Healthcare Rant: When Quality Care Goes Wrong


As I’ve been dealing with many difficult health issues this past year, the U.S. healthcare reform debate has fallen below the Nicole radar. It surprises me that I’ve avoided it, as my career is in healthcare administration. I know it’s an important time in my field, but seven months of unemployment have kept me out […]

Sleep Study Number Five


I’m just finishing up packing for my overnight sleep study over at Piedmont Hospital Sleep Lab. This will be my fourth overnight sleep study since 2004, and fifth if you include my daytime multiple sleep latency nap test. I’m deciding on what comfortable, yet accessible pajamas I can wear so the sleep lab tech doesn’t […]

Inhalation Hazard


It was inevitable. Every hospital I’ve ever worked at, I’ve been a patient at. I thought I’d be getting off easy with a freebie at U of M Hospital, but I proved my precedent correct yesterday. I was feeling a bit exhausted from Sunday’s roadtrip, but otherwise with no illness symptoms. Right after lunch, I […]

D-A-D in S-L-C in I-C-U


This week in Michigan I felt that the Bullock family was settling in quite nicely. Rosie started school at Allen Elementary, and her teacher is wonderful (and also the wife of regional pilot, with whom I can commiserate) Taylor was off Sunday night-Thursday morning…and I finally had some wholesome, consistent alone-time with him. We went […]