First Week of Clinicals

So the big (anti-climactic) blog post on the FIRST WEEK OF CLINICALS!

Day one: purely observational

Day two: Cancelled (YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I'd be lying if I said I was even the slightest bit disappointed that clinical day 2 was cancelled Wed. I told a friend if you want to feel like a total moron, walk into another hospital's PICU in a completely different role, and be expected to fit right in.

It took me right back to my first day ever in the PICU. It was exciting, horrifying, nerve-wracking and stressful all rolled into one. Eventually, the negative descriptives went away one by one until all that was left was the "exciting."

I wish I could fast forward to that now! But, I know that this is how it is for everyone. You gotta start somewhere right???

So I lucked out and didn't have to present my patients in rounds to the big scary docs staring at you...didn't have to manage a really sick kid who's only 2 months but already has had multiple heart surgeries (oh yeah, I failed to mention that I was assigned the sickest kid on the unit day one- my preceptor said, "You work in a PICU, you can handle it!"---- hello, she's SO wrong!!) Good thing the poor kid had multiple other health care providers looking over her that day!!

So on my day off, I curled up on the couch with some HGTV and Food Network and got a TON of homework done...and it was AWESOME!!!

The only thing I was worried about was having to make up the 12 hours sometime (WHEN??? I don't have time for that!) But, my preceptor e-mailed us all and told us since it was her fault and she was cancelling we'd get signed off on those 12 hours!

Hello- like the perfect snow day where it's not that cold and you can go sledding...and you don't have to make it up at the end of the school year!!!

So this weekend I work....hopefully the last time I'll be caring for my little man (so sad for me...so happy for him!) I'm hoping he gets to go home this Tues! I'm going to enjoy my time in the PICU where I feel smart...I feel confident...where it feels like home! (nothing like doing AC PNP clinicals to make work seem amazing!)

But I will return to clinicals on Tuesday. And hopefully return to my blog with some great or funny things to share!