Why climb Everest? "Because it is there" -George Mallory

So why go to Nome? Cause why not?

Lots of interesting history up here!

It has been casually snowing here for the last day or so, and probably won't stop for another day or so.  I was told that there are three seasons in Nome: mud, dust, and snow. I have experienced all three so far.  They have a truck that drives around and sprays water on the roads to help with the dust... sometimes it's too much water and we get mud.  2 seasons in one day! It got to a tropical 17 degrees Thursday! and Friday was the first day I didn't wear thermals under my scrubs! It's really starting to look like spring time ;)

Can't see the Bering Sea today. Hopefully tomorrow :)

I was thrown into the deep end and as good friend told me it was time to be a duck.  Cool and calm on the top and swimming like hell underneath the water where no one can see you sweating!  So far I have seen what happens when butchering a caribou with a bandsaw goes wrong (it was only a finger amputation that was sewn back on... still don't know if this person got to keep their finger or not), got to see severe respiratory distress, lots and lots of sick sick kiddos, a rule out TB with a bloody hacking cough (YIPES!) and a person that came into the ER for "dry skin rash".  So we really get the gambit of things from emergent to the not so emergent.  We usually have 3 nurses on at the ER, and it is usually pretty calm and not super busy. Yesterday this was not the case as we had a medivac, ambulance and a few walk-ins that could have been bad if not seen immediately. This really taxed the small amount of resources that are available here.

They needed new fall precaution signs for patients doors. This is what was come up with.
This make me smile every time I see one!

I learned that bush AK is not where you want to have something catastrophic happen. The hospital only holds 12 units of blood here, and it would take 12-24 hours to get anymore from Anchorage.  So if a small plane goes down out in the bush... we pick the blood receivers wisely.  Ironically enough Nome has the best CT scanner in the entire state... Ironic because when I walked into this beautiful hospital (I promise to take a picture soon!) I felt like I had taken a step back 20 years technologically.  Paper charts EVERYWHERE.  EEK! It's like doing triple work.  I guess we are going to the electronic medical records sometime in Novemeber/Decemeber... I see a lot of push back on this monumental upgrade.

I am still slowly collecting the 30 or so boxes that were shipped here with my life in them.  I also got my PO Box here. So I have a real address. So I am settling in and getting ready for the ride.  I work tomorrow.  These 12's are killing my workout schedule.  Ahhh 1st world problems!

Bentley is good! I got a report from cat camp that he has been an easy keeper, and is just lovely to be around. Here are some pictures of him eating a fir tree and stretching it out!