sleopold

Running in Chicago half marathon in a couple of weeks. I will probably die but thats ok. My dad and I decided on this awhile ago and I havent been running lately…SO dont know how well this is going to go over for me. Once I get to 8 miles, I can just think, only 5 more to go. I think I can make it with the crowd….maybe….

Ok all you people that want to be a nurse…you better be prepared.
1. Nursing schools try to act like they are all high and mighty…believe me, they are not. You have to work the right angles to get in and thats it. Its not that you arent smart enough, its you arent showing them what they want to see.
2. Once you graduate, you are not going to get a dream job. Most people want to work in peds, or ICU or some specialty…its hard being a new grad and doing this because places dont want to have to put the time and effort into it when they are unsure if you are going to handle it. Show them you are ready and they may take a chance on you(they did on me, started off in SICU and been there since)
3. Nursing is not all glamour. You are not saving lives 24/7. Sometimes you are wiping peoples asses, sometimes you are kissing peoples asses and yes sometimes you are saving peoples asses. Some patients are asses and very rude and disrespectful, you will work with these kind of people also (RNs, Drs, PT, etc etc, the list goes on and on). Guess what, when something doesnt get done (PT) you do it. When a test doesnt get done, everyone looks to you, when lab doesnt draw blood on time, its your fault…etc. etc. etc. When follow co-workers are lazy, who picks up the slack…you do.

I could go on and on and on about the negatives but that isnt my point. My point is, you have to learn to stand up for yourself and you will truely love this profession. Dont let anyone walk all over you. Yes in the beginning, you have to be meek and mild because you have no idea what the heck is going on but once you have a general base, stand up for yourself. There are some people that are unhappy with themselves and its easy to come down on a RN for everything, but dont let it happen. Dont let anyone make you cry because its not worth it. You have to have a thick skin for this profession so if you dont, you might want to reconsider because I have seen LOTS of RN’s run off my unit crying because a Dr was mean or the patient was rude, etc etc. You have to learn to separate yourself and do what you know is right.

On another note, the pay is great. I have worked only days, 12 hour shifts since I started in nursing and you cant get much better than that. I work three days a week, pick and choose, get paid well and have plenty of time for myself. If I want to work extra, I have time or whatever. Plus, the majority of people you are going to meet are nice and appreciative of what you do but beware, its not all gumdrops and smiles

So I decided to try out golf. I just went with a group out to a 9 hole course…LOL! By about hole 6 I had finally kind of gotten it down. My putting is still terrible but I am trying. I also went to the driving range and was surprisingly not that bad. I definitely still have a long way to go but for first starting out, I dont think I am terrible!