Special events

The ambulance company I work for has a policy that only its part-time employees are eligible to cover events at HSBC Arena. When I first started, I was roundly advised to take full advantage of that policy. Talk about excellent advice. On Tuesday, I got to see the Billy Joel / Elton John "Face to Face" concert, and the next day I watched the Sabres defeat the Dallas Stars. There was work to do also--we treated patients with chief complaints ranging from cuts to difficulty breathing--but I was able to see the majority of both main events. My next shift will be on Friday for the first round games of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.

I spent this morning at a clinical in the Electrophysiology / Cath Lab at the county medical center. It reminded me of the stroke unit clinical I attended last month, albeit focused on the heart instead of the brain. Both labs can place stents in patients, for instance, although I didn't get to see a cardiac stent procedure today. As I was leaving, the staff exhorted me to bring any heart attack patients I might have to them instead of to a competing facility. There are multiple hospitals in the area that can place cardiac stents, so I suppose you have to drum up business anyway you can.

Updating a previous item, the Texas nurse being charged with a felony for reporting an incompetent doctor was acquitted on all charges. The trial lasted four days; the jury deliberation lasted one hour. I'm surprised it took even that long.