What a difference 1 night makes...

I started orienting as an RN on the Infant Medical Surgical Unit at Primary Children's Hospital this week. My first shift was not what I expected. I really wanted to do as much as I could because I felt I would learn more that way. I ended up with 3 respiratory patients so you know what that means... Score, Suction, Score at least 13 times!!! Then a respiratory score every 2 hours, checking IV lines every 2 hours, Meds, Fluid Bolus, Fever... It was busy. I had tried to chart everything on everyone but by the end of the night I needed a little help to finish on time. Thanks Joelle for being so great and FUN to work with!! Near the end of the shift I said, "No wonder why nurses never take breaks!" It was a very BUSY night but it went VERY fast.

Needless to say I was a little scared to see what the next shift would bring...MUCH BETTER!! I actually felt like maybe I could do it. It was a more manageable assignment for someone just starting out. Only 2 patients and only one was a respiratory kiddo. That was nicer. I was able to chart everything on both patients, felt like I had more time to actually think about what we were doing and why, and had more opportunity to spend more time with the patients and work on assessment skills. I did pretty much everything a real nurse would do- including all the "paper work," with some assistance. I still need to get out of Nursing School mode of care plans and just think about what is going on. But, I feel pretty good. I can do it!!