Always cold in the hospital?

[Psychobabble]

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Anyone else out there always cold inside those chilly hospital buildings? And, when it comes time to the patient's physical exam I always try to warm my hands but most of the time it's to no avail.

Ok, it's that thin Arizona blood of mine! But now that I've matched in NY (outside the city) I will need to figure out how to keep warm. Are there any scrubs made to keep practitioners warm?

Any suggestions in general for those of us moving to colder climates from those used to these areas? I'd grately appreciate any replies/help.

P.S. Yes, those of us going into psych still do physical exams (4 months medicine, 2 months neuro and physical exams prior to admitting a psych patient. Really!

 

[lizzied]

I work as an NP in a hospital that has RTC house officer coverage. Being a non-teaching that means a mid level practitioner is the house officer. Our call room has no heat (only a space heater) and giant windows.

My best advice--get good wool socks. (woolrich or any reputable out of doors clothing company.) & layer clothing. lastly, find out where the nearest linen closet is so that you know where to grab an extra blanket if you need it.

Although your sleep will be minimal it's nice to be warm. From my years working with interns most are so exhausted they could sleep on an iceberg so it all may be a mute point.

 

[Psychobabble]

Thanks for the hints - I definitely will do the above including wool socks!

I was more concerned with staying warm while awake, though, as you are correct, when one is very tired, sleep takes over most of the time.

 

[njbmd]

Originally posted by Psychobabble
Anyone else out there always cold inside those chilly hospital buildings? And, when it comes time to the patient's physical exam I always try to warm my hands but most of the time it's to no avail.

Ok, it's that thin Arizona blood of mine! But now that I've matched in NY (outside the city) I will need to figure out how to keep warm. Are there any scrubs made to keep practitioners warm?

Any suggestions in general for those of us moving to colder climates from those used to these areas? I'd grately appreciate any replies/help.

P.S. Yes, those of us going into psych still do physical exams (4 months medicine, 2 months neuro and physical exams prior to admitting a psych patient. Really!

Hi there,
I'm a surgeon in sunny warm Virginia and I get very cold in the hospital. The two coldest places for me have been the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and my callroom for Pediatric Surgery. My solution to this problem has been to borrow the "French Fry" warming lights from the SICU. Many nights I could be found napping under their warm red glow. They have a timer so you can't end up blistered. PACU has these lights too. They are great for a quick warm-up.

My other solution is to keep two sweatshirts in my locker at all times. I frequently rounded in the morning in the SICU in my GWU sweatshirt of very heavy cotton. I just pull the shirt on over my scrubs and I am toasty warm for the night. I sleep in my sweatshirt over my scrubs. If I end up in the OR, I just pop my sweatshirt off and run into the OR. (The lights in the OR work like the "French Fry" lights in the SICU so I am toasty warm very quickly. I also round on Pediatric Surgery in my sweatshirt. The kids are not as afraid of a sweatshirt as they are frightened of that "long white coat".

I have also made good buddies of the little ladies who clean my sleep room. They leave two extra blankets and bath sheets for me everynight. At the end of each month, I leave them chocolate kisses and a nice note.

njbmd (Whose serum Fe is 36 mg/dL)

 

[Psychobabble]

njbmd, thanks! And congratulations, GWU alumna, on your surgical residency & career. I admire those who can persevere and succeed in fields that are known to be extremely tough (surgery). Those kids are so lucky to have you care for them.

Thanks for the tips. "French Fry" lights - I love it!! Will have to seek them out.

Ok, check. Thick, warm sweatshirts, extra blankets, towels for call room, wool socks.

I was even thinking about carrying around those little packets of chemical energy that I use when skiing (can get them at outdoor stores, etc.) to keep my hands warm, although I've never used them indoors. Hmmm...

😉

 

[Neurogirl]

Agree with all of the above. During the day you're usually running around so much it's not a problem. However, nights are another issue! I always kept a heavy sweat shirt in my locker and wore it often! Believe me, nurses and patients don't care if you come running in a sweat shirt, they just care that you come running!😀

 

[ckplay]

I learned this trick to keep hands warm from an addiction medicine rotation where I was taken into the woods in the middle of january in chicago--temp was -10 degrees with windchill: Swing your arms in a circular motion (like jump-ropes). The centripetal force will force warm blood into your hands and finger tips. 10x should be sufficient.

 

[lizzied2003]

Like njbmd said being nice to housekeeping does pay off. On a side note a collegue recently gave me a stuffed zebra and i put it in the callroom. Very recently the housekeeper has been putting it on the bed so it just adds a bit of comfort to the otherwise boring room.


And regarding french fry lights...check the specialty units for 'blanket warmers' (usually found in ED/ICU/PACU/LDR). When it's the middle of the nite and you are chilly and have to sit down to write a progress note or review a chart it is like heaven.

 

[edfig99]

a pullover fleece sweater...definitely. for some reason my hospital is at it's coldest around 2:30am - that's when the tip of my nose is freezin' and the mitochondria are trying to churn... the fleece sweater makes it bearable.

the best solution is not do overnights anywhere 8)

 

[Psychobabble]

Thanks !

Ed in NY: definitely will add the fleece sweater.

ckplay: what a great way to warm up my cold hands - I tried it and it works! thanks.

Lizzied: Thanks for the idea about a blanket warmer esp in the cold middle of the night when up writing notes! And I agree, those rooms can be so dull and drab - no reason not to spruce them up and I'm sure the added decor is appreciated by everyone who uses the facilities. Yes, definitely get to know the housekeeping staff & share/give them little gifts every so often. Nurses are also great, I don't know what I'd do without them.

Neurogirl: I agree, most essential is that you get there, style is optional. LOL!

Thanks again everyone. STAY WARM!

 

[Celiac Plexus]

Someone posted about these... They're awesome for the OR! I did a trauma rotation where it seemed like 99% of the surgery occurred from 12AM to 4AM and the ORs were REALLY cold. So one night I duct-taped 3 chemical heat packs to my chest... Actually 2 in front and one on my lower back... underneath my scrubs. OMG. It was awesome. And the heat on my lower back was pure ecstasy.

I did this pretty much every night. Just make sure you have one of those electric teapots to boil up some water during the day and recharge the suckers.

Some cons... If you have chest/back hair then you have to find another way to attach the packs. Fortunately I have no back hairs, or chest hairs so the duct tape worked fine. Another thing is that you should experiment with different kinds of tape since after a couple of weeks of taping myself, my skin got a little irrtated and I had to lay off the chem packs for a night or two. And finally, be prepared to be ripped on a little bit by your attendings and residents... At first, the main trauma attending thought I was nuts but by the end of the rotation he was asking me where to get some chemp packs for himself. I heard he's using my technique now.

Peace.

 

[Psychobabble]

What a great post Celiac Plexus! Thanks!

Isn't it funny when you have great ideas and initially get ribbed, but then everyone seems to get onboard soon afterward? LOL.

Thanks so much, I'm going to try it, perhaps using some kind of scarf/belt instead of the tape, which, as you noted can irritate skin.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas!

Good Luck in the upcoming year. 😛