I got my first rejection from my own hospital. :(
It is something I knew would happen, census has been low, and they laid off 100 employees a couple of months ago. So it is far from shocking that I would not be getting a nurse resident program spot, especially considering my unit is dependent upon elective surgeries. I just had a small little beam of hope that was hanging on, waiting on the e-mails back and forth between the nurse recruiter and myself until the final decision was made this week about how many positions they could offer. The units that are able to commit to a nurse resident already have new graduates working on their floor as PCTs. So, at least I know where I stand, and won't feel guilty as I apply to other hospitals.
It is a scary thing to begin this job search, as I have mentioned before. It is a safety thing. I feel safe in my role now, and I'm shoving that safety out there door once I take on my first position as a nurse. I no longer have that safety net of being a student, something goes wrong, it will be on my license (once I have one, of course!). I mean, someone could sue me.....how freaking scary is that to think about? I actually need to buy malpractice insurance soon. It's just a whole new level of employment concerns, lol.
I have been working like a mad woman lately between the two jobs, but I was able to squeeze in some time with my hubs, and we got to grill out for my in-laws, and have yummy cake for my FIL's birthday. We had to skip the Memorial Day stuff, because I was just exhausted, but it was ok. And we fly down to Nashville to see my family, and have lots of yummy Southern food. But once we come back, its onto packing up and studying for my boards! Which I got finger-printed yesterday, and I just have to mail my receipt in, and then wait for my letter that OKs me to test! I'm scared, because I feel like the last two years of school has completely left my brain. And I don't want to pay all this money again to retest!
But TODAY my friends, is my 4th year anniversary with my husband. We aren't doing anything too big because of all that we have going on in our life between our trip, the move, work, and job search stuff. But I am excited to have a night out with him, have some yummy food, and celebrate 4 years of happiness! When I was 17, he came into my life as a friend that turned into my rock. And when we finally met in person 8 years ago, something in me knew he was the one for me. Sure, we have had our ups and downs, but he has never stopped making me laugh every day, and he makes me smile even when we aren't together.
We have grown together, supporting each other in all of life's trials and triumphs. He has been an amazing friend and husband to me, and I only hope to spend the rest of my life returning the favor.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
I am a new graduate NURSE!
Still waiting on the whole NCLEX/License thing, but I'm no longer a student nurse! My classmates and I graduated last Sunday. It was insanely humid and miserable sitting outside, we were beyond being the polite and classy ladies that we are and were fanning our hoo-haas and were cursing the speakers when they were taking for-EVER, but we graduated. It is still so hard to believe that I am done.
The next step for me is taking my NCLEX to be made legal, and job applications. I am sooooo scared about the job application part. If I were searching for another receptionist/office position, that would be easy, because I know how to sell myself because I am confident in my skills and qualifications in that area. I have no clue how to sell myself as hire-worthy as a newly minted nurse who barely knows anything and still needs training as I transition into practicing as a nurse on my own. I don't want to over-sell myself, but I don't want to undersell myself either.
Either way, chances are that my hospital will not be hiring any new graduate nurses this go-round, which is upsetting because I put in a year at a hospital I had no chance of being hired at, when my position was specifically open only for nursing students. Luckily, I still have my dental office to use as steady income til I have a nursing position with a boss who is completely understanding of my situation and has done so much to help me with my journey. No matter how frustrated I get with some of the office politics, I will feel extremely sad the day I have to leave this office.
In other news, Mike and I are moving in the middle of July into our new home!
I am completely excited about our new apartment! We will be on the 3rd floor, so less noise to worry about, and only one other apartment on our floor, which is nice. It's weird that we have 2 entrances to our apartment, but I'm sure we'll end up only using one for the most part. But that is nice in the event that my other boyfriend needs to sneak out quickly....haha j/k :) We have a fireplace, a washer and dryer, two bedrooms and two baths, lots of windows (which is a huge increase from our ONE window in our last apartment). It's also upgraded, so the cabinets are nice, the doors are six paneled, nice counter tops. The only thing that could make it better is it had a garage and driveway!
It's funny because when we went to look at the models, I expressly told Mike not to act super in love with ANYTHING, and to not act like we were already decided. Yet as soon as I saw the new cabinets model versus the old cabinets, I was done. OH, and the closets in the smaller floor plan was just NOT going to work. The rent was a little more than what we were aiming for, but when we walked into the upgraded Ashley floor plan, it just felt like home to me. We will definitely need to grow into it, as we really only have enough furniture for a one bedroom apartment, but that is just fine with me as we had too much stuff for our last apartment and everything felt cramped.
And I LOOOOVVE the french doors that open up to the patio! And all of the storage space we will have! And Mike is excited for the flat screen TV we will be getting to made the living room lay out work for us.
We are going to try to move as much of it ourselves, but we are likely hiring movers for our furniture because getting our couches into this room sucked. I am also trying to get ideas for decorating, too. Our kitchen will need LOTS of stuff, like curtains, a baker rack or bar/buffet table. Our old kitchen was so small the extent of the decorating was 3 little wall accents pieces we got as wedding presents. So I definitely have WAY more space to play with, and have no idea what I want to do. We can even paint if we want to. Luckily the dining table we bought when we first moved in together matches the cabinets from what I remember of it, lol. Hard to remember because I haven't seen it in 2 years.
A bit overwhelmed with all that is going on, but I feel so happy. We leave next Saturday to go see my family in Nashville. It's been way too long because of school and work, so it will be great to see them, and go to some of my favorite places like Centennial Park. :) Just 5 work days to get through!
The next step for me is taking my NCLEX to be made legal, and job applications. I am sooooo scared about the job application part. If I were searching for another receptionist/office position, that would be easy, because I know how to sell myself because I am confident in my skills and qualifications in that area. I have no clue how to sell myself as hire-worthy as a newly minted nurse who barely knows anything and still needs training as I transition into practicing as a nurse on my own. I don't want to over-sell myself, but I don't want to undersell myself either.
Either way, chances are that my hospital will not be hiring any new graduate nurses this go-round, which is upsetting because I put in a year at a hospital I had no chance of being hired at, when my position was specifically open only for nursing students. Luckily, I still have my dental office to use as steady income til I have a nursing position with a boss who is completely understanding of my situation and has done so much to help me with my journey. No matter how frustrated I get with some of the office politics, I will feel extremely sad the day I have to leave this office.
In other news, Mike and I are moving in the middle of July into our new home!
I am completely excited about our new apartment! We will be on the 3rd floor, so less noise to worry about, and only one other apartment on our floor, which is nice. It's weird that we have 2 entrances to our apartment, but I'm sure we'll end up only using one for the most part. But that is nice in the event that my other boyfriend needs to sneak out quickly....haha j/k :) We have a fireplace, a washer and dryer, two bedrooms and two baths, lots of windows (which is a huge increase from our ONE window in our last apartment). It's also upgraded, so the cabinets are nice, the doors are six paneled, nice counter tops. The only thing that could make it better is it had a garage and driveway!
It's funny because when we went to look at the models, I expressly told Mike not to act super in love with ANYTHING, and to not act like we were already decided. Yet as soon as I saw the new cabinets model versus the old cabinets, I was done. OH, and the closets in the smaller floor plan was just NOT going to work. The rent was a little more than what we were aiming for, but when we walked into the upgraded Ashley floor plan, it just felt like home to me. We will definitely need to grow into it, as we really only have enough furniture for a one bedroom apartment, but that is just fine with me as we had too much stuff for our last apartment and everything felt cramped.
And I LOOOOVVE the french doors that open up to the patio! And all of the storage space we will have! And Mike is excited for the flat screen TV we will be getting to made the living room lay out work for us.
We are going to try to move as much of it ourselves, but we are likely hiring movers for our furniture because getting our couches into this room sucked. I am also trying to get ideas for decorating, too. Our kitchen will need LOTS of stuff, like curtains, a baker rack or bar/buffet table. Our old kitchen was so small the extent of the decorating was 3 little wall accents pieces we got as wedding presents. So I definitely have WAY more space to play with, and have no idea what I want to do. We can even paint if we want to. Luckily the dining table we bought when we first moved in together matches the cabinets from what I remember of it, lol. Hard to remember because I haven't seen it in 2 years.
A bit overwhelmed with all that is going on, but I feel so happy. We leave next Saturday to go see my family in Nashville. It's been way too long because of school and work, so it will be great to see them, and go to some of my favorite places like Centennial Park. :) Just 5 work days to get through!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Stick a fork in me, cuz I am DONE!!
2 years ago, I was planning our vacation to Vegas. I was really excited about this trip, and wanted to do Vegas right because I knew the next 2 years would be rough on Mike and I. I got teary eyed two years ago as I saw my school setting up for graduation, because I knew I was on my way to that being set up for my graduation just two short years away. I panicked about stupid things like having internet and "What if I have to share a bathroom with my in-laws, and I accidentally expose myself or something?".
It is hard for me to believe that I am no longer a student. I have no more assignments to turn in, no more clinicals to get through. No more clinical evaluations, or holistic assessments, or simulations to freak out about. No more books to buy. Only one more exam to freak out about.
I somehow never believed I would be at this point in my life. When I got discouraged about school, I tried really hard to be content with my life as a receptionist (and I'm damn good at it, too!), but it never mattered, I always hated that I never finished school. So, while this is a super important event because I am one step closer to being in the career that I want, the most important thing to me is that I am finally completeing this thing that has been eating away at me for the last 10 years since I finished high school. In 13 days, I will officially be a college graduate. I have an education, I will have those sweet letters behind my name....R.N.
The last two years have not been easy in any aspect. I have had drama just about everything where I turned. The stress of not being able to study because I was stressed about family issues made everything in my life worse. My tolerance and patience was in short supply. Friends were made and lost. I saw classmates fall behind, and felt guilty about not being there with them. No one understands the burden nursing school places on you, and as a result, family relationships have suffered....and this is extremely painful for me.
I feel the most guilt over how much time has been lost with my husband. He has been my rock, and truly supporting me when no one else seemed to care. No matter how stupid or petty the situation that was trigging my anxiety was, he always tried to make me feel better. He truly spoiled me in so many ways, that I probably will never be able to repay him. I am happy that now I can return to the working world, he and I can get our place again and be the married couple that we are with some privacy. It feels almost like when we first moved in together, and getting excited about nesting again.
I am however, most grateful for the many years I hope to have getting to take care of patients. All poop, blood, urine, and vomit aside.......when you know a patient truly appreciates how you take care of them, there is nothing else in the world that is better than that. I may be a bit of an introvert, but feeling a connection with my patients is extremely rewarding, and it makes the poop and blood not seem so bad.
So, now that this big stress is over, I have nothing but good things to look forward to. Graduation is in 13 days. Our 4th anniversary is in 24 days, and we leave for Nashville a couple of days after that to see my family. Then its NCLEX time (*frown*), and moving into our home again! And hopefully getting my first nursing job! I am just super excited for all of the amazing things we have been blessed with coming up!
Now, I must sleep!! :)
P.S. I still can't believe I am done!!
It is hard for me to believe that I am no longer a student. I have no more assignments to turn in, no more clinicals to get through. No more clinical evaluations, or holistic assessments, or simulations to freak out about. No more books to buy. Only one more exam to freak out about.
I somehow never believed I would be at this point in my life. When I got discouraged about school, I tried really hard to be content with my life as a receptionist (and I'm damn good at it, too!), but it never mattered, I always hated that I never finished school. So, while this is a super important event because I am one step closer to being in the career that I want, the most important thing to me is that I am finally completeing this thing that has been eating away at me for the last 10 years since I finished high school. In 13 days, I will officially be a college graduate. I have an education, I will have those sweet letters behind my name....R.N.
The last two years have not been easy in any aspect. I have had drama just about everything where I turned. The stress of not being able to study because I was stressed about family issues made everything in my life worse. My tolerance and patience was in short supply. Friends were made and lost. I saw classmates fall behind, and felt guilty about not being there with them. No one understands the burden nursing school places on you, and as a result, family relationships have suffered....and this is extremely painful for me.
I feel the most guilt over how much time has been lost with my husband. He has been my rock, and truly supporting me when no one else seemed to care. No matter how stupid or petty the situation that was trigging my anxiety was, he always tried to make me feel better. He truly spoiled me in so many ways, that I probably will never be able to repay him. I am happy that now I can return to the working world, he and I can get our place again and be the married couple that we are with some privacy. It feels almost like when we first moved in together, and getting excited about nesting again.
I am however, most grateful for the many years I hope to have getting to take care of patients. All poop, blood, urine, and vomit aside.......when you know a patient truly appreciates how you take care of them, there is nothing else in the world that is better than that. I may be a bit of an introvert, but feeling a connection with my patients is extremely rewarding, and it makes the poop and blood not seem so bad.
So, now that this big stress is over, I have nothing but good things to look forward to. Graduation is in 13 days. Our 4th anniversary is in 24 days, and we leave for Nashville a couple of days after that to see my family. Then its NCLEX time (*frown*), and moving into our home again! And hopefully getting my first nursing job! I am just super excited for all of the amazing things we have been blessed with coming up!
Now, I must sleep!! :)
P.S. I still can't believe I am done!!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Soon I'll have to change the name of this blog!
Officially, I have about a month until graduation. In reality, I have 10 days, 3 clinical days, 2 journals, 1 poster project and presentation, 1 final paper, and 1 clinical group lunch left until I have completed all of my requirements for this program! I can't believe how fast the last 2 years have gone by. When you start, it feels like 2 years is FOREVER....but its goes by quickly, and honestly TOO quickly. I have never wished for time to slow down more in my life than the last 2 years. You think 10 hours to get certain things done is plenty of time, and then after what seens like maybe 4 hours to you, you realize you are out of time. But I guess that is just life, it is just more obvious in nursing school because there is a grade attached to it.
I have 3 twelve hour days of my Capstone left. 3. 3! I have really liked getting to be in the ICU for this rotation. While there are aspects that have been very difficult for me that I won't get into, I have LOVED the variety of what I have gotten to see. Intubation, extubation, rectal tubes, drains, every kind of line you could dream of, drips running through 3 different infusion pumps into 3 or 4 diffferent access sites, therapeutic hypothermia, ventilators, removal of care and death, code blues, gastric tubes, tracheostomies......I was almost bitten, even. This is what I have been waiting to see all along as I made my way through nursing school.
I don't know everything there is to know yet, and I still have a long ways to go before I will be a confident nurse on my own, but I am ready to start working on that chapter of my life. I am really, really, REALLY tired of having my hand held. Not that I won't ask for help when I need it, but I want to be the one managing my patients' care, not just doing stuff when my preceptor tells me to do it.
In other news, I finally get to go see my family in TN a couple of weeks after graduation. I miss Nashville, and I am happy we get to go when the weather will be warm. Sure, a beachy-tropical-drink-drinking-while-getting-a-tan kind of vacation is what I need, too.....I haven't see them since before I went back to school. Mike's promotion, my school, my new job last year at the hospital, plus some other things have gotten in the way. I am sad that my family won't be able to come up here for my graduation, but it is something I've just got to accept and move on. I would have loved to have my family and Mike's family all there, but the most important thing in the end is that I am graduating after 3 long years of pre-requisities and nursing classes, tears, sweat and hand cramps.
When I had to leave EIU after my sophmore year, I thought I would never get to go back to school. Especially after I moved up here and had to work 2 jobs to support myself until Mike and I moved in together and got married. I was worried I would just be the life-long receptionist who got talked down to by doctors and new-grad hygienists as if I'm not a smart person because I "just answer the phones". I was just never content with that, as I know I am a smart person and was capable of so much more. I teared up after I had gotten my acceptance letter and then I saw them setting up for that term's graduation because I knew in 2 years I would be walking there myself.
I have 3 twelve hour days of my Capstone left. 3. 3! I have really liked getting to be in the ICU for this rotation. While there are aspects that have been very difficult for me that I won't get into, I have LOVED the variety of what I have gotten to see. Intubation, extubation, rectal tubes, drains, every kind of line you could dream of, drips running through 3 different infusion pumps into 3 or 4 diffferent access sites, therapeutic hypothermia, ventilators, removal of care and death, code blues, gastric tubes, tracheostomies......I was almost bitten, even. This is what I have been waiting to see all along as I made my way through nursing school.
I don't know everything there is to know yet, and I still have a long ways to go before I will be a confident nurse on my own, but I am ready to start working on that chapter of my life. I am really, really, REALLY tired of having my hand held. Not that I won't ask for help when I need it, but I want to be the one managing my patients' care, not just doing stuff when my preceptor tells me to do it.
In other news, I finally get to go see my family in TN a couple of weeks after graduation. I miss Nashville, and I am happy we get to go when the weather will be warm. Sure, a beachy-tropical-drink-drinking-while-getting-a-tan kind of vacation is what I need, too.....I haven't see them since before I went back to school. Mike's promotion, my school, my new job last year at the hospital, plus some other things have gotten in the way. I am sad that my family won't be able to come up here for my graduation, but it is something I've just got to accept and move on. I would have loved to have my family and Mike's family all there, but the most important thing in the end is that I am graduating after 3 long years of pre-requisities and nursing classes, tears, sweat and hand cramps.
When I had to leave EIU after my sophmore year, I thought I would never get to go back to school. Especially after I moved up here and had to work 2 jobs to support myself until Mike and I moved in together and got married. I was worried I would just be the life-long receptionist who got talked down to by doctors and new-grad hygienists as if I'm not a smart person because I "just answer the phones". I was just never content with that, as I know I am a smart person and was capable of so much more. I teared up after I had gotten my acceptance letter and then I saw them setting up for that term's graduation because I knew in 2 years I would be walking there myself.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Registered for my NCLEX!
$300 and some major anxiety later, I have registered for my NCLEX. I still need to graduate, get fingerprinted and schedule my test date.....but I am registered! This makes me nervous to the point that I am freaking out about whether I should have put my middle inital instead of my full middle name. I have never felt more anxious for a test!!
I also reserved my cap and gown. I need to contact the instructor in charge of Phi Theta Kappa to arrange for the garb or whatever you call that stuff to wear with my cap and gown. And of course, decide what to wear underneath my gown! That's the most important part here, right?!?! :)
So, still enjoying my spring break!! Super-Duper-Nice!!!
I also reserved my cap and gown. I need to contact the instructor in charge of Phi Theta Kappa to arrange for the garb or whatever you call that stuff to wear with my cap and gown. And of course, decide what to wear underneath my gown! That's the most important part here, right?!?! :)
So, still enjoying my spring break!! Super-Duper-Nice!!!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
First Brush with Almost Being Assaulted
Well, I am on Spring Break now until April 3......it is such a lovely break!! The last day of my Capstone before break started was interesting. A patient who had unexplained confusion almost bit me. Luckily, I was able to see her start to go for my hand, and was able to move it out of the way before she made my fingers her lunch......but it would have seriously sucked if she was successful. Bloodwork, shots, antibiotics, a pissed off clinical instructor who was just about to be leaving for a lovely vacation. It would have sucked. However, I actually was pretty fascinated by this patient, and when I got quizzed by the infectious disease doctor who got put on her case, I did pretty well according to him when he started asking me about WBC level difference in bacterial infections vs. viral infections, and learned quite a bit when I didn't know the answers.
I am feeling nervous about registering for my licensing exam, because its super-duper expensive, and I don't want to screw up the application and have to pay it all over it again!! I am also scared about the whole job search situation. So much that scares the crap out of me about what is up ahead, because there is very little I can do to control how it turns out, I can only wakit and see what happens.
Otherwise, I am enjoying things slowing down for a little bit and actually getting to spend time with my husband like a normal married couple, instead of me being married to my books and him being like a third-wheel. I am happy that my stress level has come down from a 20 on a scale from 0-10 to about a 5-6. Loving it so much!!
I have also found that I will buy a $2.50 newspaper from NY because it has ONE article that I really wanted to finish reading while I was waiting in line at Starbucks. Phenergan is an antiemetic that needs to be injected intramusculary, as it can cause gangrene if it is directly injected into a vein or gains access to arterial blood. So, someone who had a bad cases of vomitting might get this, and could potentially lose their arm. Yet, I was surprised to read that patients who receive this generic form of this medication have no legal recourse against the manufacture of the medication.
Why?
Because generic medications do not control what warnings are placed on their labels, because otherwise, they would be a brand name, and not a generic based on a Supreme Court ruling. So, if the Brand Name doesn't update a label to properly warn consumers of the dangers of that medication, neither can the generic medication manufacturers. This apparently relieves the generic manufacturer of any legal responsbility, and the consumer can not sue the brand name because they did not receive the brand name medication. However, I do truly believe the nurse/medical assistant is responsible here because I am sure that they didn't aspirate for blood return before injecting the medication, otherwise, this injury likely wouldn't have happened. Although, it is just as devastating to hear about a teen/young 20-something who now has ulcerative colitis, requires daily IV medications, and basically lost a ton of quality of life following having her large colon removed because she took a generic form of Accutane, which has been taken off of the market. Had she taken the brand name form, she could have participated in the number of lawsuits that awarded settlements to those inflicted with this awful side effect when all they wanted to do was clear up their skin.
I think it is completely awful that just because patients are taking a generic form, that they are basically stripped of their right to sue when they are injured because of failure by the drug companies to adequately warn them of the risks involved in taking it. Patients are given the generic version a large majority of the time, and aren't really even given a choice most of the time in the hospital. And how often do doctors now talk about side effects when prescribing medications?? Never, they assume you are reading that lil piece of paper the pharmacy gives you, which is not reader friendly in my opinion. It should be much simpler and say "You may get these symptoms (a,b,c) and its ok, they will pass; you may also get these symptoms (x,y,z) but its not ok, and you need to call your doctor, and to minimize side effects take the pill in the morning RIGHT BEFORE you eat, etc."
So anyway, that is my nerdy nurse rant for the day. It just saddens me to hear someone can lose an arm because they had some nausea and a nurse likely could have prevented it has they simply apsirated before injecting. Truly a shame.
I am feeling nervous about registering for my licensing exam, because its super-duper expensive, and I don't want to screw up the application and have to pay it all over it again!! I am also scared about the whole job search situation. So much that scares the crap out of me about what is up ahead, because there is very little I can do to control how it turns out, I can only wakit and see what happens.
Otherwise, I am enjoying things slowing down for a little bit and actually getting to spend time with my husband like a normal married couple, instead of me being married to my books and him being like a third-wheel. I am happy that my stress level has come down from a 20 on a scale from 0-10 to about a 5-6. Loving it so much!!
I have also found that I will buy a $2.50 newspaper from NY because it has ONE article that I really wanted to finish reading while I was waiting in line at Starbucks. Phenergan is an antiemetic that needs to be injected intramusculary, as it can cause gangrene if it is directly injected into a vein or gains access to arterial blood. So, someone who had a bad cases of vomitting might get this, and could potentially lose their arm. Yet, I was surprised to read that patients who receive this generic form of this medication have no legal recourse against the manufacture of the medication.
Why?
Because generic medications do not control what warnings are placed on their labels, because otherwise, they would be a brand name, and not a generic based on a Supreme Court ruling. So, if the Brand Name doesn't update a label to properly warn consumers of the dangers of that medication, neither can the generic medication manufacturers. This apparently relieves the generic manufacturer of any legal responsbility, and the consumer can not sue the brand name because they did not receive the brand name medication. However, I do truly believe the nurse/medical assistant is responsible here because I am sure that they didn't aspirate for blood return before injecting the medication, otherwise, this injury likely wouldn't have happened. Although, it is just as devastating to hear about a teen/young 20-something who now has ulcerative colitis, requires daily IV medications, and basically lost a ton of quality of life following having her large colon removed because she took a generic form of Accutane, which has been taken off of the market. Had she taken the brand name form, she could have participated in the number of lawsuits that awarded settlements to those inflicted with this awful side effect when all they wanted to do was clear up their skin.
I think it is completely awful that just because patients are taking a generic form, that they are basically stripped of their right to sue when they are injured because of failure by the drug companies to adequately warn them of the risks involved in taking it. Patients are given the generic version a large majority of the time, and aren't really even given a choice most of the time in the hospital. And how often do doctors now talk about side effects when prescribing medications?? Never, they assume you are reading that lil piece of paper the pharmacy gives you, which is not reader friendly in my opinion. It should be much simpler and say "You may get these symptoms (a,b,c) and its ok, they will pass; you may also get these symptoms (x,y,z) but its not ok, and you need to call your doctor, and to minimize side effects take the pill in the morning RIGHT BEFORE you eat, etc."
So anyway, that is my nerdy nurse rant for the day. It just saddens me to hear someone can lose an arm because they had some nausea and a nurse likely could have prevented it has they simply apsirated before injecting. Truly a shame.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
12 Hour Day Exhaustion
So this has been the first week of my Capstone clinical, and I am exhausted. 700-1900 is actually 700-2000 (trying to get used to military time!!), and getting up at 430 and going to bed at 2200 really makes it a 17.5 hour day, because there is no downtime, and all I do when I get home is eat and then go to bed. I worked Monday, Thursday, had HESI on Friday, worked Saturday, and I was supposed to work today but my preceptor was put on call, and then I work Tuesday. I got lucky that my instructor let me take off if my preceptor was off today because she needs me to work on my weekly journal, because normally I will just come in and work with someone else, but I am exhausted. In an 8 day period, I will have worked 60 hours if I didn't have today off. That is a third of the hours I need within basically the first week. I so desperately needed the extra sleep I got today.
So, my Capstone experience has been somewhat hectic. My preceptor was given 3 patients the first two days, and my nerves were through the roof. I don't suck at doing assessments, but when family is in the room watching you, and you are already freaking out, it makes you feel like such an idiot. Giving report to my instructor for the first time was a hot mess, and I was the dumb nursing student who forgot her password instantly. I did get more comfortable by day 3 doing my assessments, I started charting on one of the patients, and I felt more comfortable period. I still have a lot of things to work on, but I am feeling pretty happy to be where I am for my capstone. I really like my preceptor, and I am glad that she and I seem to get along well. I was worried that what if my preceptor hated me, so other than feeling bad at time where I feel like I am slowing her down, I think this part is going well.
I have been searching for different report sheets that help me, and tweaking them as I go. Finding what works for me, and what doesn't, and adjusting as I go along is helping me. This is really important for me as I need to find a way to organize myself so I can give report in an organized, thorough, and timely manner. So that's my current work in progress.
So, I am tired, but feeling good at this point about how things are going for the most part!
So, my Capstone experience has been somewhat hectic. My preceptor was given 3 patients the first two days, and my nerves were through the roof. I don't suck at doing assessments, but when family is in the room watching you, and you are already freaking out, it makes you feel like such an idiot. Giving report to my instructor for the first time was a hot mess, and I was the dumb nursing student who forgot her password instantly. I did get more comfortable by day 3 doing my assessments, I started charting on one of the patients, and I felt more comfortable period. I still have a lot of things to work on, but I am feeling pretty happy to be where I am for my capstone. I really like my preceptor, and I am glad that she and I seem to get along well. I was worried that what if my preceptor hated me, so other than feeling bad at time where I feel like I am slowing her down, I think this part is going well.
I have been searching for different report sheets that help me, and tweaking them as I go. Finding what works for me, and what doesn't, and adjusting as I go along is helping me. This is really important for me as I need to find a way to organize myself so I can give report in an organized, thorough, and timely manner. So that's my current work in progress.
So, I am tired, but feeling good at this point about how things are going for the most part!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)