Work

Today was my first day on my own at work.  I ended up getting a couple extra days of training on Thursday and Friday, then today I was alone.  Things have gone pretty smoothly on every one of my training days and wouldn't you know that today, it was one thing after another! I was told I wouldn't be given a new admission for a long time because of how detailed the process is and the massive amounts of paperwork involved.  Well, guess who got an admission today...  :(  On top of that I ended up having to send a patient out by squad to the hospital and had a resident in the independent living fall and bust her lip open and I had to go to her apartment and check her out. Those, along with several other things, made it a long, non-stop 13 hour day.  Ughh!  I hope and pray that tomorrow is a much, MUCH better day!  This work thing is not all it's cracked up to be. ;)

Uggh

Working three 12's in a row is no fun.  One day off tomorrow, then back for two more.  I am SO glad I'll only be working every other weekend.  Actually, I'd be happier if I was just working the same amount of hours on weekdays because I'm kind of sad that I'll be missing half of my weekends.  But, it is still much better than having to work schedules like this week all the time.

My shoes didn't come in until yesterday, so I wore them for the first time today.  They're not bad.  Aside from a little red, sore spot on the top of one foot (which, I assume is just from the mere fact that I'm just breaking them in) they were pretty comfortable.  And, my back did not hurt at the end of today like it did after yesterday.  Probably due to the fact that I'm on my feet for a good 75% of my day, at least.  So hopefully this will mean they were worth the price! ;)

I'm excited to get to sleep in a little tomorrow and spend the day with my babies.  I couldn't work like this all the time.  It's hard going back to work after being a stay-at-home mom for 8 years! Knowing it's just this week is making it bearable (especially after this morning when the fire alarms kept going off during my morning med pass - which means stopping what I'm doing, and going through the unit closing all doors, moving patients to their rooms, etc.  Not.  Fun.).

A little nervous...

Tomorrow is my first day at my new job! Tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, I will be training.  Then the following weekend, I will be on my own!  As in, the only nurse in my department on duty with 3-4 STNA's that I will basically be in charge of.  I'll be the one that, if something goes wrong, is supposed to know what to do!  That is an incredible amount of responsibility.  Thirty patients' lives will be in my hands.  I really hope I can do this!  AHHHHHH!!

On a side note, I had to go out and buy some new scrubs because all of the scrubs I had were way too big.  (I'm not complaining though.)  I also bought some Dansko shoes that I have heard so much about.  If you look around, you'll probably notice about 90% of nurses wearing this type of shoe:  

Image retrieved from http://www.lydiasuniforms.com/scrubs/products.asp?sku=406&cat=613&t=nursing_shoes_-_dansko_professional_patent_clog

They are apparently awesome.  I tried some on yesterday while I was out shopping and then ordered them online.  They should be here tomorrow.  Hope they're as good as I've heard!

'boutsta bussa cap!

I am in such a pissy mood right now!  It is difficult enough trying to wrap my tiny little brain around the concepts of chemistry without the neighbor kids repeatedly knocking and ringing the doorbell continuously until somebody answers the door resulting in the dogs barking and going crazy each time. Seriously?  What ever happened to knocking or ringing once and waiting?  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Two more days.  Just two more days....

Not again!

For the past week, my son has been sick.  It started with just pink eye, which is bad enough, but then he started running 103 degree fevers and vomiting. Usually, when this happens with him, it is either strep throat or an ear infection. I took him to the doctor last Friday and the strep test was negative and his ears looked fine.  He got eye drops for the pink eye and I was told just to watch him over the weekend and if he got worse or was still running fevers Monday to take him back in.  Well, he was spiking fevers all last weekend so, I took him back in Monday.  Strep test was still negative, but his ears were starting to look like they could be infected.  She gave him meds.

For the past few days, he has not had fevers and has been feeling much better.  This morning, however, he woke up vomiting again and feeling achy.  He hasn't even been able to keep ibuprofen down.  :(  Poor little man!  My younger daughter is also pitching in her softball tournament today, but I'm missing that because I'm at home taking care of a sick boy.  I hate when my babies are sick!  I hope he's feeling better soon!

On a side note, I have been able to avoid the sickness (and pink eye) so far.  I hope I don't get sick this week or next.  I don't want to be sick and have to try to learn this chemistry crap or take a final on it while sick.  I also don't want to be sick for my first days of training the following week!

What?!

I know already mentioned this, but I really, really hate chemistry!  I am taking an accelerated course right now (8 weeks of material in 3 weeks) and it sucks!  I was no good at this subject when I took it in high school, but I do think I am picking up on a  few things better now than I did then.  Probably because I am actually trying...

The course is completely online, including labs, which is awesome!  I just have go to a testing center for a proctored midterm and final.  Today was the mid-term, and somehow, I manged to pull of a 92%. What?! I was supposed to start in on the next chapter yesterday (according to the professor's proposed schedule), but I spent my time studying for today's test instead.  This morning, I studied more, then took the test, and the rest of the day has been spent working out and making and eating dinner (and now blogging, of course).  

I am still waiting for the class I originally had scheduled to start next Monday to be dropped.  I decided after this chem class, I want to take the rest of the summer off of school.  Well, that, and I finally got a job!  It isn't my first choice, but I think it will actually work out well.  It is in the skilled nursing unit of a local senior community where they also have condos as well as assisted living.  I will be in the portion that is basically a nursing home.  The pluses include the fact that it is VERY clean (I have been in a lot of nursing homes that have turned me waaaay off wanting to even step foot in them.  This one doesn't have the typical urine smell, but rather looks and smells more like a decent hotel), it is only about 10 minutes from my house, and once I get passed training, will only be every other weekend 7a-7p.  And...it is a start.  With some experience under my belt, it should be much easier to find another job in the future.  

Starting off will suck a bit, as I will have to work five 12 hour shifts in 6 days for training, then work again the following weekend, but once I get past that, I'm hoping it will be all good.

Well, I suppose I should stop blogging now and get back to studying!  Here's hoping I can do as well on the final next Friday as I did today (though I'm not terribly confident because the material is only getting more and more difficult)!  Ugh!