The good, the bad, & the putrid--tales of a new nurse

2009-04-05T12:27:00.003-04:00

For just short of three years, this blog has served me well. It saw me through the last year of nursing school, and my first year and a half of working in the real world. But, I feel as though I am growing out of it. I just have not been into writing here lately (as you can tell by the lack of posts). So, on this sunny April Sunday morning I have decided to start fresh somewhere else. If you want to follow me there, you are welcome.

2009-02-26T21:35:00.004-05:00

I am just over a month into my ICU classes/orientation.

So far, we have studied cardiology and written 3 tests on it. We have studied half of our respiratory information and will write our test on it tomorrow.

We have done 10 clinical shifts, where we are buddied with a different nurse each time and work with him/her to care for a patient, doing a little more each shift. I have drawn blood from an art line, suctioned trach/ETT, set up CVP monitor. I have gotten to watch a patient being extubated, a trach inserted, and a PEG inserted. I have given report during daily rounds three times. I have charted the head-to-toe assessment and the narrative notes.

I guess it all sums up to... so far so good. I like it so far. :)

Happy Saturday

2009-02-14T10:15:00.001-05:00

2009-02-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

2009-02-06T16:07:00.004-05:00

Just finished third week of training for ICU, and fifth clinical shift on the unit.

Thought of the week . . . Working in the ICU at the city's trauma centre gives one a different view of events in the news.

*Might have a story to tell eventually . . . however is still big news story and will have to wait until the smoke clears*

Moving on... moving up.... turning over a new leaf....

2009-01-19T16:38:00.003-05:00

One week and a half ago I worked my last shift on my old medicine unit. The only unit I had worked on since graduating. The unit which made me cry, laugh, question my decision to go into nursing, and confirmed why I went into nursing.... all at once. (gads that sounds cheesy... :)

Today I started the 20 week orientation to the ICU. Although I have already completed most of the critical care certificate program through a local college, they still want me to go through their full orientation (aka their version of the critical care course). At worst, it will be 20 long weeks full of stuff I have already learned. At best, it will be a good review of what I have already learned while getting paid to do it.

I have been very bad at keeping up with the blog lately, and have probably missed telling some interesting stories. Maybe as I remember them I will post them. Maybe I will just let them slide by.... we'll see.

Maybe it is time to come up with a new name and description.....

2008-12-25T17:54:00.001-05:00

christmas kismet
Originally uploaded by :) Ali.

Just a quick post to wish everyone reading this a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Headed to the ICU....

2008-12-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

Huh.....

..... so.....

.... apparently I have been hired for the ICU.

:)

In January I will start 20 weeks (20 WEEKS!) of in classroom stuff to prepare me for a job in ICU. Sit in a classroom and get paid.... not too bad.

However I am just now completing the theory for my critical care program. How much of this classroom stuff will be repetitive.... Will have to wait and see..... and see what I can negotiate.

But ya.... I'm ICU-bound!

lazy caturday

2008-12-06T12:41:00.001-05:00

lazy caturday
Originally uploaded by :) Ali.

How I wish I could join these two as they doze next to the warm radiator. . .

Alas. . . I'm off to spend the afternoon in my textbooks.

2008-12-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ok.... this video is so cheezy it is great!

2008-12-01T13:29:00.001-05:00

Well, I am wondering if I am insane.... which I might be... at least a little bit.

I have exactly two weeks to get the critical care theory courses stuff done. I had thought I had until the end of the month... but that is another story in itself.

Anyways.... I have an interview for a position at the ICU on Wednesday. I am wondering if i am ready for such a jump...

I guess I won't know until I try.....

2008-11-14T23:24:00.003-05:00

Dear Doctor....

I am not your maid or servant. If you are rude or disrespectful to me, I probably won't go out of my way and miss my breaks to help you out next time. It isn't my problem your patient needs a monitored bed you filled with another patient. I really don't care what patients get admitted to my beds... as long as I have patients.

And be careful.... your snobby attitude towards nurses is rubbing off on your students.

Me

******************

Dear Mini-Doctor....

Just because your Senior Resident feels she can treat us like gum on her shoes doesn't mean you can. Trust me. We are not trying to make your life hard. We are simply trying to keep the patients safe and cover our own asses... which by association will help you cover yours.

And remember.... you might want to keep us on you good side.... cause karma is a bitch.

Me

Lest we forget

2008-11-11T23:23:00.002-05:00

poppies
Originally uploaded by :) Ali.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. We will remember them.

2008-10-09T23:39:00.002-04:00

I am still around... and overdue for an update. Which will come soon enough.

I just wanted to send out a link to whoever comes to visit to read. There is a very tough young girl who has just gone through her third liver transplant. Her mom has been "live blogging" her way through it, and is sharing it with all of us. Stop by and give Annika and her Mom some love over at Falling Down is Also a Gift.

As well, take a moment and send some peaceful thoughts out to the donor family who lost a child, but decided to give Annika another chance by donating their beloved child's organs.

2008-09-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

Best thoughts going out to those in the southern states who are in the path of hurricane Gustav. Stay safe down there!

2008-08-14T19:48:00.002-04:00

Originally uploaded by :) Ali.

I'm still around... the summer has been busy. More with self-imposed school stuff than anything though. Sadly, my computer decided to die on me, so I have had to upgrade a bit and ended up with a nice white one with some fruit on it. The new one came today, so I took a break from homework to play with the fun "photo booth" function on it. :)

I had a bit of a freak-out last night. The critical care courses I signed up for have turned out to be more than I had expected. I have 3 weeks until the Sim Lab portion, where we are expected to have all of the theory stuff done. I still have the Cardiac, GI/Renal, Respiratory/Neuro stuff to do. In 3 weeks. And to top it off, work is not being very helpful or flexible when it comes to getting the time off to go to the lab. My manager says that she fully supports education, but in the same breath says that she won't pay someone overtime to give me the time off to do the labs. The staffing guy's hands are tied because of this. So they suggest to me that I swap shifts, and then hope that I can get those shifts off for vacation time.

Ugh.

So, this is just yet another bit of incentive to look for a new job elsewhere in the hospital where they will appreciate me.

2008-08-07T14:31:00.001-04:00

Change of Shift is up over at Emergiblog

The question is... do I go nap before my night shift, or read the CoS? :)

Maybe someday I'll submit something.... never know.

Quote of the day...

2008-08-07T14:27:00.003-04:00

Heard from two upstanding members* of the community passing by on the sidewalk...

"You got your candles and your crack pipe... what more do you need for a romantic evening?"

2008-07-27T20:54:00.001-04:00

AD has had the crappy day to beat all crappy days. Stop by and send the guy some love!

2008-07-24T19:01:00.001-04:00

Change of Shift is being hosted by Kim at Emergiblog.

Enjoy!

2008-07-22T21:47:00.003-04:00

So, where do you draw the line between being a nurse treating a patient's pain and becoming a drug dealer?

We have a young woman on our unit, admitted for "sickle cell crisis/social difficulties". This is the first social admission I have seen where the patient is under 75 years old. Yes, this young woman has a very questionable background (drugs, prostitution?)... but this young woman is basically a healthy and able bodied young lady. If she was in fact in sickle cell crisis when she came in it has since resolved. The problem is that she continues to have her pain meds as if she were in crisis. Dilaudid 4-6mg S/C Q1H PRN. She gets her pain meds on average of every one and a half hours. Plus Gravol 50mg S/C Q4H PRN (and she is not vomiting!) Inbetween pain meds, she is walking around the unit and hospital. Goes out for a smoke, visits with friends. This has repeatedly been brought up with her doctors, who have said flat out that they will not touch her meds.

So.... where is that lovely grey line between treating pain and becoming a drug dealer? Because drug dealers get paid a lot more than we do! ;)

2008-07-08T07:33:00.002-04:00

I feel like this some days..... :)

2008-07-08T07:29:00.004-04:00

It has been a while... I'm around... just busy.

I just really had to post this one.

Cholesterol drugs recommended for kids as young as 8

Seriously???

Ummm... how about getting rid of the video games and fast food first?

2008-06-21T21:24:00.001-04:00

I posted this on a nursing forum I visit... and thought I would toss it up here too. :)

Well, according to the pay increase on my pay slip this week.... I have been working for one year. Part of me says "one year already?" and the other "Omg... has it only been a year?" Crazy how quickly time flies and how much you learn in a year.

So... for those new grads out there who are just starting in the big scary world of working... You can do it. There will always be good days and bad days... but the good will start to outnumber the bad. The butterflies in your stomach will go away. And then one day you'll turn around and it will have been a year since you started!

2008-06-10T22:02:00.000-04:00

Yup... I am still around.

I have been keeping myself busy lately. Between buying my first (new) car, going to baby showers for old friends, and getting myself started on the CCN course... time has been flying by. Somehow June is halfway over.

I will keep this entry short for now... I do have some posts on the go and will try to be a better blog owner. :)