Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving...and a VERY special Happy Thanksgiving to the wonderful, amazing nurses working in the PICU today!!!

While my job is extremely rewarding, it also comes with working holidays, so on the ones I have off, I am extremely grateful!

With that in mind, today I reflect on what I have to be grateful for- PICU nurse style : )

Top 10 Things PICU Nurse is Grateful For:

10.) I'm grateful that I work in a place that offers free 10 minute chair massages every couple weeks to the nurses...umm, yup that certainly helps the shift!

9.) I'm grateful for a desensitized sense of smell that comes over time...it certainly makes all the poop, vomit, and blood (and other unknown bodily fluids at times!) I handle so much less disgusting!

8.) I'm grateful that I have my own public announcing system right within work...hey, working with almost 200 women makes the messages get around quick : )

7.) I'm grateful that I work for a hospital where the docs (most of them, anyways!) truly respect my opinion on MY patients!! They realize I'm at the bedside WAY (WAY!!) more than them and know my patient better than anyone else!

6.) I'm grateful when it's NOT my holiday to work....grateful for an alternating holiday schedule!

5.) I'm grateful for the patients that do such absurb, quacky, out of this world things...things that we can only laugh about!! It keeps us on our toes, and definitely keeps us laughing!

4.) I'm grateful for the shifts that I can actually eat a quick breakfast, lunch and dinner...and pee!! What a concept!!

3.) I'm grateful for the families that express their gratitude...few and far between at times, but it makes doing what we do SO worth it!! AND even more grateful for the amazing family I've been caring for recently who even remembered my birthday...Amazing (post will come with the super cute card they gave me)!

2.) I'm grateful when I leave work and my SUPER sick patient has lived through the day again, largely because of the care that I've provided!!

1.) I'm grateful to be able to say that I'm a PICU nurse...what a rewarding, exhausting, fun, emotional, satisfying career!!! I truly am blessed!!

I meant to take a picture of myself after my last shift Tuesday night....it would show you the INCREDIBLE difference of PICU nurse after working a bunch in a row & PICU nurse truly enjoying the time off and the holiday with family. BUT- since I couldn't get out of the hospital faster, I forgot about it. So I leave you with a relaxed PICU nurse at Grammy's house, thoroughly enjoying my time off! Doesn't get much better than family, laughter, wine, football, & blogging! Ahhh.....


1 comment:

  1. Hope you had a relaxing and fun thanksgiving...looks like you did!

    ReplyDelete