Memorial Day

Memorial Day for me meant going to work, then going to the ER for clinical time and experience, and then going back to work. This week, I will finish up all my requirements to be able to take the National Registry. I am scheduled to take it the 27 and 28 of June in Englewood, CO. Can't wait to be done with that baby.

What else is new?
Surf Alternative practiced this past week and we learned several new songs.
I didn't not get the Manager job. No big suprise there. Its a relief actually. The man who needed and deserved the job got it and I am quite pleased about that.
The jazz trio might be getting back together to play for a few things this summer. I'll see if I can't squeeze them into my schedule.

Vampires, Leeches, and other Blood Lovers

As part of the requirements for the Paramedic class, I have to complete 15 hours of community service. Today I spent 7 hours volunteering at the American Red Cross blood drive at the hospital. It was actually fun. I just helped people get signed-in, get their snacks, and stuff like that. Next week, I'll be doing more time hopefully.

I took the Paramedic class final on Wednesday night. It was a tough one. I hope I did well. I should get the results emailed to me in a few days or so.

But back to Blood Donation... Its a great thing to do. If you have an hour in your week that isn't full of stuff already, you should go to your local center and give some. Your body produces lots of blood, and they don't take too much anyway. They take enough to give to someone who needs it. One day you might need it too. Ya never know.

I just started reading "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller. Great book thus far. I am a big fan of his writing.

Testing on the brain

Tomorrow is our Paramedic Class final.
It'll be a 180 question test and then the rest of the night will be spent doing skills practice. I have about two weeks worth of clinical time to do at the hospital and on the ambulance, and then I can apply to take the National Registry. I am gonna be part of a group that does a beta test of the new Computer Based Testing system. One of the testing sites is here in North Platte. I will still have to travel out of town to take the practicals part of the test.
Here are my options.
06-27 in Englewood, Colorado-4 hour drive
07-07 in Dumas, Texas-7 hour drive
07-23 in Concord, New Hampshire-my sister lives nearby
07-31 in Fargo, North Dakota-11 hour drive

I'd love to test early as possible so I can get certified and licensed as soon as possible.

Tragedy on the Highway

On Tuesday this week, there was an ambulance crash on I-76. The crash claimed the lives of two people. The patient they were transporting, a pregnant woman in need of critical obstetric care, was helicoptered to Denver. In Denver, she delivered her baby. Both mother and baby are in serious condition.

Details of the crash are still a little sketchy. The crash happened as the ambulance attempted to pass a semi truck. Both were in the right lane.

As you can see by the pictures, the ambulance was pretty mangled and it was a miracle that anyone survived at all.

This wreck hits pretty close to home. I travel I-76 often. Our company probably would have done the transfer had we had an isolette and the necessary equipment to deal with the delivery of a very premature infant.

I had met both the patient in the ambulance and one of the victims who was killed. The woman killed worked at my local hospital as an Ultrsound Tech. Her death is a pretty big blow to the many people who were her friends and co-workers.

The ambulance was a Rural/Metro unit and crew out of Denver, Colorado. This was the second fatal ambulance crash in Colorado this month.

The whole situation should be a reminder to those of you who travel the interstates and highways to practice safety and caution. If you approach or are being approached an ambulance, please move to the right of the roadway. It may be necessary for you to slow down or even stop. Please do so carefully and be aware of drivers ahead of you and behind you.

I take my job very seriously and try and be the most cautious driver I can. I ask you all to do the same.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

My 4Runner shakes, rattles, and still rolls.

So... I am back in the Camry and loving it.
My bra is held on with black duct tape... er, my car's bra and most of the front end fiberglass.
Sure, it ain't very purty to look at, but it still runs beautifully and will get me from A to B.

I drove to Wyoming and back over the weekend for my sisters Graduation from UW. She got her Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering. She'll be returning in the fall again to get her Master's. She has a summertime job with a firm in Chicago.

I wouldn't mind moving back to Wyoming at some point in ly life.
I love Nebraska for the time being, though, and am happy to be living here.
North Platte is a great city to come home to.

My goals for the week...
Update my resume (sometime I'll explain this one)
Mow my yard and apply more fertilizer
Teach both bass lessons at the regularly scheduled times
Decide what to do with "Snag" (the 4 Runner)

May Day, Monday

Happy May Day to you all! Sorry nobody gets baskets this year. Today I spent the day on the OB wing of the hospital. It was a quiet day. No deliveries. Just taking vitals, starting IV's on new patients, and watching babies while mothers showered or slept.

Tonight we started the OB-GYN section in Paramedic class. Great timing. We have a total of 5 more classes. These next few classes will be pretty hard and fast through material. Most is just review from the Intermediate class. Not much new material in the class we have left. And its a good thing too. My brain seems to be running at full capacity already.

Saturday, I get up to go to Wyoming for my younger sister's graduation from UW in Laramie. WooHoo!