be a better nurse

I begin training for the relief case manager position next month. I hope to become a case manager by this fall. The advantage to being a case manager, is that I get to see the same patients each week. There’s also a bump in pay when I become a case manager.

I have wanted to become a home health care nurse for several years. My interest in home health care and hospice, has been the reason for becoming a nurse. While I was in college, taking my prerequisites and nursing classes, I worked as a home health aide. Recently, the home health department that I once worked at, has posted an opening for an RN. In the past they required two years of RN acute care experience for all applicants. This posting did not require any RN experience. I called my old manager to make sure that I could apply. I was told that I should get my application in soon. The application was submitted the next day. I interviewed and I GOT THE JOB!I will begin orienting on October 29th. I am so excited! There will be much to learn. Home health care is very different from hospital nursing. There is a ton of documentation to learn. I can’t believe I am actually going to begin working at my old home health office. I feel like I am going home from boarding school, or something.I have learned so much in the last year of med-surg nursing, but I am very happy to be going home to home health care!

I love precepting. i have two new grads that I will be working with over the next few weeks. Both of them are very caring, compassionate and have great critical thinking skills. I am so excited about helping them make that transition from student nurse to confident med-surg nurses.It has also allowed me to see how much I have learned and grown in the past year. It’s really been a wonderful experience.

My manager came up to me the other day. He asked me to precept one of the new grads when they start later this month. At first I thought he must be confused. I just graduated last year. He just smiled and said that I would be a great preceptor. Oh my gosh!

It was fun, but I feel that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. A couple of the monitor techs that I work with have been running strips for my of interesting rhythms. It’s good practice and should help me hone my skills.

starts in April. I’m very excited about taking this class.I’ll have to drive about 60 miles away, once a week, and be there at 8 AM (very early for a night shift nurse). I suppose if I get up at 6 am and drink some green tea on the way in, I should be alert enough for the class.

Dear Lord:

I pray for the wisdom to understand my challenging patients.
Love to forgive them,
and patience for their moods.
Because Lord, if I were to ask for strength, I would beat them to
death.
Hallelujah!!!!

I put in my request today for the ACLS class. My new manager needs to approve the request, so I won’t need to pay for the class. In fact I will be paid to take the class. He has already given me verbal approval. I’m excited to finally get into a class. Yeah!

I have been working as a registered nurse for 3 months. I actually received my license about three weeks before I began working. I now realize how little I truly know, and how much I want to learn. My first mini-goal to become a better nurse is to become more informed on drugs. I will divide them up by classification and learn one per week. I also want to get my ACLS ceritification, and PALS. I looked into classes, through the facility that I work, but due to the holidays it looks like this won’t happen until next year.