To the writers of Grey's Anatomy:

My sincere apologies. All these years, well, at least the last four of them, I have rolled my eyes while watching your show. I have scoffed at the idea of surgeons running codes in the ER and doctors starting IVs, foleys, ng tubes, and drawing their own blood. Turns out in some large teaching hospitals all these things actually happen.

Sincerely,

Toni

That's right folks, I still have to start IVs and draw blood and start foleys and ng tubes, but now it's only when the residents can't get it. At first it was oddly refreshing to not have to do these things, but the novelty has quickly worn off. Residents tend to be idiots! There are a few who are pretty decent, but by and large --idiots! Pretty much what we as nurses at the large teaching trauma center I work at is what we know is going to be the end result that the docs want and wait for them to get there. For example, a patient will come in with a complaint, say chest pain, and we will quickly start the lines before the residents can blow them all, and draw the labs we know they're eventually going to want. Even thought when we ask them, they say, 'no we don't need that.' So we draw them and keep them labeled in our pockets and wait for them to change their minds and order the tests. Every once in a while it is fun to be smarter than the baby-docs, but for the most part, it gets old pretty fast.

That having been said, I love my job! I work at the level one trauma center for northern Manhattan, Harlem, and the southern Bronx. Not nearly as active of a knife and gun club as I would have hoped, but I suppose that's a good thing. The people I work with are great, and you really can't beat living in the city. It really is the greatest city in the world. Only in NY can you walk from the most affluent privileged neighborhoods in the world to the poorest of the country's ghettos in less than two minutes. There are have's here and there are have not's. But there is also a large working, middle class population. There is also a large immigrant population that are living the American dream. They are the people that have the light and glimmer of a hope for a better future for their family and work every day to live their dream. It is an amazing thing! Honestly, it's strange when I walk down the street and hear someone speak English! Then again, since labor day ended all the tourists are Europeans. That's a different story though :)

Anywho, not much else going on, but I'll leave you with a few pics of my new "locale" :)

My hospital --two buildings --the ER is the first floor of the building on the right.

Grant's Tomb in Riverside Park

My favorite spot in Riverside Park

Church is the brown brick building to the left of the white one. The chapel is on the 4th floor :)

Me in Central Park

Me in a canoe in Central Park --by far the coolest thing I've done in the city!

I'm rowing!

View from the fire escape night of the hurricane!

View of Manhattan from Brooklyn with the 9-11 tribute lights

Me and 2 of New York's bravest in my apt building :)