More religious nuttery at the Clinic...Now I'm not the only one perturbed

[Heddi]

So I was able to scamper by the security guard today when I went in...he was BS'ing with another RN. Probably handing out Jack Chick tracts or some shit.

Had a meeting with the MD I work with and my boss---the one who holds these prayer things in her office every monday.

The three of us were talking about an employee that had been quite troublesome recently--not helping out, refusing to complete orders, not assisting with patients. Bad stuff. But the last week or two, things just completely changed. I know my boss's boss had a very serious convo with this worker because he told me so.

So we were commenting on how much better that employee was doing and how helpful they had become over the last few weeks. The Dr asked "So what did you do? What made her change?

My boss said "Prayer"

I looked at the MD, who knows I'm an atheist, and the MD just kind of blinked rapidly a few times, cleared her throat, and said "no, I mean, what kind of talk did you have with her?"

And my boss says "I've just been praying, and I prayed every day that things would change and get better, and I just tell everyone to pray and pray away the negativity and that grumblings stop at the grumbling and don't affect anyone else. And it worked. Everything's been great and the prayer works."

We went on to talk about other things, and she ended the meeting with "Just keep praying, that's what's going to keep us going, and keep things smooth....."

So the MD and I went back upstairs to our respective offices and finished some things we were working on. About 15 mins later, I went to her office about another thing and she closed the door and said "What the fuck was all that about?" I was like "what....the prayer??"
'Oh yeah. That's OUTRAGEOUS. You can't say that shit at work!"

I was like yesss! So I told her about the invitation I got yesterday. She's pretty high up in the corporation, is a medical director of 3 clinics, etc.

She was INCREDULOUS. Couldn't fucking believe it. She says "BOSS'S NAME needs to cut that shit out. People are going to start complaining, and this is NOT something that Corporate would even want to deal with. She's going to get fired."

So I reiterated my objection to the prayer--in her office, led by her, during working hours. The MD was like "oh that's bullshit."

She advised me not to say anything just yet. She said to see how it plays out...don't go, but see what happens. If someone says anything to me after the initial invitation, come and talk to her and we'll formulate a plan. The great thing is because of her position and sway, I wouldn't have to say anything. SHE would go above me to the organizational medical director and overall Chief of Operations and make a complain that way. Out of my hands and no longer my "risk". Because this boss isn't HER boss, her risk is absolutely non-existent. She now has her OWN validation of impropriety at work by my boss. It's a win-win situation, I think. She's totally on my side (she hugged me and said "aaah, heddi, my little Atheist. I'm a humanist...we're practically the same. My dad was an Atheist" and hugged me tight. I lol'd. It was so touching...or something)

Damn straight it was a good day.

[JDDavis]

1. Congratulations.

If anyone wants to foist religion on someone else they work with, they should do it in off-work hours and completely off the work site; unless, of course, the work site is a church.

[valerief]

2. Teh stoooopid and teh crazy. It's infecting our country faster than ebola ever will. nt

[Heddi]

3. They put up Ebola posters at work today. My clinic patients are, on average, 75 years old

live below the poverty line and most of them get meals on wheels and $15 a month in food stamps.

The posters say HAVE YOU TRAVELED TO AFRICA? IF YOU HAVE, TELL YOUR DOCTOR!!!!

These are folks who can't afford the two-bus transfer to get to a store other than the corner bodega to buy low salt, low fat, low carb foods. I'm not imagining many of them are taking trips to western fucking africa.

clueless.

[Warpy]

7. Well, some might have relatives there who have traveled or will travel to the US

As long as they know the early symptoms: headache, high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, they will know enough to call 911 and mention Ebola and West Africa.

But yeah, I know your population. I'm glad the cure-everything-with-prayer baggage might be on her way out. Maybe she'll take that aggressive security guard with her and open a "pray the Ebola away" clinic, in which case they won't be around long enough to bother anyone else.

[Heddi]

8. I'm not thinking so. I work in N. Philadelphia. My patients and their children are cogs in the wheel

of perpetual poverty that just goes round and round. I know this because the elderly parents are my patients, their 50-something children are my patients, and their 30-year old grandchildren are my patients. They're all fully disabled and on medicare. I work at a medicare-only clinic. These folks aren't traveling out of town, much less out of the city, the state, or the country. And if they go anywhere, they're not going to Africa. They can't afford bumex. They can't walk down the hallway. Luxurious safari's are not

I am skeptical that there is much exposure to Ebola in this community. There is not a large immigrant population here, either. Just poor black people who live around other poor black people in poor black neighborhoods that will never be "up and coming," who are miles deep in the inner city of Philadelphia. I'm not disparaging my patients. Far from it. I understand their situation. THEY laughed when they saw the signs today. It was a big chuckle. The common thread amongst them was "who goes to Africa???"

WHen I worked in Seattle---it would make sense. Large immigrant population, lots of folks from all over Africa coming as refugees and immigrants and travelers and workers. from all over the continent.... Eastern Africa, Western Africa, South Africa, North Africa. Friends and family members traveling back and forth. THAT is a high-risk population.

My patients aren't high risk for Ebola. High risk of dying from easily preventable diseases of poverty like diabetes and heart failure and kidney failure, of stroke and heart attack and lung disorders. Not ebola.

My company is covering ass. That's it. Nothing more.

[Warpy]

9. Well, that seems to be a priority nation wide: print the posters

and hang them up on the walls.

They'll be a damned sight slower on providing real protective gear and showers for decontamination.

[Heddi]

10. When I worked in the Trauma Center, we were also a command response for national emergencies

One of the "competencies" I was taught during my whirlwind tour of the ED that first day was how to put on the biohazard suit. There were like 4 layers, a respirator, 4 layers of gloves, duct-tape...

This is the equipment I'd be required to wear if there was a biological or chemical or radioactive attack and I was at work.

I was given *ONE* lesson on how to put the suit on properly. No instruction on how to take it off other than "we'll hose you off outside in the tent we set up and you can take it off there"

ONE lesson. I worked there for FOUR YEARS. One lesson. Ever.

We'd have trauma drills and emergency drills and mass casualty drills and we'd pretend to have radioactive release drills and biologic agent drills, but no one was ever expected to put the suit on, work with the suit on, deal with patients with the suit....

In fact, the clinical nurse educator that was in charge of teaching me how to wear the suit DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PUT THE SUIT ON HERSELF AND HAD TO SEARCH IN HER OFFICE FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS. I was like "shouldn't that be taped to the side??"

So when people on DU are like "fucking disease-ridden nurses, carelessly spreading ebola hither and tither...' I' just shake my head. NO idea at the lack of education and supplies we're given. NONE. And I worked at one of the top level trauma centers IN THE COUNTRY, in one of the LARGEST CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, and we didn't even have proper equipment nor the proper education ONCE, much less ongoing, on how to use the equipment if we had to use it.

People have *no* idea. But sickness happens at a hospital...must be a nurse. They should have known what they didn't know and it's just all bullshit scapegoating.

Hereis me in that hazmat suit. Hazmat heddi. The only time I put it on. The only time I was ever trained to use the damn thing

<a href='http://postimage.org/' target='_blank'><img src='' border='0' alt="60362 434704366655 4213910 n" /></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://postimage.org/'>photo share</a><br /><br />

[Warpy]

11. AANnnnnd you were ahead of the last hospital I worked in

even when we were slammed with part of that cluster of hantavirus cases before we knew what it was or how it was transmitted. Nursing can be a scary way to make a living sometimes.

"Somebody will hose you off in the parking lot" sounds so comforting.

[Heddi]

15. And this is why I work in a clinic now

I would not be wanting to work triage if I was still at the trauma center. Bad enough when you get the MDR TB patients coming in, coughing all over your face. Oh hi, please just take a shit in my mouth thankyouverymuch. At least the chances of me getting TB are really really slim, even if it is MDR, even if they do stand on my tongue and cough down my breathing hole.

Ebola---yeah. Not so much. Always tough when we'd get a bus of Somali immigrants from St Louis or where the fuck ever. Just hundreds of these poor folks, no healthcare, sitting on a bus for 19023 years, coming in to the hospital by the van-full, 20 and 30 at a time. Just dropped off at the front door by the compassionate "missionary" workers who are transporting them from one underequipped city to one that's better equipped. Oh hi, welcome to this big city. Here's a bag lunch and there's the hospital. They'll help you find a place to live. No fucking shit. There would always be some like outreach group that would get, like 30 people living in a 3 bedroom apartment "For the time being." Yes, again affiated with churches. Our health department had to basically plead with these people THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR THE SPREAD OF TB. PLEASE STOP HOUSING 40 PEOPLE TO AN APARTMENT and the missionary immigrant group is like "Thanks. No."

Awful awful awful for these poor folks. Just trying to scrape by with nothing. Hi welcome to America, here's your drug-resistant organism.

[Rainforestgoddess]

12. I honestly thought that picture was a Halloween costume made from tarps

And a plexiglass face shield. It doesn't look very reassuring.

[Heddi]

13. yeah but under that is another layer of even thinner plastic

just imagine....the fallout raining down, the dead and dying clawing at my plastic legs....me, wondering what the fuck to do with my gloveless right hand....guess I know which one is the hand for wiping and which one isn't. Radioactive coochie, I do not want.

[Heddi]

14. And nope, not halloween. Official supplies in a trauma center

there were 12 such outfits. Because 12 staff is the appropriate number of staff needed to run a 700 bed hospital (50 bed ER) after an act of terrorism

[Warpy]

16. Yeah, disaster protocols are always pretty damned funny

because they're mostly designed by suits who are either b-school grads or nurses who haven't been in the trenches since nursing school.

Ours was "grab a fire extinguisher, run down 7 flights of stairs and meet in the lobby.

[beam me up scottie]

17. Holy shit, I wear more protection than that when I have to venture into our crawlspace...

I also carry a spear-gun and flame-thrower.

Thanks for your perspective, I wish more people would stop and think before criticizing underpaid overworked nurses who are at the mercy of bean counters.

[Heddi]

18. yahbut

I'm not a veterinarian working for a private cat clinic. I have only been a nurse since...forever, and an ER nurse since four years minus forever. What the fuck do I know about what it's like to be a nurse? What do I know about the shitty ass conditions RN's (and others) are expected to work in, and how we're the first to be thrown under the bus when shit goes bad. I know not'ing. Ask the person who flea-dips the kitties. THAT person has their finger on the pulse of public health nursing

[beam me up scottie]

21. I wish I didn't know who and what you're talking about

I stumbled across one of those last night, did a and a


Much easier to blame those actually risking their lives to help people than do something constructive.

[Heddi]

23. Someone chewed her ass for being a shit to nurses. SHe's like "Well, plenty of nurses are nasty abou

Vets, so it's going to take a while for that grudge to go away" or some such wordsalad.

Srsly?

Remind yourself to tell the RN's working on you when you have a stroke or a heart attack or when a loved one is impaled with a picket fence that you find them repulsive and you hold a grudge. They'll love to hear that. I mean, they'll still treat you professionally and save your stupid ass, but they probably won't be sad if they miss that vein when they're putting in an IV. or another IV. or whoops, yet another IV.

[beam me up scottie]

26. HA!

If it was me I'd start with one of the veins in their nose.

[Heddi]

27. No lie, I have seen a Peen IV.

Big vein...sometimes ya gotta use what ya got. Er, what he's got.

[Heddi]

20. and btw, I'm afraid of crawlspaces

I looked in one once and I about died. I don't like things like that: crawl spaces, elevator shafts....yucky no. way.

[beam me up scottie]

24. You should be, lol!

I live in the south, I KNOW what's under there

[Heddi]

28. I lived in the south. I know what's under there, too

The big flying roach monsters. The ones you step on and they crunch and the white stuff comes out and you put a napkin on them because the idea of picking it up makes you want to die 10,000 deaths and then a few hours later when you go to throw it away it's not under the napkin and there's this moist trail across the kitchen floor....AAAAAAAiwanttokillmyselfnow

[beam me up scottie]

31. This is why I use the spear gun on them first, then the flame thrower.

Use your handy Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the smudge and voila, you're done!

I'm more worried about the snakes, I'm not scared of snakes, mind you, in fact I'm actually a fan, but I have no desire to get bitten repeatedly in the face by a rattler.

I have also seen so many baby black widows swarming on the ground it looked like the dirt had come to life. I thought I was having an acid flashback.

[JNelson6563]

37. Here's a public service announcement on the flamethrower thing...

Get an aerosol can of hairspray and a lighter and you've got a flamethrower that will do in a pinch.

Julie--here to help

[beam me up scottie]

42. You know I had forgotten about that particularly useful diy weapon

I have a can of industrial strength 'it' I only use on special occasions and just moved to the front of the shelf.

Thank you Julie!

[kdmorris]

35. I keep being told "those are Palmetto Bugs"

Last edited Thu Oct 16, 2014, 08:59 AM - Edit history (1)

No, they are are nuclear cockroaches apparently capable of not only growing to enormous sizes on their unpure food source, but flying as well. And they will fucking land on your face, oh yes.

When the screams die down and you look to see if you killed it, it's almost always scuttered back into it's evil hell to plan the next foray into "Watch us make these mere mortals scream and flail"

They would probably chew through that hazard suit, laughing the whole time...

[beam me up scottie]

43. One recruit in boot camp woke up with Roachzilla crawling on her face.

I don't think I'll ever recover from that and it wasn't even me.

Those creatures are why I like having a snake as a downstairs tenant.

[kdmorris]

45. ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH

I have PTSD just thinking about that... and I wasn't even there.

Snakes are awesome

[beam me up scottie]

46. We lost a good one last year.

A large pine snake who was vicious when confronted but boy howdy did he take care of the mouse problem. I saved his ungrateful scaly ass from the lawn mower and he repaid me by leaving many fang holes in my boots.

I found him a few days after his demise, he had swallowed something extremely large and got stuck trying to pass through the horse fence.

[kdmorris]

34. I was pissed the day the CDC said protocol had been breeched

Because if no one trains you on the protocol how the fuck can you breech it?

They backpedaled fast and came up with "Oh, I think now that we probably should have sent a CDC hazmat team down there to train them on the protocol". Gee, ya think, asshole? Not that it would have helped these two nurses because they had already been exposed... thanks CDC.

(oh and glad the situation at work is looking up)

[wavesofeuphoria]

4. Clearly she didn't see it as a mere "office party" ...

glad you have support.

I really get an uneasy feeling when I hear "healthcare" and "prayer" together ... how much "let god take care of it" goes into care rather than science, knowledge and skills.

Happy Good Day

[Promethean]

5. Ah!...my brain!...

I am now going to have nightmares thinking about what you just wrote. Curse you!

[Promethean]

6. I am very glad this is going to be sorted out Heddi.

I hear too many stories about religionists ruining workplaces.

[onager]

19. Glad to hear this, I was worried about you.

And I sort of like the look of the HazMat Heddi suit. Add a shotgun and you're all set for the Zombie Apocalypse.

[Heddi]

22. I think I'd like a crossbow better...let me tell you my boring Zombpocalypse story

So Mr. Hed and I were watching Walking Dead.

And like 3 weeks later Mr. Hed's like 'yanno, I think it'd be kind of helpful to have a handgun in the house...you know...for protection."

What? We're not "handgun in the house for protection" kind of people.

So that idea was shot (hehe) down.

a few weeks later he's like "yanno, you can go to shooting ranges and rent machine-guns and shoot up shit."

wtf? we're not handgun people and we're sure not Machine-Gun people WTF is wrong with him

Then...we're at Cabella's trying to spend the $10 gift certificate we got as a gift (Hint: nothing in Cabellas costs $10) and he's lusting over the archery sets.?? He's like ooooh....I'm like nooooo. We live in a rowhouse. Our back yard is roughly the size of a mini-fridge.

Finally...it's time for Christmas List. He puts a goddamed MACHETE on his list. Machete? He says "we can use it when we go camping." Where the fuck are we camping? We stay at the KOA with a heated pool....we're not clearing brush in the middle of the fucking rainforrest.

Then it hit me.

WALKING
FUCKING
DEAD

I said "zombies go bye-bye unless you stop getting these weird weapon fetishes."

fucking weirdo

[Rainforestgoddess]

33. That's brilliant.

This coming from a family that owns three stick bows (two longbows and a recurve - recurve is mine).

We just shoot targets, and have 8 acres of space so no danger to neighbours. But my husband wanted to get hunting arrowheads after watching the walking dead.

Zombies aren't a thing, men!

[onager]

41. Hey! Y'all quit fem-splaining to us!

I have to admit, I was cracking up reading the stories from you and Heddi. Mostly because I recognize myself in them. Dammit, now I'm a traitor to my gender or something...

No weapons here, but one time I went down to Hollywood Blvd. to hit some bookstores and leave my neighbor a tip. (She was a waitress in a diner...damn, this is turning into a Tom Waits song...)

Years ago I lived right off of Hollywood Blvd. and it can be a very weird/annoying place to walk around. Always full of panhandlers, scam artists ("Buy my CD!&quot , Homes-Of-The-Stars-Tour pimps, clueless tourists and the occasional mugger, if you're in the wrong place/time.

So anyway, I put on my Hollywood Face, a scowl that I hoped clearly sent the message: "Do not even try to talk to me, asshole."

Parked on a side street and oh-shit...there's a big, muscular young black guy HEADED RIGHT TOWARD ME! He's getting closer! Is my Hollywood Face not working? Arghhh...

He said: "Sheesh, man, lighten up. You look like you're ready to kill somebody."

[Rainforestgoddess]

44. And I'm clearly sexist

I'm sure there are also delusional women who feel the need to protect themselves against zombies.

[onager]

48. Ha! You & Heddi pass this along to the menfolk...

[Rainforestgoddess]

49. I know EXACTLY who to share that with. N/t

[Gelliebeans]

25. Glad your bosses boss

Felt the way she did.

[Warren Stupidity]

29. Ok I have a confession.

I was braying to donkey jeebus to intercede and make everything ok with your place of work. If you bray to donkey jeebus, donkey jeebus will listen.

The only downside is all the donkey shit. Everywhere. That ass has a serious problem.

[beam me up scottie]

32. I'll send over our two dogs, they love the stuff.

Which is much less gross than seeing them dine on what's in the litter box.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

51. Hey! I also have a dog that likes poop

She regularly snacked on the litter box so we had to move it behind a closed door and install a kitty entrance to the room. We also have a riding club next door for horses, and they provide a fair amount of nutrition for her. I can't complain because it doesn't seem to affect her, and it's probably considered "organic".

[beam me up scottie]

52. They also love the hoof clippings left behind by the farrier.

Last edited Sat Oct 18, 2014, 11:21 PM - Edit history (1)

My dad, while watching my late German Shepard repeatedly throw up and reconsume something horrible he found on our hike that day, remarked "Well, on the bright side you'll never have to feed him again."

[haikugal]

30. Great news Heddi

After reading about your situation last night I was concerned about the potential BS you might have to live through. You're in good position to side step the piles of crap...woot!

I ran into a praying nurse once and was not happy. My son, who was accompanying me was WTF and the doctor knew something was very wrong when he entered the room...he could feel it. Ran into another religious fanatic in the recovery room once...I had to remind him I was recovering from a surgical procedure and really didn't have the energy or interest in debating religion with him. This was even after I notified the hospital I wasn't religious. If I had said I was an atheist he may have been even more obnoxiously determined to deliver his 'good news'....ugh, need I say I can't stand these people??

I look forward to hearing how this works out and that hazmat suit does look like a great Halloween costume.....heh

[JNelson6563]

36. This is great!

[PassingFair]

38. Ha ha...Reminds me of the time

...My sales team was behind in our numbers.
One of the more wacky reps suggested we join
hands and pray for sales.

It happened so quickly and organically that we all
just did it.

AWKWARD!

Afterwards, my manager says: "Hey, if this works,
we should do this every Monday".

I said, "Okay, my turn next! I'll bring my candles and chalk."

Wacky rep shot me a REALLY dirty look, and we never prayed again.

[Curmudgeoness]

39. Good. It always ends up this way,

with them opening their sanctimonious mouth to the wrong person. They think that their mission is so holy and so acceptable that they would never believe that anyone would take issue with it. Then they will scream "war on religion" when they are told to STFU.

This is now out of your hands, and I am glad for you. Lousy situation to have been in.

[deucemagnet]

40. Ah yes, another group of innocent Christian do-gooders foiled

by evil atheists who can't keep their mouths shut. Pope Dawkins will be proud of how you followed official Atheist doctrine and furthered the Official Atheist Agenda (TM). It's too bad you couldn't have corrupted a few children, though.

(For potential jurors and the sarcasm-impaired: )

[progressoid]

47. OK, I don't know if I'll be able to quit DU as long as there are Heddi's work reports to read!

[Solly Mack]

50. K&R