I get it... I'm crazy :)

5:50 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
So, let's see.... just a month or so after my last post, I am now swaying back to NICU. So, I have decided to make a list (ahhh, lists. I love them so).

L&D: (1) Adults are easier to 'read', so to speak. (2) It is what I wanted to go into early in my nursing career... maybe there is a reason why (3) Fast-paced (4) Changes day-to-day (Get to do Emergency, L&D, Surgery) (5) It seems as though there are days that are pretty easy and some ability to get called off, which is a nice option

NICU: (1) Was going back and forth between L&D and ICU when I graduated. This unit gives me a little of both (2) I have learned a lot about babies while in mother/baby, and this will give me a chance to use that knowledge (3) Get to use my brain and challenge myself in that way (pathophysiology) (4) Really like getting to know details and being involved in a small number of cases (5) Do not use my back to lift/roll patients (6) Became a lactation educator and feel this skill is better used in this department

AHHHHHH! Decisions, decisions. In the meantime, an L&D position opened up (F/T nights). Generally I would jump at this, but I am holding off a bit.

Closing in on a YEAR of employment!

10:51 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
So, here I am.... one year from my date of hire as an RN. Do I feel like a one year nurse? Well, yes and no. I definitely feel better about handling the 'unexpected', yet I am still wanting to move units, which makes me remember how little I know the more I try to read about the other unit.
What is taht unit, you say? L&D. After putting some thought into it, i decided that i really do enjoy adults. NICU appealed to me for a number of reasons, but at the end of the day, I want to enjoy the type of clientelle that I see everyday, and it would be difficult to deal with babies everyday.... who knows, maybe I will come to that at a later day.

I am still learning everyday, but I have made Toni aware that L&D is where I want to go. I am just waiting, now, for a position. I have become a lactation educator since writing last and i only have one semester until i complete my BSN which is very exciting.

I've come a long way, baby! But there is so much further to Go!

11:29 AM Edit This 0 Comments »
So, I have been on the mother/baby unit of Dameron Hospital for about... hmmmm, 4 months now. I am 'in my groove', so to say. I am feeling competent and confident in any patient that I encounter. I do have some brainfarts now and again, and I still wonder how well I will be able to realize complications if and when they arise. I am feeling more confident in caring for Magnesium patients, and I don't mind circumcisions as much as I used to (mainly, it's the paperwork!).

Mamas - Having been a newly delivered mom before, I feel good about my ability to tell the new moms and dads what to expect and educate them on how to care for themselves and for baby. I feel very strong in my assessment, although sometimes that fundus hides! I feel much better about explaining breastfeeding, although I still find it difficult to know if supplementation should be suggested for a baby prone to jaundice or not feeding well or eating enough or pooping/peeing enough.

Babies - I have grown to like the babies more than I thought. It is very different caring for babies than moms. They can't push their call button, they don't tell you, "I am a 9 out of 10 pain", they don't know how to cough, and they don't stop crying just because you ask them to when it is time for assessment.

I didn't want to put the cart before the horse with the NP thing, but I have just recently begun thinking about it again. I am glad that I started out in mother/baby for one big reason, I am now starting to wonder if NICU is the place for me. I seem to be bigger on details and learning and procedures. I am very interested in learning to speak with parents about their babies.

I have thought about getting in touch with one of the NICU nurses and asking what she thinks I should know about babies to increase my level of knowledge.

Well, with that being said, I am making great money and really enjoying how much I am learning everyday.

Long time, no write! Part II

9:47 PM Edit This 0 Comments »

So, tomorrow is the last day precepting on 2 East (ortho, M/S overflow). I have been precepting with Alma Ochs for 6 weeks now (tomorrow is my 12th day). I have had good days and bad days.... so I will try to highlight my experience (I will try, try, try to do better at writing during my time on 3 Main.

I had a hard time initially, because I was used to a preceptor like Sue and Alma was very different, not worse, but just different. I tend to shine when the pressure's on, and I was receiving a lot of help, which made me feel like I wasn't truly responsible for everything. It was also hard to keep track of what was being done and what wasn't since we were sharing all of the responsibilities. I can't imagine how hard it was for Alma.

The 2nd day, I spoke with Alma about allowing me to fully take 2 patients and do all of the work. That day went really well. I had my good days and bad days, and two days ago I took 5 patients for the first time. This was a wonderful learning experience. I really needed this chance to see how well I handled a full load. There were LOTS of medications due at 9, and we happened to have all but one ortho patients with cardiac problems. I haven't had a lot of experience with determining when to hold medications as it pertains to cardiac, so I found myself holding TONS of stuff, either because the BP was low, the HR was low, I hadn't check K+, etc. Then I had a patient that needed to have all of her medications crushed and mixed with pudding. Thank goodness Alma did this for me.

I DID do a good job of keeping track of my IV I/O's, PCA's, completing my charting early, so at the end of the shift, I felt very prepared to hand off everything.

On a non-technical note, I had the opportunity to care for a gentleman who was sent to our floor with terminal colon cancer..... 31 years old. Besides the fact that he was my age with a wife and 3 children, he was always so kind when I didn't know exactly how to use the colostomy bag i was supposed to change or when I was fiddling around with the morphine drip. He told me one evening that he didn't know if people realized how much we did, but he really appreciated it. It was an extremely touching moment. Of course, I tell blake about the days that I have and i mentioned this man.... blake asked me if his name was... "X". It was. how did he know him? turns out blake played football with him, and his kids cheered and played football for the jr rams.
I noticed that he was readmitted the day that I worked (Wednesday). He didn't look good. I went into his room to say hello, and he was completely unaware. He couldn't even hold his eyes open.

We did our 2nd debriefing today, and I found out that the previously mentioned gentleman passed yesterday. I had an overwhelming flood of emotions. I felt my body go cold and I started sweating all at the same time. My heart started beating so hard that I could notice my vision blur every time my heart beat. I haven't cried during my time in class, although we have talked about some sad things. Now i know why. I am very much all or nothing with crying. I barely got out the door before I lost it completely. I came back in and told everybody about what he had said that one time and how I thought "how in the world can someone muster up enough thoughtfulness and strength to say such a thing in that stage of life/death."

eye opening.

more to come....

Started!

4:08 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
So, I began on September 8th. I Love it so far!! I have been working on 2E with Alma, which I am enjoying, although I am looking forward to getting into OB. My schedule is interesting, bc I am in the middle of a week off (besides the 2 classroom days), then 6 days in a row, and a week off again.

I am a bit nervous about it, but I am curious to see how my body and mind reacts to it. I have Alma there and 2 classrooms days in the midst of the 6 days, so that will help.

I will be in touch...

Waiting to begin

6:50 PM Edit This 0 Comments »

I have been reading up no postpartum (need to also read up on neonatal assessment). I am so unbelievably excited about being in the unit that I have been wanting.
Besides reading nursing stuff, I have been training for a Super Spring Triathlon. I am really getting into it. It is 400yd swim, 8 mile bike and 1.8 mile run. I have been running already, so I feel good about that, but the swim is killing me and the biking is much harder than I thought (and 8 miles is longer than I thought!!).

It is on September 13th (I hope I am not working!). The first one, I just want to gauge my abilities, but I have been reading up on transitions, swimming/breathing techniques, training schedules and learning to swim in open water.

I hope I can do it!!

I did it!!!

9:55 PM Edit This 0 Comments »


I received a call last Friday, August 5th from Rae to inform me that I got the Versant position in OB!!

I was so, so happy! I just need to get all of my tests and fittings performed and then I start on September 8th. I will do the first 12 weeks in M/S, then the last 6 in OB. I will have the ability to float to M/S, which I feel very good about. I want to keep OB as my hub, but I don't want to lose the abilities learned from M/S.

I am on cloud 9..... yay!
Older Posts