Just wanted to give a brief and sincere shout out to everyone who reads this blog and was able to make it out to our Portland reception. It was so wonderful to see everyone and my only regret is that I didn't have more time to spend talking with everyone individually. A special thank you to my mother-in-law Diane who was one of the chief orchestrators of the day from arranging the food to prep and clean up. Another special thank you to everyone who was there early to help set-up and those who stayed late to help clean up. Everyone pitched in to make it a wonderful day. It makes me feel all wamr and fuzzy to know that so many people carved time out of their schedules to celebrate with us.
My blogging has been a bit, well, patchwork of late. Owing to family visits, my new job, and the fact that my laptop needs a defibrillator or an exorcism. I think it is on the way to the laptop graveyard. I had hoped to at least sell it to pay for a bit of whatever I buy (have Apple Macbook taste, but have low end Gateway money), but now I will be lucky to salvage anything from it. I am still awaiting word from Costco, but the situation looks grim. Then again, the last time I thought that I still managed to pass the NCLEX.
The new job: what to say? what to say? Where to start might be more appropriate. The first day was as terrifying and chaotic as my first day in nursing school. At least I am getting paid instead of the other way around though. Willamette Falls does not operate like other hospitals I have been exposed to. Most hospitals have a very defined start-up process and it flows in a distinctly linear fashion. Spend 'x' number of days learning hospital policies. Spend 'x' number of days learning nursing policies. Spend 'x' number of days on skill and equipment training. Then, and only then, do you go to the floor to start your mentorship. Not so at WF. They sporadically, and seemingly haphazardly, orient new grads to both hospital and nursing policies and equipment. I am not sure the theory behind it, but I suppose it could be effective if you have fundamentally sound preceptors who are effective teachers. If not, well......it could be a long hard road.
Day 1 was spent on the unit. I was paired with a nurse who was not supposed to be paired with me per se. Unfortunately, the nurse I was supposed to be paired with was out for whatever reason. Not to denigrate the job performance of the nurse I did work with, but she was clearly not a teacher, but rather a doer. I found myself bounding along behind her like a duckling following its mom. I had no idea where anything was. I had no time to look over charts. I had no clue how to work a majority of the equipment and I still have no idea what exactly the nurses role is at WF (they were short CNAs and a lot of the normal CNA duties fell to the nurse from what I could gather..........which meant that, to my chagrin, it was not a poop free day). Hopefully this will come into focus much like when they are flipping lenses at the optometrist (usually that analogy, right now I would be the equivalent of blindfolded......in a cave.........during the winter months at the north pole. Things aren't fuzzy or blurry, they just aren't period).
Day 2 was a new grad class. It was fortuitous that I had one early on. They taught us how to use the phones, log on to the computer, and access some basic services for patients. Some people had been there for better than 6-8 weeks without such training. Makes me wonder what I won't be learning until I am there that long. Hopefully nothing critical. In the meantime, I will just try to keep my head above water. I will keep everyone as posted as I can.
I am off to Ambien dreams. Nothing like an EARLY Monday morning to make me damn near tear up in joy (wait, I meant misery not joy). Cannot wait until I start working the swing shift. Sweet sweet slumber.
Wish me a poop free day if you think about it.
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