Honeymooning

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.