I haven't blogged in a while but I'm back on it now.
Last week was exhausting to say the least. I thought the week would never end. I did 3 twelve hour shifts back to back, with a total of 15hrs of sleep in those 3 days. Needless to say by the time the weekend rolled in I was super exhausted.
I caught myself questioning the whole experience. Is this how it's always going to be or will it get easier the more experienced I get? The latter seems more appealing. If I had to go through what I went through last week for the next year, I will probably have to switch careers soon!

Anyway I had the same group of patients for the 3 consecutive days. It was good for the patients because they enjoyed continuity of care from the same healthcare providers. It wasn't so great for me because they were complex patients. Plus, I get bored pretty easily, I prefer to deal with fresh faces every day.
Two of my patients were in contact isolation and I'll tell you by the end of each day I felt like I was germ infested! I nicked my finger on a piece of paper, and I was convinced I was going to get MRSA from the patients. I wrapped my finger in more bandaid than would be needed to mummify an individual! Overly cautious wouldn't you say?

Besides having to deal with complex patients, I had to deal with catty nurses. Oh women, why do we have to be so catty? The back biting is getting really old really fast. I'm learning to ignore the idle talk and simply focus my energy on providing optimum care to the patients.

Hopefully next week will be better than last.
I'll toast to that!

Quite a week this was!

I aced the rest of my presentations yay! I've finally nailed public speaking.
All in all it was a great week. I'm still trying to adapt to the seemingly never ending 12hr shifts. Some days do go by faster than others though. It all depends on what type of patients I have, plus the people I'm working with.
Yesterday was one of those super fast days. There was so much to do and not enough time. Our hall had no patient care tech (PCT), so I had to be super nurse. It didn't help that one of the patients had a GI system in overdrive. I can't tell you how many times I was on poopy duty. I smelled like a sewer every time I emerged from his room. Well, after what seemed like eternity, the charge nurse finally helped me put a rectal tube in. Too much info? Oh well to bad ;-)

Being a new face on the unit, I've tried to get along with everyone and not ruffle any feathers. I've noticed that there's a lot of back stabbing that goes on amongst the female staff. It's so irritating! I don't understand why people have to act like high school kids. Anyway, it's forced me to develop thicker skin. If I take everything people say to heart I'll be an emotional wreck. I can't please everyone.

In other news, I'm super excited I get 5 days off. Working three 12hr shifts a week has it's benefits after all. Too bad I'm not getting paid though, instead I'm paying to work (this is still part of my course work for school). I know I'm gaining valuable experience, but experience will not pay my bills. I'm not complaining though, I'm just saying...

Presentation tomorrow

I am so nervous about the presentation I have to give at the hospital tomorrow. Gasp!
Public speaking is definitely not my cup of tea. I have no choice though, the project is worth a big chunk of my grade. I've been giving myself pep talks all day (strange huh?) "Suck it up girlie, you can do it", "Imagine your talking to your friends, and not a group of intimidating health professionals". Just a few of the monologues I've been having all day.
I can't wait until it's all over!

Introduction

I guess an introduction is in order. I am currently in my last semester of nursing school. So not an RN yet, but close enough.

The last few years have been intense. I knew nursing school would be stressful, but I didn't realize just how much. Well I'm enlightened now! I'm just glad it's almost coming to an end.
I wish I had blogged about my nursing school experience from day one. It would have been great to look back at my thoughts at the time. Well maybe it's best this way. There are some experiences I wouldn't like to relive.

Presently, I'm battling a major case of "senioritis". I have lost interest in school work, and I'm just ready to be done with the whole school scene...at least for a little while anyway.
Welcome to my blog. There's more to come.
Keep reading!