Holy EVD, I love my new job.
I keep bracing myself for the first nightmare-ish day that is bound to be in my near future, but for now, I'm honeymooning.
I've only had 2 shifts on the unit, and everyone has already made me feel so comfortable. My preceptor Windy is fantastic, and I'll be with her throughout my entire fellowship. She explains everything without hesitation, and she even brought in one of her textbooks to start going over some of the advanced patho that I haven't had to be responsible for yet. I've just been shocked (and grateful) at the initiative everybody has taken to help me hit the ground running. They definitely have a strong team going there - help is constantly being offered from all directions, whether it's for quick turns, stat labs, meds, recording q1h vitals, signing off orders, whatever. Since quitting at Brack I've been worried that my next job might not come with great co-workers, and I'm so relieved that, in fact, it does!
As for new stuff? Yyyyeah. Lots. I'm starting to catch on to soooome of the "normals" in terms of common orders/treatments - tight BP control with pressors or antihypertensives, tight sodium level control with 3% NS drips and/or boluses to keep swelling down in the brain, etc etc. I got a little practice with EVDs/A-lines/vents. One of our patient's A-lines wasn't reading well, and the doctor came in the afternoon and placed a new one at the bedside. I was completely worthless and unable to assist him in any way besides plugging in the ultrasound machine, but it was good to watch Windy do it so I can try to flub my way through next time.
Weirdest moment was looking at the code buttons on the wall - "MSET" is what they call their code blue, and there's another button for "rapid response" - and I asked if you would push rapid response if a patient was on his way to coding but not quite there yet. Windy said "well, I guess, but we are the rapid response team. It would probably be faster to just shout for help."
We are the rapid response. Geez. So much to learn. I can't wait until I feel like I know what I'm doing, whenever that will be.
Worst part of the day? Drop of blood on my cute work tennies, dangit.
Best non-work part of the day? I pulled into the garage and noticed almost all the empty boxes had been cleared out, and some of my boxes of Christmas stuff had been moved into the garage. YAY Andrew! He offered to make me a salad or get my food together while I got in the shower. Where am I?! I am so not used to anyone being home when I get back from work, and I gotta say it was nice.
And bless him for listening to all my work ramblings today as well as all the ramblings he will tolerate in the future. Amen.
And now we sleep.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Dotting i's, Crossing T's, and Eating Fools for Breakfast
"Here's my Texas license. I've applied for my Virginia license. It's in process."
[wait nervously while lady checks a paper on her desk]
"Ok. That'll work."
Aaaand fist pump. Someone else told me I couldn't start next week unless I had a letter from the Board of Nursing saying I can practice under my Texas license for 30 days while the other one processes. ...But it takes 10 business days of processing my application before I can even get that letter. Pointless middle step? I think so. Whoever gave me my paperwork yesterday didn't mention this letter, neither did I, and I will officially be starting my off-site orientation on Monday. Yay paycheck! Yay work!
(Yay work?)
On an unrelated note, I saved baby Juno from a (non) fire at the apartment complex the other night around 3 AM. In reality the storm outside struck something that set off the fire alarms, but at the time I figured better safe than sorry. First thought: are those tornado sirens? Is a tornado blowing through my apartment? Am I alive? Yes, I am alive. Second thought: Is it my fire alarm or everyone's? It's everyone's. Third thought: I guess I'll put kitty in her carrier and head outside. Wait. Carrier is not assembled. Next best thing: grab her and put a raincoat over her.
After taking my cat outside where the alarms were 10 times louder and the rain was pouring down, I realized that nothing was on fire, and my skin was no longer intact. I took kitty back inside, pried her kitty claws out of my skin, and thought about my alarm that would be going off in 3 hours. Grrrrr.
And that, my friends, is the thrilling tale of the Great Apartment Fire of 2011. I eventually fell back asleep for about 2 hours, woke up grumpy and exhausted, and had a nice big bowl of fools for breakfast. (#danidias)
Next, you'll find our hero spending 3 hours of life in CPR renewal class. Stay tuned.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Lessons Learned in the 703: A List from 1-10
In no particular order.
1. Starting to cook for somebody else is very different than cooking for yourself. You are conscious (self-conscious?) of every single component of every meal, wondering if the other person thinks it's okay or not.
2. I didn't know what rush hour traffic was until I moved to a place that designates the main highway as HOV only from 5:30-9:30 AM and 3:00 to 7:00 PM. I know which route I won't be taking for work...!
3. I love being Suzy Homemaker. This morning while Andrew was in the shower I set out all the cereal options, a bowl and spoon, and a plate of sliced strawberries. I used to love the way Mom set our cereal out on the table to choose from before school. It's the little things!
4. Juno belongs in a jungle. She loves the view from all her new windows. Bets on the time it takes her to claw her way through our screen door to the balcony?
5. The difficulty I experience with goodbyes doesn't match up with the ease I have settling in somewhere new. I've felt very comfortable here from the start, but I suppose my partner in crime has something to do with that.
Partners in crime, rather.
6. ...That is not to say that I don't immediately start crying at the thought or mention of any other changes that may occur in the next 5 years. I guess that might mean I am still adjusting :P
7. Spring. As in, what it is. I'm enjoying learning this lesson.
8. Your gut is always right. Always! I am so glad I listened to my gut-feeling and turned down the oncology job in March. The subsequent month (+ some change) of stress and worry was a small price to pay for the opportunity to find a job that felt right, and this job feels right. Remind me of this in a month when I'm blogging about how overwhelmed I am being new to the ICU.
9. Boxes left in your garage and guest room do not get rid of themselves. (But I'm not giving up just yet.)
10. We. Needed. This. It didn't take long for me to feel like I haven't seen him in forever if it's been more than 24 hours, and that, my friends, is how it should be!
1. Starting to cook for somebody else is very different than cooking for yourself. You are conscious (self-conscious?) of every single component of every meal, wondering if the other person thinks it's okay or not.
2. I didn't know what rush hour traffic was until I moved to a place that designates the main highway as HOV only from 5:30-9:30 AM and 3:00 to 7:00 PM. I know which route I won't be taking for work...!
3. I love being Suzy Homemaker. This morning while Andrew was in the shower I set out all the cereal options, a bowl and spoon, and a plate of sliced strawberries. I used to love the way Mom set our cereal out on the table to choose from before school. It's the little things!
4. Juno belongs in a jungle. She loves the view from all her new windows. Bets on the time it takes her to claw her way through our screen door to the balcony?
5. The difficulty I experience with goodbyes doesn't match up with the ease I have settling in somewhere new. I've felt very comfortable here from the start, but I suppose my partner in crime has something to do with that.
6. ...That is not to say that I don't immediately start crying at the thought or mention of any other changes that may occur in the next 5 years. I guess that might mean I am still adjusting :P
7. Spring. As in, what it is. I'm enjoying learning this lesson.
8. Your gut is always right. Always! I am so glad I listened to my gut-feeling and turned down the oncology job in March. The subsequent month (+ some change) of stress and worry was a small price to pay for the opportunity to find a job that felt right, and this job feels right. Remind me of this in a month when I'm blogging about how overwhelmed I am being new to the ICU.
9. Boxes left in your garage and guest room do not get rid of themselves. (But I'm not giving up just yet.)
10. We. Needed. This. It didn't take long for me to feel like I haven't seen him in forever if it's been more than 24 hours, and that, my friends, is how it should be!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Slothing
I'm not sure I can rightfully turn an animal into a verb. Regardless, that's what I am doing: slothing. I'm not sure which event to point the finger at - the Plague that kept me on the couch last weekend, Tuesday's nerves and adrenaline (with no coffee), or the lack of real obligations at the moment - but I have no energy at all. I slept well last night for the first time in a few days, but somehow I still ended up joining the kitty back in bed this afternoon on my way to start a load of laundry. I did a few productive things yesterday and this morning, but overall? Couch. Part of me feels guilty like I ought to be doing something, but, then again, there will be plenty of "something" to come.
Because I got a J-O-B.
[Insert big, giant sigh of relief. And a big, giant glass of wine.]
When Andrew and I were deciding where we wanted to live out here some of my opinion was based on the fact that I planned to work at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church. The Inova system of hospitals has locations all over the place, but Inova Fairfax is the big level I trauma center/magnet-designated hospital. I applied to a handful of positions there about 6 weeks ago, and, as many of you know, I turned down an offer I got from one of the units in that hospital about a month ago. It didn't feel right, I knew I was more interested in the other positions I had applied to, and I made the (scary) decision to turn it down without knowing if I even had interviews for the others.
[Enter the longest wait of all time with weekly calls and e-mails to HR]
Was it nice moving and settling in without worrying about starting work right away? You're darn right it was. Was the employment issue still on my mind all day every day? Ohhh yes. I sent in some applications to Georgetown University Hospital the week I moved here, thinking I would just have to deal with the long commute there and back if it meant I was getting a good job opportunity.
Last week as I was dying on the couch, a phone call interrupted my fever dreams, and I had gotten an interview for the Neuro ICU at Inova Fairfax. I was to come to the unit at 7AM to shadow a nurse for a few hours, and I would interview with the manager after that.
[Queue EXCITEMENT! Disbelief! Panic! Nausea!]
No really, I cried real tears the night before playing mock-interview with Andrew.
Aside from worrying I would blow the interview, I was worried about shadowing and not liking it! Mentally, all my eggs had been in this basket for 6 weeks, and I wasn't sure what direction I'd be taking if this didn't work out. After being in the break room before shift change, though, and listening to everyone talk about their weekend, make sarcastic comments about the new navy-blue scrub policy, and wait for the charge nurse's daily "safety cuddle," I was so reminded of everyone at Brack! Seeing coworkers that are friends with each other speaks volumes - probably the most important thing I saw that day.
I shadowed a nurse for about 3 hours and loved it. There are lots of bells and whistles and equipment I'm not familiar with, but her neuro assessment is the same one I know how to do, and I wasn't clueless about the patients' plans of care like I thought I'd be. I loved how collaborative the unit was - doctors, pharmacists, PAs, nurses, RT, and whoever all working together to come to a conclusion about the new orders. The doctor and pharmacist immediately recognized me as a new face and introduced themselves. I mean, where am I?! I really liked a lot of our docs at Brack, but the vibe here was a lot more group-oriented. I guess it helps that, as a nurse, your two patients are in fishbowls right in front of you, and it's impossible to miss the doctor coming by like I often did at Brack.
After shadowing I was interviewed by the charge nurse and two other nurses, and then I met with the manager in his office. It was by far the least awkward interview I've ever had. There is nothing I hate more than cold questioning with no sort of feedback from the interviewer, and this guy actually chimed in with his own experiences and made the interview more like a conversation. By the end of all of it I had a great impression of the unit and how it's run, and oh my GOODNESS I wanted the job. "We'll let you know either way within the next few days or so." I celebrated the good interview with a much-needed Starbucks, a bunch of phone calls, and the couch.
...And then 3 o'clock rolled around, HR called me to tell me I am being offered the job, and I have been on cloud 9 ever since! I am still waiting to hear about my start date. The Fellowship thing I have to go through (classroom component, etc etc) doesn't start til July, but the director and the manager mentioned starting me sooner since it's not like I am a brand new grad. During training I will be doing 70% day shifts and 30% night shifts, and once I am on my own it will be split 50/50. A little inconvenient? Yeah. But it's self-scheduling, and I'll just clump my night shifts into a few weeks and my day shifts into the others. Once the newness and the excitement wears off (which I assume will be the first shift I cry - we all know it will come eventually) I think my tolerance of the rotating shift will wear off as well, but for now I'm willing to deal with some inconvenience.
There you have it, friends! The (really long - sorry) job situation everyone (including myself) has been asking about for the past month or two. I've verbally accepted the offer and saw the application status online change to "offer accepted," but nothing has been signed yet. I assume nothing will happen for this all to fall through, but wouldn't that be a fun twist at the end? (no).
I actually have an interview for the MICU at Georgetown next week, but I am hesitant to cancel it until I've physically signed my offer letter. If that hasn't happened by next Thursday I wonder if I should just go to that interview?
I guess that'll be a blog post for another day.
Happy Cinco!
Because I got a J-O-B.
[Insert big, giant sigh of relief. And a big, giant glass of wine.]
When Andrew and I were deciding where we wanted to live out here some of my opinion was based on the fact that I planned to work at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church. The Inova system of hospitals has locations all over the place, but Inova Fairfax is the big level I trauma center/magnet-designated hospital. I applied to a handful of positions there about 6 weeks ago, and, as many of you know, I turned down an offer I got from one of the units in that hospital about a month ago. It didn't feel right, I knew I was more interested in the other positions I had applied to, and I made the (scary) decision to turn it down without knowing if I even had interviews for the others.
[Enter the longest wait of all time with weekly calls and e-mails to HR]
Was it nice moving and settling in without worrying about starting work right away? You're darn right it was. Was the employment issue still on my mind all day every day? Ohhh yes. I sent in some applications to Georgetown University Hospital the week I moved here, thinking I would just have to deal with the long commute there and back if it meant I was getting a good job opportunity.
Last week as I was dying on the couch, a phone call interrupted my fever dreams, and I had gotten an interview for the Neuro ICU at Inova Fairfax. I was to come to the unit at 7AM to shadow a nurse for a few hours, and I would interview with the manager after that.
[Queue EXCITEMENT! Disbelief! Panic! Nausea!]
No really, I cried real tears the night before playing mock-interview with Andrew.
Aside from worrying I would blow the interview, I was worried about shadowing and not liking it! Mentally, all my eggs had been in this basket for 6 weeks, and I wasn't sure what direction I'd be taking if this didn't work out. After being in the break room before shift change, though, and listening to everyone talk about their weekend, make sarcastic comments about the new navy-blue scrub policy, and wait for the charge nurse's daily "safety cuddle," I was so reminded of everyone at Brack! Seeing coworkers that are friends with each other speaks volumes - probably the most important thing I saw that day.
I shadowed a nurse for about 3 hours and loved it. There are lots of bells and whistles and equipment I'm not familiar with, but her neuro assessment is the same one I know how to do, and I wasn't clueless about the patients' plans of care like I thought I'd be. I loved how collaborative the unit was - doctors, pharmacists, PAs, nurses, RT, and whoever all working together to come to a conclusion about the new orders. The doctor and pharmacist immediately recognized me as a new face and introduced themselves. I mean, where am I?! I really liked a lot of our docs at Brack, but the vibe here was a lot more group-oriented. I guess it helps that, as a nurse, your two patients are in fishbowls right in front of you, and it's impossible to miss the doctor coming by like I often did at Brack.
After shadowing I was interviewed by the charge nurse and two other nurses, and then I met with the manager in his office. It was by far the least awkward interview I've ever had. There is nothing I hate more than cold questioning with no sort of feedback from the interviewer, and this guy actually chimed in with his own experiences and made the interview more like a conversation. By the end of all of it I had a great impression of the unit and how it's run, and oh my GOODNESS I wanted the job. "We'll let you know either way within the next few days or so." I celebrated the good interview with a much-needed Starbucks, a bunch of phone calls, and the couch.
...And then 3 o'clock rolled around, HR called me to tell me I am being offered the job, and I have been on cloud 9 ever since! I am still waiting to hear about my start date. The Fellowship thing I have to go through (classroom component, etc etc) doesn't start til July, but the director and the manager mentioned starting me sooner since it's not like I am a brand new grad. During training I will be doing 70% day shifts and 30% night shifts, and once I am on my own it will be split 50/50. A little inconvenient? Yeah. But it's self-scheduling, and I'll just clump my night shifts into a few weeks and my day shifts into the others. Once the newness and the excitement wears off (which I assume will be the first shift I cry - we all know it will come eventually) I think my tolerance of the rotating shift will wear off as well, but for now I'm willing to deal with some inconvenience.
There you have it, friends! The (really long - sorry) job situation everyone (including myself) has been asking about for the past month or two. I've verbally accepted the offer and saw the application status online change to "offer accepted," but nothing has been signed yet. I assume nothing will happen for this all to fall through, but wouldn't that be a fun twist at the end? (no).
I actually have an interview for the MICU at Georgetown next week, but I am hesitant to cancel it until I've physically signed my offer letter. If that hasn't happened by next Thursday I wonder if I should just go to that interview?
I guess that'll be a blog post for another day.
Happy Cinco!
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