Early Thanksgiving

I did take this photo, out the back door of our house.

I took a long drive into Miles City yesterday to pick up more things that you can't find in Baker: tofu, internet router, cordless phones, chili powder, etc. It was neat to make the drive by myself. I really enjoyed the scenery, the quiet. On the way back I saw, seriously, about two dozen wild turkeys crossing the road. Like, big turkeys. Like, the ones you normally find naked at the Jewel. But these had feathers, and were slowly making their way across highway 12. I wanted to get my camera, but I knew they'd be gone by the time I got it out.

So yeah, we have turkeys here.

Stephan and I talked again about how he likes his job. He told me the great thing is the variety. He can have the spontaneaty of an emergency, then see the patient through their hospital care, and see them discharged. He said he's seen people heal from amazing things, pull through when he thought they were done. He's learning about every medical disapline, from very creative and brilliant health care practitioners.

He's tired, of course, from waking up at 4:30am three days in a row, and working until 6pm... or 9pm, whichever. There's very little sitting down now that he's the floor nurse. In fact, he often doesn't get to eat lunch (or supper as they call it here) until after 3pm. And even then, he eats standing up, or filling out paperwork. There's lots of paperwork in his job. They don't have computerized charting here (I don't know what that means really).

Check out the Flickr site for photos of the house, the ranch experience, and the dogs.

Stephan's First Day...

As a nurse by himself on the floor! Since the Montana license came through yesterday, he was able to go out on his own today with no supervision. Here's what he has to say about his first official day as a nurse....

Ouch! I wish the words were coming to me, but after a whirlwind 14 hours, I'm fried. I had 8 patients today...all day. For some reason, two got parked in the ER. Luckily, no other ERs came in today...cuz we only got two beds in the ER. Anyways, everyone was very helpful and I was only about a step behind all day. I made some mistakes, but in the immortal words of my dear old dad..."not bad for a rookie." I got lots to learn, and I look forward to the day when the learning curve isn't quite so steep, but I've found a good place to learn with good people. The variety of patients and conditions is a challenge too. Today I helped take care of a person w/heart palpitations, another suffering from seizures, two people w/emphysema, one patient w/terminal MS, one w/a bum gall bladder, and a patient w/possible brain swelling. Needless to say, I'm looking up a lot of drugs, asking a lot of questions, and wearing out the soles of my shoes.
I gotta get to bed so I can try again tomorrow.

There are other funny stories he's not telling you because he only types with two fingers and we don't have all night. We got the Illinois license in the mail this morning, and are slowly making progress on the scholarship application. It's something I didn't even imagine would be a possibility this time last week. We're sending thank you cards to the people at both the Montana and Illinois licensing boards who helped get this all done. We don't live in our house yet- maybe this weekend!

This is a Snowball

Theoretically, with enough of the proper insulation and care, and if the snowball was travelling at a high enough rate of speed both into and out of, a warm southern climate, it could potentially have a chance. At least, that's what we spent the day experimenting with.

Our snowball is a verification letter from the State of Illinois of Stephan's passing grade on the NCLEX exam. It's destination is the desk of the Montana Board of Nursing. If the snowball arrives at the destination, it will then be in the hands of a human being. A living, breathing, caring, loving human being. There is a rule in Montana that in order to qualify as a "new nurse", without requiring licensure in another state (see previous post about getting the Illinois license), you must take and pass the NCLEX exam IN Montana. It's the exact same test, folks, that Stephan took in Illinois. What we are counting on, what our dear little snowball needs to survive, is for the person sitting at that desk to think to themselves, "Well, he's sent everything he needs to in order to qualify, and, although he didn't take the test here, he does already have a job here. So, what the heck, we can bend the rules for this one."

They will issue him a license, we will get that before March 9th, and we will apply for the scholarship that day. Everything will be postmarked by the 9th, and we will breath full deep breaths.

A related problem that the medical center has is that without a state license, Stephan is not allowed to cover a shift by himself. They have him on the schedule for the month of March on his own, so today the Director of Nursing (DON) was scrambling to get supervision for Stephan as long as he will need it. That's costing FMC more money, and more time. Not a happy thing for them- DON Michelle spent some time on the phone today as well with the Montana Board of Nursing, trying to plead our case.

If you're involved in a prayer group, please remember our little snowball on its journey this week.

Trivia: In the Butte mines, why were unstable slabs of rock that were prone to collapse without warning known as "duggans?"

FAQ: Does Stephan have a sense of humor about being a male nurse?

Answer: no. He asked me to take down the Male Nurse photo. I figured I could leave it up if I made it more fair.

He got home this morning (Tuesday) at about 7:45 and went straight to bed. He slept until 3pm, when he ate, made a few phone calls about his student loans, and left for work. I stopped by just now to bring him 'lunch' and he asked if he could come home with me. He has about 6 hours left, but he said they haven't gotten a chance to sit down yet! It's a busy night. They had one ER patient when I was there, and with the snow coming down in blankets, they may have a few more before the night is over.

He was upbeat about it, though. I could see he was tired, but I also know that the excitement keeps him going. I would feel more sympathy if things were boring and he wanted to leave. Last night we talked a bit about a patient he has who may die soon. That will be something new for him. He seemed a little cautious about spending time with her, but it's his favorite part of the job. I know he sits with patients, talks to them whenever he can, and really takes time to make sure all their needs are being met. Beyond just temperature and physical comfort- he holds their hands. Kayle says he has a way with the older women. I don't doubt that. I think he has a way with everyone he meets.

Even though I miss him tonight, I know he's with people who need him. As important as he is to folks, I don't mind sharing at all.

Trivia: What is the ratio of cows to humans (or humans to cows) in the state of Montana?

Countdown to Plevna: 9 Days

Here is a photo I took from the car last week as we were driving out to Miles City. It gets a lot more interesting the further West you drive out of town. It's 40F today, the snow is melting, and things are much less dramatic on the horizon.

Stephan is working today, and I was trying to get things done (figure out how he can get his RN legal in Montana, how I can get a license in MT, more paperwork for the house, and I baked cookies). I HATE it when I mix up baking powder with baking soda. I think I used baking soda in the cookies because they all turned out flat and crispy. I shouldn't be allowed to use ovens.

I called the Montana School of Massage Therapy and asked if they knew what the process was to get an MT license here...

Man: Uh, like, a license?
Me: Yes. A license for a Massage Therapist.
Man: Are you nationally licensed?
Me: Yes, and I'm licensed in the State of Illinois. But I want to be licensed in Montana.
Man: Wow, that's a lot more than any of us have. Good job.
Me: So how do I get a Montana license?
Man: We don't license Massage Therapists in this state. You just- uh- go to school and then do it.
Me: ... Really?!
Man: Yeah.
Me: ... Oh. Well, thanks!

I feel two ways about this. 1. Check out the State of Montana Department of Professional Licensing and look down the list of professions they regulate. "Wrestling" is listed, as well as "Euthanasia Technician." I'm seriously not going to ask. But I am glad that I don't need to pay anyone any money, or fill out annoying paperwork.

2. I feel that strict LMT requirements are a good thing- it helps define the profession as something... um... professional. I'm a little worried about how well massage is respected in this state. I suppose I'll find out soon enough. The Physical Therapist and I spoke at length today and we agreed that it would be a good thing if I rented a room out at the hospital. Cool. There's some professionalism! We'll see how things turn out with that. I'm kinda excited to have my own place.

Baker: Day 8

So you want to know how my first two days at work went?

My orientation will last roughly a month, and I will be working with Peggy. She has over 25 years of experience, is very nice, and can handle just about any medical situation. Between the medical/surgical patients and the ER I'm a bit overwhelmed at all the possibilities. I'm on call three nights a week, which means that I must be in Baker, and sober, in case anything major happens. If anyone is really bad I may have to ride in an ambulance with a doctor the 4 1/2 hours to Billings with the critically ill patient.

Next week we get to practice for a large scale chemical contamination emergency in which the entire hospital will practice its disaster response and I will learn to triage patients during a disaster.

Everyone has been really nice and helpful in getting me orientated, and I hope to report soon getting my head out of my butt.

Baker: Day 7

Sunday was Stephan's first day at work. He seems to like it a lot. It took him a few hours to get his "nurse" hat back on, but once he did, I think he was fine. The medical center can accomodate up to 8 in-patients at a time. Yesterday they had 4. It seems like such a small number, but, as Stephan said, when you realize you're THE nurse for those 4-8 people, and you have to keep track of their medications, their needs, their schedules... it's a lot to juggle. He's working with a very experienced nurse named Peggy. She is the only other staff nurse here in Baker, the rest are all contract nurses. When Stephan is comfortable with everything, he and Peggy will alternate days on and off.

We're not talking about that game... the one with the oblong ball played on a 100 yard field. Let's just not go there.

Nothing new on the house front. The plan seems to be to move into a small rental we looked at last week until something comes up for sale, or spring thaws out the "sewage-house." With Stephan's extensive knowledge of sewers, replacing the line shouldn't be too tough, if that's what needs to happen.

Matt and Kayle continue to be blessings to us- opening up their home and lives to us. We are very lucky to have them here.