August 2011 - Posts

Calling in Sick
by Toni Patt

Last Saturday, I called in sick. That's very unusual for me. I never call in sick. I never miss work. This time I did. I have probably gone to work when I shouldn't have rather than call in sick. I can think of a few times in past months when I wished Read More...

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Size Matters
by Toni Patt

Last week, I had two patients who were polar opposites in size. One was 4-foot-1. The other was 6-foot-5. One was a man, the other a woman. Even so, they still had something in common. Nothing was the right size - not the hospital gown, not the wheelchair Read More...

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The Way We Used to Do Things
by Toni Patt

Ever had a flashback to something you were embarrassed to admit you did? That happened to me last weekend. I was listening to a lecture on the use of NMES post-stroke. The speaker was talking about early use of NMES and being beyond the days of using Read More...

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Two Versions of the Same Patient
by Toni Patt

It isn't often that the doctors I work with and I disagree about the disposition of a patient. Normally we're in agreement about what the patient is able to do. The debate is over where the patient will discharge to. I now have a patient who appears to Read More...

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Don't Touch That Patient
by Toni Patt

I had an unusual conversation with a nurse last week. I was in the neuro ICU preparing to evaluate a patient. I always check with a patient's nurse prior to doing so to make sure the patient is medically stable. Normally the nurses are very helpful and Read More...

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