independance

My orientation is complete. 6 long long weeks of classroom training, hands on robot labs and 6 weeks of actual ER training. I learned the ropes, the ins and outs of an emergency room and the crazy life of an ER nurse. I definately learned a lot and feel that i'm as ready as i'll ever be to be on my own with my 5 patient load.

Random things i've learned:

-Always wash your hands
-Wear a mask....often
-Make friends with the paramedics cause they will be able to get the IV lines when you can't
-Stand up to the doctors and say what you think
-Coffee grounds in a bowl in a stinky person's room, takes away 50% of the stink
-Smiling at people makes a big difference
-Sad things make me cry...i hope i'm always that way
-Dilaudid & Morphine are strong strong medicines that make people projectile vomit...duck
-Wear comfortable shoes
-Bugs do crawl in people's ears
-Always have red bull on hand
-When people feel sick they are sad, be nice to them.
-Smoking does awful things to people.
-People should not be alone in an Emergency Room
-Pregnancy and drugs don't go together
-I wish I could wear those cheesy festive scrubs I used to always make fun of.
-Being a nurse is hard hard work. And I love it.

Sunday is the superbowl and although it is a huge day for those players, its an even bigger day for me...its my first day with a full patient load all by myself with no mentor to guide me. I am ready. I don't feel scared because I know I have tons of people around me to help. I just want to give the patients the best care and don't want them to feel weary in my hands. I hope the patients aren't too critical---when that happens you end up spending all night with that patient and the other 4 don't get enough attention. One thing i've learned though is that the ER is NEVER predictable and i'm sure sunday i'll get 5 ICU patients ;) Bring it on!

Remember...life is a gift. Live it!