Tuesday, 5th January 2010 - CCU (again)

So today I was back on CCU. Easy, yeah. So there are some differences in nursing. Most obvious is they call the drugs by their brand name not their generic names which makes it really hard. Like paracetamol is Panadol. Diazepam is Valium. There are loads. So there is a slight barrier there.

Well all was going well. Until a relative asked me to look at a patient. Hasten to add was not my patient. So off I went to the bedside, where I was confronted with a very sick individual. I had to take too looks to check he was still with us (ie alive). So any way, in nursing people know when things are going wrong by what and how you say something. For example when you hear a colleague saying a patient's name about three times and the voice gets louder and louder each time, you know something is wrong, and you instinctively go to see if they need any help. And when a nurse shouts 'can I have some help in here' you know by the tone that they mean now.

Australia does not grasp this! So I goto the man who is barely with us. And I am saying his name about three times, each time my voice is louder and you can make out the subtle panic in my tone. So thinking my colleagues will be here by now, seen as there are about 9 nurses around, I take a look, nothing. So I shout (and we all know I aint quiet) 'Can I have some help!'. And nothing. So I shout again. Thinking maybe someone else ha arrested somewhere else. Nope.

So I have to leave the guy and physically go grab some help. Shouting for Crash Trolley and more help. There are no emergency buzzers on the unit. Well they look at me with blank expressions, then see the poorly man and get the Code Cart and put out a Code Blue.

So know I have learnt the hard way that it is pointless shouting for help and to just shout 'Code Blue'. Anyway all ended well. It is amazing what some adrenaline, atropine and fluids do for you. Missed me evening tea break though.

Monday, 4th January 2010 - The Princess Alexandra

Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) is one of three tertiary level facilities in Queensland, providing care in all major adult specialties, with the exception of obstetrics. It is one of Australia’s leading teaching and research hospitals.

Services we provide

The PAH provides acute medical, surgical, mental health, cancer, rehabilitation and allied health services as well as statewide services - including the Acquired Brain Injury Outreach Service, Queensland Amputee Limb Service, Spinal Outreach Team and the Transitional Rehabilitation Program.

The PAH is nationally recognised for its expertise in spinal injury management and is a major transplantation centre for livers, kidneys, bone, cartilage, and corneas.

Ancillary services includes pastoral care, hospital auxiliary and volunteer services.

The hospital has responsibility for the management of the Queensland Liver Transplant Service, Queensland Eye Bank and the Queensland Bone Bank.

It also houses one of the major Pathology Queensland services.

The PAH has an aeromedical retrieval service transporting patients to hospital via helicopter or fixed wing aircraft, a road accident response service and a major trauma retrieval service managed by the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit.

Health research

The PAH plays a lead role in medical research, undertaking research programs with affiliated universities.

The PA Foundation, which is situated on the hospital campus, is dedicated to fundraising to support PAH research activities.

Annual activity profile

   - Over 74,000 admissions to the hospital

   - 46,479 admissions to the emergency department

   - 459,153 outpatient appointments

   - 830,300 patient meals prepared

The annual budget for the hospital is approximately $650 million

Monday, 4th January 2010 - Princess Alexandra CCU

So today was my first shift. I was supposed to be on an early but at 04:45 they rang and changed it to a late. So my first assignment was on the Coronary Care Unit. 12:30-21:00.

I was very surprised, my uniform is just a T-Shirt, everyone looks professional and casual. It really makes for a relaxed atmosphere. The hospital was massive and looked so clean. It was like something off Grey's Anatomy. Claire would love it here. The ward was well stocked, really well staffed and looked great.

It is fair to say that Australia is leaps ahead of us in the UK with regards patient safety and pretty much everything. Apart from the work culture and relaxed atmosphere nursing in Australia is not very much different. There is a hell of a lot less paperwork. An NO pushy bed managers. I really enjoyed it, for $50/per hour you can't complain.

Sunday, 3rd January 2010 - The News Today

Wild weather lashes across two states - AN ESTIMATED 2673 Brisbane homes have lost power as a severe thunderstorm brings damaging winds, very heavy rain and flash flooding to the south east.

Energex estimates storms have cut power to 2741 homes in Brisbane's south, 684 in the east, 868 on the Sunshine Coast and 21 on the northside, the Courier-Mail reports.

A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said several leaking roofs had been patched up.

The Bureau of Meteorology has already recorded 17mm rain in the City and 16.4mm at Archerfield.

The latest bureau forecast says the storms will hit Cleveland, Esk and northern Lake Wivenhoe by 1:05 pm and Nudgee, Somerset Dam and Toogoolawah by 1:35 pm.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Geoff Doueal said: "We've got a southerly wind change moving up the coast, a very unstable atmosphere and an upper level trough coming over us."

"We're already had a shower over the airport and the first line of storms is almost at Ipswich.''

He said there was the potential for hail, local flash flooding and damaging wind gusts.

"We'll see quite a large squall pretty much everywhere (in the south-east).''

Residents evacuated in Northern NSW

Meanwhile, flood waters have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes in northern inland NSW, as severe thunderstorms hit parts of the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes.

Around 420 people were told to leave their homes in parts of north and east Coonamble this afternoon because of rising flood levels, State Emergency Service spokesman Phil Campbell said.

They cannot leave the town because it is cut off by flood waters, Mr Campbell said, but were seeking nearby alternative accommmodation.

"The majority will stay with friends and family in town," he said.

The Department of Community Services was arranging for others to be put up in motels, while some people were sleeping on mattresses at the local high school.

Pets are being looked after at the local greyhound track.

"It certainly is an inconvenience," Mr Campbell said.

Sunday, 3rd January 2010 - Monopoly

Emma helped her sister out by taking the three children for a few hours. Her initial plan was to go take them to the park. Well poor Emma. Shortly after we waved at her from our balcony the day turned from be glorious to massive terrential downpour. Poor Emma got soaked. Joseph went back to his dads but Matthew and Daniel stayed and we played a marathon game on Monopoly. Which incidentally is one of my favorite games of all time.

I played a good strategic game. Daniel and Katy took an early lead with loads of money and property, but the slow hand prevailed. Katy went bust first and shortly followed by Daniel. I managed to go from having no property and no money to having it all. LOL.

I just love Monopoly.

Friday, 1st January 2010 - Curry

Claire cooked a massive feast of a meal. She made curry for us all. It took us a few hours to wake up and come round. But once we did we jumped back on the beers. Claire lent me her car so we went to pick up a slab of beer from the liquor store. We drank and ate to excess before passing out.

Thursday, 31st December 2009 - New Years Eve

We had arranged to meet Laura, another traveler who we met at Noosa. We planned on going to Southbank with our booze and spending the night there. Drinking and watching the fire works. Only we were denied. It turns out that no alcohol was allowed to be taken into South bank, you had to buy it there. We had already bought our booze and been on a budget we decided on going back to Laura's hostel and drinking there before going to see the fireworks.

We all got a little merry, Becky was slightly merrier than the rest of us but she pulled round. We walked down to the bridge and perched ourselves in a good spot for the fireworks. The fireworks where really good and we all made the obligitory “awwww”, “wooooow”, etc.

After this we jogged home.

Happy New Year