For my American friends and readers, we’re having a provincial election here in Ontario. Since health care is deemed a provincial responsibility (though funded extensively by the federal government), it’s naturally a hot topic of discussion. At the televised leader’s debate a couple of days ago, New Democrat leader Andrea Horwath managed to step in […]
Author: torontoemerg
Those Emergency Blues: On Allegations of Patient Abuse at St. Joseph’s
This story concerning alleged abuse of a senior at St. Joseph’s Health Care Centre (and yes, I know “alleged” is a weasel word) has been making the rounds in the Toronto media, including some blaring front pages in the Toronto Sun: Ron Meredith claims two burly security guards at a west-end hospital manhandled him, dragged […]
Those Emergency Blues: Labour Day and the Toronto Sun: An Annotation
Public sector workers are lazy and overpaid parasites sucking at the taxpayer teat. Or something. Please remember to tell us this when we’re doing ACLS on your sorry ass. Happy Labour Day. Love, TorontoEmerg Filed under: Colour Me Cynical, Life in the Emergency Department, What Passes for Humour Around Here Tagged: Canada, emergency department, emergency nursing, […]
Those Emergency Blues: The Hockey Season Cometh
Overheard in Fast Track: Grandmother: (pointing to hat on child with a Canadiens emblem) Who are they? Who’s your favourite hockey team? 3-year-old child: Habs! Some other patient: Losers! I tell you, she had some nerve, that child. In Toronto, no less. Filed under: Life in the Emergency Department, What Passes for Humour Around Here […]
Those Emergency Blues: Favourite Poems XLI
She Walks in Beauty She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes: Thus mellow’d to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies. One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impair’d […]
Those Emergency Blues: Hacked and/or Phished
My Twitter account was hacked yesterday evening. Apparently a very good imitation of me sent out a mass direct message. It read “lmao…omg i am laughing so hard at this pic u i just found” followed by a link to a page which asked you to “sign in” to your Twitter account — obviously a […]
Those Emergency Blues: O Why O Why Did I Pick Up The Phone?
Phone rings. I look around. There is no ward clerk in sight. Damn. I answer. “Emergency, Charge Nurse.” “Can I ask you a question?” The voice on the other end sounds flat and tired. “Sure,” I say warily. “I came to see you guys a three days ago and I had a sore chest and […]
Those Emergency Blues: Buskerfest
Where I was Thursday. I’m not very good at writing art review-style critiques using high-flown language, but I can say that I enjoyed Buskerfest a lot. There’s a bit of an edge to the performers. They generally live on the margins. They swear freely, even with children present. (O the horrors!) They’re tattooed and pierced, […]
Those Emergency Blues: What I Found in my Garden
A turtle. I remember as a child reading about turtles (or tortoises) in England, where all proper gardens seemed to have one — and being rather charmed by the idea. So I’m pretty pleased this gentleman (or lady) is residing in mine, even if temporarily. Every garden needs a turtle, in my opinion. (Under this […]
Those Emergency Blues: Snapshots of Nursing History
Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada. Filed under: Our Proud History, Public Images of Nurses and Nursing Tagged: Hospital for Sick Children, Nurse uniform, Nurses, Nursing, Toronto
Those Emergency Blues: About Jack
Hearing about Jack Layton’s death from cancer driving home a couple of days ago was like a hard punch in the head, and I nearly went off the road. My American readers may not appreciate the genuine respect and affection most Canadians had for the new Leader of the Opposition, even if they vehemently disagreed with […]
Those Emergency Blues: Choking on Your Own Vomit
Aspirating while more-or-less obtunded because of alcohol poisoning is not pretty, and I’ve seen a few VSAs related to chocking on your own puke that had very poor outcomes. Hence my interest in this PSA from the British Red Cross. (Facebook here.) [Via.] I’m actually a little skeptical an adolescent/young adult on some colossal piss-up is going […]
Those Emergency Blues: In Which TorontoEmerg Discourses on Some Aspects of Human Nature
It’s probably more than little trite to say the Emergency Department is a microcosm or laboratory of humanity, but like most clichés it has an element of truth. We see all types in the ED, the good, the ugly, and the purely despicable. (And then I could talk about the patients.) We’re human, after all. But in […]
Those Emergency Blues: Observations and Assessments
Notions to small for a blog post, all in one place. You need to take your pain medication. Once upon a time, TorontoEmerg had some fairly significant surgery on a major joint. It was (theoretically) exceeding painful, but fortunately TorontoEmerg’s orthopod was very generous in supplying TorontoEmerg with Percocets and Tylenol 3s, and thusly TorontoEmerge experienced very little […]
Those Emergency Blues: A Matter of Hours
I was talking the other day to young, surprisingly old-school physician who bemoaned nurses “doing things” she thought properly done by duly authorized medical practitioners. (She also implied, by-the-by, that when physicians said “Go fetch,” the proper nursely response was a demure “Yes, doctor, and do you want your neck rubbed?)” Clearly, this physician thought, […]
Those Emergency Blues: You Want a Side of Plavix with That?
Now arriving at the Canadian National Exhibition — wait for it — the doughnut cheeseburger*: The Doughnut Burger made its debut at the Calgary Stampede, where brave revellers downed the sweet and salty snack, despite its high calorie count. Now the hefty bacon cheeseburger with two maple-glazed doughnuts for buns will be featured at the […]
Those Emergency Blues: A Request
Any nursing blog readers (as opposed to bloggers) out there willing to speak to a writer from Canadian Nurse who’s writing about nurse bloggers? Please contact @asilversides (Twitter) or email me at torontoemergencyrn (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks…
Continue readingThose Emergency Blues: A Letter to a Younger Colleague
Dear Colleague You are fairly new to our Emergency Department, you have done your Emergency Nursing courses and you now have collected a slew of certification initials: ACLS, PALS, TNCC, ENPC. You are confident, and just a little arrogant. Believe it or not, creaking dinosaur I am, I get where you are coming from. You […]
Those Emergency Blues: Shi(f)t Work
Wanderer over at Lost on the Floor makes a point: My manager remarked to me that night-shifters tend to, “have a bit of chip on our shoulders, almost like the world owes you something.” Damn right I do. I’m up when most sane and rational people are asleep. I sleep when the rest of the […]
Those Emergency Blues: “I Take One Everywhere I Take My Penis”
25 years of AIDS prevention posters, which is to say, where health education and great graphic design meet. From an exhibit at the Art Directors Club, New York City. On the importance of the posters to combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the curator of the exhibit writes: Ever since the AIDS epidemic struck, the responsibility of educating […]