MICU

This past month I had the opportunity to spend 9 hours in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and I got to follow this great seasoned funky nurse.  I had a blast, but most importantly I got to put into practice a few of things I have been learning in my critical care class.  For instance, at the start of the shift my nurse prints out a current telemetry monitoring strip and proceeds to interpret it.  I loved this step because I had a take-home midterm that consisted of reading some strips and what takes me forever to interpret only took her a matter of seconds.

Then we got to meet our two patients for the day where one suffered from a slow brain bleed needing surgery, and the other a CVA (stroke) affecting the left side of the body.  I thought it was neat that the nurse had to do neurological assessments as often as she assessed for pain (approx. every 2 hours) and she had her routine down perfectly. 

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Ultimately what I liked most about this experience was that the family trusted me enough to ask me questions.  Instead of seeing me as a student they looked to me for help and information.  I stepped up to the plate and answered what I could, but I was quick to admit if I didn’t know something and offered to find out.  It was a busy day, but fulfilling.  I’m glad I got my job in OB, because I’m not sure I’m cut out for the MICU.

The last time I worked in OB, my boss was thrilled to tell me when I would be attending the AWHONNs fetal heart monitoring class.  One more step in the right direction, now I just need to find a good patho OB book for my collection.  Any ideas?

Daffodils and Tulips Never Sounded So Good

Here’s the update:

1) Thank you everyone for all of your prayers and good thoughts and for thinking/believing in me, I have some great news!

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2) Last week Tuesday, right before spring break, on my very last day of clinical wearing my blue smurf school scrubs and white nursing student patch, I got a call from HR.  I was excited to finally be hearing from them so we could set up a time to interview on the birth center, but guess what happened??  Instead of the nursing recruiter saying “let’s schedule a time to interview” which is what I assumed she would say, she said “the managers on the birth center, would like to offer you, Zazzy, a registered nurse job on their unit after you graduate”!  SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!  I wasn’t expecting to hear that, and my ears were ringing and fuzzy all at the same time.  My mouth went dry, my face flushed, and I started sweating.  I couldn’t believe what I had heard.  And because I was in a state of shock the nursing recruiter went on to say “let me tell you more about the offer” and I was silently jumping for joy and doing backflips in my head.  She said “you would be scheduled 36 hrs/week variable”, “you have the option to choose whether you want an 8 or 12 hour shift”, “if you choose the 8 hour shift you’ll work every other weekend, but if you choose the 12 hour shift you’ll work every third weekend”.  She finally paused and asked, “so would you like to accept this offer of employment” to which I answered with an unquestionable “YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  Holy Smokes (no pun intended with the new Pope and all), but I was shocked that they were offering me the job without an interview.  I even asked the recruiter and she told me that the BC managers were confident with my work ethic and skill ability as an OB Tech that an interview wasn’t necessary.  I could not have been more thrilled honestly!  My DREAM job was being gently placed in my lap, like a feather falling to the ground.  AMEN AND THANK YOU LORD! AMEN AND THANK YOU LORD! AMEN AND THANK YOU LORD!  There will be more to come as I find time to write on my spring break, but for now I just wanted you all to know I got the job!

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3) The week after our house went on the market, we’ve had two showings and an open house.  We almost got an offer, but the prospective buyers went with a different house for less money.  No worries, I’m content on waiting and not rushing.  We know God has a plan for us and we’re doing all we can which is all that is expected of us.

4)  Also as I write this, despite my cloud 9 happiness with my job offer and all, my cabin fever has turned into cabin rage because it is currently snowing once again in Wisconsin with 3” expected.  UGHHH I just want to dance in the grass with the daffodils and tulips!  Is that too much to ask?  Maybe soo with all my blessings, so instead I'll stay internally bright and just as happy as if spring were coming.

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68 Days Until I Graduate!

Greetings from the snowy areas of the north, oy-vey the spring fever has be hitting me hardcore!  On the positive side, I have quite the updates to bring you all.

1)  My school semester has been moving right along and a ton of stress has been lifted from my shoulders with less school work!  The only papers I have this semester is my Capstone (This paper often determines the student's chances of attending graduate school and is a lengthy and difficult paper to complete), and the only exams are my mid-terms and finals. 

2)  Speaking of school we had to retake the HESI again this semester and this time the result of the exam is a part of our grade.  Knowing our min. score should be around 900, I came in at about 844.  Shoot I missed it by that much…oh well.  I’m not too bummed about the lower grade, I’ll just retake it in a few weeks and take the better of the two grades and own it.  What’s funny is majority of the students in the class (75%) fail this exam semester after semester, yet when these same students take the NCLEX, they pass.  I find it hard to directly correlate the results of the HESI, to how well a student does on the NCLEX.  I’m thinking the results of the HESI prove the geniuses from the really really bright and highly smart students in the class.  Either way I plan to set aside a few weeks of solid studying for the NCLEX after graduation, but that’s a different story.

3)  I’m excited to order my cap, gown, and honor cords!  I also have to order my nursing pin, my choices are ones that start at $60 and I can get fancy solid gold ones for $500, yikes huh?  Why can’t I browse Amazon and buy a cheaper pin??  I’m trying to figure out what outfit I’d like to wear under my gown, dress or skirt or pants suit?  I’m also trying to figure out how to wear my hair, knowing I have to wear that cap on top.  I was thinking either a low bun or spiral curls sitting on my shoulders. 

  

4) I’m SUPER thrilled to announce my great news (and sorry I did not tell you all sooner).  I had that meeting with my supervisor on the birth center and informed her of my intentions of wanting a job as a nurse on the unit after I graduate.  While she didn’t come right out and say that she would hire me, she did instruct me NOT to apply to any other units and that she would keep a spot for me, and to relax worrying about where I would end up when I’m done with school.  She told me to keep my head in the books and to pass the boards!  YahoooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOO!  My ears were ringing the whole time because I could not believe it, but I was doing a happy dance.  The Lord directly answered my prayers and put me where he wants me.  Amen!

5)  We’re still not sure the outlook on my hubby’s job, but we have made the decision to stay in Wisconsin.  We’re just waiting for his boss and his bosses’ boss to make up their minds on all the details of what they want my hubby to do.  Hopefully we’ll know more by the end of the month.  There is a possibility we’ll still move to Texas, but now that percentage is much lower than it once was. 

6)  Either way, whichever state we will end up living in; we HAVE to sell our house.  We have completely outgrown this home, which was once perfect for our small children, but has since gotten too small as the kids are getting older.  We put our house up for sale last Monday, and have our first open house this coming weekend.  We’re really praying it sells quickly so we don’t have to worry about later on having two house payments.  We have a fabulous realtor who is working hard for us!  Trust me getting this house ready to sell has been another test of our family relationship as a whole but in the end we have a great staged beautiful product, and we all still love each other.

7)  We would appreciate all the prayers we could get from selling the house to having my hubby’s boss figure out all the details.  Most importantly I’m asking for prayers that our family is moving in the direction that God wants for us.  We want nothing other than being obedient to His will for our lives.  Thank you everyone!

Mid Last Semester Concerns

Here I am in my last semester with only 14 weeks of school left, and 4 weeks of clinical left.  I’m flying so high on cloud 9 because the work load / group projects have decreased drastically.  I’m excited and absorbing my family much more now-a-days.  I’m able to help with laundry and cleaning and cooking around the house.  I almost feel normal again, however I can’t help feeling like I ought to be doing something more.  I write out my to-do lists for classes and can’t find something to work on, except of course practicing my NCLEX questions.  I can never get enough of those.

I’m asking for prayers on my future, specifically 1) where our family is going to live after graduation, and 2) where I’m going to be employed after I pass the boards.

Although our percentage is high to move to Texas this summer, we’re still not 100% sure.  Unfortunately all I can say at this point is nothing is for sure yet.  Either way I want to be settled in my soul and spirit with whatever our future holds.  Because of our uncertainty, brings me to my second prayer request of not knowing where I’ll be working.  Considering we could be staying here in town, I have to realistically apply for nursing jobs at the hospital where I am employed.  As well as apply for RN jobs in Texas, in case we for sure move there too.  This is tricky to say the least, but I know it’s best to put my eggs in a bunch of baskets and get multiple offers rather than just a few and get no offers.

My dilemma on the birth center where I work now (and want to work after I pass the boards), is that the job openings are far and few in between.  I’ve come to find out that my chances of an RN job opening up and being offered to me are low.  In fact one of the new nurses announced she is leaving her job to relocate elsewhere, which meant an opening.  And while I noticed a job opening and applied for it, my boss didn’t mention the opening to me, like I thought she would have.  Which then, leads me to think that I may not be the person they want to fill the job.  Now I don’t know if this is doubt or my own insecurities or that maybe my boss already has an opening I’m not aware of waiting for me?  Either way I don’t know what to think.  So I made an appointment to speak to my boss about my intentions of wanting to get hired after I graduate.  That meeting is scheduled for 2/25, and I would hope to have an understanding on whether they want me working there as an RN.  If I hear during that meeting anything other than “yes we want you” and/or “yes we’ll make sure there’s an opening for you as an RN”, then I’m going straight to my other bosses office on the med/surg floor and get the ball rolling on a job there.

You see part of the problem is that I assumed I’d have no problem getting a job on the med/surg floor because those openings have high turnover rates.  However, the longer I wait to hear from the birth center, leaves me with a smaller chance on the med/surg floor.  Whichever way I look at the situation I have to start acting now, otherwise I’ll be missing out on both units.

And yes, I have applied for a few jobs in the Dallas area, and hope to hear back from them around the same time I can say for sure we’ll be moving there.  The decisions seemed easier in my head but as I write them out here, they seem awfully confusing…so, sorry for that.

On another note, with the extra time I have available for family, I’ve been helping my son with his studies and engaged more with my daughter and her busy schedule.  I’ve been able to watch favorite TV shows with my hubby, and more involved with my bible reading plans.  

After I find out more on the 25^th I’ll write an update regarding both matters mentioned above.  Meanwhile stay warm everyone!

Nerves Getting the Best of Me

I’M SO STINKING NERVOUS!  

Nervous for what you may ask?  Nervous for tomorrow being my first day back to school for my final semester of school.  

Nervous because why?  Let me list a few for you: 1) because I’m scared of being overwhelmed with mountains of homework like last semester where I had a hard time keeping things organized.  2) because I’m worried about the (two) 10-12 hour clinical days per week, consisting of up to four patients at a time (yikes). 3) worried that I won’t be able to absorb my time with friends and the small moments of nursing school and that before I know it, I’ll be done.  4) most importantly worried I won’t pass the NCLEX at the end.

I’ve been reading blogs of friends who have graduated and passed the boards, and I’ve even see upper classmen live to tell about how their strategies worked for them or not.  I’ve listened and stored lots of advice in my brain.  And I’m not saying I’m better or unique, but I just think I’m going to have a harder time passing the darn thing than most other people. 

I can almost guarantee I’ll take longer than the minimal 75 questions to pass the NCLEX, and if the screen does shut off after 75 questions it won’t be because I passed.  I mean at least that’s how I feel deep down inside.  I almost hate to admit that because I don’t know what the Lord has in store for me.  Maybe I’ll pass just fine because that’s the picture he painted for my future instead of my insecure one, and if so then AMEN!  But what if I’m humbled and I don’t pass the first time, what if I don’t pass the second time.  I’m not prepared for that! 

I don’t think I could broadcast my exam date even on my blog because I’d be so embarrassed if I didn’t pass the first time around.  But I guess if I do announce a date for when I’m taking the NCLEX, and I don’t write a follow-up within a week after taking it, then you’ll know it didn’t go well.  UGH!!!  Why is this so hard to even want to deal with it?  It’s just another exam, testing me on content and application; I’ve been doing this for 4 semesters so far, so I should have nothing to worry about, right?  Right!

Then why am I so nervous?

Unpretentious Birth

Nothing pleases me more while working on the birthing center, than when the call light goes off for one of the rooms with a laboring mom ready to push.  I get all excited and giddy, and pick up the pace to grab a sterile cart that I’ve already prepared for this moment.  Usually the nurse I’m following grabs the baby scale and together we enter the room. 

The look in the mother’s eyes is not of shock or that we’ve intruded, despite the fact that sometimes her bottom is exposed.  Instead her look is of desperation to get the baby out and end the exhaustion that labor is putting her through. 

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The mother we took care of that day already had given birth once before, that took over two hours of actual pushing, and she was afraid this labor would be the same.  The nurse reassured her by saying that every pregnancy was different and we would know more after she started pushing.

Sometimes I am caught off guard by the sounds laboring moms can make, or how they talk to their spouses because of frustration.  This mom didn’t say much and every time she felt the pain increase from another contraction, she would cover her mouth as if to control herself to stay quiet.  She also purchased a birthing gown prior to coming to the hospital, and the nurse did her best to push it out of the way so it wouldn’t get soiled.  However, she was quite modest and kept pushing her gown down to cover her vagina, so her hubby and her mother wouldn’t see her exposed. 

The actual pushing of active labor only lasted about half an hour, especially after we talked her into dropping her knees down allowing for a wider opening.  Also, we put the head of the bed down straightening out the vaginal canal.  I was thrilled to take over the “counting to 10” for my nurse while she caught up on some charting during a few of the earlier pushes.  This made me feel like I was the nurse coaching the mom through the labor process, if only for a few pushes.

Moments later, the baby was on the warmer getting cleaned up and healthy apgar scores were being tallied.  Mom was saying over and over how beautiful the baby looked, dad was a blubbering mess (which I LOVE to see), and grandma was hugging and kissing her daughter for doing such a good job.  To be honest, even my eyes were a bit misty.

This never gets old to me; I love to watch the miracle of birth happen over and over!  I am so very blessed and happy with my decision to work here.  Now if only I could get a job as a nurse on this unit, I’d be all set!  Oh and also, between me and the nurse, together we were able to keep mom’s gown from getting too dirty.

New Year = New Word = Flexible

I know the second weekend in January is already upon me, but I’ve been inspired to write a New Year posting similar to this one one.

Carrie from Chasing Big Dreams wrote about a word(s) that summed up her 2012, along with a few new words to charge forward with into 2013, rather than New Year Resolutions.

Since I've never heard of this concept before, I was not able to sum up my 2012 into one word.  However, looking forward to the possibilities of my future this year, I think I have found a word that will fit nicely.

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Flexible defined by www.dictionary.com as: Capable of bending easily without breaking.  Able to be easily modified to respond to altered circumstances or conditions.

Here are a few of the areas that will pull and twist me, hopefully without breaking me:

~Finishing my last semester of nursing school

~Being supportive of my husband’s new job responsibilities that will take him on business trips more often leaving us without him

~Cleaning and purging my home in the attempt to get it ready to sell

~Keeping said home clean during “showings” from the Realtor (with two messy teenagers)

~Selling our house and possibly living in an apartment if only temporarily

~Studying for the NCLEX (state boards) AND passing them

~Searching, interviewing, and accepting a nursing job

~Saying goodbye to my family members and friends

~Moving to Texas

~Finding a home

~Adjusting to the positive and negatives of moving

~Learning the southern lifestyle

~Starting out as a fresh baby nurse

I think that’s about it.  I would love to put my new word to the test, and see if in January 2014, I was able to be flexible.  Here's to the new year!