Endless Opportunities

This summer I have been researching RN-BS programs (online & on campus), travel nursing agencies, scholarships, loan repayment programs, midwifery programs, government health jobs, and public health nursing opportunities. I seriously feel like an expert from all of this internet research! So I thought I would share the plethora of information I have come across due to my curiosity concerning my career path.

There is one opportunity I came across while looking up a loan repayment program. It happens to be with the Indian Health Service. As long as you commit 2 yrs to working for them they pay up to $20,000 of your loans. My only issue is that most Indian reservations are in OK, AZ, NM, AK, and CA in remote desert communities. I personally don't want to live in those places right now. But if I were to do it I would want to work as a L&D nurse because their beliefs about holistic and natural medicine is similar to my own beliefs. For instance they have a no forceps rule in their deliveries. And they also hire midwifes in their clinics and hospitals.

I have always wanted to live in UK and during practicum an employee at Erlanger told me about Continental Travel Nursing. It has to be the sweetest job I have ever heard of. The fabulous facts are as follows: 13 week assignment in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, or Canada; 1 year of experience as an RN; 6 months for the paperwork and licensing to be finalized until the first assignment; 24 day paid vacation; and housing is paid for and is located close to the hospital. So best believe that I will be jumping on this opportunity after 2011 when I am eligible =)

Anyway that's all for now but I will continue to post more when I come across things to share.

The...Waiting....Game....

It's been a couple of weeks since I finished practicum and I still haven't gotten any calls for job interviews which majorly BLOWS. I've applied for a hundred jobs (or so it seems) as a nurse tech and random retail places. I like staying busy and being unemployed isn't the best career path for me. So I'm praying for a job ASAP or a miracle that would somehow get me out of TN. Don't get me wrong TN is good and fine but just not all year round. I need to getaway....

Done With Practicum!

No more unpaid graveyard shifts for me! I got to do a lot more stuff during those 10 shifts than the past year of nursing classes. I got to assist with a blood transfusion which was awesome. And there's stuff that I still need practice doing like getting blood samples. Those veins are tricky! Anyway I'll miss all of the great people that I got to work with. It's amazing how quick you bond with people that you end up laughing with over the weirdest things at 3am. I'm really thankful for the time I got to spend helping people even if it was for free. At least it's one more thing I can add to my resume =)

God bless your heart & soul

On my 5th shift I had the sweetest elderly patient who had Parkinson's disease. His wife was also there with him. Thoughout the night he had diarrhea about 5 times  (I know it's gross) so I was super busy helping to clean him up and taking care of 4 other patients with my preceptor. It was a LONG night to say the least. By 7am I was super tired. I went in to give him some medication and I told him and his wife that I was leaving and that it was a pleasure taking care of him. His wife said that she would miss me and then he thanked me and said "God bless your heart and soul" in the most genuine and sincere way and it just warmed my heart. I thanked them and I left the hospital that morning feeling refreshed  because I knew that I really made a difference in that man's life. Even though it wore me out taking care of him it was worth it because I helped him in his time of need. At that moment I realized that I'm cut out to be a nurse because I loved that feeling of helping someone even when it's a challenge. 

24 hours down 96 to go

Out of the 2 shifts I've done I've gotten the opportunity to do a lot more things in the hospital than the past year of school. So here's a list of things I've done so far!

• Injections in the abdomen
• Charting 
• Taken out IVs
• Taken out Foley Catheters (all on men lol)
• Changed dressings on a foot and a leg
• Given countless medications
• Made a patient's bed while they're still in it
• Hung new IV bags 
• Given countless cups of ice chips =)

42 did what?!?

My first 12 hour night shift of practicum was very eventful to say the least. First of all my preceptor (the nurse who I was assigned to work with) ended up being very funny, patient, and just awesome to work with so I am super thankful for that. From the beginning of the shift when my preceptor I was received report from the day shift nurse about out patients we knew it would be a long night. 

One particular patient in room 42 was a middle aged woman who was in for kidney stones. She spent about 1/4 of the time actually in her room though. Instead of staying in her room like a normal patient she would come to the nurses station periodically making requests, leave the floor altogether to go smoke outside, or she would be moaning and wailing for everyone to hear from her bathroom. We offered her pain meds, sleeping meds, and anti-anxiety meds that she was scheduled to have and she refused. When I checked her blood glucose level (she was diabetic) and told her she needed to take her insulin she also refused. Instead of cooperating with her medical care she would just yell "I'm pissing blood and no one cares!" So from the getgo I knew she was out of her mind! Everytime my preceptor came back to the nurses station from dealing with her she would turn to me and say "She's crazy what am I  gonna do with her!"

At 2 am 42 is not in her room and we figure that she was once again outside smoking against everyone's wishes. We got a call from the ER telling us otherwise. 42 changed out of her gown and into her clothes and went all the way down to the ER trying to get admitted again! The ER told us that she was claiming that we refused to GIVE her pain meds! My preceptor told security to bring her back up because she didn't have time to go fetch her. After awhile a 2 super old security guards escorted her back to our floor and she was cussing up a storm and yelled that she wanted a new doctor. We told her to go back to her room  but she refused and requested AMA (against medical advice) papers to sign so that she could leave for good. So we let her leave and we were all quite happy to see her go. 

At around 3 am we get yet another call from the police saying that they found her laying on a street outside of the hospital and that if she didn't move they would arrest her! Then at 6am we heard that she walked to another hospital trying to get admitted. The craziest thing about the situation was that she was scheduled to have a procedure that morning so if she had stayed for a few more hours on our floor she would have been seen by the doctor!

Anyway it was an entertaining first night and I'm glad that 42 wasn't readmitted to our floor because we definitely had enough of her. The other patients I took care of  thankfully made up for her because they were pleasant and cooperative people. So you win some and lose some!

Oh it's just the beginning...

I'm excited to start this blog mostly because I haven't had time to journal since high school and even then it was sporadic in nature. So YAY for the possibilities that blogging has in store =)

p.s.

I started this blog out of a suggestion that one of my best friends made because she wanted to know more about my adventures in the hospital. So here's to you Sarah!