Employee Health Policy: Fill & Download for Free

It was a very dear friend of mine named (Ann) not her real name. She was an RN working triage in the ED of a very large Massachusetts hospital that she had been at for over 25 years.She was very proficient in starting IVs so, when a colleague was having trouble, she went into the ED to help her out. She inserted the IV without difficulty but when she went to discard the needle she was stuck by an improperly discarded needle that was sticking up from the box.Needle sticks are not uncommon but, unfortunately, many do go unreported. Her coworker reminded her of the policy to report all sticks and if Ann didn’t report it she would so reluctantly Ann made the official report.To try to make a very long story short, she had all the testing required and waited for the results. The testing was done in stages so she had to be retested in a few weeks to months.At the three month mark she was called into Employee Health. When she entered the room, her heart sank: there were several people waiting for her. The NP from Employee Health, the head of the ED, an infection control specialist, and the nursing director.The results were catastrophic: Hepatitis C and HIV - both positive. What happens when your world turns upside down in an instant and your 26-year career comes to a screeching halt?She took this disease on like a warrior and went to the state and federal government to pass a bill that would mandate needle-free systems in our hospitals. No healthcare worker should ever have to walk the path the she did with passage of this bill. With the help of then Senator Ted Kennedy, this bill was passed in one year - start to finish. She was invited into President Clinton’s office the day he signed it into law.I am delighted to tell you this happened over 20 years ago and, in that time, this amazingly courageous woman has beat Hep C and her HIV is no longer measurable in her blood.Ann has gone on to lecture around the world to promote needle-free systems. She will always be a hero to healthcare workers everywhere and I get the privilege to call her my friend….I am glad you asked. It's important to me that people understand what I mean. I found this statement from one of the manufacturers:Needleless I.V. systems are defined as systems that administer medications through an I.V. access device without using needle connections. Needleless I.V. systems have been used in infusion therapy procedures since 1991.(Above) The end of the IV with the blue tip is now accessed with just a syringe without the needle see below. This is only part of a needleless system. Many sticks came from taking the cap off the needle and then replacing it after the med was administered.The confusion Marcus Broberg had when he had an IV started was more of the instrument used to insert it. There is a needle in the center of this flexible IV catheter. I would doubt the patient would even notice that after the line is inserted the nurse would push the #8 button and the needle would retract and is automatically covered to avoid the stick that Ann suffered all those years ago, regardless of how the instrument was discarded.I apologize for the length of this response. But I have always believed that a picture speaks a thousand words.Be well all, stay safe.

A2AThe time that I went to India 3 months to volunteer in Kerala,I was working at an insurance company as an underwriter for life/health policies.I told my boss that I had a great opportunity to do volunteering as a teacher in a village in India and I really wanted to go. She was super excited for me and told her boss who was also super excited for me. Then my boss’ boss approved it with their raving reviews and off I went.They hired a temporary employee to cover my day to day work and my bigger duties were assigned to others to manage until I got back.

That has not been my experience. I’ve been retired for two years. I have enough money but there’s always room for more, so I’ve applied for maybe a dozen jobs in the past two years. Two interviews and no job, the rest just either ignored me or sent the usual terse e-mail thanking me and wishing me good luck. I have a master’s degree in public administration and 35 years of very solid employment in human resources, employee benefits, finance, quality assurance, business and data analysis for government and private employers, at all levels from journey-level professional to director. I’m an expert in all aspects of Microsoft Office. I’m a very experienced public speaker and I interview very well. I’m 63 but I’m very fit. I’ve applied for jobs varying from part-time human resources receptionist requiring a high school diploma to data analyst to benefits professional to health policy professional - I’ve been qualified or overqualified for every job I’ve applied for. I’ve applied for state, local and federal government jobs, with several local colleges and with private firms. Most jobs require a bachelor’s degree and a year or two of experience. They generally pay about 1/3 to 1/5 what I made when I was working and I am absolutely fine with that. I’ve applied with several former employers with whom I have an excellent work history and know people on the inside. I do not want to be a Walmart greeter - I don’t need the money that badly but a work associate - accountant with an accounting degree and 35 years experience, retired when I did - became a Walmart greeter because that’s all he could find. So, I’m sure there are people who can hired doing something after they retire but I don’t know any of them. I know highly qualified people who have been laid off in their early 50s - finance professionals - and they cannot find jobs after over a year of looking. My advice is, unless you have some super in-demand skill or want to start your own business, do not quit working until you want to quit working. I cannot prove that this is age discrimination but I have never had a problem finding and keeping solid employment and getting glowing performance appraisals, raises and bonuses.