Friday, June 03, 2005

Donorcycle weekend

This weekend is the R.O.T. rally which means lots of Harleys in town and lots of ER visits for stoopid bikers mostly without helmets (hence organ donors). I worked a 12.5 hour shift last night/this morning and we had two already. Tomorrow night will likely be worse.

Really wish I could blow up a picture of a biker with a caved-in skull and parade that up and down Congress Ave this weekend. Probably wouldn't do any good.

7 comments:

  1. I always see people on sport bikes wearing nothing but a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops. I like to call them "road lipstick."

    So are you going to become a surgeon?

    -Colleen

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  2. On the positive side, perhaps some worthy individuals on the donor lists will get what they need this weekend...

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  3. I realize that I might have given the impression that two bikers died. They didn't, just got into accidents. As of Friday night, more accidents, heat exhaustion, and too much alcohol, but no deaths. I heard that last year there were 4 deaths in the county, we'll see what happens this year.

    And no way would I be a surgeon, no interest in being a doctor either. At most, I might end up being a nurse practitioner.

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  4. i am contemplating the accelerated BSN at UT-Houston/UTMB. i think i'd like to become a nurse practitioner, but this is all a daydream at the moment. how many more rotations do you have? was trauma/ER (one of) your last? or one of the first?

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  5. I am actually not in the ER as a part of school, but rather just as an admissions job. I still have one semester of prerequisites to go before I begin my clinicals next Spring.

    PRN is a educational and professional committment, but the ones I know love it.

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  6. Most ER folks loath motorcycling, probably because all they see is the worst that can happen. They don't see the vast majority of bikers, most of whom are just like any other group of people - some good, some bad, some intelligent, and some "stoopid." Unfortunately, your jaundiced view makes for good news quotes on the helmet law issue. But there's no statistical evidence that helmets improve your survival odds when you're in an accident.

    Helmet laws reduce fatalities, yes. But only because they reduce the number of riders on the road. The percentage of fatalities in accidents remains the same. Go check the facts first.

    But if you really feel passionate about saving lives, and still think helmets make a difference, then I suggest you walk the walk. Go out and buy a $200 helmet for yourself and every member of your family. Then strap that 4-pound bucket on every time you get behind the wheel of your car or walk across the street. After all, more people die from head injuries in car crashes and pedestrian strikes.

    But I guess it's only a minor inconvenience when someone else has to do it.

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  7. PS: Donorcycle? Great idea! In my medical directive, I've specified that my organs can only be donated to residents of states without helmet laws.

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