As Prince said, “Controversy!”

Before I get to that, an answer to a question, and revisiting one of my pet peeves.

Mark of Stars Like Grains of Sand in My Pocket asked, based on my writing about how internships for MT's have gotten so much shorter:

I have to wonder if the MT's of today are as good as the MT's of the past ... what would you say to that, Beth?

Yes, I think so. I worked with a lot of students over the years, and there were plenty who really understood the theory behind everything and showed a great aptitude for the work in general, and for Microbiology in particular. As with any new graduate, they need to gain experience. Someone just getting out of school isn't going to work as well or have as large a knowledge base as someone who has been doing it for a couple of decades (or more). That's why it's important that newer techs work with and learn from experienced techs--you can't develop that experience overnight.

A while back, a decision was made by a couple of people to move a tech in training down the hall, so that they didn't "ask questions" and get the wrong answers from other techs. We were all like, "WTF?? Hold up!" We got the VP of the lab up there and said that one of our most invaluable resources was the experience of the people in our department. We started adding it up--Mary with over 20 years, me with over 20 years, Pat the same, Marsha with over 30 years as a Med Tech and probably half of that number in Microbiology, etc., etc. Our outraged plea was impassioned and heartfelt, and the decision was immediately reversed. I think of the people who trained me as I was coming up, and they had that kind of experience. That's how the younger techs learn, and when you put the younger ones and the more experienced ones together, they make an excellent team.

To sum up, while the internships may be shorter now, the real training begins when the job starts. As long as they've got the knowledge and understand the job, including the fact that behind every number there is a patient, they'll do well.

After I got home from taking care of Shane's cats, it was sprinkling, but it cleared up and we had a beautiful day! I was able to get out and pick up trash along the road. Ken ran the mower out there to mulch some remaining leaves, and said that there was some junk that needed to be picked up. For the life of me, I will never understand why anyone would be driving down a country road and just throw their trash out the window! (And yes, we're to the pet peeve part!) Gaaaah, you nasty, littering A-holes, you make me SICK! I walked along the road and picked up Starbucks cups, plastic bags, cans, and several beer bottles. It's bad enough that these dumbasses are drinking and driving, but they're litterbugs, too! And can someone please explain how a coffee mug from the Excalibur in Las Vegas ended up in our woods?

Now for the controversy bits. Do you remember when I wrote about the breaking news that President Obama would be delivering the commencement speech at Notre Dame in May? Pretty exciting, right? Well, not for everyone. Remember that Notre Dame is a Catholic university, and Bishop D'Arcy of the Archdiocese that oversees the Fort Wayne-South Bend area has said that he will not attend this year's commencement because of the President's stance on reproductive rights and stem cell research. There are some devoutly Catholic student groups that are also protesting his invitation to speak. The thing is that Notre Dame isn't an exclusively Catholic university. It's not like if you're not Catholic, you don't get in. The president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins, issued this statement:

Presidents from both parties have come to Notre Dame for decades to speak to our graduates – and to our nation and world – about a wide range of pressing issues – from foreign policy to poverty, from societal transformation to social service. We are delighted that President Obama will follow in this long tradition of speaking from Notre Dame on issues of substance and significance.

We will honor Mr. Obama as an inspiring leader who faces many challenges – the economy, two wars, and health care, immigration and education reform – and is addressing them with intelligence, courage and honesty. It is of special significance that we will hear from our first African-American president, a person who has spoken eloquently and movingly about race in this nation. Racial prejudice has been a deep wound in America, and Mr. Obama has been a healer.

Of course, this does not mean we support all of his positions. The invitation to President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Yet, we see his visit as a basis for further positive engagement.

Bravo, Rev. Jenkins! While Notre Dame may be a primarily Catholic university, and was founded by a Catholic order, it has obviously become more inclusive. Rev. Jenkins is not condoning the President's stance on some issues, but he realizes that it would be an honor for the university to have another sitting President give the commencement address. Our local news says that it is unlikely that the offer will be withdrawn. The President has already accepted, and obviously, the president of the university stands by and welcomes his appearance.

And Bishop D'Arcy? If you're not going, could I have your ticket? 'Kay? Thanks!

It’s UP!

Nice to see a little positive news. The Dow is up, and has gained 1200 over the past two weeks. (Click on the picture to get a more detailed graphic.) They're saying that confidence is up because of the plan to buy toxic assets in order to get credit moving again, as well as a 5% upswing in housing starts. I'm sure we haven't seen the end of this recession yet, but it really was nice to hear some good news rather than the constant barrage of bad news and scary numbers. I see a glimmer of hope. I really see it! And color me shocked! They're interviewing Ben Stein on CNN, and he has pretty good things to say about the plan, that the assets that Wall Street is going to snap up at these prices are pretty good, and he thinks this will get investments moving. Ben Stein is saying this? [clutching her heart] I'm comin', Elizabeth! (A Silver Squirrel to anyone who gets that reference. I need to make the award first, though!)

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments on my previous entry about healthcare. I think everyone realizes that there is a big problem, and it needs more than a Band-Aid. It needs major surgery. (Not to beat the healthcare metaphor to death. Ha! Death! Get it?) We really do need a major shift in how we think and operate. (Ha! Operate! Get i--oh, never mind.) I believe with all my heart that we must transition to a preventive mentality and provide preventive care for all, rather than ignoring our own health because we can't afford preventive care and waiting for a catastrophic illness to force us into the ER. We can save millions in healthcare costs. Here's just one example: a yearly Pap smear for sexually active women who aren't in a monogamous relationship (every other year for women whose previous Pap was negative and who are in a monogamous relationship). If caught early, cervical cancer is very treatable. But if it progresses too far, the costs of aggressive treatment, chemotherapy, surgery, etc., will become astronomical. We're talking $150 versus $150,000. Minimum. It adds up.

I especially want to thank my British and Canadian friends for weighing in on the issue. It's invaluable to get the perspective of someone looking at our country and saying, "Wait a minute...why doesn't everyone there have care?" We must do better, and we can do better. I know it.

I also got a couple of comments about my profession, Medical Technology, that I want to address. The Wiki page I linked to is very accurate as far as our training and the jobs that we can do. Even though I'm not working now, I still feel that I am an MT and always will be, and I'm very proud of the work that MT's do.

Giovanna wrote: I have a question: How can an internship be done in 3 months? If it used to take 12 months. Are they still learning the same or are they learning less?

And DB wrote: 12 month internship to 3 months is a big leap. Were you prepared after 3 months?

This is the first time Giovanna has commented, so welcome to Nutwood, Giovanna! And D, it's always good to see you, my friend.

Very legitimate questions. My internship started in July after my junior year, and went to July of my senior year. I had to move off campus (Remember the house on Rex Street, Dan? We had at least one big party there.) because I wasn't technically a Ball State student any longer, but I also didn't have to pay tuition! I stayed in Muncie, doing my internship at Ball Memorial Hospital, although there were several sites in the state where I could go. Even though I wasn't done with my internship until July, I got to go through the May commencement, so that was cool. Kind of a strange arrangement, but it all worked out well. (My parents especially loved the no tuition part!)

The internships are much shorter now, and I'm glad that I got to do such a long one. The shorter internships merely mean more classroom instruction. The training and knowledge base is the same, but the hands-on work is curtailed. We have to rotate through all departments in the lab, and my Microbiology rotation was...I think 11 weeks. Chemistry was the longest at 13 weeks. Most students now spend about 4-5 weeks in Micro, and the other departments are obviously shortened as well. I'm not even sure if they spend any time in Histology and Cytology, and I spent about 3 weeks going through those areas. (I'll never forget my first view of an amputated leg in Histology. Whoa.) Students now still receive plenty of classroom instruction, but the hands-on stuff is limited. Part of this is due to legal issues and more stringent regulations about who does testing. In my internship, those of us who showed special aptitude would end up doing the morning Hematology run, for example, and report out those results with the oversight of the tech who was working with us. I don't know about other departments, but in my most recent job, we did not let students report out any patient results.

I think the main difference is that with a year-long internship, I was probably a little more in tune with what is was like to work in a lab. My first job was still an eye-opener, but I'd say it was an easier transition than some experience now. When you actually get in there and find out what a crazy workload it can be, it can be overwhelming. Of course, everyone remembers the really good students who seem to "get it," especially in Microbiology, because not many do. Those are the students that end up getting hired at the lab or hospital where they do their internship.

So rest assured, there are plenty of good people working in the lab, doing your lab work. There are multiple inspections for every lab, continuing education is a requirement, and almost every lab requires that their techs be certified by at least one regulatory agency. Several states also require state licenses.

Have you hugged a Medical Technologist today? [grin]

Mild-mannered microbiologist by day....

...guitar god at night!

Say hi to my pal Jim, or as I sometimes call him, Jimi. He started working at the lab not too long after I did, and I started training him on molecular testing. (Remember the LCX instruments, Jimi? AGHHH!) As we got to talking, we hit it off immediately, due to a mutual love of sports and music. I was in a fantasy basketball league with him one year, and he kicked my ass, but we had fun.

Jim recently took online courses to get his Bachelor degree in Medical Technology (he previously had an Associate), and I was so thrilled for him!

But what is really cool about Jimi is that there is more to him than a microscope, a lab coat, and an ability to screen through multiple racks of plates. He also plays guitar, and although I've never gotten to hear him play live, today he sent me a link to the page where he's put up one of his songs. He's been having fun recording and mixing music in his secret basement lair. He wrote the song, he sings it, and he plays all the guitar on it, except his buddy Rob played bass. The drums are a software program. I hope you'll give it a listen, because I think it's fantastic. Have I got cool friends, or what?! [song and lyrics property of Jim]

My Lesson

So this is how it feels
When nightmares become real
Don't tell me how to feel
This wasn't part of the deal!

But I've seen it all before
Guess you wanted more

Chorus:
I can't believe you turned on me
Never thought I'd get burned
My lesson learned.
You thought you'd make a fool of me
Now I see right through you
My lesson learned.

You finally showed who you are
We didn't make it very far
Thanks though, for the scar
I never knew who you were

~~~~~

I'm feelin' the burn here at Nutwood! Ken finished putting together the weight machine yesterday (I helped fasten a bolt, ha ha), and today, after a little over 2 miles on the recumbent bike, I lifted a few weights! I just did arms and shoulders today, and I have to say, it felt fantastic! I can see myself really getting into this, mostly for tone and strength, and building bone density. I've been using the elliptical lately, but I can't do much. The other day, I checked my heart rate and it was up to 160! I talked to Ken about it, because I thought that seemed awfully high, much higher than is really safe, and he agreed. So I'm going to work on building my endurance on the recumbent bike, and work my way up to the elliptical. Isn't my wimpiness awful? But I've honestly never been an exerciser, so I'm not surprised I'm such a wimp. I just feel good about doing something and becoming more active. Even if I'm starting with baby steps!

Another goal of mine is to eat more fruit. I don't think we eat a lot of bad stuff--we love our salads and veggies. But I'm a slacker when it comes to eating fruit. I have no idea why, because it's nothing but yummy goodness, and I always enjoy it when I do eat it! When I was at the store last week, they had these big ol' Florida grapefruit, and I got a couple of those. Oh man, they are tasting so good to me! When we get back from Missouri, I'm definitely buying more grapefruit when I go shopping. I love them even more than oranges. I tried those mangos last week, too, and those were mighty tasty.

Oh, and speaking of veggies, when I bought my grapefruit, they also had cauliflower on sale. I got the biggest head of cauliflower I have ever seen! I swear, it was bigger than my head (and I'm sure some would say that's quite big indeed!), and even after I used half of it last night, it was still huge. I'll probably fix the rest of it tomorrow night (we leave Wednesday morning). I think I've mentioned doing this before, but last night I roasted the cauliflower. That's becoming my favorite way to cook veggies--put them on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil over them, then sprinkle on a few pinches of kosher salt, and toss it. Bake at 450° until it's nicely browned. The time depends on the vegetable. Asparagus takes about 10 minutes, but cauliflower takes 30 minutes. It seems like it gives the vegetable a nice, nutty flavor, and we both just love it. Shane also liked it when he tried asparagus that way. I'm thinking I'd like to try roasted broccoli, and I bet carrots would be good, too. Similar to when you add carrots around a roast, but a little more browned.

I've always steamed our broccoli and cauliflower, but we always put a little spray butter on it...I would think the olive oil is much healthier.

OO! Brussels sprouts! I bet those would be delicious roasted!

Jeez, I'm making myself hungry.

Saturday Roundup

I think I'm caught up! Six o'freakin' thirty, and I'm finally caught up!

First I got caught up on AOL alerts. Those seem to be way down, which shows that we're all moving along and trying to get comfy in our new digs.

Next was getting caught up on everyone's Blogger entries, and it was great to see that people are starting to write more here and enjoy our new format. I think it's a lot of fun to play with the settings, and although I'm sure I'll be tweaking things for a while, I'm happy with things at the moment.

THEN it was catching up on emails. I had several from friends and I apologized for neglecting them while I dealt with this big mess with moving our blogs. It was great to hear from everyone, and it sounds like all is well. One is working on buying a house, one is planning on an election night party, and all are well!

And a big congratulations to my pal Jim, who successfully passed his Medical Technology registry! I'm an MT, too, and you can read about our profession if you follow the link provided. Did you know that 80% of diagnoses come from laboratory results? Although we're trained in all departments of the lab, many of us focus on one area, and for the last 20 years of my career, I worked in Microbiology, because it was always the most interesting to me. Be sure to hug an MT today if you get a chance, and Jimi, I'm sending you a virtual hug! Jim got his MLT degree (a 2-year degree) several years ago, and he's been working full time and taking online courses to get his Bachelor's degree for the past couple of years. Why does it matter? Well, it gives you a broader depth of knowledge, for one thing. And with a four-year degree, you get more money. Right now, I'd guess that the latter trumps the former!

I've already received one big benefit from this switch to Blogger from AOL. I sent out a mass email telling almost everyone on my email list that my blog was moving. I was thrilled to hear from my friend Bruce in Indianapolis. He wrote back, "Hi Doll!" How can you not love that?! It was wonderful to hear from him. He lost his long-time partner a while back, but has just started to move on, get back into the dating scene, and is trying to rejoin the world in general. Bruce is also a wonderful writer, and I asked him if he's considered writing a blog...? I still remember his column about the infamous Dumpster Dive, and believe me, if he starts posting anything anywhere anytime, you'll find the link here. He's a peach.

Hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday! Notre Dame beat Stanford (and looked good doing it) and Illinois beat Michigan very decisively. Good day for our teams!