12 hours in, 8 more to go. Andee was in the midst of her double shift, the wonderful joy of being a trauma nurse. For Andee though, she loved it. She has found the career that she was passionate about, not that it was a very hard journey to figure it out. Andrea learned at a rather young age that taking care of people is her specialty. When she was 11 years old, her parents got a divorce. Andee had been completely oblivious to the fact that her parents were having problems, but they had been from the very beginning. Their marriage had been somewhat arranged- as arranged as marriages could be in the 21st century in America. Both of her parents' parents were wealthy, upstanding, influential families. It was determined at a young age that her parents, Thomas and Janet, should be together. At first, things seemed to go well. They hit it off and were dating at the age of 16. They got married three years later at the very young age of 19. A couple years after that, Andee arrived. Everything seemed perfect in their happy little family. But then Janet and Thomas grew up, they became adults and their values started to change. They quickly realized that they were not meant to be together, but rather than being rational adults and talking about, Thomas decided he would just go have his own fun. So he started to have an affair with a coworker and once Andee's mom found out, everything fell apart.
So after the divorce, Janet and Andee moved out. Andee's grandparents were not happy with Janet's decision, so she was actually cut off financially, so Janet and Andee had to make it completely on their own. Andee's mom got two jobs and worked so hard, and Andee was so grateful. Even at the young age of 11, Andrea realized how much of a negative impact her father had on her mother. And when she learned what he did, sleeping with another woman, Andee felt such resentment towards her father. In the 15 years since their divorce, Andrea has barely spoken to her father. He sends her a card on her birthday and that is about it. Andee used the remainder of her childhood focusing on her mom and making her happy again. She did not feel like her day was complete unless she made her mom smile and laugh. She gave her mom so much strength and courage, she actually somehow managed to keep working and go back to school to become a teacher. Though they may not have had as glamorous life if Janet had stayed married to Thomas, it was their lives and they were happy together.
The need to make her mom happy started to translate into Andee's everyday life. She would always try to make her friends laugh and think of new ways of having fun. Andee was the girl who went out into the neighborhood and gathered all the kids for a game of tag or kickball...whatever they were in the mood for. As she got older and became a teenager, Andee was the friend with the shoulder to cry on. When one of her girlfriends got dumped, Andee would be at their house with ice cream (and wine when she got older) and just helped them forget their problems, or discuss them, whatever they wanted. And because of her sincerity and genuine desire to help, thankfully no one ever took advantage of her. Then again, Andee has decent judge of character and she is always trying to avoid negative people.
So becoming a nurse just seemed like the best career choice. And she was a damn good one. She went to nursing school and graduated top of her class. She got a job at the biggest hospital in the city and within a few short years, she became the head trauma nurse. Aside from being knowledgeable about medical treatments, she just continued to carry on her passion to make people smile. She did not feel her day was complete if all of her patients didn't leave with a smile. It got tough at times, hospitals always meant death, and smiling after someone you love dies is very hard. But with her gentle demeanor, Andee helps people to see the light.
It was about 7:00 AM. The night shift was ending, but Andee would still be here until the evening. It had been a quiet night, not too many incidents in the ER. Just a man who sliced off the tip of his thumb while preparing dinner. And then a mother who came in crying because hew newborn had a fever. Andee was able to sooth her and explain that newborns getting fevers did not always mean the end of the world. Their bodies are being introduced to so many new elements and bacteria and everything, it is very common for them to get sick quickly and randomly. Andee was currently sitting behind the round circular desk by the entrance of the ER. She was typing up some reports on her tablet while she had down time. She glanced up, only two of the beds occupied in the ER at the moment.
The phone rang and Andee answered it. It was an EMT calling in about a new case. A 39 year old male who was completely intoxicated and driving while impaired. When they arrived on scene, the man was screaming and trying to cut the seat belt off of himself with a pocket knife. He was hostile and a bit violent, having already managed to punch one of the EMTs. Andee confirmed the arrival time and paged the trauma doctor on call. She stood from the desk, walking over and into one of the separate trauma rooms. Knowing she would be dealing with someone disgruntle, she wanted to keep them separated. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and the man was being wheeled in. Andee could instantly see how much of a hassle he was going to be. He was strapped down to the stretcher and was thrashing around trying to get free.
Andee ushered them into the room and with the help of the EMTs and the nurses, they lifted him onto the hospital bed. "On my count... one two three." Soon the trauma doctor was examining his finger, looking at the damage. While he did that, Andee ordered one of the nurses to start an IV as she walked over and stood by the man's head and smiled at him. "Hello sir... My name is Andee. I am going to be helping take care of you today. Can you tell me your name?"
"What the fuck do you want?" he spat, still tried to jerk his arms around to get loose, "Let me fucking go!"
Andee has had plenty of experience with uncooperative patients. It was nothing new, but she always approached with a bit more caution. So she just ignored his shouting and kept the smile on her face. "Sir we are just trying to help. We need you to calm down so we can examine you better."
"I don't want any of you fuckers touching me!" Andee sighed and nodded at the nurse standing next to her, indicating that they needed to sedate him. She grabbed a syringe and handed it to Andee. "Sir I am just going to give you a shot to help with any pain. You are just going to feel a little prick."
She prepped his arm, which he had stiff and trying to pull away, "Don't you stick that damn needle in me!"
Andee found the spot of his arm that she has learned when held made the person's arm relax. It only would last a second, especially if the person was fighting, but it gave her enough time to inject him. It took only a few minutes, but soon the man was calming down and they were able to treat him. They determined that he had a few cracked ribs and lacerations along his arms and legs from the glass that shattered in his car when he was trying to escape and fight against the EMTs. About two hours later, he was moved to another bed to free up the trauma room. He was still being sedated from the time being while Andee did her best to figure out who he was. He had refused to give his name and his license was not in his wallet and the registration for the car that he had been in was missing. After filling out some paperwork and checking on other patients and her staff, Andee walked back over to the man's bed.
She was currently checking his vitals when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. He was stirring. Andee smiled down at him, "How are you feeling sir?"
Since he was still a bit groggy, he was slower moving, but the man instantly sat up and tried to get out of the bed. Andee quickly put down her chart and reached over, "Sir you need to stay in bed. You have a couple of broken ribs, so you really need to keep movement to a minimum."
"Let go of me bitch!" He reached up and grasped her wrist tightly, but Andee just remained calm. "Sir I am going to have to ask that you let go and lay back down." Andee was still remaining calm and collected. She would give the man one more chance to listen before she called security and had him sedated again.
So after the divorce, Janet and Andee moved out. Andee's grandparents were not happy with Janet's decision, so she was actually cut off financially, so Janet and Andee had to make it completely on their own. Andee's mom got two jobs and worked so hard, and Andee was so grateful. Even at the young age of 11, Andrea realized how much of a negative impact her father had on her mother. And when she learned what he did, sleeping with another woman, Andee felt such resentment towards her father. In the 15 years since their divorce, Andrea has barely spoken to her father. He sends her a card on her birthday and that is about it. Andee used the remainder of her childhood focusing on her mom and making her happy again. She did not feel like her day was complete unless she made her mom smile and laugh. She gave her mom so much strength and courage, she actually somehow managed to keep working and go back to school to become a teacher. Though they may not have had as glamorous life if Janet had stayed married to Thomas, it was their lives and they were happy together.
The need to make her mom happy started to translate into Andee's everyday life. She would always try to make her friends laugh and think of new ways of having fun. Andee was the girl who went out into the neighborhood and gathered all the kids for a game of tag or kickball...whatever they were in the mood for. As she got older and became a teenager, Andee was the friend with the shoulder to cry on. When one of her girlfriends got dumped, Andee would be at their house with ice cream (and wine when she got older) and just helped them forget their problems, or discuss them, whatever they wanted. And because of her sincerity and genuine desire to help, thankfully no one ever took advantage of her. Then again, Andee has decent judge of character and she is always trying to avoid negative people.
So becoming a nurse just seemed like the best career choice. And she was a damn good one. She went to nursing school and graduated top of her class. She got a job at the biggest hospital in the city and within a few short years, she became the head trauma nurse. Aside from being knowledgeable about medical treatments, she just continued to carry on her passion to make people smile. She did not feel her day was complete if all of her patients didn't leave with a smile. It got tough at times, hospitals always meant death, and smiling after someone you love dies is very hard. But with her gentle demeanor, Andee helps people to see the light.
It was about 7:00 AM. The night shift was ending, but Andee would still be here until the evening. It had been a quiet night, not too many incidents in the ER. Just a man who sliced off the tip of his thumb while preparing dinner. And then a mother who came in crying because hew newborn had a fever. Andee was able to sooth her and explain that newborns getting fevers did not always mean the end of the world. Their bodies are being introduced to so many new elements and bacteria and everything, it is very common for them to get sick quickly and randomly. Andee was currently sitting behind the round circular desk by the entrance of the ER. She was typing up some reports on her tablet while she had down time. She glanced up, only two of the beds occupied in the ER at the moment.
The phone rang and Andee answered it. It was an EMT calling in about a new case. A 39 year old male who was completely intoxicated and driving while impaired. When they arrived on scene, the man was screaming and trying to cut the seat belt off of himself with a pocket knife. He was hostile and a bit violent, having already managed to punch one of the EMTs. Andee confirmed the arrival time and paged the trauma doctor on call. She stood from the desk, walking over and into one of the separate trauma rooms. Knowing she would be dealing with someone disgruntle, she wanted to keep them separated. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and the man was being wheeled in. Andee could instantly see how much of a hassle he was going to be. He was strapped down to the stretcher and was thrashing around trying to get free.
Andee ushered them into the room and with the help of the EMTs and the nurses, they lifted him onto the hospital bed. "On my count... one two three." Soon the trauma doctor was examining his finger, looking at the damage. While he did that, Andee ordered one of the nurses to start an IV as she walked over and stood by the man's head and smiled at him. "Hello sir... My name is Andee. I am going to be helping take care of you today. Can you tell me your name?"
"What the fuck do you want?" he spat, still tried to jerk his arms around to get loose, "Let me fucking go!"
Andee has had plenty of experience with uncooperative patients. It was nothing new, but she always approached with a bit more caution. So she just ignored his shouting and kept the smile on her face. "Sir we are just trying to help. We need you to calm down so we can examine you better."
"I don't want any of you fuckers touching me!" Andee sighed and nodded at the nurse standing next to her, indicating that they needed to sedate him. She grabbed a syringe and handed it to Andee. "Sir I am just going to give you a shot to help with any pain. You are just going to feel a little prick."
She prepped his arm, which he had stiff and trying to pull away, "Don't you stick that damn needle in me!"
Andee found the spot of his arm that she has learned when held made the person's arm relax. It only would last a second, especially if the person was fighting, but it gave her enough time to inject him. It took only a few minutes, but soon the man was calming down and they were able to treat him. They determined that he had a few cracked ribs and lacerations along his arms and legs from the glass that shattered in his car when he was trying to escape and fight against the EMTs. About two hours later, he was moved to another bed to free up the trauma room. He was still being sedated from the time being while Andee did her best to figure out who he was. He had refused to give his name and his license was not in his wallet and the registration for the car that he had been in was missing. After filling out some paperwork and checking on other patients and her staff, Andee walked back over to the man's bed.
She was currently checking his vitals when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. He was stirring. Andee smiled down at him, "How are you feeling sir?"
Since he was still a bit groggy, he was slower moving, but the man instantly sat up and tried to get out of the bed. Andee quickly put down her chart and reached over, "Sir you need to stay in bed. You have a couple of broken ribs, so you really need to keep movement to a minimum."
"Let go of me bitch!" He reached up and grasped her wrist tightly, but Andee just remained calm. "Sir I am going to have to ask that you let go and lay back down." Andee was still remaining calm and collected. She would give the man one more chance to listen before she called security and had him sedated again.