Big Day!
Well, family and friends…
Today is a momentous marker in my history. This was my first day on a hospital floor as a really-and-truly nurse. I tell you, there is nothing like it. It was quite the rush to tell my patients when I met them for the first time that I was one of the nurses that would be caring for them today. Despite the fact that they all knew it was my first day on the unit, it was very gratifying to see their respect and trust instead of the masked terror or skepticism I sometimes saw when I announced I was their student nurse for the day. It is also amazing what a difference having that RN at the end of your name makes in your confidence level. Not that I was by any means cocky, let me assure you. There is so much that I don’t know, or sadly didn’t realize I had forgotten. However, at the end of my first 12-hour shift I still had enjoyed the day and wanted to go back. I wasn’t even completely overwhelmed. I had confidence in my education. Thanks to Benner’s Model (a book we utilized in nursing school to find ourselves on a continuum of a nurse’s practice) and all my cultural awareness classes I realize that I am in the “honeymoon” phase of life as a nurse – but hey, if I am going be wonderfully optimistic, I might as well enjoy it.
I loved today, even thought I was a crazy day according to all the nurses. (That is rephrased and putting it nicely – again according to the nurses on my unit. And the nurses on my unit have much cleaner mouths than some units I have been on). My unit is a cardiac intensive care step-down unit/transitional cardiac care unit. However, today it was almost a catch-all acute med-surg unit. I think I am going to get some great experience here. Plus I am going to be cross-trained for the acute side of the CCU and another short-stay cardiac unit where people go for diagnostic cardiac tests (like heart caths). I think I will try to paint you a picture of my day. A little diabetic renal failure with a badly infected stint (port for dialysis treatments) in him arm, a clotted femoral catheter (for dialysis until the arm is no longer infected) that halted dialysis and blood transfusions. To make this pt. even better, not much Heparin (anti-coagulant/blood thinner) allowed because of GI Bleed. Oh yes! How about a little heart cath. How about a little 60 second flatline after a bolus of medication sent up from the ER with atrial flutter. I got to auscultate (listen with my stethescope) to the atrial flutter and that was really cool. And finally how about a LOT of psych nursing! Of course! I wouldn’t want to break my record by having any sort of time on the floor without a psych patient. They are always mine … Picture this one: blind in both eyes, in for seizure activity, rare coherent moments, abundance of meaningless strings of words (or at least I was not able to decode most of them), 4-point restraints (and not for lack of trying other options – they just all ended up with the patient trying to tear things off and throw self out of bed). And yet there were amazing though few moments of lucidness when we actually were able to communicate. It was challenging and very interesting and I really enjoyed it. I was able to try other options and see what worked best for the patients. This pt. was actually in for observation of seizure activity.
My unit is great. There were all really welcoming and helpful and found lots for me to do, but also helped me whenever I needed it. I have a great orientation program and a bajillion classes to attend and competencies to pass and check off on. I also have several other really nice new grads who I am in weekly and later monthly classes with. My first 2 weeks I am orienting with a year post-graduation nurse. Then for the next 10 weeks I will be with one of the most experienced nurses on the unit. I am excited and hope I will learn sooooooo much. Tomorrow I am going to practice reading rhythm strips (heart monitoring rhythms) again and review my cardiac meds.
Today was open house for my unit. On Monday we are moving to a brand-new state-of-the-art cardiac unit. I have my very own locker and I got to practice my combination today! The director laughed at me and said it was like junior high all over again, but I was like, “no way, this is a first for me – my junior high didn’t have lockers”. The closest I ever came was my mailbox at Harding. I had forgotten how much your legs hurt after 12 hours on the floor. I will definitely be investing in new shoes and support hose when I have capital again. If anyone is interested nurses always have varicose veins at young ages because of the all day on their feet thing. Sigh. I think I managed to tell you all my pt information without breaking HIPPA – at least I hope so. I sat through several classes on HIPPA already this week. It is hard not being able to debrief after the clinical day the way we could in nursing school. I have to be very careful at the dinner table.
So sorry to all of you my non-nursing friends. I hope this wasn’t to boring for you and that you could understand what I was saying. I really practiced restraint and tried not to be too nursy in my language. And I tried not to speak in the Harding College of Nursing dialect. I know I threw Benner’s Model in there, but I think I was pretty good other wise. If you did find this epistle boring I am sorry and I promise all my entries won’t be like this. At least the extensive nursing languange. I can't really help the randomness of my self-expression.
Today is a momentous marker in my history. This was my first day on a hospital floor as a really-and-truly nurse. I tell you, there is nothing like it. It was quite the rush to tell my patients when I met them for the first time that I was one of the nurses that would be caring for them today. Despite the fact that they all knew it was my first day on the unit, it was very gratifying to see their respect and trust instead of the masked terror or skepticism I sometimes saw when I announced I was their student nurse for the day. It is also amazing what a difference having that RN at the end of your name makes in your confidence level. Not that I was by any means cocky, let me assure you. There is so much that I don’t know, or sadly didn’t realize I had forgotten. However, at the end of my first 12-hour shift I still had enjoyed the day and wanted to go back. I wasn’t even completely overwhelmed. I had confidence in my education. Thanks to Benner’s Model (a book we utilized in nursing school to find ourselves on a continuum of a nurse’s practice) and all my cultural awareness classes I realize that I am in the “honeymoon” phase of life as a nurse – but hey, if I am going be wonderfully optimistic, I might as well enjoy it.
I loved today, even thought I was a crazy day according to all the nurses. (That is rephrased and putting it nicely – again according to the nurses on my unit. And the nurses on my unit have much cleaner mouths than some units I have been on). My unit is a cardiac intensive care step-down unit/transitional cardiac care unit. However, today it was almost a catch-all acute med-surg unit. I think I am going to get some great experience here. Plus I am going to be cross-trained for the acute side of the CCU and another short-stay cardiac unit where people go for diagnostic cardiac tests (like heart caths). I think I will try to paint you a picture of my day. A little diabetic renal failure with a badly infected stint (port for dialysis treatments) in him arm, a clotted femoral catheter (for dialysis until the arm is no longer infected) that halted dialysis and blood transfusions. To make this pt. even better, not much Heparin (anti-coagulant/blood thinner) allowed because of GI Bleed. Oh yes! How about a little heart cath. How about a little 60 second flatline after a bolus of medication sent up from the ER with atrial flutter. I got to auscultate (listen with my stethescope) to the atrial flutter and that was really cool. And finally how about a LOT of psych nursing! Of course! I wouldn’t want to break my record by having any sort of time on the floor without a psych patient. They are always mine … Picture this one: blind in both eyes, in for seizure activity, rare coherent moments, abundance of meaningless strings of words (or at least I was not able to decode most of them), 4-point restraints (and not for lack of trying other options – they just all ended up with the patient trying to tear things off and throw self out of bed). And yet there were amazing though few moments of lucidness when we actually were able to communicate. It was challenging and very interesting and I really enjoyed it. I was able to try other options and see what worked best for the patients. This pt. was actually in for observation of seizure activity.
My unit is great. There were all really welcoming and helpful and found lots for me to do, but also helped me whenever I needed it. I have a great orientation program and a bajillion classes to attend and competencies to pass and check off on. I also have several other really nice new grads who I am in weekly and later monthly classes with. My first 2 weeks I am orienting with a year post-graduation nurse. Then for the next 10 weeks I will be with one of the most experienced nurses on the unit. I am excited and hope I will learn sooooooo much. Tomorrow I am going to practice reading rhythm strips (heart monitoring rhythms) again and review my cardiac meds.
Today was open house for my unit. On Monday we are moving to a brand-new state-of-the-art cardiac unit. I have my very own locker and I got to practice my combination today! The director laughed at me and said it was like junior high all over again, but I was like, “no way, this is a first for me – my junior high didn’t have lockers”. The closest I ever came was my mailbox at Harding. I had forgotten how much your legs hurt after 12 hours on the floor. I will definitely be investing in new shoes and support hose when I have capital again. If anyone is interested nurses always have varicose veins at young ages because of the all day on their feet thing. Sigh. I think I managed to tell you all my pt information without breaking HIPPA – at least I hope so. I sat through several classes on HIPPA already this week. It is hard not being able to debrief after the clinical day the way we could in nursing school. I have to be very careful at the dinner table.
So sorry to all of you my non-nursing friends. I hope this wasn’t to boring for you and that you could understand what I was saying. I really practiced restraint and tried not to be too nursy in my language. And I tried not to speak in the Harding College of Nursing dialect. I know I threw Benner’s Model in there, but I think I was pretty good other wise. If you did find this epistle boring I am sorry and I promise all my entries won’t be like this. At least the extensive nursing languange. I can't really help the randomness of my self-expression.
posted by Jordan Yarbrough | 10:37 PM
2 Comments:
Even though I have no idea what you were talking about most of the time. It sounds like you're having fun. What's with the Js?
I have no idea how those J's got there. Either I was out of it while I was typing or my keyboard is wacked out. Or something...who knows. :p
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