On My Own

Well, I'm working all by myself now! So far it hasn't been too bad...but there's still a lot I feel like I need to remember and learn. I'm getting it though, and really some of it is just hospital policy type things, like parameters for Cardizem and other medication drips (which I've had to deal with a lot lately), PICC line policies, and stuff to do before a procedure. I know I need to work on my ability to handle a crisis though, and critical thinking on what steps to take when something comes up, like a patient having a shortness of breath or something.

I'm getting to know my coworkers on night shift a lot better and they're a bunch of really fun people. I seriously think I spent the majority of the shift last night laughing my head off! They give each other a hard time, just like me and my friends do. Here's a few random experiences and things I've learned about my coworkers that crack me up:
1. Almost all of the Nurse Aids have kids, even the ones that are my age
2. An Aid on the floor, Jennifer, always dates guys that end up slapping her around...including her baby's daddy who's in jail right now "for a bunch of stuff"
3. Seth is almost deaf...and it's really awkward when joking around with him and he doesn't hear :)
4. The Canadian, Brad, is an "ash" most of the time and is really full of himself even though he's been here just a couple months longer than me
5. Mike is gay...but might secretly want Jennifer for her baby-making ability
6. It's really hard not to laugh when a confused patient tells you to be ashamed of breaking up a family with five kids... in a kinda funny voice
7. Getting shocked by an implanted defibrillator while waterskiing makes you flop around like a fish
8. I've never been so happy to have a family member stay in the room as when I had a patient who had been in prison for murder...and was released on a technicality

Being a nurse can be veeerry interesting sometimes!