A year already!?
Wow, does time fly. I still can't believe how fast last year flew. Just last September, I had graduated from Duquesne's 2nd degree BSN program and was starting orientation at West Penn Hospital. My first job in an actual career I cared about. Those first few months were scary. Let me revise that, first YEAR was scary. Talk about being thrown into the game. My preceptor was amazing; years of knowledge and experience under her belt. I can honestly say that I learned from the best. It was a honor to think that as she retired that winter I, in theory, had taken her spot on the floor. I started work as a day-shifter acting as a zombie-nurse as the day wizzed by and patients were taken to tests. There was little time to really learn anything or get to know the patients as more than just symptoms. Of course, I was picking up skills and learning through subtle mistakes, but I wasn't getting much out of my day. I'd head home, completely drained, and woke up again the next day to do the same thing over again. Come the holiday season, I slowly transitioned into a night shifter after being the new kid forced to fill the holes in the schedule.
Boy, had I found my home. Nurses were helpful at night. Patients were actual people at night. I was getting things done AND learning at night. The hospital is a completely different place at night... a home I have grown accustomed to. I've been doing nights since last winter and think I'll stay here for a while. I've grown pretty close to a few of the younger nurses.
I've realized there's a lot to be fixed in this field, but nothing will get done if we don't work together as a team. I wish every day that nursing had been invented by males. There's too much bitchiness, plain and simple. I wish it was like medicine in that aspect... but to this day, I don't regret my decision to go into nursing and not try again to become a doctor. I will stand up to anyone who even suggests that being a doctor is a step above nursing. It's a completely different lifestyle. And something I don't want. I want to be able to go home at the end of each day and leave my worries at work. I don't want on-call or a beeper. I don't want to be a resident FOREVER. I want to be a great nurse, but an even better wife and mom some day. And that is why I am happy with my decision.
In recent weeks, West Penn has been experiencing a financial crisis thanks to their inability to calculate a budget properly a year ago. With UPMC thriving, and Forbes and AGH taking much of our business away from my neighborhood hospital, West Penn has seen a decline in MIs, caths, and OHS; hence, decreasing MY patient load. For about 2-3 weeks now, I have been merged with my favorite night nurse and monitor tech to the trach and vent floor. My other floor co-workers have been sent to our sister cardiac progressive care floor and the post-open heart floor. I love to think that my services are redundant. I love that my manager, who has always stood up for us, is completely unaware of what is going on. We have not had a floor meeting to explain this situation. I'm not aware if I should be interviewing for other floors or at other facilities. And in addition to my hospital losing their ICU/CCU patient load, burn unit, cafe, a switch to online pay checks to save paper and mail costs, lord knows what's next. I just feel that I deserve an answer as to the viability of my employer and my job. I hope that I can post an answer soon. Until then, I am a T6 refugee. I'm making t-shirts soon.
My first year is done. I look forward for at least two more of my contracted years at West Penn. I'm still not quite sure if I want to go back to school to get my nurse practitioner's degree or if I want to go into nursing education. I'm in no rush as 75% of my pay checks go back to my Duquesne student loans x2. I work 3 nights a week. Never Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. 3 12-hour shifts. That's it! :)
I'm pooped now and trying to stay up to sleep all day Monday morning in prep for work Monday night. If I feel motivated, I'll come back and post on my Pgh, family, and love life. If not, look for posts sometime this week. I know I'm much over due. It's coming. ;)
Love yinz all!
<3
LeighBee
Boy, had I found my home. Nurses were helpful at night. Patients were actual people at night. I was getting things done AND learning at night. The hospital is a completely different place at night... a home I have grown accustomed to. I've been doing nights since last winter and think I'll stay here for a while. I've grown pretty close to a few of the younger nurses.
I've realized there's a lot to be fixed in this field, but nothing will get done if we don't work together as a team. I wish every day that nursing had been invented by males. There's too much bitchiness, plain and simple. I wish it was like medicine in that aspect... but to this day, I don't regret my decision to go into nursing and not try again to become a doctor. I will stand up to anyone who even suggests that being a doctor is a step above nursing. It's a completely different lifestyle. And something I don't want. I want to be able to go home at the end of each day and leave my worries at work. I don't want on-call or a beeper. I don't want to be a resident FOREVER. I want to be a great nurse, but an even better wife and mom some day. And that is why I am happy with my decision.
In recent weeks, West Penn has been experiencing a financial crisis thanks to their inability to calculate a budget properly a year ago. With UPMC thriving, and Forbes and AGH taking much of our business away from my neighborhood hospital, West Penn has seen a decline in MIs, caths, and OHS; hence, decreasing MY patient load. For about 2-3 weeks now, I have been merged with my favorite night nurse and monitor tech to the trach and vent floor. My other floor co-workers have been sent to our sister cardiac progressive care floor and the post-open heart floor. I love to think that my services are redundant. I love that my manager, who has always stood up for us, is completely unaware of what is going on. We have not had a floor meeting to explain this situation. I'm not aware if I should be interviewing for other floors or at other facilities. And in addition to my hospital losing their ICU/CCU patient load, burn unit, cafe, a switch to online pay checks to save paper and mail costs, lord knows what's next. I just feel that I deserve an answer as to the viability of my employer and my job. I hope that I can post an answer soon. Until then, I am a T6 refugee. I'm making t-shirts soon.
My first year is done. I look forward for at least two more of my contracted years at West Penn. I'm still not quite sure if I want to go back to school to get my nurse practitioner's degree or if I want to go into nursing education. I'm in no rush as 75% of my pay checks go back to my Duquesne student loans x2. I work 3 nights a week. Never Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. 3 12-hour shifts. That's it! :)
I'm pooped now and trying to stay up to sleep all day Monday morning in prep for work Monday night. If I feel motivated, I'll come back and post on my Pgh, family, and love life. If not, look for posts sometime this week. I know I'm much over due. It's coming. ;)
Love yinz all!
<3
LeighBee