Moving from my comfort zone . . . not so bad!

I have to start by thanking God, my family, my friends, all those people who have NOT called me to day. . . .I slept the best I have slept since I started night shift. Maybe I was really tired, maybe it was that it is soo cool and fallish around here, maybe it was because I put a blanket up over my curtains to make it darker, who knows. I actually slept from 9:30 this morning until about 1:30 this afternoon and I didn't wake up but ONCE!!!! I usually wake every hour and only sleep for about a total of 3 -4 hours if I am lucky when I am doing my shifts!!! I actually feel rested! I think after this post I will lay back down and read or rest or maybe fall back asleep since it is so early. I don't have to be at work until 7pm, which means I have to be up by 5pm and leave my house around 5:45pm.
Anyway, I was going to write about my orientation. It is so amazing!! See I have been a nurse for about almost 4 years. I started out my "nursing" career as a CNA in a nursing home and did that for about 10 years or more. Then went on to school. While in school I got a job at this hospital working on the neurological floor. Then I graduated and stayed on that floor. So, as I have said before, if you have a stroke, brain tumor, seizure, MS, ALS, back surgery, I can pretty much take care of you with my eyes closed. I feel totally comfortable with lumbar drains that are draining spinal fluid from your body. I feel fine watching and assisting the doctors do a spinal tap at bedside, or doing a bone marrow biopsy at bedside, placing a halo on your head before you go have brain surgery. Taking care of a seizure patient who has had part of his skull removed, EEG leads placed directly on his brain, bandage his head up, let him leak spinal fluid, watch him one on one for a week while recording all his seizures, keeping his head and brain safe during the violent seizures, then him going to surgery having that piece of his brain that causes the seizure removed, and then taking care of him again after his skull is put back together. I can do all that, NO PROBLEM!!!
I have never been off that floor. For the most part never even visted the other units in the 4 years I have been working there. So this was a big step for me. I went into this totally unsure of what I was doing. I had just known that I would do neuro all my life so I let alot of information that I learned in school go. I didn't think it would be important to me. Kinda like chest tubes, trachs, cancer patients, stuff like that.
Let me tell you. I am having so much fun with this. My typical night on the neuro floor was 5-7 patients with a patient care tech to help me with 2 of them IF I was lucky!!! I have oriented on 3 different units so far and the most patients I have had was 4 and we had an LPN helping us with them. I don't get it. The neuro floor does vitals and assessments every 4 hours, there are meds that are given around the clock, steriods that are sometimes every 4-6 hours and pain meds that are just as often, there are heparin drips that have to be adjusted, there are insulin drips that have to have blood sugar tests every 1-2 hours. It is so busy and we end up with a heavy patient load. On the floors I have been to so far, the vitals and assessments are once a shift. On occasion, if they have a PCA or CADD pump or are fresh post-opt, vitals will be every 4 hours but they all let their patients sleep at night. And on top of that the patient load is NO MORE than 4, with ancillary help!!!! I am bored most of the night, I read a book, look at a magazine, surf the internet. Answer call lights, go check on people who don't want to be bothered because they are sleeping. . . I feel like I need to be doing something. It is actually a nice break. I get to read charts, learn or re-learn diagnosis, re-educate myself on symptoms and why these people are here.
I was scared to death about making this move and now I can't figure out why I didn't do it sooner. I thought floating from floor to floor would be terrible. I was basicaly only doing it for the money, and the flexibility in making my own schedule. But now. . . I wonder why I worked so hard for that long on that one floor. I guess it was because I was comfortable there. But WOW!! I am seeing a different side of nursing altogether.
And, I realize this is still my orientation, I am still with a preceptor, not totally on my own. So all this could potentally change once I am cut loose. But right now I am so enjoying it!!!
I go to the respiratory floor tonight. This is one floor I really didn't want to do. I have taken care of a chest tube once, but it really didn't require me to do anything. . THANK GOD, because I don't know that I would have known what to do. I also hate sputum, or anything else that comes out of your mouth or nose. I can handle blood or just about anything else but that stuff makes me gag!! So, tonight I am guessing I will be suctioning trachs, checking on chest tubes, and God knows what else. I am praying I get a good preceptor that will show me the ropes!! And pray that my stomache can take it. A friend of mine works on that floor so there will be someone I know. That is good.

Thank you God for good sleep, good orientation, good patients, and a good attitude!!!