and should be an affluent community on a beautiful lake surrounded by vineyards. Ah well........five more weeks to go..........

Level One?

I have to say I am very impressed with the quality of care the staff at St. Helena Clearlake provide. They are very good to their patients. Last night was interesting, we had a 29 weeker present in PTL and 4cm dilated! Remember, this is a level one unit!!! Since there is no pharmacist here at night, the supervisor had to hunt down some Magnesium Sulfate partial fills in the ER so I could give my bolus.....crazy, I know:) Unfortunately, we couldn't get her stable enough to transport so she had to deliver here! Lucky for us, the UCSF NICU transport team arrived here before the baby and everything went well. I have been spoiled working at a level three facility all these years. Tonight.... a nice full term labor patient for me, yeah!

St. Helena - Clearlake

Today I started my new assignment at St. Helena Hospital in Clearlake, CA. It is a small, 25 bed hospital that does about 20 deliveries per month. Clearlake is a beautiful area surounded by mountains and vineyards. I have parked my fifth-wheel at the Island RV Park in Clearlake Oaks right on the shore of Clear Lake. I wake up to fantastic views of the lake and Mt. Konocti. The park is a little noisy, but the owners are very nice and there are several other traveling nurses staying there as well.