Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Well, today is my 30th birthday, and trust me it’s catching up with me… I can tell I’m getting older in a few ways. For example, now I am in the bathroom practically every hour (thanks to spina bifida and lack of bladder control), my bones pop every time I get out of bed or transfer to or from my wheelchair, and I’ve got about five bottles of vitamins and supplements on my dresser to help get my iron levels back where they should be.

One of the things I LOVE about my life is the amount of friends I’ve made and the relationships I’ve created over the years, especially working with the city of Marietta, Ga. My supervisor treated me to lunch at Chick-Fil-A today, and he kept ragging me about getting all the girls to sing to me (thank goodness they didn’t, or I’d have turned as red as the ketchup). Anyway, while we were eating the general manager, Rachel, brought me one of their new sundaes, and my supervisor even snapped our picture together. I love my life!!! 🙂

Stay tuned, if my 20s were any indication, my 30s are going to ROCK!!!

Five Ways to Say Thanks During Nurses Week

Five Ways to Say Thanks During Nurses Week

By Jennifer Ward

During Nurses Week, May 6-12, we take time to celebrate and honor what we do as healthcare professionals. We work long, hard hours and this is a special time to recognize our efforts and expressions of care. This week is especially rewarding for me, as a nurse, to hear and feel that my commitment and contributions to quality healthcare are recognized and valued. 

Here are some ways to tell your co-workers, supervisors, teachers and friends that they are valued and appreciated:

AN EXPRESSION OF THANKS: A card with a sincere expression of gratitude is always appreciated. Tell your co-worker, mentor or caregiver that what they do is appreciated, and that they are valued. Just putting your appreciation into words can go a long way, and it can really make a nurse feel valued. 

REFRESHMENTS: A plate of homemade or store bought goodies will be greatly appreciated by your co-workers. It will demonstrate that you appreciate and recognize their hard work each day. I remember one year I received a roll of life-savers with a note that said, “You are a life-saver.” It made me feel much appreciated. 

FLOWERS: Flowers are another wonderful way to demonstrate gratitude and appreciation for the care nurses provide, but remember to be sensitive to the smell and the size of the arrangement.

PUBLIC RECOGNITION: Many hospitals have awards ceremonies during Nurses Week whereby staff nurses are recognized for their efforts at the institution. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the practice of Florence Nightingale, and to show an employee that he/she is following an example that would make Florence Nightingale proud.

MAKE A SLIDESHOW: Throughout the year, you can take pictures of the unit. Turn them into a slideshow presentation to be shown during Nurses Week.

These are only a few ways to celebrate each other, our co-workers, our friends, our supervisors, our family members, during Nurse’s Week. Nurses are expected to influence the health of the clients served; nurses are essential to healthcare. And, we as nurses are committed to excellence. Therefore, during this week, set aside by Florence Nightingale, let us celebrate each other and the wonderful work we do.

About the Author

Jennifer Ward, BSN, RN is a medical-surgical nurse also trained in oncology and long-term care. Jennifer is dedicated to evidence-based practice and shared governance. She especially enjoys wound care, falls prevention, patient satisfaction and documentation initiatives.
 
Jennifer is currently working on her certification as an acute care nurse practitioner at the University Of Virginia School Of Nursing in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Right Place, Right Time

A couple weeks ago I got a comment from a reader who loves the fact that most of my pictures seem to be spontaneous. I hadn’t really thought about that, but in a big way she’s right. I just look for the perfect shot and sometimes they present themselves when I LEAST expect them. I’ve truly been amazed how great some of my pictures have turned out, especially this one I took yesterday at a lunchtime concert on the Square a couple blocks from my office. I was walking around taking pictures of the singer and the crowd when something told me to look across the Square. I saw this beautiful, blonde goddess working on her tan and grabbed the camera. The rest, as they say, is history.

If you like this one, stay tuned tomorrow. I got another one, that’s even better 😉

Snapped Like a Twig

Well, the last few days have been interesting to say the least. Sunday I went to take pictures at the Taste of Marietta, and it was like rush hour on Interstate 75 in Atlanta. Everybody left at the same time!!! There were about 80,000-90,000 people there and when you get that many people crammed in a city block, you might as well forget moving…

One disadvantage of being in a wheelchair is being so low to the ground and out of a regular person’s line of vision. I got bumped, hit and almost run over more times than I have fingers, and probably as a result, may have broken my left leg. It sticks out a few inches farther than my right one, and when people hit it I’m always afraid something like this will happen.

I was using the bathroom a couple hours ago and something told me to run my left hand down my leg, and sure enough I felt something peculiar. Right below my hip, there’s a little indention I don’t think is supposed to be there. I called dad and he came down to check me out. Then I rolled over to the fire department (good thing it’s right next door :)) and about three paramedics, the deputy chief and a couple others checked me out and pretty much confirmed what I already knew… We went to the doctor yesterday and told him what happened, and he didn’t act like anything was wrong and (here’s what kills me) didn’t even order an x-ray!!! Hell, common sense would’ve told me to at LEAST do that to rule out a break.

Left leg

So, long story short, I’m home all comfy waiting on the doctor to call dad back so we can go get some answers. Don’t worry, I’m paralyzed below the waist so I can’t feel anything to even know what’s wrong. I’m just going on with my life, like nothing happened, but I’m still concerned. Even with the swelling I know something’s not right. I’ll keep you posted.

Right leg