Tips for Shorties

As the shortest nurse on my unit, I occasionally endure good-natured teasing and practical jokes about being unable to reach things, and about items having to be stored down low or at eye-level.




My unit lacks a step-stool to remedy the plight of the vertically challenged, which has forced me to think of creative ways to reach the things I need, such as:

Using an IV Pole To Reach Objects and Pull Them Toward Me
Climbing Onto Countertops and Other Mid-Level Structures To Reach Things Higher Up
And, my personal favorite:
Running Up and Springing Off an Opposite Wall, Just Like Jackie Chan

Well...maybe not so much on that last one. Not yet, anyway.

Lest you think that I am a victim here, don't worry. I have devised my own practical jokes that favor the small:

Practicing Spanish

When I moved to Texas, I realized that in order to provide the best possible care to my patients, I needed to learn Spanish. I studied two semesters of medical Spanish before a family situation caused me to put the pursuit of Spanish fluency on hold. Nevertheless, I vowed to practice speaking Spanish whenever I could, in order not to lose what I had learned.

The other day at the clinic where I work part-time, a patient was lying on his stretcher waiting for the physician. Passing by, I cheerfully called out, "Buenas dias!" The patient greeted me in turn, and seemed pleased that I had said good morning to him. Growing bolder, I stopped to make conversation, asking "Donde esta su hijo?" I felt extremely proud that I had remembered how to ask, "Where is your son?" (his son normally accompanied him to appointments).

The following loosely illustrates how the conversation went:









E for effort, F for fail.