As I sit in my patient's room to keep an eye on them, it has dawned on me that I haven't posted in a month. How this month has flown by, with some days I wish would last forever and other days that couldn't end soon enough.
I am finally transitioning into the world of nursing and feeling comfortable with it. Aside from the things that are beyond me, such as neuro and open heart surgery, I have really started to piece things together and get my routine down. Managing two stable patients is no longer something I feel apprehensive about; it's something I look forward to. I'm now at the phase in my program that I am able to start taking the unstable patients, yet those are hard to come by, especially when you have a preceptor who wants to treat you like a nursing student.
Six months is a decent amount of time to get acclimated to the world of nursing. Routines fall into place, time management continues to improve, and patients begin to push your buttons even more as the mere thrill of taking care of a squirrely patient wears off. Tolerance levels and empathy levels begin to ebb and flow, as you begin to not feel sorry for the people who overdose; rather, you feel sorry for their families and friends. And also, as evidenced by tonight, your patience wears extremely thin when you realize four hours into your shift that your night will be spent reminding your patient not to pull on wires or IV's and that no one wants to see their goods, if you know what I mean.
Night time does strange things to patients, young and old. Most of the older folks I take care of who are not sedated and on a ventilator get Sundowners. And they are nuts. There is nothing you can do to prevent it, just go with it. Like my patient tonight. From tossing off the blankets to pulling off the gown to pulling off the wires and IV's, it becomes like a three-ring circus. As much as it is irritating, it can be amusing.
Regardless of the patients I get now, it dawns on me a little more every day that I am finally adjusting to life after nursing school and that I can get the hang of this. Ok, I gotta go keep my guy from pulling out his NG!