November 6, 2014

Last shift I worked, we had a new grad orienting on the unit.  Very enthusiastic, friendly, and happy to be there yet appropriately wary enough (rule of thumb in psych nursing:  it's better to always be a little wary than get complacent in your surroundings).  She also had an actual interest in psych...in seeing her in practice during the day, she wasn't one of those "I just want to get my year's experience and then go to a glamor specialty" types--it appeared she had a bona-fide interest.

Of course, she made me feel old, as my new grad days were a few years ago.   Her age range was quite a while ago for me as well.   I feel my age more at some times than at others.

Still, it's heartening to see new grads who actually want to enter the specialty.  

It was a good day.  Good coworkers, a new grad who was more an asset than a liability, good patient population, and no major issues.  A couple of minor ones:  I was Pyxis-challenged at one point in the shift, and later on I had to literally chase down a doctor to get a PRN order.  Fortunately, I was able to corner him, also literally.  That's the nice thing about both small units and my wearing running shoes to work.

I also got approached by the unit manager.  Apparently my reputation has preceded me, and it's a good one.  She (and some other staff as well) was feeling out whether I'd want to work on the unit permanently.  And I actually like the unit I was on, so such as offer would not be unwelcome...just not now.  Hopefully she'll feel the same way about me next year when I can do it.

I worked on a paper for my class today...I whacked out a rough draft and hope to have it turned in by Sunday.  Originally, I set the deadline for this assignment a couple of weeks prior.  I figure if I can do the paper and two more assignments this month, this leaves me nearly two weeks in December to do the final exam.  Though this means I still have to get through all of the remaining video lectures and readings in this month as well.  Fortunately my schedule did fill up but not to the critical mass point of the last few months.  Though part of that was due to having to block out several days for dental, medical and psychiatric appointments, as it was due to fluctuating census and staffing needs.