Being a Male Nurse

If you've seen the movie, Meet the Parents, you very early on painfully realize the torture than Ben Stiller goes through as his character Greg Focker is a male nurse. Of course, there is parody and good ribbing from Robert De Niro but what's it really like to be a male nurse.No, this is not my co-worker.Evidently, being a male nurse is becoming a little less rare. Male nurses have tripled in the work force since the 1970s and 1 in 10 nurses are...

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Seven Medical Must-Do's For Fall

If you are like me-- you sent kids back to school this past week and celebrated cried as they walked their book-filled laden backpacks through the school doors.The start of school generally increases the pace of the pediatric ER. Kids are in closer contact and therefore-- sharing all those wonderful germs with one another.There's usually an increase in illnesses when school starts-- strep throat and meningitis are a couple. And, if your child starts...

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Up and Coming

Hello Redwood's Fans!Are you like me and maybe celebrating a little too joyously the children going back to school?!? I do love my children but it is nice to have some quiet in the days as well to get back to writing.I DO love fall and am excited for all things pumpkin to come out over the next several weeks. Autumn is really my favorite time of year. Plus, it's the beginning of the holiday CANDY season-- yep, trainer dude is going to be ecstatic...

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How People Die

Are you curious to know what people die of where you live?There are tons and tons of websites that can help you get a feel for the leading causes of death in a particular area, a particular age group, a particular race and gender.I have to give a shout out to my agent's wife, Becky Johnson, for posting this to her Facebook page and I thought it would be an excellent resource for all you medical nerds to bookmark in your research folder.It's a website...

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Ideas From the ICU Waiting Room

OmniI 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...

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Up and Coming

How has your week been?Mine? Well, you know, never a dull moment.Yesterday, I participated in the Warrior Dash. It is a 5K with obstacles on the course. Things like climbing over a 10 foot wall. I think there were three of those. It was great fun minus a minor shoulder injury. Just why my shoulders like to gravitate out of their sockets mystifies me. I did finish and here is photo proof. I did clean up a bit.This summer I've done a lot of physical...

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Medical Critique: James Patterson's Kill Alex Cross 2/2

Last post and this post I'm doing a medical critique of James Patterson's Kill Alex Cross. Usually, I don't mention the book or the author's name but I'm hoping James will spend a little of his cash on a medical consultant and am also probably losing out on a chance that he will endorse one of my novels.Oh well, living on the edge . . . that's me.If you have not read the book this post may contain some spoilers you'd rather not know so you have been...

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Medical Critique: James Patterson's Kill Alex Cross 1/2

I am a James Patterson fan. I've restricted myself lately to the Alex Cross and Michael Bennett novels.I just finished Kill Alex Cross. You can read my Goodreads review of the novel here.This post is to discuss the medical aspects of the novel and what I find suspect. Come on, James. Hire me as your medical consultant-- I think-- no I know you can probably afford me.In this post we'll deal with a male adult that is involved in a motor vehicle collision....

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Up and Coming

Hello Redwood's Fans!How is your week going? Is your summer winding down? Getting ready to go back to school?I have recovered from camping, horse back riding and white water rafting. Looking back I think those were the easy things.Coming up for me are my first 10K race (well, I am just hoping to finish) and a Warrior Dash-- the muddy 3-mile long obstacle course.Yes, I am insane. But you knew that already.For you this week.I am taking on author James...

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News Stories for Authors: The Black Death Returns

Rats. Cute, right? Unless you think about the diseases they help to transmit. Here's a short list here.Evidently, the Black Death or Plague has not died. Well, perhaps it never did but a curious thing is that it disappears for years on end and then . . . it . . . comes . . . back.Which always makes for a good medical thriller.But now, it seems that the Black Death is popping up on the West Coast. Some interesting points from this article. 1. In LA...

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News Stories for Authors: Cure for HIV?

What would you think of a miracle cure for HIV that was too expensive and too labor intensive to cure most of the people who have HIV?Well, that may be exactly what has occurred for two patients who are seemingly testing negative for the disease after receiving a bone marrow transplant for lymphoma.Now, if that's not a medical thriller, I don't know what is.Here are some of the highlights of the article that discusses this "cure". I put that in quotation...

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Fungal Fright: Sprial by Paul McEuen

I wish I could say exactly how I discovered Spiral by Paul McEuen. I want to say it was a Goodreads review and I'm always looking for new medical thriller authors-- particularly ones that can back it up with good sound expertise.Paul is a professor at Cornell University and has received the Agilent Technologies Europhysics Prize, a Packard Fellowship, and a Presidential Young Investigator Award as listed in his bio. I am just guessing he's one really...

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