The "Cheers" of the Trauma Hospitals

It is Baby Doc time. A time when medical students have graduated, passed their boards and are now free to roam around making critical decisions. Such as, do you live or die so that I can learn what not to do next time. But, regardless of what I decide, I am going to strut around in, seriously?!? my tailored scrubs and try not to look as scared as I really am. I don't know why, but the junior male residents seem to have to prove something whereas the female baby docs are all baggy scrubs and pony tails.

I am a fairly new trauma nurse. I am finally getting to the point where I don't just stare at the gaping wounds, point and say "Duuuuuuuude that is gnarly." I know what I need to do, how to get the supplies I need and how to document what 15 people are saying to me - all at the same time. So, it is kinda fun to be the cock of the walk with the Baby Docs.

Now, as a disclaimer, I understand that you just spent 8 years and $150,000 getting to where you are. Props on 'ya. But as we said in the military - there is the school house way and the real world way. So, Baby Doc, shut yer yapper and watch and learn from this hard core trauma nurse.

It started with the preppie tailgating me on the way to work in his brand new, white BMW. My first thought was "Dude you suck" and my second was "See you in Trauma." Well, I wasn't far off since, considering his weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating and lane changes, he arrived in the parking lot 15 seconds before me. And, then instead of punching him in the face for driving like an idiot, I followed him into work. Yeah, Baby Doc!

Then we get the call that someone tried to fly and gravity took over (didn't we talk about this previously? She obviously didn't read my blog). Most of the residents gown up with xray garb, designed to block xrays, gloves, gowns for blood splatter and face shields. Nurses? We wear gloves. So, our BMW hero is running around, looking desperately for a face shield. "Where can I find a face mask?" he screams at me. Literally, a high falsetto. Now, we are 10 minutes until trauma time and this yahoo wants to face shield NOW! Looking around, Lab is sitting in a chair, playing on their phone. Xray is chatting on an empty bed. Pharm is talking about her night and the senior residents are trying to get last minute charting done. I'm making sure that I have IVs, warm fluid, warm blankets, my Leatherman Raptors, the greatest trauma shears ever (Come on #Leathermanraptors, comp me something) ready to cut leather, clothes or shoes, and my partner is getting her charting info ready. This guy wants a mask because all the Docs have one. I look at him, mournfully, and say "I don't know. I don't use them." The look on this guy's face was priceless. You would have thought I told him that he would fail residency if he did not find a face shield stat! Shoulders drooped, eyes down cast, this guy wanders off to suffer silently. But, he did get to do chest compressions - without a face shield - and survived. Truthfully, all I wanted to really tell him was "Slipknot, you aren't going to be doing anything but watching so please move out of my way and please find me a faceshield. I don't want blood all over me."

But, I will say that the new residents are trying to get to know the nurses. Hence the blog title. Work, today, felt like Cheers, the popular TV show where "everyone knows your name." I was Joe, John, Allen, and Scott. I felt loved.

A special shout out to Doctor Dawn, who, not knowing me, asked if I knew where something was. I nodded, smiled and told her "Of course I do. I not just another pretty face and ridiculously good looking but I am also a knowledgeable trauma nurse." She smiled and said "Yes you are but mostly you are ridiculously good looking ." Of course, her eye rolling is a rare genetic disorder that only 1 in 52 million people suffer from. Poor thing.