Always a student...

Well, I've worked on my unit now for a couple of weeks. There is so much to learn. I am working with the nurse educator to get ready for my ACLS certification. There are lots of meds and lots of EKG rhythms to learn. I was pointed to Dale Dubin's "Rapid Interpretation of EKG's". Man, I wish someone in school had told me about this book. It is really easy to understand and gets right to the point.

Earlier this week I went with a patient to watch a double bypass. There is no better incentive to eat right and exercise than to watch someone get their chest opened up because they didn't quit smoking, eat right, or exercise. However, IT WAS TOTALLY COOL to watch! After five hours in the OR, I was able to assist in caring for the patient post-op. I had only done some of the skills once in school, so it was fun to practice checking JP drains and drawing blood from the art line. I am so excited to be working on the cardiac unit. I'm pretty overwhelmed right now, but I haven't seen anything that I can't do with a little practice.

So far the most difficult part of the job is the schedule. Months ago, I accepted gig offers that now conflict with my work schedule. I've either got to get time off or back out of gigs. That's not good either way you look at it. The wife has had to adjust her schedule to pick up the kid from school. I can't wait until my mom retires at the end of April. She has agreed to help us out as much as needed. We're going to need it. Getting into nursing wasn't easy and getting used to a new way of life isn't easy for me or my family. With a bit more time though, we'll manage.

Until next time...

-DV