Sunday, April 12, 2009

8 weeks and counting..............

I feel sort of like I have "hit the wall" this week. I am tired, but can't sleep....I miss my family and feel like I am neglecting them.....and I am trying to remember why I thought this was such a good idea. The experience has been good and the extra money is nice, of course, but I am ready to be done with this assignment. My biggest issue with the hospital is no central monitoring. Their reason?..."the nurses won't spend enough time in the patient's room". Not a reason to risk patient safety as far as I am concerned. I am nervous wreck when I can't see my monitor strip. I have met some fantastic, interesting people while I have been here.....a lovely nurse who has worked in every area from med/surg to OB to critical care (was even the DON) and is now starting her own staffing/education company, a single OB nurse who moonlights as a massage therapist named Venus at a "clothing optional" resort and a brilliant, dynamic nursing supervisor who doesn't like to wear jewelry because it "slows her reaction time"!:) I have also had my first experience with a mid-wife delivery (loved it, loved her).
The area is not what I expected either, I was thinking quaint wine country town and have actually found it to be very non-touristy with a lot of crime and drug use. It is sad because it is really gorgeous country and should be an affluent community on a beautiful lake surrounded by vineyards. Ah well........five more weeks to go..........

1 comment:

Paulina said...

Hey before you know it, this assignment will be a distant memory! You know, at our hospital, we have 3 laboring rooms, and one triage room with two beds, and we also have no central monitor. We have to rely on our sharp hearing for the alarms or our trained ear to listen to nonreassuring heart tones. Sometimes I think it's through the grace of God, that we have never had bad outcomes. Our hospitals reasoning....cost! Hang in there, it's all part of the adventure!