Pasco Hernando Trauma

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point is poised to be the only Trauma Center serving Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties Florida.
Through a joint venture with USF Health and HCA it was determined that only about 38% Florida Trauma Patients receive care in a Trauma Facility. The HCA / USH Health initiative will enable five HCA Hospitals to meet local Trauma needs. Two of these facilities are in the Tampa Bay market, Blake serving Manatee County and the aforementioned Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point.
Motor Vehicular causalities remain the leading cause of trauma injury in the state of Florida. According to A Comprehensive Assessment of the Florida Trauma Center, conducted by USF, higher fatality rates are associated with distance from an accredited Trauma Center.
As we build our core trauma team we invite experienced Trauma RNs to bring their skills and help us on our journey.
RMCBP is a 290 bed acute care facility located in Hudson Florida. With already successful nationally recognized Heart Institute, Stroke Center, Cancer Care, Orthopedic and Neurosurgery programs we have always been a health care leader in the community.

Vanity Blogging

There are certain vanities to Blogging. Having your opinions and thoughts expressed in such a large public forum make it akin to writing an editorial for Time Magazine or Vanity Fair.
Yet is anyone reading these posts?
I have not been prolific in my blogging. A personal Facebook page, a business Facebook page and an attempt at Twitter have kept my thoughts both concise and insignificant. Why blog when I can do an unimportant one liner and receive immediate “likes”. A blog post requires thought, spell checks and proof reads. And where does that thought come from? Lately current events range from crisis in Egypt to a certain actor’s attempts at rehab. I cannot thoughtfully blog on either topic. Of course I am making excuses.
Recently I have had two Graduate Nurses who commented positively on one my blog posts. Narcissism! I must admit I smiled as one thanked me for the inspirational words. Although I only have one follower and rarely have comments posted someone is actually reading my blog. In fact two people, and maybe there are more! Perhaps I do have something to say. But what?
My intention to have a recruitment blog has been somewhat uninspired. How many ways do you need to read on how to write a resume and how to conduct yourself in an interview. How do you find a blogging audience?
Is there anything you would like to read about, topics that interest you regarding healthcare, the work place or job finding? I look forward to any comments. And if I get only one suggestion well at least I will maintain some blogging modesty.

Work Place Meltdown or Going Postal

I grinned at the news report of Steven Slater. Mr. Slater, a flight attendant, recently made the news by using his planes intercom to spew his workplace dissatisfaction. He then grabbed a couple beers and escaped using the inflatable emergency slide. There is a small voice in all of us that has had the desire or will have the desire to yell enough is enough. But there is also a calmer voice calculating the mortgage payments, car payments and other responsibilities that quietly states “take 10 deep breaths”.
The media coverage given this man is spurring reports of dissatisfaction and unhappiness in the U. S. workplace. But is this truly a new phenomenon? In my generation we called it “going postal” and believe me that was a far more serious situation.
All of us can sympathize with a man who was whacked on the head with a piece of luggage and then treated rudely by the passenger. But have you ever been to one of the Super Stores on a busy Friday evening and step in front of the lady with two children in tow and a fully laden grocery cart?
Part of society’s functionality is its member’s ability to not act impulsively in situations. I am not talking about jumping in a pool fully clothed, but rather telling your boss that perhaps he is a moron. Deadlines, rude customers, co-workers, all contribute to an environment waiting for an explosion. Thankfully most of us will not “go Slater” and positively work out the situation that has us steaming.
Making news headlines for irresponsible and impulsive behaviors is not productive and will surely have copy cats doing the same. Making people smile will not be a tangible component on Steven Slater’s resume unless Comedy Central has openings. Take 10 deep breaths and if your difficult situation cannot be resolved over time, resign responsibly and at your convenience. And probably your boss is not really a moron but stealing two beers from your company will make you one.

My Virtual Cubical

My meeting was very late so I absently grabbed another magazine. Hmmmmmm….” Business Week”, and only 8 months old with an interesting cover “China Goes shopping”. As I leaf through the magazine with one eye on the other people in the waiting room I fall into an article on Managing at a Distance and a subtitle “the ideal virtual worker”.
Working from home, or at least not in designated office space is becoming more common. I have been working at my dining room table for three years, and barring the dining room table moving several times through home renovations, I have managed to keep myself afloat.
It has had its ups and downs. No one to grumble to but the dog, and he has learned to ignore me just fine. First I worried I could not be disciplined enough to get the work completed, then I realized I needed to be disciplined enough to turn it all off. There was also some refrigerator rules that needed to be learned but that is being saved for another blog. I have survived and in some areas excelled with my new found freedom.
Now back to the magazine article that suggests to me that the ideal virtual worker is an (gulp) extrovert. Having completed a Myers Briggs seminar I became officially aware that I and extroversion are in opposite corners. Throughout my life I have had gregarious moments and introverted moments mostly with periods where I was somewhere in the middle. Always through it I have shunned psychological testing and labels. Damn it my parents told me I could be anything I wanted to be.
Maybe it is an antiquaited idea, but an ex boss, John Gunn, once told me I would probably never hire the perfect employee but I could create one. He believed through inspiration and training you could help anyone along the way. Perhaps there is hope for an old introvert like myself.

I still dislike the label. Not knowing what is in the box is what keeps us excited. Giving it a shake to guess what is inside is fine. But already knowing what is there is no fun at all!

Confession of an Ex Smoker

It has been 8 months since my last cigarette……..
Probably two of the more significant moments of my life were the lighting of my first and the butting of my last. Sounds sad.

But neither is really relevant. I smoked for more than 30 years. That dates me into the last generation that saw tobacco use as commonplace and a norm. Everyone smoked everywhere. Neither of my parents did. But everyone else did. We smoked in elevators, we smoked in shopping malls, we smoked at work, and we even smoked in hospitals. Doctors and Nurses smoked at the Nursing Stations!

Cigarettes were a common bond, a way to meet people, and a way to share. We smoked at every opportunity and made more and more smoking friends.

It was a right that became a habit which transformed into an addiction over time. All the while we were relaxed, cool. The Marlborough Man looked down on us and smiled. It has been 8 months since my last cigarette, sounds very much like a Catholic confessional.

That is not to say that these 8 months have been a piece of cake. I have inhaled quite deeply as I passed those poor souls restricted to smoking in certain outdoor areas. As they huddle in the rain under a cloudier sky I envy and pity them. The store shelves of neatly packaged 20 packs beacon me like an old friend I have not seen in years. The urges have not subsided but the control of them gets better. I now understand the meaning of addiction, why controlled substances need be controlled and why alcoholics need a program. Push me too hard and I might light up.

I am even unsure of what finally flagged in my head to say quit. It truly wasn’t health, cost or anything else quite so definable. Society making smoking less desirable has helped, my chiropractor giving me an anti smoking lecture at just the right moment in my life, a cousin quitting and following his progress on Face book, encouragement from an old friend I met outside of history class by asking her for a light, also helped. Anti smoking Drugs, well they helped too.

Incidentally, I am neither richer, nor do I weigh more nor does food taste better since I quit. But I do like the feeling that I am more in control. I do imagine as the Priest is giving me last rights I might like one more.

It has been 8 months since my last cigarette……..

Graduate Nursing, Competition in the Market

There have been rumors and mention of the easing of the Nursing shortage. There have been indicators. Having had the distinction of taking a single statistics course three times at University, I am now oddly comfortable with tables with lines and graphs. I have not seen these graphs. Nor do I believe we are anywhere near the end of a Nursing Shortage. Just a respite.
Signs of a troubled economy are everywhere. My home state of Florida failed to have a population growth last year! According to USA today for the first time since the end of World War II more people moved out of Florida than moved in. Perhaps it was all too easy in the country’s fourth largest state famous for sunshine and low cost living.
Suddenly I am being called by Graduate Nurses from other states. They are not yet licensed in their home state but seem all too aware that there is a shortage of RN jobs and are very vocal about it.
A recession affects the Nursing job market in a variety of ways. In the early 2000’s there was an increase in national jobless rates. At the same time Nursing vacancies were dropping dramatically bringing about thoughts of a temporary end to the Nursing shortage. There was not a sudden increase in graduates. RNs were returning to the work force or going from part time to full time to support their families and provide health care benefits. Basic supply and demand, I was studying economics at that very same University. Nursing has always allowed such flexibility with scheduling and returning to the work force. Variety in job function and hours is part of what makes Nursing attractive. As national unemployment rates eased around 2005 the Nursing vacancy rates again began to climb. Those second income Nurses went back to part time jobs or out of healthcare all together.
Health Care needs and an aging population are a fact in America. U.S. Health care continues to grow in our recession.
“On July 2, 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the healthcare sector of the economy is continuing to grow, despite significant job losses in nearly all major industries. Hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other ambulatory care settings added 21,000 new jobs in June 2009, a month when 467,000 jobs were eliminated across the country. As the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, RNs likely will be recruited to fill many of these new positions. In September 2009, the BLS confirmed that 544,000 jobs have been added in the healthcare sector since the recession began.”

For all you Graduate Nurses calling me from Ohio or California please don’t despair. You have chosen one of the most rewarding professions there are, Nursing.
In the mean time, redo your resume for clarity, be concise and loose those typos. Rethink your interview image, dress appropriately. A general rule is to wear what you would wear on the job, so clean pressed scrubs are in order or wow them in business attire. Research behavioral based interview techniques, more and more Directors rely on this type of interview. Just put your best foot forward. Wearing a tank top with a cup of coffee in your hand is no way to show up for an interview. That candidate did not get offered a refill or a job. In this short interim RNs need to be a bit more competitive, a bit more polished as there are others looking at that same job. Good Luck!
Loney B Moses RN


http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm
http://www.flcenterfornursing.org/workforce/researchreports.cfm
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/556417_5
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-08-31-florida_N.htm



Loney B Moses RN
RN Recruitment
HCA Pasco Hernando

Community Hospital Now Offers "YESS" Procedure

Community Hospital Now Offers “YESS” Procedure

New Port Richey, Florida (January 22, 2009) - Community Hospital, the future Medical Center of Trinity, has announced that it now offers the minimally invasive spine surgery technique called the YESS procedure. The YESS procedure is currently performed by Victor Hayes, MD and Farhan Siddiqi, MD. Dr.Hayes and Dr. Siddiqi are both board certified Orthopedic Surgeons who are Dual Fellowship Trained in Orthopedic and Orthopedic Spinal Surgery.

YESS is a type of back surgery that is used to help restore normal anatomy and function of the spine. After a ¼ inch incision is made several inches away from the midline of the back, the surgeon will insert a canula with a camera (and endoscope) to view the affected area. (spacing issue – pull up sentence from line below)Using this sideway approach, the surgeon will be able to go around the spinal column instead of going through it to remove the diseased disc and by working through this endoscope the incision will be kept very small (¼ inch) (spacing issue – pull up sentence from line below)This allows for a very specific approach and also allows for no bone removal at all, which significantly speeds up the recovery after this procedure.

What are the benefits of this procedure?

More natural anatomy is preserved so the recovery time will be much shorter
Shorter recovery time will allow for quick rehabilitation after the procedure
Very small incision (hardly noticeable)
Procedure may be done under local anesthesia

What are the expected outcomes?

The main goal of this procedure is to provide relief of leg pain and prevent further neurologic injury. Spacing issue – pull up sentence from line below.
Success rates are superior to the published results of standard microscopic discectomy and patients typically experience quicker recovery time and quicker rehabilitation due to the more minimally invasive nature of SED™/YESS.

How is the YESS procedure different from Laser Surgery or a Microdiscectomy?

A Microdiscectomy is not similar to the YESS procedure because it is done via straight back (posterior) approach. This means that the surgeon will have to go through the back wall (lamina) of the diseased segment, potentially causing instability of the segment. A second difference is that the recovery from a discectomy or laminectomy will be much longer and slower.

The biggest difference between the YESS procedure and Laser surgery to the spine is that Laser surgery is still done using a posterior approach and under general anesthesia. The Laser is also used during the YESS procedure. So the YESS procedure is the Laser procedure with better visualization since an endoscope is used.

The YESS procedure will be discussed at Community Hospital’s upcoming advertised seminar on Pain at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 2101 North Pointe Pkwy, Lutz, FL. 33558, The seminars will be held on January 28 at 6 pm, January 30 at 11 am, and January 31at 9 am. For information on the seminars call 1-877-442-2362


About Community Hospital:

Community Hospital is located in New Port Richey, FL. It is a leading Joint Commission accredited acute care center. Over 400 physicians, 1000 employees and 200 volunteers comprise our healthcare delivery team.

Community Hospital has received distinction in the following areas:

· Chest Pain Center accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers
· Joint Commission Accredited Primary Stroke Center
· Accredited Cancer Program recognized by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons
· All private room Women’s Center for Gynecology and Urology Services
· All private room Spine & Joint Care Center
· The only da Vinci Robotic System in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties

Construction is underway on the Medical Center of Trinity, a 236 bed, state-of-the-art, private room facility at the corner of SR 54 and Little Road in Trinity to replace Community Hospital in late 2010.

For more information, visit our website at www.communityhospitalnpr.com.