Some days...I like my job. Other days, I start looking into other options and occupations. There were several days in a row that were rough; I felt so inadequate. One day was particularly hard, but my coworkers were extremely considerate--they helped me, asked how I was doing, and were truly concerned. I drove home crying that night, both from the emotional stress and the realization that everyone cared about me.Then, there were a couple of easy days that helped boost my moral. Some of the happenings of the last week or so include being hit by a patient who was confused, listening to stories from another confused man about his last battle in Korea--complete with a hand drawn map, having a patient fall unwitnessed and reporting the incident, having a couple of patients who were charming and loved to talk, and yes, giving a man his prescribed whiskey with a doctor's order for no more than 5 alcoholic beverages per day!
Many of you asked what kinds of patients my floor would have, but I never gave a good answer since I didn't know. Now, here it is!
1. Appendectomies (appendix removal)
2. Cholecystectomies (gallbladder removal)
3. Fistulas--an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another structure. Fistulas are usually the result of trauma or surgery. So...don't get surgeries. Fistulas can take a year or more to heal.
4. Accidents from hay bales, horses, falls, motorcycles, cars, trucks, hammers, fists, rebar, electricity, you name it.
5. Wounds--I love wound care!
The best news is...I am about to have my first visitors!!! Ben, Tandalee, and Caleb are coming to stay for the weekend! I am off work Friday through Monday, so I look forward to just enjoying them!
P.S. First snow flurries 10/11/06. Low tonight: 22 degrees. It's great!
5 comments:
Oh Amy! Don't look for another occupation!! Yes, maybe nursing elsewhere,(maybe closer to home, yeah, I said closer and MEANT it! ( :) but not another occupation. You're too good at what you do to change.
Sounds like you have lots of interesting trauma on your floor. Are you passionately anti-motorcycle after seeing the reslults of accidents that we only hear about? Just curious.
I am so glad Ben and Tandalee, and Caleb get to visit you! Tell them hi!
Ps... SNOW?! YiKeS!
btw, thats a good pic of you.
Kaylene,
If I was going to be passionately against what I have seen the worst of, I might just as well be passionately anti-hay bale, horse, and car! In fact, I had two motorcycle accident victims who only had minor to broken bone injuries. They both hit a deer on the same day in different places and ended up in the same room on my floor! The really bad cases go to the ICU, so I wouldn't see them right away. The worst accident cases we have had probably involved cars, falls, and a golf cart...let's see...isn't it you that is way into cars?
Thanks for the encouragement to stick with nursing. I definitely will for awhile before I seriously think about other things, because it gets better the longer I work. There is a ton to learn in that first year.
Carrie! Thanks for the note! Are you getting to know Amy Burk more? We had snow flurries the last few days, but it didn't stay.
yeah, thats me...but in my "secret" life...its really all about motorcycles. :-O
Amy-Hang in there, I have very similar days-and I can promise you that I had many days of tears over these past year and I know that I'm going to have many more in the future. Working in medicine can be very rewarding and very frustrating and difficult all at the same time. I overheard some new grad nurses talking the yesterday with one of the older nurses and the older nurse said that it took a good 6 months to a year before she felt like she knew what she was doing most of the time. You have a huge heart and I know that you are making a difference in people's lives even if they never show it.
Have fun with your visitors! Can I be your next visitor in November? I emailed you the dates, hopefully it will work! I love you and I'm praying for you!
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