Pages

Friday, October 23, 2015

Several months in as an RN

Life has been so busy and so exciting these past few months...and so terrifying at times and so rewarding at other times.

I am now working 2 jobs -- one in primary care and one in acute care. This way, I am truly getting the best of both worlds. I love this. In primary care, I am getting to know the patients at our clinic, forging the basis of long-term relationships with patients that I find very rewarding. And at the hospital, I am learning how to be an independently functional nurse, working on honing my skills and my time management skills. Both of which are currently facing a huge learning curve! Lol

I've met so many nice and supportive people. In a few short months I've also learned a lot about human behaviour, family behaviour and how to deal with both pleasant and difficult situations.

I have anyone yet to die while I'm working, so that is something that I know I need to face one of these days. Part of me is so relieved when every hospital shift goes well, and yet I know it is lurking there, and a small part of me wants to face it, so that I can face that own personal fear of mine. What grim thoughts.

Back to better things. At the clinic, I am slowly starting to feel like a relatively competent nurse. I am really enjoying telephone triage shifts in particular -- our clinic has a mini telehealth program, where nurses have medical directives for certain conditions and we can use our templates to prescribe medications for some callers, and give advice and book patients urgently, and sometimes do counselling and whatever else happens to be the topic of the call. I am an extremely visually oriented person, I feel the most confident when I can assess my patients visually as well as physically, but I am finding that I am so enjoying the triage shifts. Love them!!!

And the hospital shifts are going well too. I am so blessed to be with an extremely supportive group of nurses, some very, very experienced, and others relatively new, but all that I've worked with have a strong team mentality and help me out and answer my questions as they arise. At that job, the understanding is that I'll work a few months in my current position to gain experience, and then they will start transitioning me to Emerg....my ultimate passion.

Life is good. Life is busy. Life is very tiring at times. Oh, we also got a tiny puppy to add to the mix, just to make sure we're not busy enough! She's a golden retriever and some days appears to be growing before our eyes. We are completely smitten with her - pure puppy love!

In hindsight, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to make this career change. There have been moments when I completely doubted my sanity in making the career change....berating myself why I just didn't stay put in the comfy job I had. But those moments, although intense, have been fleeing. I am ultimately so happy now, looking forward to what my workday brings, even though I am still apprehensive at the start of shifts and at certain moments during the day, or night!

I LOVE being a nurse. Life is great.

RN Kate