Profile of a Travel Nurse

by Amy Nutt

Travel nurses are nurses who travel to different locations for short-term working assignments. Travel nurses often work for hospitals, doctors offices, and in the medical administration field. Travel nurses are usually hired to fill temporary work shortages such as peak work times, maternity leave, and long term illnesses of permanent workers. Medical facilities will pay a high salary to fill short term periods. Assignment can be a few days or several months. An assignment usually runs for about- weeks.

To obtain a career in travel nursing, you must first have the appropriate credentials. The usual requirements for becoming a travel nurse are a minimum of one year of clinical experience and a state employment license granted by the states nursing board. You should have a nursing degree from a recognized nursing school and have all the skills needed to fill a particular position. Not all hospitals recognize one year vocational diploma programs. Medical facilities expect travel nurses to know what they are doing on the first day of the assignment. That is one reason why they pay top dollar for a travel nurse. They expect the travel nurse to have the knowledge and skills to adapt quickly and efficiently.

There are a number steps to achieving a career as a travel nurse. First, one should apply to a travel nurse agency. These agencies are actively involved with hospitals across the country and with many International hospitals. They have the knowledge of open travel nurse positions and they match the travel nurse with the staffing needs of the medical facility.

Once a person is accepted into the travel nurse agency, the recruiter will match that person with the assignment. The recruiter will help the travel nurse with the interview process, obtain essential state licenses, assist with housing and travel, and arrange for the appropriate benefits and pay. The recruiter receives a fee, but the travel nurse receives their knowledge and experience.

Although each state has its own nurse licensing requirements, they do provide temporary licenses. Some temporary licenses can last up to a year. Registered nurses have the advantage because their national board exam covers state requirements. Having a nursing agency recruiter can be helpful as they will assist you in securing your temporary license.

Because of the travel arrangements that need to be made for each assignment, travel nurses tend to prefer recruiting agencies. These agencies are experienced and can make travel arrangements quickly and efficiently. If traveling out of the country, one needs to secure a visa and have proof that they are a graduate of a reputable institution. It is important to maintain a current resume with valid supporting documents.

The life of a travel nurse requires maintaining a constant travel schedule that includes:

Maintaining a Check List: A week before you depart, have a list of all the necessities you need and check them off as you pack. This includes documents, clothing, books, etc.

Research Work Location: Prepare for cultural differences, personal safety issues, and proximity to stores, restaurants, and supermarkets. This will minimize unexpected stressful events.

Move In Early: Moving in a day or two early will allow you to become familiar with youre your work location and the surrounding community.

Most nurses enter the field of travel nursing jobs so they can travel, experience different work environments, make a good living, and maintain a flexible work schedule. Travel nursing is also an excellent way for recent graduates to find out where they would like long-term employment. The Professional Association of Nurse Travelers, a non-profit national organization representing nurse travelers in the US, is a great organization to consult with regarding a career in travel nursing.There are also many traveler nurse blogs and forums where one can gain more insight into the pros and cons of travel nursing.

About the Author:

One of the countries
largest Healthcare staffing company can help place you with travel nursing jobs, family physician jobs and speech pathologist jobs.

Join a HEALTH & WELLNESS Program

Parents often don’t realize how clever they are. Its true, believe me!

Take this one example. When you place your tiny little person in her jumper do you honestly think like this “it is time for her few minutes of exercise?” I know I certainly didn’t and even though my daughter in law is a nurse I don’t think she consciously thought this way when she placed my gorgeous grandson into his jolly jumper.  He just liked the bouncing motion and she just loved to see his happy face and so did grandma because he has his own blog.

All you wonderful people are actually, for the most part, contributing to the future good health of your children. Now how cool is that?  Jumping and bouncing correctly actually can improve circulation in the body.  It can lead to stronger thighs and legs.  It can even help to improve balance and co-ordination in young children.

Kids need to be in control of their own bouncing though. They love to bounce and they love to ride on little trikes. They are justifiably proud of their own achievements, just as any parent is justifiably proud of being able to supply them with these opportunities to learn and hopefully achieve good health in the future.

Most kids in the 18 to 36 month age range love to ride little trikes of all kinds and they really love to bounce on beds or tiny trampolines. For something really different take a look at this it is totally RAD. You will have to search for it but it is definitely worth your time.

URL : http://www.flashgame-girl.com/Puzzle-board/Nurse-Bones.html

Game description :

Test your sense of bone anatomy, especially when the body goes into twisted poses.

Game controls :

Use Mouse to interact.

Aahh, I sprained my ankle!

See, it was my brother’s birthday today, (Happy b-day, Andrew!) so he and three of his buddies and I and our parents and my mom’s dad all went to a place called Sky High Sports. Basically it’s a bunch of trampolines connected to each other, with a separate foam pit and dodgeball area. you jump on the trampolines and play for an hour or so.

I took my shoes off and jumped on the trampoline arena for a good three minutes (:D) before I fell and hurt my ankle. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but i think it had something to do with the yellow pads in between the trampolines. I might have tripped over one, or jumped on one accidentally, or something like that.

So I went down, and my ankle hurt really bad, and my dad and this staff person came over to help me up and get off onto a bench. My ankle swelled a lot, and I cried, and I got an ice pack, and I sat out for the rest of the hour.

Yah, it looks like my knee. But that round oval thing on the side of my foot is actually a swollen ankle…and the white thing is my sock…

So I was asking my parents all kinds of questions. “How am I going to sing on Sunday with my choir?” “How am I going to go to school on Monday?” And the most pressing, “How will I get to the car?” Mom answered, “You have a big daddy. He’ll help you.”

And I thought, ‘I’ve got an even bigger Daddy too, and I know he’s gonna help me.’ Why does it take hardship for us to recognize and appreciate things we often take for granted? Thank you, God, that it wasn’t broken or anything worse.

So I got a piggyback ride out of Sky High, and afterwards we went to a restaurant, and my ankle was better but I couldn’t put weight on it, and it  hurt if I turned it too much. Then Dad made a doctor’s appointment, and at 7:30ish we headed over there.

I hobbled out of the car and a security person asked if I wanted a wheelchair, and Dad said yes. He wheeled me into the waiting room and told the lady @ the desk, “We’re here for the 7:30 showing of ‘Fix My Ankle.’ She laughed, and i did too. Dad’s so funny. He always tries to make me smile.

After five minutes we were shown into the doctor’s office where a nurse got some basic info from us. Then we waited for a while and I read my book. oh-by the way, this sign was on the garbage–

oops, didn’t mean to make it that big.

so then the doctor came in and looked at my ankle, and she said I needed x-rays. Then Dad and I waited some more, and Jeff the X-ray Guy came in. He wheeled me into the x-ray room and told jokes. I asked if I would feel anything, and he said ‘Only as much pain as you feel when you’re talking on the phone. Or standing by the microwave.’

‘Should I take my glasses off?’ I wondered. ‘No, only if your ankle goes up into your head. Then we’d have to take your braces off, too. That would be kinda painful, cuz all I have are some pliers.’

He took 3 x-rays and Dad wheeled me back. Then the doctor came back in and gave us some papers and looked at the pics with us and said I sprained my ankle. Then the nurse came and gave me crutches and a boot/splint/thing.

Now, i’m in good humor and my ankle only hurts a teeny bit.

Night, everybody! Happy Belated Thanksgiving.

ibby out.

In just 60 minutes, you could earn enough to pay for a tank of gas, the cable bill, gym membership, or dinner out. Thirty dollars still covers some of life’s essential costs. Earn that much in just one hour on the job, and you have enough to build a comfortable life.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau figures put the median household income in the U.S. at $50,233. A $30-per-hour job brings in $62,400 before taxes, or 20% more than the national median. For many people, this extra margin is just one promotion or one credential away. To boost your economic security, consider these 10 careers with salary data as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Database Administrator
Mean Hourly Wage: $33.78
Salary: $70,260

Database administrators perform a vital role in our information economy, managing the database systems that help companies store, process, and access data effectively. Job growth is stunning in this high-demand field as well — the profession is expected to grow 37 percent through 2016. Continuing education is a must to keep up with evolving technology, but entry requirements are modest. You can launch this $30-plus-an-hour career with an associate’s degree in database administration or information technology.

Registered Nurse
Mean Hourly Wage: $30.04
Salary: $62,480

Historic demand for registered nurses is inspiring many people to reinvent themselves as health care practitioners. Nursing is projected to generate more new jobs than any other profession — an estimated 587,000 positions through 2016, which represents a 23% increase in a decade. To take advantage of this boom, head to nursing school for your bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Accelerated programs are available for career changers who already have a bachelor degree in another field.

Technical Writer
Median Hourly Wage: $30.18
Salary: $62,780

Technical writers interpret engineering and scientific information for a lay audience, producing product documentation, user manuals, project proposals, and scientific reports. Most writers come to the field with a college bachelor’s degree in a communications or liberal arts field. Some colleges offer specialized certificate programs in technical communication, which incorporate IT literacy training.

Fashion Designer
Median Hourly Wage: $34.22
Salary: $71,170

Fashion design has the reputation as an all-or-nothing labor of love — you begin as a starving artist and ultimately attain celebrity stature designing haute couture. In fact, the majority of fashion designers — 3 in 4 designers — work secure, salaried jobs for apparel manufacturers. What these artists give up in suffering and glamour they make up for in a solid and stable paycheck. A job as a salaried fashion designer starts with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in fashion design.

Accountant
Median Hourly Wage: $30.11
Salary: $62,640

Accountants should have no trouble finding work as businesses throughout the economy sort through the financial rubble of the credit crisis. Mounting federal regulation will also contribute to demand for trained accountants. Accountants working for accounting and bookkeeping services earn upwards of $30 per hour. These employers hire trained professionals with a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.

Environmental Scientist
Median Hourly Wage: $30.71
Salary: $63,870

Environmental scientists will be the heroes of the coming era, developing much-needed strategies to redress environmental damage to soil, water, and air. The field is expected to grow 25% in response to new federal regulations and funding, as well as private investment. A bachelor’s degree in earth sciences will get you started in this fascinating and important field. Many scientists go on to a master’s degree to secure the best opportunities.

K-12 Curriculum Designer
Median Hourly Wage: $30.87
Salary: $64,220

Curriculum designers are at the forefront of educational research, developing new instructional materials and strategies to improve the quality of education in our nation’s schools. The job typically calls for a graduate-level degree in the field, such as a master’s degree in education (M.Ed.).

Dental Hygienist
Mean Hourly Wage: $31.21
Salary: $64,910

To make about the same amount of money with a two-year associate’s degree, enroll in a dental hygiene program. Dental hygienists work alongside dentists to promote oral health and hygiene. Hygienists enjoy distinction as one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations, with 30% growth expected through 2016.

Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Median Hourly Wage: $30.05
Salary: $62,500

Solving crimes is all in a day’s work for these criminal justice professionals. Criminal investigators can build their skill set by completing an associate’s degree in criminal justice, where they take courses in crime scene investigation, criminal investigation procedures, and more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics rates job opportunities as “excellent.”

Television Producer
Median Hourly Wage: $31.66
Salary: $65,850

Producers coordinate the television features we enjoy, from sitcoms to dramas to the nightly news. To build the necessary skill set, producers enter the field with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in mass communications or broadcast media.

A tight economy hasn’t stopped employers in these ten fields from hiring qualified grads. With the right degree, you can upgrade your career and find job security in the form of a $30-an-hour paycheck.

Those are the recommendation from the source..it’s all depend on you what kind of job do you want to get.

SeManGaT!!

Chayoo!

^o^

]]> http://trusscommunicate.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/what-they-dont-tell-us/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:55:10 +0000 trusscommunicate http://trusscommunicate.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/what-they-dont-tell-us/

It’s difficult enough to attend to and comprehend what patients are telling us, especially given the disparities in language, varying abilities to be articulate, and the intense emotions involved. However, many of us would agree that the real challenge is understanding what our patients are not telling us—reading between the lines of what is actually said. Patients mainly communicate to express physical, informational, and/or emotional needs. Many factors (e.g., pain, anxiety, lack of information) may get in the way of their expressing these needs clearly. In order to respond to what they may feel are communication difficulties, patients may need to say something without really saying it. As Gwen van Servellen points out, explicit expressions of these difficulties are usually accompanied by deeper meanings. Here are a few that van Servellen identifies:

“I hate to have to tell my story over and over again.” Can I be spared some of this wasted energy and humiliation?

“Each doctor I talk to tells me something different.” Can I even trust my doctors if they’re not together on this?

“My nurse looks ‘overwhelmed.’ How come s/he isn’t able to respond to me?” What work do they do if they’re not taking care of me?

“My nurse says, ‘I’ll be back in five minutes’ and s/he doesn’t come back at all.” I can’t trust what s/he says to me.

“People come into my room all day without asking my permission.” Who should be in my room? How can I tell if they’re supposed to be here? What is going to be done to me?

“They can’t figure out why I’m sick.” Do they really know and they’re just not telling me?

Trust is key in the health care outcomes both patients and providers seek. As van Servellen asserts, the handling of interpersonal difficulties is both the contributor to and the result of effective (ineffective) healthcare delivery.

van Servellen, G. (2009). Communication skills for the health care professional: Concepts, practice, and evidence (2^nd Ed). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

I have started a new page where I will profile important, but perhaps little known nurse leaders. Woo hoo! I know you all were anxiously awaiting its arrival and it is here. The first post, about Dr. Carole Eldridge is up; http://wp.me/PeDIg-2T. Check back often to see updates or even to suggest a nurse leader that should be profiled.

What are my considerations about a Nursing school?

Reputation/accreditation
If it isn’t accredited, I’m not going. But will I be considered for jobs once I graduate?

Graduate test scores
If people in the program can’t pass the test at the end, then what’s the point

Cost
Ah… here’s the rub. The CC where I live is so cost effective. I look at some other schools and they’re four times as much.

Location
I really don’t much care. I think I would go anywhere in the country.

Pre-requisites
Every school has different pre-requisites. Right now I’m trying to maximize my acceptance into my local CC program for the application due June 1, 2011. I’ll be done with all those pre-reqs by Dec. 2010. I have an opportunity in the meantime to apply to any other school I also meet the minimums for. But all the requirements are so different.

ADN vs. BSN vs. Accelerated MSN
The most exciting thing I’m looking at is these accelerated MSN programs for people without RNs and Bachelor’s degrees in other fields. That’s me! They’re designing these programs for me. After I finish Physiology in May, I can apply to many of these programs (if I take the GRE). Shouldn’t I? But then again, the accelerated ADN at my local CC is also more or less designed for me. It’s just I will “only” have an RN at the end of it.

Thoughts
If I knew that I wouldn’t flip out the first year of work and decide to quit the medical field forever, I don’t think I’d blink at spending $40k to get an MSN. This is why I see the PCT class I’m signed up for as so crucial. If I can handle that, then I will feel so much more confident that I can handle the profession.

I shouldn’t doubt myself so much.

Orrrrrr…. if I knew for sure what specialty I wanted to go into, I’d feel more confident taking the jump to the MSN programs. But I don’t know. I feel this draw to mental health. But I’m uncertain right now. I’ve never worked in a mental health ward.

It’s just too early. I have at least three or four months before I feel more pressure to decide. Being able to quit my full time job is a biggie. It will make it so much more possible for me to take heavier loads of classes. So I’m hoping that works out for me.

A nurse aid at work told me that the next time I volunteer when she’s working, I can shadow her the whole shift. I’m very grateful to her.

A report came out today from the University of Chicago talking about estimates in the increase in diabetes rates in Americans. It’s not good, folks. In the next 25 years rates are expected to double.

This leads me to reinforce one notion I had that I should go into endocrinology. That diabetes is such a huge thing in the U.S. that I think I could find satisfaction specializing in it. It’s something where you absolutely have to work with the patient. You don’t just set their leg in a cast and then send them on their way. It’s every day. Diabetes is every day. And there’s so many thing associated with it. Obesity, depression, poor diet, heart disease… these are things I could help people with. These are things I ~want~ to help people with. These are the things that I wish we could change about our society. That we could ban things like white flour and sugar and high fructose corn syrup. I don’t see HFCS as bad specifically, but I can imagine how much people’s health in general would improve without it being in everything.

I never have had diabetes. But I’m sure I wasn’t far off. Many people in my family have it. On both sides. I’m not too sure that I recommend the specific way I lost some of my weight, though. I guess I’ll see if my years of ED affected my long-term health.

I look at my dad’s mom, my mom, my uncle… two of them are dead. One of liver failure and the other of a heart attack. If my mom can’t keep improving her choices, she’ll die soon of something. But she’s better. She’s improved. I guess I want to help other people’s moms. I know grandma and uncle had diabetes. I don’t know how much it contributed to their deaths.

As you all know by now, Mama Soul joined us on wednesday when Zelda and I went to the New Moon premiere. I promised a whole post about all the awesome stuff she said, so here we go!
A few days previous to the big event she watched a special about the Twilight-fans in between her nightly work (No, she’s not a prostitute, she’s a nurse). That was when she saw for the first time that there were Teams -Team Edward, Team Jacob, Team Switzerland- and that many people were wearing their Team-shirts to the screenings.

Mama Soul's dream-shirt

So that was probably when she decided she wanted to have a Team-shirt as well. But she kind of didn’t really get why there were different Teams or what they stood for. She just picked her favorite Twilight movie character and decided she wanted to be on his Team. In the end she did not wear a special shirt to the premiere, but guess whose Team she chose? Mama Soul, one and only official member of Team Charlie! Yep, that’s right! Why not, Charlie’s great, isn’t he? Okay, now follow the comments she made while watching the movie for the first time.

The cliff diving scene. Bella sees Victoria, tries to swim away from her, hits her head and gets unconscious.
Mama Soul: “Uh, that was so obvious, she’s just so clumsy.”

Alice racing through Volterra aka Montepulciano. Mama Soul’s a huge Italy fan and has been there so often I lost count three years ago.
So when you see the city from above she smiles happily and says: “Hey, there in that corner is that cute little store where we once bought that great cheese!”
Uhm, yes mum, that was totally what I was thinking about too…

Edward taking off his shirt and walking out of the shadow.
Mama Soul raises her eyebrows saying: “Well, we’ve already seen that one better. I thought he was supposed to have abs…”

The scene where you see Bella and Edward running through the woods together in their Anne of the green Gables outfits.
Mama Soul: “Oh, this looks like that Brothers Grimm story, Hansel and Gretel getting lost in the woods!”

On the way home in the car: “It was kind of obvious that that Indian guy would transform into a wolf. I already knew this would happen after I saw the first movie.”
Honestly? How did she come to that conclusion after seeing Cathy Hardi’s film only once, not reading any of the books and not even having seen any trailer in order to not spoil her the surprise? And then she starts the following conversation:

Mama Soul: “But Jacob looks awesome, not the face so much, but his body, man he is buff!”
We: “Yes, and he’s only seventeen!”
Me muttering under my breath: “But legal in Georgia.”
Mama Soul: “Yeah, in the movie… but he’s older in real life!”
Zelda and me together: “No, in real life! He only turns eight-teen in february.”
Muttering under our breath: “Wow, embarrassing that we know that… not that we’re counting or something…”

Yummy! The fantabulous after-movie-meal we enjoyed in Mama Soul's kitchen... featuring our Twilight tribute accessories

She laughed throughout the cinema scene with Mike and Jake sitting awkwardly in their seats watching that super-stupid action movie. She laughed about each single dog-joke because hey, Mama Soul just loves dogs. Guess she would love to have Jacob as her son-in-law… just saying. Okay, and to be honest, she made the “OMG it’s so cheesy I think I must throw up” gesture. But only four times. That’s not often considering that the movie was kind of cheesy in some parts.

Wanna know what Mama Soul predicted as the ending of the Twilight saga? I’ll tell you in a few days. It’s probably the funniest thing anyone ever said to me about the whole Twilight business, so don’t miss it! Zelda laughed her ass off  when I told her and I want to do this great quote justice. Therefor I will feature this one in a special post. Sorry! But hey, it’s worth the wait, promise!

a

Off to Mama Soul’s kitchen to enjoy more delicious desserts

Saveyoursoul

a

Do you know anyone as down with the kids as Mama Soul? Then leave us a comment or e-mail us!

(images: google, but mostly me)

*Jakarta Globe, 11 December 2008

In the far corner of a house in Cimanggis, 40 kilometers from Central Jakarta, a boy walks by, pushing an empty wheelchair.
His gait is rather strange, his legs twisted at odd angles. He walks carefully, relying more on the wheelchair than pushing it. The quietness is sporadically shattered by screams. Short and high in pitch, like a frustrated toddler grappling for words that refuse to form.
In its sprawling compound on the main road of Jalan Raya Bogor, Wisma Tuna Ganda houses 30 children and adults with various forms of cerebral palsy and autism.
Most have lived here since they were toddlers. Fifty percent are over the age of 30; the oldest is 40.
Kristanti, the deputy head of Wisma Tuna Ganda, explains: “We treat residents for a maximum of 20 years, but some stay longer because their families are hesitant to take them back or have abandoned them completely. Where else can they go? So they become our responsibility.”
In a bright room with open windows, residents sit on safety chairs playing with colorful sets of shapes.
Most stare emptily into space, saliva dribbling from their lips.
Rusdi, the only one with coherent speech, answers in a slurred voice when asked his age and the name of his father.
Blind, the 36-year-old holds a forefinger to his left ear whenever he speaks, as if straining to hear.
The institution does not provide residents with a formal education.
“It is enough to teach them how to interact, understand who they are, and daily survival skills like putting on clothes and feeding themselves,” Kristanti says.
A caretaker is teaching Icha, the youngest resident, how to play with blocks. She does not look like she was born with a defect. But she is autistic and has yet to walk or speak at 3 years of age.
“She responds to her own name,” says Kristanti with a smile, “which means at least she understands who she is.”
Polo shirts, T-shirts, shorts and pants hang in the garden in neat rows under the morning sun. A man sits at the end of the hall, his legs crossed, eyes closed, swishing his head from left to right. There is a big grin on his face. On approach, gray hairs can be seen on his head.
“Fikri is one of the older ones. He is mobile but blind,” says Kristanti as she rubs Fikri’s head. At times his hands flutter up, as if playing  an imaginary piano. “They live in their own world,” Kristanti adds.
Neat white tiles dominate the physiotherapy room where chaos reigns. The floor is littered with bodies, prone and writhing. Three caretakers in dusky pink uniforms heave a child up and strap her to a standing frame. To the left, two children hang on frames like forgotten puppets; their legs and arms bound to splints of padded steel to keep them from stiffening and bending. The children wear heavy orthopedic shoes so they will not develop flat feet or curling toes. They are strapped to boards with cloth straps, hands hanging limply above their heads. For an hour they rest that way to straighten their muscles and practice standing.

“At first, they were angry and would struggle against it,” says Rita Komala who has been a physiotherapist and caretaker for 11 years. “But now they have gotten used to it and some can fall asleep.”
The room is clean and the physiotherapy equipment new —a  noticeable difference from the past when there was an absence of generous donors. Prior to funding, treatment was not maximal due to the high cost of equipment for therapy.
“Shoes for preventing flat feet cost Rp 2 million,” comments Rita.
It is hard to tell the boys from the girls, or the men from the women. Everyone has short hair, cut off for convenience, and wears a T-shirt and pants. Their names are written in permanent marker on their clothing. Rizka, on the middle standing frame, flashes a big grin. She has sharp features, like a bird.
A commotion occurs in the middle of the floor. Ribs jutting out of his thin skin, a tall teenage boy is being undressed by caretakers. He has relieved himself in his pants and they are removing his adult pampers. They turn him over to powder him; his pelvic bones are visible.
One caretaker squeals upon seeing his erection. The 17-year-old’s pimply face remains expressionless. The caretakers laugh off the incident, quickly dressing him and strapping him to a chair. A napkin is placed under his chin like a bib.
“He leaks at both ends,” jokes a caretaker. “Like a tap,” says another.
A caretaker takes hold of another child and sits her down on a padded wooden seat. “They have to learn to sit,” says  Kristanti, “so their spines can be trained.”
“Susan,” she says pointing to a child with painfully thin and distorted limbs who is lying on her back, “cannot be trained to stand because her legs have become too spastic. If we force it, her legs will break.”

Lying stiff on the corner of a thin foam mattress, Vivi, in lollypop-pink stripes, blinks her large eyes and grunts. She wears splints, except on her right arm which was injured in a wheelchair accident.
“When Vivi was born, she was a healthy baby who had the chance to run and speak,” says Rita. She succumbed to cerebral palsy at 18 months.

Once everyone is strapped into standing positions, seated or stretched straight on the mat, the room falls quiet. Sounds from a soap opera blare from a television set. No one pays attention to it. The caretakers sit around the room and joke with one another.
Renni, who has regularly visited the home since 1993, comes bearing snacks. Renni went to physiotherapy school with Rita and is a freelancer now. She comes to volunteer for a few hours every week and says she feels something is missing when she does not.
“How are you, Ika?” she says as she high-fives Rizka, whose hands are tied above her head.
The 17-year-old beams beautifully, her mouth filed with sharp, black stumps that were once teeth. To her left, a plump girl grunts, laughs and shakes her head.
The caretakers crowd around Renni and eat her offerings.
“Rizka was so pretty when she was younger,” recounts Rennie. “But once she started menstruating, and through lack of care, her teeth have gone bad.”
Popping a peanut into her mouth, a caretaker speaks of Nano, who was left in a dumpster in Ancol, North Jakarta, when he was 5.
“He will always yell for food if he sees any,” she laughs. Nano is now 22.
“Many parents just leave them,” says Kristanti. “Some move houses without telling us their new address. Most never ask about their children. Sometimes when we feel a child needs their parents, we even pay for the parents to come here.”
An hour later more children are carried into the physiotherapy room. These are the ones who have finished their lessons next door. The caretakers busy themselves by massaging baby oil onto the atrophied limbs of the newcomers and joke with the children. Rizka and her two friends are released from their standing frames and left to roam the floor, their leg splints still attached. Little yelps and mini-screams are heard around the room. It is hard to tell whether the children are expressing pain, boredom or pleasure.
Rita and Rennie dote on Icha, their backs to Vivi in the corner. Vivi’s forehead turns lobster-red when she wails.
“Leave her, she is only seeking attention,” says Renni.

“Icha is cute so everyone hugs her and plays with her,” says a caretaker. “No one hugs Vivi.”

Vivi’s cries eventually brings a caretaker over to remove her splints. Once freed, her left arm bends inward and hardens. Her legs jerk shut. With emaciated limbs she resembles a sparrow with broken wings.
“They cannot move so their muscles athropy, their limbs getting smaller and smaller,” Renni explains.
Rizka, seeing the snacks near the mat, pulls her body along with her arms to take a crisp. She chews quietly. Crumbs fall.
Icha, the smallest, strapped to one of the standing boards, hangs like a cartoon character with her upright ponytail shooting out of the top of her head. Slightly cross-eyed she has a look of constant awe. She smiles and laughs at a caretaker who sits and dangles a camera phone in front of her.

Dani, an apple-cheeked girl with gorgeous dark eyes that disappear when she smiles, bangs her body against the standing frame next to Icha’s. Beside her, Putri, mouth agape, is silent and peers passively from behind her upright arms at the scene around her, slowly moving her head from left to right.
Rizka has another go at the snacks. She takes a few nuts then throws them on the floor.
“Leave it, she will eat them from there,” says a caretaker as Rizka picks a nut off the tile.
Buck-toothed and sporting blue socks featuring a superhero, Nanda is out of her shackles and is being trained to sit on a padded seat. She curls her head down and purrs in delight when someone rubs the back of her neck. After sitting for a while, she belches and throws up. A caretaker rushes over to clean her and rub minyak kayu putih, or cajuput oil, on her stomach.
“We’re going to lie you down on the floor, OK?” she says to Nanda.
Meanwhile, Dimas runs around the room creating havoc, pushing an empty standing frame and swinging the support straps. Physically he is in fine form but Dimas is autistic and cannot speak. He starts yelling and pulls people toward a hanging strap, wanting to play.
Lunchtime rolls around. All the children are taken off the standing frames and are left lying on the floor in various distorted positions as the caretakers prepare the food. Dani, effervescent, keeps laughing as a caretaker removes her splints. Vivi is spoon-fed on her back, her head propped up. The mashed up meal dribbles down her chin. Yellow and soft, her lunch also lands on her nose.
Putri sits upright beside her, solemnly flattening her rice before slowly bringing it to her mouth. A tiny dark-skinned girl by her feet stretches an arm toward her, eyeing her plate.
Dimas swoops in and steals her prawn cracker. Her reaction to catch him was too slow. She resumes her meal without a fuss.
On the opposite side of the room, Icha sneezes and looks surprised. Dani breaks out in laughter. Vivi, clean after her meal, suddenly throws open her sticks of arms, her huge eyes bulging toward the ceiling. She looks like a crucified child.
In the main house, the air is calmer and the atmosphere somber. Here lie the children too ill to move, in beds that have bars to prevent them from falling out. Above each bed is a wooden board listing each child’s name, birth date, origin, date of entry and ailments.
Tiffany, 6, is the frailest and the worst case. “Blind, spastic, mute, paralyzed,”  Kristanti reads.
In the dark, the whites of her wide eyes glow like sunken torchlights as a caretaker brings a spoonful of tomato soup to her mouth.
Yunas, 18, has been living at Wisma Tuna Ganda for 13 years. Although mute, he has full comprehension skills and responds with sign language and gestures. He often acts as a guide for visitors.
Upstairs, in the girls’ and women’s quarters, is Teresia. The T-shirt she is wearing says Dyna but Yunas knows it is her.
Aged and lined, with bony bent limbs curved like a meditating yogi, Teresia is the oldest resident. She arrived five years after the place opened in 1975. In the bed nearby, a girl squeals, happy to be playing with a handful of black pebbles.
There has only been one recorded case of adoption since the institution’s inception.
“It was in 1975 and a Dutch person adopted a boy. Of course, the child was active and could be independent,” Kristanti says. “No one would take a child who couldn’t move. It is too much hassle.”
Rare is the occasion when a child is taken back by their families. The fortunate few who are able to be productive are placed in other institutions to learn trade skills which are not provided here. But most residents die in the institution, often forgotten or abandoned by their families.
“An institution like this is not a place to break ties. A child has a right to be loved and cared for, here or at home,” Kristanti says. “But most people abandon their responsibility once they give their child over to us. Parents don’t realize they cannot forget their children.”

(Photos: Titania Veda)

Kahapon nagtext sa akin si Irish kung mag-eexam ba ako sa AFP Medical Center ngayon. Ang sagot ko lang, “Tignan ko.” At kapag ganun ang reply ko sa text malamang tinatamad akong magpunta sa exam. Kailangan ko ng trabaho, OO. Pero kailangan ko rin ng trabahong may sweldo or kahit food allowance lang masaya na ako.

Hindi ko sigurado ang patakaran sa AFP pero narinig ko sa mga kasamahan ko dati na libre ang six months training hindi tulad sa ibang hospital. Ok na yun, kaysa naman magbabayad kami ng isa, tatlo o limang libo para lang sa training or in another words volunteer work. Pero kagabi hindi ako mapakali…Alas kwatro na nga yata ako nakatulog (kaya hindi ako nagising para sa 8am exam) sa kakaisip kung anu ba talaga ang gusto kong gawin. Una, kung magtraining ulit na walang sweldo or Pangalawa, maghintay ng tawag sa ibapang hospital na pinagpasahan ng resume (weh, parang andami ng hospital na yun.haha) Isipin mo, kung yung una ang pinili ko…

1. Anim na buwan na naman akong walang sweldo.

2. Anim na buwan na maghihirap na wala man lang kapalit. (Sabihin na nating ok na ang THANK YOU mula sa pasyente pero iba pa rin kapag nakakatanggap ka ng pera buwan buwan dahil may pinaghirapan ka.)

3. Anim na buwan na namang hindi istambay pero minsan hindi naman considered na experience and pagiging volunteer so parang naging tambay ka pa rin. (hay…:()

Kung pangalawa naman yung pinili ko…

1. Ang unang tanong…TATAWAGAN BA AKO?

2. Kung tatawagan man ako at ma-hire, swerte ko.

3. Kung ma-hire man ako, sa susunod na buwan hindi sayang ang paggising ko ng maaga, pagsakay ng jeep sabay langhap sa maitim na usok, pagkain sa karinderya, pakikinig sa demand ng mga doktor at pasyente, pagcha-chart, pag-compute ng gamot at IV, at kung anu-anu pa. Kung ma-hire man ako pagkatapos ng isang buwan na pagtitiis makakatikim na ako ng SWELDO. Ang sarap naman ng feeling nun!

At dahil sa number two ang pinili ko…maghihintay muna ako. Sana tawagan ako. Sana ma-hire ako. Ang hirap ng walang sweldo eh. Naawa na ako sa tatay ko, makakalbo na wala pa rin akong sweldo kahit pangbayad lang sana sa internet at kuryente.

Some Things are not Things. Noh One at 800 New Jersey Nurse can tell you. In my state we pay nurses in New Jersey to help us. Self Care is like money. Either you earn it. You inherit it. You marry it. Or you steal it.

Maybe you can’t steal Self Care but I bet Some One tries. Everybody Else seems to have tried stealing Everything Else at least once. Even my service dogs. You tell me, please, 800 New Jersey Nurse, in our Bench to Bedside chat.

I am sorry. Relay, was that an impatient sigh. It did not come through TTY. Please explain to 1 800 New Jersey Nurse that the edginess she interprets as paranoia is normal with a cognitive injury. This is an independent inquiry.

I have a question about Self Care. For example, I don’t want too much. That would be obsessive. Nothing too compulsive, please. I’d like some Spontaneous Self Care (SSC) lessons that come from my heart.

Nurse. This is not a crank call. I am a brain injury survivor. I have a real question please about my Self Care. This is 1 of 5 Quality Care indicators Robert Woods Johnson considers this funding cycle, isn’t it.

Okay. I think I have a reasonable question. I am looking for the Way, please. Yes. Which Way to Self Care from my Heart. Hello. Ms. 1 800 New Jersey. Hello relay. Yes. It’s too bad they leave suddenly like that.

Thank you relay. sksk

Fuck fuck fuck!

So I get a phone call at work this morning and my caller ID says it’s from the health nurse. Fuck. How did she find out I’ve been sick? Bugger. So I pick up the phone and she gives me my answer.

 ”I noticed in your absence time sheet you’ve been off work for quite a while now, your manager really should have informed us. You were gone more than 10 days so you should have been on short-term disability.”

Fuck fuck fuck. I knew I shouldn’t have filled that in so promptly.

“I didn’t know you monitored that. Well, my manager didn’t inform you, so what now?”

“Well we won’t worry about it unless it continues. How are you feeling now?”

“I’ve been back at work all week. I feel freaking fabulous” *cough cough cough*

“Uhh… right. Okay well, keep me posted if anything changes.”

“Yeah, sure… will do.”

Click.

Fuck fuck fuck.

It’s been almost 5 weeks of coughing and sniffling and having absolutely no energy, and that’s not including the 2 weeks I could feel myself coming down with it. My doctor said it was just a cold… my cough is caused by sinus congestion. He gave me a nasal spray and sent me on my way. That was 2 weeks ago. The nasal spray cleared everything out and then I had to stop using it because it was giving me nose bleeds. I should be fine by now! I should have been fine 3 weeks ago! I should not be getting dirty looks on the bus or in the office anymore, but I am!

I made another doctors appointment for tomorrow morning- I hope to god they don’t put me on bed rest or something stupid. I don’t want to be home and I don’t want to be on short-term disability because I like my pay check’s the way they are THANK YOU very much! Besides, it’s not like I haven’t wanted to come to work, I haven’t been allowed to come to work!

Fuck fuck fuck!

I’ve also had to reschedule my Mid-Term again, this is the third time I’ve had it pushed back. Thank god they’re flexible right now because of H1N1 though, because I haven’t had the energy to even crack a book yet. I can’t focus on anything for that long.

On a happier note- I spoiled myself last night with a new digital camera, so expect lots of pictures of absolutely nothing looking absolutely fabulous, really soon!

Being an older student, I didn’t really think I’d be jumping into a new social network when I went back to school. It isn’t that I wasn’t friendly with people at school the first time around. Maybe it’s that I was simply a bitch back then. But this time seeing my friends in class is one of the best parts about it. I learn a lot, and that’s the focus of class time. But the time before class and after class is now pretty important to me. And this is just my first anatomy class!

I’ve invited the whole class to the bar after the final. I offered to fund the first round of pitchers. I don’t yet know how many people will show up. And only one other person has offered to donate to the pitchers. So that is kind of shitty. I was hoping people would step up and chip in. But I have hope yet that they will. However, I’m not counting on it. I just need to figure out how to make sure people don’t order drinks and then try to stick me with the bill. I guess this takes a conversation with the staff. Make it clear to them that I’m paying for the first batch of pitchers, but then they have to get money up front of get the credit cards for tabs for anything else.

I’m excited about this, but I’m also very, very nervous about the trouble I’m going to get into.

Firstly I would like to say “Ow!” Secondly I would like to say “Ouch!” Thirdly I would like to do some very offensive swearing. Yes, I had the swine flu vaccination yesterday afternoon and my arm now feels as though elephants have been punching it with their trunks whilst their trunks were curled around enormous tree trunks covered in nails.

There are other side-effects too. My chest  is apparently being sat upon by Fatty Arbuckle; my neck has been thrown down a very deep well shaft and is currently trying to crawl its way back up in order to get on with the job of preventing my head from being all floppy; there is a pain behind my left eye which hurts so much I am not entirely sure I haven’t been mistaken for a former king of England and stuck with a Norman arrow; and I feel close to tears over the slightest of things. Obviously I am almost entirely wrapped up in how dreadful I feel and wondering how long these effects will last, but there is a crumb of concern too for the others who were given the shot yesterday.

The letter from the doctor’s surgery said to come in any time between one and six in the afternoon. I thought I would be clever and get there pretty much at one and get it over and done with. Hmm, so clever that I had to join the queue along with some forty or fifty other folk. I have a ‘normal’ flu jab every year and ordinarily there are maybe two or three other people waiting to have their arms stuck with a pin too. The surgery yesterday was standing room only. I did begin to wonder if most of those who arrived after me were either blind or terminably stupid as, despite clearly being able to see that there was lots of standing space within the room, and having seen that there were more and more people arriving after them, many of them came into the room and stood blocking the doorway. Way to go – let’s fray everyone’s nerves that little bit more by causing an obstruction, shall we?

I’m probably being harsh. I know I was nervous – my wife will testify to that as I was in ‘cheeky schoolboy’ mode, the frame of mind in which I tend to act like a nine year old in public rather than the forty-something allegedly grown-up human I actually am. My mood was not helped by the inevitable chorus of frustrated moaning and the odd voice of misinformed doom and gloom: “I don’t even know why I’m bothering,” I heard one chap say to the person sitting next to him, “There’s already a new strain of the virus which is resistant to this vaccine anyway.” I love the way people spout such desperate ‘certainties’ which are in fact entirely apocryphal, don’t you?

Every couple of minutes somebody’s name would flash up on the digital display board, accompanied by the sort of buzz that I previously assumed was a television sound effect. One woman’s name did not trigger a responding walk to the inner door, through which the two over-worked nurses could be found armed with stabby jabby utensils. A minute or so later that name disappeared and was replaced by someone else’s, someone who spotted they’d been called and went on in for their shot. Maybe five minutes after that a woman came through from reception where she’d presumably been chatting to a friend. A large smiley man told the newcomer that she’d missed her name on the board. “No I haven’t,” she replied. “Yes it came up a few minutes ago,” he insisted. “Rubbish, I’ve only just got here,” she said. Mrs Planet then tried to back the smiley man up and repeated the name that had been on the screen. The woman was having none of it. I wonder if she is still sat in the surgery this morning waiting for her name to come up?

When my name was finally called I walked through, rolled up my sleeve, said “Ow,” as quietly as possible, and that was that. It did hurt more than my seasonal jab has ever done but part of me wanted to believe that was because the nurses were working that little bit faster than usual in order to get through everyone, and were possibly a tiny bit less gentle than they could be. For the rest of the day I was a bit sore on that side but not too bad. And then I woke up in the middle of the night, having rolled over onto the jabbed side at some point, and was in agony. My arm was numb, my neck and eye had begun to hurt and that’s when I noticed how tight my chest had become. Which made me panic and thus tighten my chest even more. I could not get comfortable after that and ended up downstairs on the sofa trying to stay as upright as possible as it seemed the only position which eased the aches and pains a little. I intend to spend most of today catching up on the sleep I didn’t really manage to get last night.

And this is where my concern comes in. I am forty-something and obviously not the fittest of folk otherwise I would not need to worry about the swine flu vaccination in the first place. But I am obviously fitter than quite a few of the mostly elderly people who were also having their shot yesterday. So if I am feeling rotten and miserable today, how on earth are those guys feelings? I do hope they have people with them to help get them through the next day or two while their bodies adjust to having this new stuff pumping through their immune system. And I hope they’ve chosen more uplifting reading material to while away the day. I had already begun to read ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens. Well done, Planet Boy, forward thinking there. Oh well, at least it isn’t ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’.

Last year, I made a Christmas list too. And I get to review it today…and realized that most of it was just a “wish”.

My Grown Up Christmas List—>2009

This is actually the first Christmas List I ever made. Of course as a kid, I had wishes but I never get to write them. So, to make things unique this Christmas and to add a little spice in my life I’ll have to write this wish list and look at it after a year if I ever got those wishes come true. J

• Job. This has been one of my wishes last year, to finally have a job. I had a job but it lasted for less than three months and I had to quit that early. This year, it is gonna be on top of my list again. Out of the thousands of nurses the Philippines’ produced bi-annually, where can I find myself? Though one.

Number One has been really hard. It was more like swimming in a big ocean looking for an island. And I’m lucky enough to have a job as a PEDIA ICU nurse for six months. A job I can truly enjoyed.:) Number one—>done!  But I’m really hoping for a permanent job on 2010.:)

• Travel Business. Travelling has been one of my passions. If had lots of money I’d love to travel around the Philippines and the world as well. And ever since Chester had proposed to me to start a travel business, although the girls and I were planning to start it even before Chester told me, we didn’t have enough knowledge, skills and time to talk about it. I hope I can really start one first quarter this year with the help of my friends.

Travelling Flipflops is what we called it and our first ever Ilocos tour was last May 1-3, 2009. It was a success for a first timer although there had been problems, it was good enough for a start. The sad part was, in travel biz you have a lot of competitors (other travel agencies, weather, road blocks, etc). We suppossedly have our first foreign clients last October but due to the typhoon and some other internal problems, the tour was cancelled. We are resuming the biz this November and hopefully everything else will go on smoothly.:)

• Go to Singapore in November. The girls and I have been planning to go on a trip to any Asian country this November. When we have earned enough for our plane ticket and pocket money it would be really nice to spend time and relax with the girls.

• Go to Coron in summer or before June. I’ve been really loving photos of Palawan lately especially Coron. And if I only have money, I’d love to go there now. I wish number one and two will come true so I can support myself financially.

Numbers 3 and 4 were merely wishes for 2009 but I do hope we can make them come true on 2010.:)

• Climb at least three mountains before 2009 ends. I just recently joined Encircle Mountaineering Club for  new hobby but I haven’t climbed a mountain since the Basic Mountaineering Course with Mr. Cabotage. I’m planning to climb at least one every quarter with Chester and the rest of the club of course.

I’m wishing I can climb one before the year ends. With my cakes.:)

• Buy a Nikon digital SLR. Since SLR’s are bit pricey, I bought myself a Cybershot this Christmas. And by the end of the year or before November I wish I can buy an SLR for myself too.

Photography has been one of my passions since high school. (Go ask PJ about it.) And if there is one thing I want to do for the rest of my life, it would be capturing life’s moments and hoping I can pass them on to whoever is in line on the next generation.:) I hope I can buy one after passing the NCLEX.

• More movie dates, dinners and coffee afternoons with my brother. I always go out with my brother just to drink coffee at Starbucks or watch a movie together. I wish we can do this more often and we get to talk a lot more about what’s been happening to our lives.

I guess I really succeeded in making this part come true.:) And I’d love to do more activities (why not try extreme sports?) next year.:)

• Finish the scrapbooks. First things first, I have to print the pictures first before I can finish the scrapbooks. I’m supposed to make three now (CEU days, 2007 and 2008 events). That’s a lot of work.

This, as I’ve said entails a lot of work. And I haven’t started one….sad…:(

• Have a better fashion sense. Since my metabolism has been great for the last six months, I’ve lost a lot fat. And since slim people can basically wear anything, I’d love to try the girly fashion sense this year. More of the dresses, shoes, accessories and prints. I’ll clean my closet and shop for new clothes this year.

And this one is still in the process. Since I was busy in the hospital, I didn’t get enough time to shop but then I’m loving dresses and they love my yellow bag.:)

I am stunning in my scrub suit.:)

• Improve on writing, cooking and photography. My three greatest dreams: to be a writer, chef and photographer. I wish I could improve things, make it better next year. I have friends who have been good influences and inspirations as well, they really are a good help in my hobbies. And I’m planning to cook a different meal every week and watch more of Chef Rob’s show so I can improve the cooking part.

Busy as always, I don’t get enough telly moments except lately for the Pinoy Big Brother really rocks, I didn’t get to watch Chef Rob for the most part, I did enjoy Chef Rose Bud and Iron Chef shows though. My photography skills? Quite improving I guess. And I read a lot from the internet lately, I’m planning to take a photography class next year when I get my SLR.:) Writing? Oh well, you be the judge.

• Pay the bills. When I get a job, this has been my first promise to myself. I WILL PAY THE BILLS. (water, electricity, internet and cable –when I get to apply for one.) I want to buy new things for the house and buy groceries using my money again. I really pray I’d get the job.

I did pay the bills…with dad’s money.lol Maybe next year *crosses fingers*.

So those were what was on my Christmas list this year. I do have one last wish though (but I won’t post, its kind of personal when I finally get to make it come true I’ll post it too.) I think I get to make half of the wishes come true and another half just wishes…. This year I have a new Christmas wish list. And it will be a more grown up wish list. For the next 30 days I will write my wishes and at the end of 2010 I will make the same “review” or evaluation. (I hope I do get better every year.:)

Just Me. For Now.

-katt

According to a recent report, the NHS is falling behind Europe to implement new technologies that would benefit patients’ recovery time or quality of life. Barbara Harpham, Chairman of the Medical Technology Group and Chairman of Heart Research UK said

Slashing budgets is counterproductive as modern technologies help thousands of people stay in work and out of hospital. We already lag behind much of Europe, with problems like hospitals denying patients NICE-approved technologies because they lack the facilities or staff to support their use.

Conversley, NICE has recently refused to approve two more cancer drugs claiming that they would be too expensive to provide under NHS funding. Ssorafenib (Nexavar) for liver cancer and (so far)  bevacizumab (Avastin) for metastatic colorectal cancer have both been refused.

It’s seems to me that whether NICE refuses to approve a drug or whether the NHS won’t pay out for it, patients in this country will continue to be denied life-prolonging or life-improving treatments.

The Report “Medical Technology – Can We Afford To Miss Out?” indicates that three times more cardioverter-defibrillator (ICDs) were installed in Germany last year compared with the UK, despite the device being approved by NICE.

Turkey day. No work. No school. No volunteering. No studying. What? how can I have a complete day off? Impossible. I have too much I want to do to take a day off. But I did. I slept in until 1:30 pm.

Today, I’m researching accredited RN programs in my state. There’s part of me that wants to move away. But I have to admit that I’m located in a town where I’ll get in district status for an ADN program that has a high test success rate. I have all of that schools minimum prerequirements completed (well in a couple weeks I will). And I stand a really good chance of getting accepted in May 2011. 18 months. If I can get a job at the hospital using the PCT training, that will give me 6 months or so of paid experience by the time I apply in March 2011. If I move to another district, I will lose a lot of this. It’s possible to do it. I can get the prereqs I need completed for wherever I want to apply, but I’m situated pretty well here. The local community college is very inexpensive in comparison to other schools.

Argh… I guess I should make a list. A matrix of some sort where I list the positives and negatives to staying here and working towards getting into the school here. But it is just an ADN program. I ~could~ apply to a Bachelor’s to Master’s in Nursing program at a university somewhere. But in my head, it makes more sense for me to get the RN license, get a job somewhere, and then have them pay for me to get a Master’s. Does that make sense? I’d be done with the advanced degree faster if I just paid for it myself, but does that make sense for me?

After the final, I’m hoping that my prof will show up at the bar for drinks. And then I can ask his opinion. Is it selfish of me to know that in the back of my head this whole round of drinks I’m offering to buy after the final is really just me trying to secure a letter of recommendation if I need it?

I need a mentor.