Heigh ho, Heigh ho, it's off to work i go...

    I feel totally amazed how many messages, comments, text messages, and voice mails I have gotten asking how the new job is going. I want to say thank you! I also decided to write a little blurb about how it is going rather than try and get to you all. Yes, I am lazy.

    It sucks to be a new registered nurse. There is nothing fun about it. I have never been this “deer in the headlights” before and you all know how I hate deer. ;) This is not to say I am unsafe. If anything I have an issue of being too cautious. So far I have spent an entire 4 shifts on the actual unit doing nurse things. (A week was spent orienting to the company and learning to play nice with others so that is why it seems like it should be more.) 4 days isn’t a lot of time to be anywhere let alone a busy cardiac unit and I am trying to cut myself some slack. I didn’t get this far by being kind to myself, so it is a new skill I am trying to learn on top of everything else.

    I was told nursing school doesn’t and can’t prepare you for the real world. It is truth! I didn’t realize how much as students you hide behind your RN, but you do. When are granted the initials RN behind your name, suddenly you are supposed to magically be more knowledgeable from when you were a student. Yeah….no.I am thankful for the unit I am working on. There is an assortment of cranky people just like anywhere else, but I have found others that are ready and willing to help me.

    Learning to step into more responsibility is hard. Change is hard. Employment is hard. I have never had “real” employment before. I have always been the nanny or the summer camp counselor. Never have I had to clock in on time or face real consequences. I am looking forward to finally seeing my first paycheck. Payday is this Friday, and I am excited to see why exactly it is I get out of bed at 4:30am.

    Overall, it is change overload. It is new experience overload. I am trying to roll with it as best I can, but I have had my moments. I am learning to accept that this time in my life is just inherently tough. That being a new nurse just…sucks.

Say a prayer for me…