Death at Work

How many nurses actually die at work? I have no idea, but know it does happen. Certainly, our job contains inherent immediate danger to many of us, but what about your sudden demise in the workplace. Domestic violence is becoming a big risk I think, but in general I am pondering the health-death scenario.

Work could kill me
Just like Billy Bob,
Dying at work
Just doing his job,
He was the greatest
That's what we all say,
The best of the best of the best
Any day.

Now he's gone
And what about prevention,
Was there a prodrome
Vying for attention?
Signs and symptoms
Calling him out,
Or was the killer silent
Until his dying shout.

Tho, I don't think he shouted
He just dropped, kerplunk,
They think his aorta
Ripped inside the trunk,
An unknown condition
The dude was healthy as a horse,
The doctor's wonder, Marfan's?
He was long and tall, of course.

Could that happen to us, we wonder
Kick the frame, while on the job?
Where decay and inflammation
Reduced you to a simmering blob,
Returning to the protoplasmic
Origins of life,
Make sure ya have a good insurance
To cover the kids and wife.

Too late now, we miss him
He was a great nurse, that's for sure,
Now, he's floated off to heaven
For a thousand maidens, pure.

Excessive Ambition

This one isn't about me, although it initially looks that way. No, it reviews the actions of a physician, who clearly made the wrong decision; he chose to operate on stable patients, instead of dealing immediately with a life-threatening emergency. Maybe he figured, that merely through his psychic sense of medical mastery, he could delay, and everything would be alright. And in fact, the patient did not crump. However, the choice to postpone placement of a Pacemaker, did force an overnight wait, with just a temporary fix.

The boss won't believe it
But I'm not lying,
We worked overtime
To keep people from dying.

Joe Bob Billy
In 3rd degree,
The family is anxious
Their asking me,
Why have we waited
Eight hours in this booth,
I think I know the answer
But I can't tell the truth.

Doctor E.P.
Is shuffling the deck,
Ignoring your emergency
Thinking, oh, what the heck,
You're talking, and stable
And he's in control,
Everything will be fine
When it's time to rock and roll.

Later on, at 1030
He calls Surgery, for a room,
Saying, "This is an emergency!"
"Complete heart block, spells doom",
But Surgery can't accommodate
His late night demands,
The blame for the delay
Is all in his hands.

Now, it's time for lame excuses
"I'll place a temporary pacer",
And tomorrow, my partner
Can be the blackboard eraser,
Removing my mistakes
My errors of omission,
But the fly on the wall knows
'Twas excessive ambition.

Episodic Affliction

Another round of stress related AFib at work; it only took 30 minutes of morning chaos to set it off.

Stress at work
Caused my A. Fib,
A chaotic pounding
Beneath my rib,
It doesn't feel good
I attest,
The best thing to do?
Go home and rest.

The event this time
I suspect the cause,
Yesterday was chaos
High demand, no pause,
Now the same today
After a 10 hour rest,
Too much work stress
I failed the test.

At least 33 patients
On the morning list,
No extra Nurse
I'm already pissed,
Taking 3 reports
One after another,
And then, two more
I ran to Mother.

I said, I can't handle
The get-ready guy,
I don't have enough arms
I can run, but not fly,
So, find a solution
We need help in our crib,
Then, while taking report
I went into A. Fib.

Having done this before
Just one month prior,
I needed an instant
One day retire,
To put an end
To my episodic affliction,
Despite knowing my departure
Would cause some friction.

One hour following
Propafenone,
Rhythm converted
To the Sinus zone,
It always performs
As advertised,
Though it needs 4 hours
To be formalized.

Doctor E.P.
Had his say,
Strongly advising
Ablation today,
But I'm not convinced
Regarding that narration,
I work in the field
And see every complication.

That E.P. dude
Offered a free ablation,
But I responded
"I just need a vacation",
He turned away
And shed a tear,
Because "No" is an answer
He hates to hear.

Well, that's my story
Related once again,
A paroxysmal episode
Just happens now and then,
And when I finally choose
The invasive endeavor,
I'll find an expert doctor
With a lightning laser lever.

Anti-vaxer Barbarians

Finally, a poem regarding the practice of anti-vaccination.

Barbarians

I completely support a mandate
In favor of vaccination,
I am a health-care worker
With a moral obligation,
To protect the vulnerable citizen
The young, the old, the compromised,
With multiple health conditions
And so much research; I'm surprised,
When medical professionals
Indeed, any public attendant,
Claims a singular, personal exception
For their self or their dependent.

I'd rather allow a gun
For the greater good and everyone,
That would be safer, than allowing you
The anti-vaxer point of view,
Based on personal choice
And a dubious set of facts,
Why not bring your family to the chopping block
I'm just now sharpening my ax.

I can not fathom the concept
Public servants, sworn to protect,
College educated
With scientific neglect,
Promoting anti-vaccination
These health-care-less proletarians,
More dangerous than Genghis Khan
And hordes of barbarians.

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