ive been inspired by the ED nursing blogs, hence i decided to start my own. ive come to the conclusion that i should try to record my journey on this yellow-brick road called nursing -- 3 years in the game. but hey, a fresh new start in the ED should give me something to write about, right?
fresh from nursing school, i initially went into floor nursing even though my first love was ED (from my college days working as an ER tech to pay my cellphone bill and such) because -- honestly, there were no ED openings and hey, i might as well get my feet wet. i paid my dues and transferred to the ED as soon as i saw the opening and decided that its time follow my heart.
so, after a LONG ass orientation, the cord was cut and i was let loose in the ED this weekend. seriously, i dont know how i managed to drive home because i couldnt feel my legs after each 12 hr shift. im on evenings which means im right smack in the busy hours. the worst part: the patient load wasnt even bad compared to what ive seen during orientation.
i think the problem is that MOST of our evening techs perfected their MIA routines. dont get me wrong -- we have excellent techs, but for the past two days, i got stuck with the bad apples. if i wasnt doing their job AND mine, my feet would probably be less swollen and i may not have this tingling feeling on my back. im a do-it-all. veteran nurses have advised me about delegating, and believe me, ive tried -- HARD. i think im a fair delegator; id never ask to do something i can do and wouldnt do. but this weekend, i had to BEG for a tech to do an EKG, and PLEAD for a rectal temp so i can work up a chest pain. i dont know how other hospitals have it, but when i was a tech, what the nurse say goes. no "ifs, buts," dilly-dallying and gallavanting, pretending that you're busy walking around with that EKG paper that you did an hour ago. unfortunately in my hospital, ive had my fair share of techs just made the job difficult. techs whose make-up are retouched on the hour while i havent even had the chance to pee for the last 6 hrs.
ugh. i dont know. maybe im asking for too much. as an older nurse said to me today "they go home without breaking a sweat, and im knee deep in shit". well then, as dory sings "just keep swimming, just keep swimming."
