Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Wheeeew....

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. I will try to provide a brief recap of what's been going on lately!

I started working just over a month ago. I began with classroom orientation learning policies and procedures, and being tested on my medication calculation and EKG interpretation skills. The first week was exciting for me; to finally be making money and to be on my way to really being a nurse!

The next week I started on my floor and have been there ever since. My schedule varies a lot, but I am working about 35-40 hours a week right now. I have been learning so much from my two preceptors who are wonderful nurses and patient teachers. I am getting really good experience and am learning to enjoy the unpredictability of each day. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am working on an Adult Medical/Surgical unit, which means anything goes! I have cared for a patient as young as 25 and one as old as 101! My average patient is probably 80 or older. I have gotten to care for patients with a variety of diagnoses from asthma exacerbations to wound infections, and dehydration to chest pain. Some of my patients are very independent, while others require feeding through tubes in their stomachs, bladder and bowel catheters, and sometimes even tracheotomies. I am learning not only how to care for these kinds of patients, but also how to multitask and manage my time as I care for up to 6 patients at once. And, starting next week, I will be doing all of this independently as a full-blown nurse. This means no more preceptors, and no one watching my back to make sure I'm doing everything right! Yikes.

Overall, I am enjoying my new job. Learning all the technical aspects of computer documentation, communication with doctors, specialists, and other nurses, and how to use various equipment is incredibly overwhelming and frustrating at times. But, slowly and surely, I am learning. Where my passion truly lies is with my patients, and that is what makes me love my job. Some nurses are great at the technical aspects and enjoy being challenged by complicated diagnoses and new situations. For me, my love of nursing comes from making a patient and their family feel loved, cared for, and heard. I am thankful that I get the opportunity to do this every day. I am absolutely terrified about being on my own; the mistakes I will make, the things I will forget, and the times I will be reprimanded. I am still very much adjusting to work being the norm. It is strange and difficult to have to work every other weekend when Josh is at home, and for me to be at home sometimes when he is at work. I am thankful that Josh is so supportive and such a great listener when I come home in tears about the stress of the day. I am thankful that even though we are struggling to create a new normal yet again, that we get to do it together.

So, those are my crazy, disjointed, one-day-off-this-week thoughts. I will try to update again shortly to let you know how being a full fledged nurse is going!

Here is a bonus pic of me on my first day!