well, that wasn't an ideal shift to say the least

Sigh. so yesterday I dreamed that i showed up to work at 2:45, 4 hours early. There was some nurse sleeping under the counter, i left my shoes somewhere and was wearing slippers around the hospital, then I got word that joint commission was at the hospital (which is the big scary committee that accredits hospitals). At that point I told Ali, I'm leaving, i'll be back before my shift actually starts.

So i was anxious about work. Which was weird because usually I dread it, but I don't have anxiety about it. But i was hardcore nervous by the time i got there. I got allisons patients, all who looked a little needy but ok. and since it was just 4 still, i didn't think it'd be too bad. Sigh. then they had to rearrange the assignment, which always throws me off. they tracked down another nurse to come in because they had so many people in the ER that needed to be admitted, so by 8:30 she finally showed up. I don't know why they didn't know they needed another nurse before our shift started but whatever. so then i gave the new nurse (who was unfamiliar with our floor, and seemed just... new altogether) one of my patients, I didn't even give her the really high maintenance patient which i thought was nice of me.

Sigh. So then i worked on meds and assessements, my colostomy man made a complete mess and i had to clean that up, i had a second incontinent man who needed new linens, and i had one really easy patient. then i got close to sort of wrapping up stuff, when i got the admission. and i swear. every time i went in there, she needed something else and she was at the end of the hall, so i'd have to walk back and forth over and over again, which i dont MIND, it just is just a time suck! so 3 am rolls around, and i clean up mr colostomy yet again, and then take a dinner break.

well. also at 3 am, the WHOLE computer charting system went down unexpectedly. and stayed down til 5:30. Obviously at that point i didn't have time to finish what i needed to before dayshift arrived. I got my first assessments done, and wrapped up a couple loose ends with some patients, gave report to allison and tracy while I looked through the meds, then finished charting everything else from the rest of my shift in the next hour. When i was about to leave, mr colostomy leaked again. ugh. so i told allison me and her student for the day would take care of it, because i knew that it was just a pain to have to deal with that, that early in the shift.

so i didn't leave til 9:35.

Thinks i learned about and/or can be proud of:

1. well i didn't puke cleaning up the ostomy mess.

2. i hung PPN for the first time! that is like an IV with nutrition in it and you have to get a second nurse to check it with you, hang a filter on the line, and you can't run any other fluids with it

3. started an IV by myself! on my first attempt! i think i'm starting to feel the veins a little better

4. found the downtime forms, for when the computer system crashes, and we have to go back to paper assessments and i think they'll actually be useful in admitting patients in the future because i can take the paper in there, and then later fill it in on the computer on my own time

i guess thats it. just feeling rather down.