Omni

I have probably seen the inside of a hospital more than I’ve cared to these past couple of weeks. I have a relative who had surgery– then a major surgical complication– for which he had to be admitted back to the surgical ICU.

He is on the mend but continued prayers appreciated.

What was interesting while sitting in the waiting room? I can’t help but look at and examine my environment and develop story ideas.

Many of you are probably aware that most medical units use machines to dispense drugs. These go by a few names. Pyxis machines or Omni cells.

When I first started nursing, these machines were mostly used for drug dispensing so nurses on units didn’t have to wait for the pharmacy to fill a med order and then deliver it. It’s very helpful in situations where the patient is in a lot of pain or say . . . seizing.

These machines have evolved to dispense quite a few things. In our unit, they dispense not only drugs but about 90% of the supplies we use for patient care. Things like suture kits, nasal cannulas, wound packing, etc.

I discovered a Pyxis machine that dispensed scrubs.  How awesome is that!

Now, you may ask yourself . . . “Just why did Jordyn find that soooo fascinating?”

Simple– how could a bad guy use it to get where he wanted to be in the hospital setting. Or, how could someone use it to disguise themselves to get out.

Awww— now you see how my devious mind works.

What the machine required was an ID and password because they probably know what devious minds think. Yes, I did punch a few buttons to see exactly how it worked. Research, people.

What ideas have you come up with in waiting rooms?