Lurch

Have you ever worked with someone who just pissed you off every time you look at them? I'm sure... we all have. For me its a nurse who I'll call Lurch. He does not look unlike this picture, however he has worse acne and shorter hair. Lurch wants to be a flight nurse as well, and has taken his resume fluffing a bit overboard. I've been a nurse for about 2 years longer than he has, but he always likes to tell me how to manage trauma patients. He has actually re-arranged all of the patients he had just so he would get a cardiac arrest that was coming and I would not. (I didn't want to clean up the dead guy anyway!) Last night he just pushed me a little too far. The trauma room was empty, but I had 2 pediatric traumas coming. He walked in, declared that he was the pedes trauma nurse and that he could handle both patients. Naturally, my eyebrows went up, mouth stayed shut and I waited for the punchline. It was: "you're going to get the grandmother, they are just loading her up now. She'll be here in a hour and a half" LOL funny huh? I was less than thrilled. I ended up having to take care of one of the kids, because contrary to previous statements, Lurch couldn't do so himself.

There were 2 high points in my night. At 2300 when Lurch left (you can take your Star Trek watching, know-it-all ass out of my trauma room) and the 430AM trauma light. After the kids and grandma came in I got 4 more traumas. It took until about 4am to get them all straight. Finally got the room empty... was gonna check it and get the hell out. Seems fate had other ideas for me.

430AM, the room is checked, all is qu.... You know the rest. We don't say that q word around here. Then BAM the light goes on. I was so pissed that I said to myself, 'this had better be a fucking GSW to the chest." Not one, but TWO GSW's to the chest!! The attending even gave me a high five. Lets just say, we love to crack chests. Especially if there are 2, then the ED doc will do one and trauma will do one. Neither got cracked though, at least not in the trauma room. The first was only 16 and had 2 shots center mass just below the sternum, He was tubed and in the OR pretty damn fast. I think he got cracked there... just under more controlled circumstances.

The second was shot up like swiss cheese. Chest (graze), back of neck, hands, arms. He will be ok I'm sure. He's just smoking the plastic (intubated) for the time being.

Funny thing though. My cop knows these kids. There were shot in the county, but are both from the area that he works.


So I have one more shift tonight and then I'm off for a week. My birthday is coming up and we're going to try to get out on the boat. That is if the water isn't too high. I was so tired when I left that I didn't even bother to check where I am tonight.

Oh I have one more rant before I close up for the day. I took care of a young married couple (just got married may 19) last night. He was driving, neither was restrained and the car rolled multiple times. Both were ejected. She went to the ICU and he is fine. What pissed me off??? He was drunk as hell and she was sober. Why the HELL wasn't she driving??? I asked him the same thing. He said "whatever." I don't think theses guys are going to see a 2 year anniversary much less a golden one!

$0.25 beers are all well and good until your drunk stupid ass starts driving.