The love of a nurse

This is an amazing post by another blogger who has put into words my passion for nursing and reminds me why I work hard everyday.

On the Wings of a Nightingale

NICCU

My experience at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) was amazing and I am so excited to share my experience. I only got to spend 6 [night] shifts at the hospital, but it was more than enough time to fall in love with my patient's, the staff and especially the Neonatal Intensive Critical Care Unit (NICCU). Boy, that is a mouthful to say. I had a range of patient's from one day old to 18 years old. Even though I was working the night shift I was happy to go to clinical because I loved working with my patient's.

I have now, most definitely, found my passion of working in the NICCU. My heart went out to these babies who needed an advocate and someone to care for them. Because they were in such critical care, a lot of parents were unable to be at the bed because of work or living long distances. I wish I could express in words how much I love caring for these babies, but it's one of those thing where you are at loss of words. I noticed myself becoming more proactive in my learning experience. I wanted to know everything there was about working in the NICCU and used every opportunity to gain new knowledge. I worked with babies who were born 13 weeks premature or born with rare syndromes. It was the best experience I could have imagined and pray that God will guide me in the right direction to fulfill the passion he has given me. 

www.chla.org

If a blogger blogs about not blogging...

I have been thinking about my blog lately and I've been super sad that I haven't had time to write all my (good and bad) experiences. I really want to look back at this one day and remember what I went through to become a nurse and how my passion carried me through this process. I have decided that over the next week or so I want to update on my classes, pediatric rotation, labor and delivery experiences and my struggles with test taking. I hope I'm setting a realistic goal, which I'm learning about in my pointless leadership class. I still believe you can't teach leadership. It's just one of those spiritual gifts God gives you.

Firsts

I can't believe I survived my first night shift at CHLA. I had no idea what to expect going in, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I had no problem staying up with only one cup of coffee. I got home around 5:30 am and slept in until 2pm. It felt so good to sleep. I actually think I prefer the night shift over the day shift. Waking up at 5 am to go to work does not sit right with me. But I absolutely loved the hospital and it gave me motivation to keep working toward my goal of being a peds nurse.

I also had my first rotation of labor and delivery...and boy is labor disgusting! I should have known what I was getting myself into, but I wasn't expecting so much blood. Watching a vaginal birth really set me back a few years of having my own kids. I was even debating with myself if it was even worth it, ha! But I really loved working with the moms and babies.

Kim, Me, Shaylin and Krista
during our Labor and Delivery rotation

Even though I love this rotation and have been looking forward to it for the past year, I am just so ready to be done with school. I'm ready to have a normal life again and not be so consumed in school. I get so anxious to plan my future, but I need to take one thing at a time. School has been the main priority in my life and will be that way until I graduate. I will start to look for jobs in Los Angeles when I am done with school so I can be close to Jeff. He accepted his offered to attended the Pharmacy program at the  University of Southern California! I am so excited for him and to watch him succeed in such a difficult program. Over the past couple years I have seen him grow in so many ways and accomplish the goals he sets his mind to. Soon it will be my turn to be his support during school.

The Hard Part is Over

Time is flying by with only a semester and a half left of the program. So many emotions arise when I think about graduation, taking the NCLEX, finding a job and planning my future. I just don't know how prepared I am for the real world. Graduation date is officially August 10th, 2013!

I just finished my mental health and advanced med/surg rotation, which was brutal. It was definitely the hardest part of the program, but now it's all down hill from here!!! The one thing I gained from mental health is how to approach a person with psychiatric problems. My patient's shared their life stories about addiction, abuse and depression that really made me see them as a whole person with normal struggles and fears. Advanced med/surg was difficult for me and  I didn't enjoy working in the ICU. I felt very overwhelmed working with unconscious patient's with tubes coming out of every which way. It was mostly from being unfamiliar with the floor, but that just means I have room to grow. 

Despite having the hardest semester of my life I did get to enjoy some fun activities and make some great memories. I got to spend my 24th birthday with my wonderful nursing friends. They got me a gift certificate for a pedicure, so that was my big event. But I ended the night with dinner and watching Grey's Anatomy.

Also, Jeffrey and I celebrated our 4  year anniversary and I honestly can't remember what we did. I think he came over to help me study. He's pretty amazing like that.

Now, I am starting pediatrics and mother-baby! SO EXCITED! This week we had our skills lab day where we learned how to do assessments on pregnant women, postpartum women and neonatal babies. So next week will be my first day on the floor. I have a night shift at Children's hospital of Los Angeles in the PICU, NICU and med/surg and a day shift at Mission hospital in the labor and delivery. I'm ready to see some babies!!!

            

 

Finding Peace

This fall semester is finally over! I'm getting closer to graduation each day and really trying to keep my head held high as I have two more semesters to go.

If I've learned anything from repeating this semester it is how much I love nursing and being in the hospital. The extra experience I gained this semester is something I wouldn't take back. It's still really hard to admit, but I am finally able to say that I am glad I had to retake the class. It was a blessing in disguise and I can see that God knew exactly what He was doing.

Not only has He given me a higher passion for nursing, but he has provided me with wonderful friends in my new cohort. They have been extremely supportive through this semester and I have really grown close to them during our clinical hours.

Last day of clinical with these amazing girls!

 

 

 

 

This semester I got to experience some clinical hours in the OR, ER and ICU. I love working in other areas, because it allows me to get closer to my ultimate goal of deciding which area I would like to work in. Here are the conclusions I came to...

ER: Not for me. Too fast paced.
ICU: Pretty intense. Something to work toward for Peds
OR: So freaking cool! Not as much patient care as I would like.

My first day in the OR. Saw some pretty amazing stuff!

I also got to put in my first IV with many after that. So now I am so ready for next semester! I start January 6th with rotations in the ICU and psych. But for now, I have a 3 week blissful break where I am going to catch up grey's anatomy and wait patiently for the 17th season of The Bachelor! Eeeek!

The Ultamate Update

Quite some time has passed since my last post. And a lot has happened that I don't even know where to begin. The past semester has been one of the toughest couple months of my life. The intensity of nursing school is beyond anything I can explain and the pressure of trying to be perfect can wear a person down little by little.

The last 4 weeks of my first semester of school I went MIA from all the finals projects. I had the worst chest pain and getting about 4-5 hours of sleep a night. With all the time and work put in, I unfortunately didn't make it past the finish line. I didn't pass one of my classes (med/surg) which was a huge shock and devastation to me. Because I didn't pass one of my classes I was forced to take a few months off and begin to retake the class in the fall.

People keep telling me "Everything happens for a reason" but why in the world would me failing a class happen for a reason? It has only caused me to worry about my future, has affected my health and mental status and caused me to doubt myself even more than before. The summer was major depressing as I missed my friends in cohort 8, but I'm still learning to except the changes ahead.

Now, summer break has officially ended and I am ready to get back in the swing of things. Today was my first day of school with my new cohort and I loved meeting everyone. This semester I will be at Saddleback Memorial Hospital in San Clemente. I will also be taking med/surg. So this semester will be a bit easier than the last. With trying to stay positive, I think it's going to be a good semester!