BR Fridays: Sharing

On Friday--when this post should have gone live--I had my first full-day on of clinical training on my home unit. I was meeting patients/staff, getting to know the layout, etc. when one of the nurses walked up to me, informed me that I needed to learn how to do something and took me with her. Have I ever mentioned how much I love learning anything?? Well, I do. The whole reason I want to be a professor is because of the opportunity to never stop attending classes and learning.

The nurse on my unit taught me how to use the lab machine that runs diagnostic tests for Arterial Blood Gasses. Do you know how amazing that is?! Yes, a machine does most of the work but I have to tell it exactly what I want it to test for and make sure that the test is run correctly or I cost the hospital $2,000 for a screwed up test. Plus, I am able to quickly get accurate readings on what's going on inside a patient so that they don't have to wait an hour+ to get the results back from the lab. In the next few months I get to take a phlebotomy class so I can do blood draws at the hospital. Last week I also learned how to do an EKG.

This is where this weeks book comes in. When I was little, my Aunt Darlene--who is a Labor and Delivery RN--and my Uncle Bob--who's an elementary teacher--had these books on their bookcase for anyone to read. They were the complete set of ValueTales and I thought they were fabulous. I was caught reading by myself quite a bit. For anyone who grew up in the 80's these might be familiar to you. In my opinion, the complete set of *Value Tales and the complete Dr. Seuss are must have's for your children. (Thus saith the childless woman.)

http://flic.kr/p/bmerx6
A few of the books. There are over 25 that I'm aware of at this time.

In particular the ValueTales: Sharing. It is about the Doctors Mayo and how the Mayo Clinic started and the advances in medical practice since the late 19th century. It is miraculous what we have been able to accomplish in less than 150 years. Do you realize the Listerine you gargle with is the exact same solution Dr Lister used in American Civil War MASH tents to save the lives of soldiers? He noticed that too many men were dying of gangrene after amputations and wanted those numbers to decrease to zero. So he concocted Listerine to disinfect his instruments and the amputation stumps. If you thought it burned to swish and spit with imagine pouring it on an open wound? (FYI--I take a travel size bottle with me in my first aid kit when I go camping now for that reason.)

But, I digress. The story about the Mayo Brothers in this ValueTale emphasizes how much they wanted to learn and then share what they had learned with others. They felt that the study of medicine should be a collaboration, not a competition. If everyone shared what they had learned with at least one other doctor then things would be better for patients and people in general. They didn't seek to be famous or celebrities; they genuinely wanted to help others and share their knowledge with as many people as they could. Conversely, they wanted to learn anything and everything others could teach them. What an amazing thing! It's a longer book than a little golden book, but I think it's an important book to read to your children and for us, as adults, to be reminded of the important things in life.


*NOTE: It was brought to my attention that these books are very expensive. I found them for $3.49/each with free shipping at AbeBooks if you're interested in purchasing them for your family.