The last two days have gone very well. I'm starting to become more organized and better at getting my assessments, charting, and care provided for one stable patient. My goal for next week is to accomplish this for two stable patients. I've accurately interpreted all my heart rhythms thus far, though I haven't had any real difficult ones. My preceptor is telling everyone what a good job I'm doing so that makes me feel good. The best part....I am absolutely LOVING my job. I love talking to my patients, getting to know them, getting to help them, getting to teach them. Seriously, there is nothing I dislike (so far).
I loved pediatrics. But I do believe, I'm loving this even more. I'm probably an "all around" nurse. Meaning, I love working many different specialties. I love peds, adults, elderly. Age doesn't matter. I'm loving critical care. I loved med-surg when I did that as an agency nurse. I loved home care. I loved long term care. There were always aspects that I didn't particularly enjoy (such as the under staffing in LTC or politics in homecare), but really, I love all areas of nursing. I truly hope that one day I can add ER nurse and even flight nurse to my list.
One thing I have noticed, critical care nurses are VERY opinionated about a patients DNR status. They tend to get worked up and upset when somebody whom they believe should be a DNR is not. Either the doctor "convinced" the patient to not be, or the family can't accept that death is part of life, or whatever reason is applicable at the time. I have my own beliefs, but I don't have an opinion on what others choose....yet. I'm sure after I've cracked the ribs from doing compressions on a 90 year old frail lady or gentleman a few times, only to prolong pain and suffering for another month or two, I may feel a little differently.
As a new person on the unit, I feel like an outsider looking in sometimes. I see things that I aspire to do and be. I see things that I know I don't want to do or become. But I also realize that I don't really "know" yet, as I've got SO much to learn. All I know is that I hope that I can keep my passion for nursing burning well into my career.
2 comments:
How long have you been on orientation? I am also in orientation on an ICU, but am already expected to care for 2 patients (with a preceptor). I feel overwhelmed. What is the timeline on your orientation?
My total orientation time is about 7 months. This includes not only time on the floor caring for patients with my preceptor, but also time spent in classes and on other units to learn and see what they do as well. My orientation thus far has been very comprehensive.
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