Long time, no post

Geez...it's really been 2 months since I was last here? *sigh* I'm a bad blogger...

In my defense - if there really is a defense - I've been busting my ass at work lately. I swear every pregnant woman in the general area has been due the past 2 months because we have been swamped! And it's been worse lately because of the impending hospital move (I plan to write up a separate post about this very rare experience) since most doctors are getting their patients' scheduled inductions and sections done before the "no elective procedures" window closes.

But I am now off orientation, now the real deal. I still ask a ton of questions, still ask a lot of advice on how to handle certain patient situations, but I've noticed that I'm starting to figure out what to do on my own, I just ask for validation. I'm much more comfortable in the OR for c-sections, doing much better getting induction patients admitted and going on their pitocin, doing much much better finding that elusive not-in-labor-yet cervix that's way posterior and at a -3 (or -5...) station. I've had patients on mag, observation patients, postpartum patients when Mother-Baby is full and we hold them in L&D, inductions, sections both pre- and post-op, can get and give report much better, can talk to the docs on the phone much easier (even at 3am when I have to wake them up)....I'm getting there!

So this is the last week we'll be in our current building...I have only 2 more shifts before we move. And I work the very last night shift in the current building before it closes. That is going to be kinda weird...since that building is where my 2nd daughter was born, where I went to nursing school, where I did my clinicals, where I've worked the past almost 5 months...and after next Saturday, it will be just an empty building. Yes, the new building is beautiful and will have so many nice upgrades that will be fantastic once we get used to them...but still... (ok, gotta save stuff for the dedicated hospital move post!)

Until then, I'm going to enjoy my nights off this week and hope we all get through the craziness next weekend as we move patients, equipment, EVERYTHING from our current building to the new building. YIKES.

Sleep shifting

FINALLY preparing for night shift!

I've been at my job for 10 weeks and I guess I'm deemed OK enough in my skills and such to be able to go to nights. I'm ready to be on nights...days just do not jive with my sleep-wake pattern. Plus I'm ready to have a bit of a slower pace so I can focus on learning the WHY's of what I'm doing and start gaining some confidence. There's just no time to really do that on days, especially as busy as we've been the past few weeks.

Anyway...job still going well. I've had a few days where I came home and felt completely inadequate, but most days I've had at least one "Hey, I did that right!" moment. I served out my 2-week OR rotation where I learned how to circulate, chart, and do recovery for c-sections. I'm not really a fan of the OR, but I will admit I've really caught on to that whole routine. There is a set routine and you don't really deviate from it...in the room, prep the patient, surgeon cuts, water breaks, baby out, placenta out, close wound, do instrument counts, clean up patient, go to recovery. But it goes at a really fast pace (some OB's are faster than others...) and I don't have much time to think, just follow the routine. And I'm always afraid I'm going to miss something or bump into the sterile field area and screw that all up...it's nerve-wracking!

One interesting highlight was spending a day in outpatient surgery to get practice on IV starts. It was kinda cool to be on a different unit and see how their days go, plus I really rocked the IV's. Over the course of the day I attempted 6 and was successful with 5. The one I missed...an 89 yo tiny little patient with tiny little veins the size of a human hair. The nurse tried but didn't get her, so IV Team was called. They told me not to even count that as a miss, since she was an almost impossible stick. So yeah...I had a pretty good percentage that day  :-)

Other things I've been doing have to do with the new hospital. I've had several training sessions...department tour, whole hospital tour, device training, phone system training, monitor training...with lots more to go. I know I have 2 sessions scheduled in April already, with more to come, I'm sure. We're getting closer to move day...62 days! 2 months!

Anyway...I've killed a little time here on this all-nighter night. I'm staying up until about 7a and then sleeping all day so I can hopefully be awake and functional for my first night shift Sunday night. I know I'll adjust to my night schedule once I get used to it, but it will take me a week or so to really get back to it.

Happy weekend...or what's left of it!