June 19th, 2008
1 Comment »
On Monday night I went out and bought a bunch of pairs of scrubs in Caribbean blue, our required color. This is not a popular color for scrubs, but I found it at an awesome store in Katy. There was a friendly Indian woman there who owns and runs the place, and by the end of my shopping experience she was giving me marriage advice and showing me all of her receipts for the day.
On Tuesday my preceptor was off and my backup preceptor was late, so I ended up working with a girl who has only been a nurse since January. Although she was very nice, she was also extremely disorganized and I did not much enjoy working with her. That night David and I went and spent some time with our good friends Megan and Peter, who were in town for a wedding. The highlight of the night involved Megan and I getting completely made fun of for the fact that in high school we listened to ska music and skanked. Don’t know what that is? You’re cooler than I am.
Wednesday my preceptor was off again and I sat with the unit secretary. It was boring, but at least I got to sit down. That night David and I went to visit his aunt and uncle in Sealy. David is very close to them, and his aunt has pancreatic cancer and is not doing well. It was good that we went.
Today my preceptor, Christy, was back and we had a good day. She is allowing me to do more things now. Tonight I am returning to my apartment. I have been away for over a week house- and pet-sitting. I miss Cleo and my bed.
I am really exhausted. 4:30 a.m. comes really early.
June 16th, 2008
1 Comment »
I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and got home at 5 p.m., and all I’m thinking at this moment is that my legs and feet are very tired.
Today I met my preceptor, Christy, and basically followed her around the entire day. She is extremely nice, but I don’t think she quite understands the concept that I am an RN with a license (yay!) and I can actually do stuff. It wasn’t until the end of the day, when she was getting behind, that I finally told her, “You know if you need help with anything I can do something for you.” She said, “You can give meds?” Um…yeah, I’ve been doing that since the second semester of nursing school!
She won’t be my only preceptor, because she doesn’t work every day. But I really liked the unit and the people, and I’m sure I will love it once I get more involved and obtain more autonomy. I already requested my vacation days (August 1-3 for my good friend Ellen’s wedding in Kansas, and of course October 3-12!), I have my own locker with a lock and my name on it, and I know all the secret codes. I just need to get my hands dirty!
P.S. I promise that all my posts won’t have to do with nursing from now on!
June 6th, 2008
1 Comment »
I have successfully completed my first week of work, and I have determined that new nurse orientation is way worse than school. Except for the fact that I am getting paid good money for it, which makes it bearable.
Basically I have been sitting in lectures. They cover a variety of topics, from why Methodist is considered a magnet hospital, to wound care, to cultural competency (as if I haven’t had that drilled into my head a million times by now), to operating an AED. I have also been doing a thousand computer-based training modules. These are better than the lectures, but after the 999th one they get pretty old. (You may notice that I’m prone to hyperbole today.)
Next week doesn’t look much better. In fact, it looks worse because I finished all my computer modules and now I mainly have only lectures to look forward to. Except Wednesday, which is, if you remember, the day I am taking the most important test of my LIFE.
Speaking of that, I guess it’s another reason I feel so drained. I come home from work and I study, that’s what I do. I managed to hurt my back in the process somehow, maybe from all that strenuous sitting I’ve been doing. But seriously, if it doesn’t start feeling better soon I’m going to have to go to a doctor. David and I have barely seen each other this week, which is no fun for either of us. I’m not trying to be a complainer, I’m just trying to express how much I can’t WAIT to get that test over with and start a normal life!
So, I’m taking the evening off to hang out with my parents. David is going to see the Astros with my brothers, so my mom and I are going to go for a short shopping trip. Perhaps I can get some studying in later tonight, but if I can’t, eh. I have the whole weekend for that.
June 2nd, 2008
2 Comments »
I woke up at 5 a.m. and got ready just like any other day, except I didn’t take a shower, because I had done that the previous night to relax me (along with taking a Tylenol PM). Also, I maybe went a little out of the way to distract myself from where I was going that day by reading gossip magazines while eating breakfast and checking my e-mail.
I drove to the park and ride, a new one that I’ve never been to before. I entered the bus, and noticed that it was the nice kind that seemed more like a charter than public transportation. I encountered my first roadblock when the bus pass my new employer had given me was not yet loaded with credit. Annoying, but not a problem because I had my own personal bus pass with me. I had planned to study during the commute, but I was too drowsy. The bus eventually dropped me off practically at the door of the hospital, and I checked my phone and saw that I was an hour early. Guess I misjudged that one.
I sat outside in the warm sun and rested until I thought it was an appropriate time to go in. I was relieved to immediately see one of my classmates there. I knew that many of them were also hired at Methodist, but everyone I had talked to was starting later than I was. But there ended up being five people there that I already knew.
The man who was leading our orientation, which was not just for nurses but for all new hospital employees, used to work at Disney World–and it showed. He actually said to us, “Good morning everyone, are you ready to have a magical day?” before admitting that he sometimes had to tone his enthusiasm down. At Disney World he has played the part of Goofy, Chewbacca, the muppet Sweetums, and Jafar from Aladdin. Interesting.
To begin the day we started out with one of those “mixers” designed to get you meeting people. I attempted, but didn’t do very well. I wasn’t too jealous when the winner received a prize of an umbrella. After that, we launched into orientation material. This consisted of a history of Methodist Hospital, strategy and organization, Methodist values (Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Excellence–I CARE), and “Business Practices” which was really just ethics and compliance. Some of it was interesting, parts were funny, and other parts were painfully boring.
Right before lunch a woman made an announcement that I was SO grateful for–she was handing out our nursing orientation schedule. See, I was under the impression from HR that the second day we would be on our units already, and I would have to undergo all this nursing orientation on my own. Very intimidating. So when I got the schedule and realized I would be doing another week and a half of orientation with my friends, I was relieved. This put me in such a good mood that I went and actually visited my unit and talked to my new manager. She was extremely nice and happy to see me, and she told me that I won’t have to work weekends for at least a month, maybe two. I can actually make plans now!
After lunch we had some more fun segments to sit through: customer service, multiculturalism, patient safety, and finally HR went over our benefits. Here are some things about this job that I am excited about:
- Methodist is #10 on Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 companies to work for in the United States.
- It is the official healthcare provider of the Astros, Dynamo, Texans, Symphony, and Ballet.
- There is a fitness center in the hospital free to employees, along with classes of yoga and pilates that begin only an hour after my shift ends.
- My transportation costs will consist of the gas it takes to drive to the park and ride, and that’s it.
- I think I have a really great unit.
- Those “I CARE” values I mentioned? The people at Methodist really seem to live them out.
So, although I almost had an anxiety attack the other night about starting work, I am no longer worried about it. Now I can transfer all that worry onto next Wednesday, June 11, when I take the NCLEX.
