-I finished my last night shift *insert hallelujah chorus*
-My last day at my current job is on Thursday
-My family is moving on Friday
-I start my new job on Monday
-I promise to write a nice long post with funny stories soon
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
A Rather Important Post
Oh boy. Life is an adventure. I've always thought I liked change unless it had to do with someone sitting at my spot at the kitchen table or how we decorate our Christmas tree. I think that change helps you grow and learn, and it stirs things up. Here are some somewhat significant changes happening in my life in the next few months.
1. I got a new job!
2. I'm going to grad school in the fall!
3. My family is in the process of moving across town!
4. I'll probably move closer to home in the fall when my lease is up!
5. Everything is changing!
No big deal, huh?
Phew. So I got a job on an oncology unit at a hospital in Indiana. I applied there because I want to be closer to my family and friends. It's also a really good hospital. It's the hospital I want in the specialty I want. I'll be working 8 hour evening/ day shifts. The shifts aren't perfect, but I won't be on nights. I'll have to figure out how to manage my social life all over again, but I am really optimistic about it. I think I can actually have a routine.
Grad school. I'll be attending grad school in the fall to become a clinical nurse specialist. It's a master's degree and will help prepare me for any number of things. Being a floor nurse is hard, and I don't think I can do it forever. This degree is not a nurse practitioner. It is more focused on advanced practice. I can teach, I can be a resource for other nurses, I can specialize in a certain field, or possibly do research. It opens a lot of doors. I'll be in school part time for 2-3 years.
Life is crazy, but God is faithful. If you're the praying type, here's how you can pray for me.
1. Working out all the details. 2. Adjusting my life for working mainly evening shifts and trying to still see friends and family. 3. That all the change won't be overwhelming. 4. That God will be the center and focus in the midst of a whole lot of change.
Within the next couple of months, everything will be different. I'm really excited and hopeful, but slightly in shock. If you see me wandering around wondering which way is up, point me in the right direction. In the midst of change, here's what I know: God is faithful and He won't ever change. Thank goodness.
I almost typed 'that's all for now' but I assure you that this is plenty. I gave you a very juicy post. You're welcome.
Caroline.... I think.
1. I got a new job!
2. I'm going to grad school in the fall!
3. My family is in the process of moving across town!
4. I'll probably move closer to home in the fall when my lease is up!
5. Everything is changing!
No big deal, huh?
Phew. So I got a job on an oncology unit at a hospital in Indiana. I applied there because I want to be closer to my family and friends. It's also a really good hospital. It's the hospital I want in the specialty I want. I'll be working 8 hour evening/ day shifts. The shifts aren't perfect, but I won't be on nights. I'll have to figure out how to manage my social life all over again, but I am really optimistic about it. I think I can actually have a routine.
Grad school. I'll be attending grad school in the fall to become a clinical nurse specialist. It's a master's degree and will help prepare me for any number of things. Being a floor nurse is hard, and I don't think I can do it forever. This degree is not a nurse practitioner. It is more focused on advanced practice. I can teach, I can be a resource for other nurses, I can specialize in a certain field, or possibly do research. It opens a lot of doors. I'll be in school part time for 2-3 years.
Life is crazy, but God is faithful. If you're the praying type, here's how you can pray for me.
1. Working out all the details. 2. Adjusting my life for working mainly evening shifts and trying to still see friends and family. 3. That all the change won't be overwhelming. 4. That God will be the center and focus in the midst of a whole lot of change.
Within the next couple of months, everything will be different. I'm really excited and hopeful, but slightly in shock. If you see me wandering around wondering which way is up, point me in the right direction. In the midst of change, here's what I know: God is faithful and He won't ever change. Thank goodness.
I almost typed 'that's all for now' but I assure you that this is plenty. I gave you a very juicy post. You're welcome.
Caroline.... I think.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
A quick note
Hello y'all. I'm about to head off to my third shift in a row, so this will be quick. I was trying to think of a subject for this post and so I started scrolling through my blog. It didn't take very long. In my last post, I talked about walking into patient's rooms and finding one thing after another. A patient covered in poop, a patient covered in blood, and patient's cursing and yelling at me while confused. It wasn't a great night.
Here's the deal. Last night, I walked into three similar situations but with totally different responses. I walked into a patient's room and she had poop everywhere. I cleaned her up, and afterwards she said, "I'm so sorry, you are so patient. I can't imagine doing what you do and so thank you."
A while later, I walked into a patient's room who had scratched a scab and was on a blood thinner so he had blood all over the sheets. Later, he accidentally pulled out his IV. I cleaned him up and got him situated. Later on, I got him a new IV. In the morning, he had me write down my name so he would remember his good nurses. He told me that I was a sweetie and he would miss me.
Another patient called me in the middle of the night very confused. She was very concerned about going home so she could get to her pediatrician's office and a list of other appointments that didn't make much sense. I explained to her that she was in the hospital and that it was the middle of the night. I assured her that we would take care of everything and she wouldn't miss her appointments. She thanked me for taking care of things and believed me when I said it would be ok.
When I read last week's post, I didn't even register right away that the two nights were very similar. I didn't even think about cleaning up messes of talking to confused people. Because of the response, it didn't feel like a chore or an annoyance or something that I couldn't handle. I did it with a smile on my face because the people I was serving were thankful. That was the only difference.
I can't emphasize it enough that how my patient's respond to me affects my day. When I remember that, I try extra hard to be kind to my waitress, to the cashier at the grocery store, to the telemarketer who I don't want to talk to, or to person I pass in the hall. People need people. No matter how small the encounter, I can be emotionally affected by any person I interact with through the day. And that means that I can make a tiny difference in people's lives by smiling as I walk down the hallway. I can be Jesus for people through every interaction. That's a huge responsibility and privilege.
That's all. Gotta go to work. Another day another dollar. Here we go :)
-C-
Here's the deal. Last night, I walked into three similar situations but with totally different responses. I walked into a patient's room and she had poop everywhere. I cleaned her up, and afterwards she said, "I'm so sorry, you are so patient. I can't imagine doing what you do and so thank you."
A while later, I walked into a patient's room who had scratched a scab and was on a blood thinner so he had blood all over the sheets. Later, he accidentally pulled out his IV. I cleaned him up and got him situated. Later on, I got him a new IV. In the morning, he had me write down my name so he would remember his good nurses. He told me that I was a sweetie and he would miss me.
Another patient called me in the middle of the night very confused. She was very concerned about going home so she could get to her pediatrician's office and a list of other appointments that didn't make much sense. I explained to her that she was in the hospital and that it was the middle of the night. I assured her that we would take care of everything and she wouldn't miss her appointments. She thanked me for taking care of things and believed me when I said it would be ok.
When I read last week's post, I didn't even register right away that the two nights were very similar. I didn't even think about cleaning up messes of talking to confused people. Because of the response, it didn't feel like a chore or an annoyance or something that I couldn't handle. I did it with a smile on my face because the people I was serving were thankful. That was the only difference.
I can't emphasize it enough that how my patient's respond to me affects my day. When I remember that, I try extra hard to be kind to my waitress, to the cashier at the grocery store, to the telemarketer who I don't want to talk to, or to person I pass in the hall. People need people. No matter how small the encounter, I can be emotionally affected by any person I interact with through the day. And that means that I can make a tiny difference in people's lives by smiling as I walk down the hallway. I can be Jesus for people through every interaction. That's a huge responsibility and privilege.
That's all. Gotta go to work. Another day another dollar. Here we go :)
-C-
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Flounder
Have you ever noticed that the newest trend is to title things with a single word? Tangled. Frozen. Revenge. Divergent. Glee. Scandal. Reign. Suits. Inferno. Wild. Unbroken. I just thought I'd point that out and try to fit in with an vague and unspecific title that makes you wonder, "What is being frozen?" "Where are they diverging?" "Who is reigning?" "Why is she floundering?"
The picture below is me on Monday night from the hours of 1900-2330.
I walked into work early, saw my assigment, and realized that one of my patients might be going home soon. I asked the day nurse if I needed to look this patient up or not. She said no, she needed to change the wound dressings and then she'd leave.
I get report on my first patient. All good. Then I wait for this nurse cause she has the rest of my patients to give me. I offer to help with the discharge, but she said she had it under control. Fast forward half an hour. It's 1945 (7:45pm) I'm still waiting and haven't gotten report. I go into the room and try to help and this patient is all kinds of crazy and rude and making life ridiculously difficult. She's pulling old hot dogs out of drawers and making us undo stuff so she can do it the right/ slow way. Finally, we get someone else to help this patient pack up so we can give report. It's now 2020 and I've done nothing.
2020. Walk into patient room #1. Patient is actively bleeding from the rectum. Sitting in a pool of blood. Call the doctors and clean him up. Doctors don't want to do anything so the patient is upset.
2035. Patient #2. We walk in and the patient immediately starts yelling at me cause I didn't give him a bath. I explain that he had gotten a bath earlier that day and he'll get one in the morning. He's confused and angry and calls me a few choice names.
2040. Patient #3. Covered in poop. I won't describe it cause it's close to dinner time. We clean him up.
2050. Patient #4 is the patient I got report on over an hour ago. He' fine.
2050-2100. Finally go in to do assessments. Patient #3 oxygen levels are in the 70s and 80s and aren't going up with more oxygen. We get him a mask to help out, sit him up, call respiratory therapy, get breathing treatments, etc.
2120. I usually have my assessments done by 2000. I'm already over an hour late and have an open bed that could be assigned to me at any moment. I get my glucose level on patient #3 and it's critical. He can't eat anything cause he chokes on food so I run to go get him dextrose (sugar water) to go through his IV. I can't get the IV to work. I fiddle with it for what seemed like forever and finally got the darn thing to work. I give him the meds.
2129. I go into the bathroom for 30 seconds to be away from everyone and take 4 or 5 deep breaths.
2130. The open bed is assigned. I call my charge nurse and say to her, "I'm drowning right now and I don't think I can take this admission." Luckily, another nurse had an open bed and she was all caught up. She was able to take this admission for me. If not, I would have had a small mental breakdown.
For the next 2-3 hours, I was running (more like speed walking) around like a toddler on caffeine trying desperately to catch up. Eventually I reached a point where everything calmed down and I was able to breathe.
Lessons of the day: Nursing is never boring. It's ok to admit that there's something you can't handle. Take 30 seconds to take some deep breaths. Find someone who will listen to you vent. Laugh about it later cause life goes on.
The picture below is me on Monday night from the hours of 1900-2330.
I walked into work early, saw my assigment, and realized that one of my patients might be going home soon. I asked the day nurse if I needed to look this patient up or not. She said no, she needed to change the wound dressings and then she'd leave.
I get report on my first patient. All good. Then I wait for this nurse cause she has the rest of my patients to give me. I offer to help with the discharge, but she said she had it under control. Fast forward half an hour. It's 1945 (7:45pm) I'm still waiting and haven't gotten report. I go into the room and try to help and this patient is all kinds of crazy and rude and making life ridiculously difficult. She's pulling old hot dogs out of drawers and making us undo stuff so she can do it the right/ slow way. Finally, we get someone else to help this patient pack up so we can give report. It's now 2020 and I've done nothing.
2020. Walk into patient room #1. Patient is actively bleeding from the rectum. Sitting in a pool of blood. Call the doctors and clean him up. Doctors don't want to do anything so the patient is upset.
2035. Patient #2. We walk in and the patient immediately starts yelling at me cause I didn't give him a bath. I explain that he had gotten a bath earlier that day and he'll get one in the morning. He's confused and angry and calls me a few choice names.
2040. Patient #3. Covered in poop. I won't describe it cause it's close to dinner time. We clean him up.
2050. Patient #4 is the patient I got report on over an hour ago. He' fine.
2050-2100. Finally go in to do assessments. Patient #3 oxygen levels are in the 70s and 80s and aren't going up with more oxygen. We get him a mask to help out, sit him up, call respiratory therapy, get breathing treatments, etc.
2120. I usually have my assessments done by 2000. I'm already over an hour late and have an open bed that could be assigned to me at any moment. I get my glucose level on patient #3 and it's critical. He can't eat anything cause he chokes on food so I run to go get him dextrose (sugar water) to go through his IV. I can't get the IV to work. I fiddle with it for what seemed like forever and finally got the darn thing to work. I give him the meds.
2129. I go into the bathroom for 30 seconds to be away from everyone and take 4 or 5 deep breaths.
2130. The open bed is assigned. I call my charge nurse and say to her, "I'm drowning right now and I don't think I can take this admission." Luckily, another nurse had an open bed and she was all caught up. She was able to take this admission for me. If not, I would have had a small mental breakdown.
For the next 2-3 hours, I was running (more like speed walking) around like a toddler on caffeine trying desperately to catch up. Eventually I reached a point where everything calmed down and I was able to breathe.
Lessons of the day: Nursing is never boring. It's ok to admit that there's something you can't handle. Take 30 seconds to take some deep breaths. Find someone who will listen to you vent. Laugh about it later cause life goes on.
Friday, June 5, 2015
A message to my peers
Hello reader, this post is simply a word of encouragement to people who are roughly in the same stage of life as me.
There are days where I feel like I rock at life. I look back on the past year and see how far I've come and how much I've accomplished. I look ahead at my future and see a lot of exciting possibilities. Other days, I feel like I am lost and have no clue what I'm doing. I question every decision I've ever made and end up binge-watching netflix cause I don't feel like doing anything else.
Personally, I have been so blessed because there are many people in my life who support me and encourage me and pour into me on a daily basis. If you're one of those people, thank you. However, I know that there are people who are in the same stage as me and don't have the same kind of support. I can't imagine how difficult that would be. So from someone who is in the same boat as you, here are some things that I've heard that have helped me.
-It's ok if you don't end up with your dream job in your dream apartment in your dream city right away. If you don't love it, you can use the discontent to help motivate you towards something that you do want.
-Don't question your life choices to the point where you reach a quarter-life crisis. Be proud of what you've accomplished.
-Figure out what actually matters to you. For me, I've found that my family and relationships with friends matter more to me than working in the best hospital. That's good to know now so I can invest in the things that really matter to me.
-There's not one right way to do dating/marriage. Starting a life together right out of college might make things really tough because there is so much to learn and figure out. But then you have your best friend with you to figure it out together. On the other hand, it's ok to be single. You have the opportunity to become whoever you want to be.
-A lot of things in your life just need some tweaking. I've been tempted to think that I've got everything wrong. That's not true. I just need to make some adjustments.
-Everyone else is in the same boat as you-- even the people who appear to have their lives all together on social media. It's a lot to figure out.
-You can do this. "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
There are days where I feel like I rock at life. I look back on the past year and see how far I've come and how much I've accomplished. I look ahead at my future and see a lot of exciting possibilities. Other days, I feel like I am lost and have no clue what I'm doing. I question every decision I've ever made and end up binge-watching netflix cause I don't feel like doing anything else.
Personally, I have been so blessed because there are many people in my life who support me and encourage me and pour into me on a daily basis. If you're one of those people, thank you. However, I know that there are people who are in the same stage as me and don't have the same kind of support. I can't imagine how difficult that would be. So from someone who is in the same boat as you, here are some things that I've heard that have helped me.
-It's ok if you don't end up with your dream job in your dream apartment in your dream city right away. If you don't love it, you can use the discontent to help motivate you towards something that you do want.
-Don't question your life choices to the point where you reach a quarter-life crisis. Be proud of what you've accomplished.
-Figure out what actually matters to you. For me, I've found that my family and relationships with friends matter more to me than working in the best hospital. That's good to know now so I can invest in the things that really matter to me.
-There's not one right way to do dating/marriage. Starting a life together right out of college might make things really tough because there is so much to learn and figure out. But then you have your best friend with you to figure it out together. On the other hand, it's ok to be single. You have the opportunity to become whoever you want to be.
-A lot of things in your life just need some tweaking. I've been tempted to think that I've got everything wrong. That's not true. I just need to make some adjustments.
-Everyone else is in the same boat as you-- even the people who appear to have their lives all together on social media. It's a lot to figure out.
-You can do this. "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)