The 22-Hour Class - Parts IV and V

There just wasn't enough funny stuff that happened in the next two days of class to warrent two separate entries. The reason behind this is, well, the classes were a two-part series about blood borne pathogens... conceivably the least funny topic, ever. Try as I may, there is little humor that can be extracted from a topic which included Hep B, HIV, syphilis, SARS, TB, smallpox and bird flu.

The instructor, on the other hand, was damn funny. She was a nurse who was, I can only imagine, completely deaf. That, or she had suffered severe trauma to her vocal cords resulting in an increase in audible effect registering not only in decibels, but on the Richter scale. In retrospect, it might have just been nurse-voice, I could see that sort of thing being an asset in her line of business, but it was an inordinate liability in the 10x10 room in which we were sitting.

The net effect of this was a complete dearth of questions. Nobody in the room wanted to be the guy who spawned the next verbal onslaught with a query about viral vs. bacterial infections. We were blissfully complacent in our incomplete knowledge, considering that the alternative was complete knowledge accompanied by ruptured eardrums.

Half of the class hadn't shown for this particular segment of the course. This was primarily because they all went to the wrong place. The course was being held in a different station, but that was indicated on the schedule. I'd make fun of the dumbasses that made this mistake, but I've been dumber, so I'll let it slide, for now.

Scott Adams, of 'Dilbert' fame, once noted that everyone, himself included, was an idiot from time to time, and he's absolutely right. The trick is being able to discern whether or not the idiocy stems from a brief lapse in judgement, or if it's a persistent theme. Jury is still out on the individuals in question, but the trendline has been initialized and it will continue to be plotted.

Back to the class.

As I mentioned before, the topic was depressing, and health care providers are, due to the nature of their job, exposed to more risk than most. The tagline at the station is "If it's sticky, gooey, and not yours, don't touch it". The most effective precaution that can be taken against all of the potential exposures? Hand washing. That, and not going on duty with open wounds. Sound advice garnered from either a seasoned health care professional or a 3rd grader.

Coming back from a call? Wash your hands.
Get some stuff on you? Wash your hands.
Touch someone? Wash your hands.
Taking gloves off? Wash your hands.
Cleaning equipment? Wash your hands.

As I was leaving the class I decided to make a pit stop in the men's room prior to my 20 minute drive home.

They were out of soap.