Mad Scribblings From the Life of a Middle-Aged New Nurse
In nursing school, it is universally taught that new nurses should spend the first 1-2 years of their careers in Med-Surg before deciding to specialize (if you decide) so skills and time management can be perfected. So that's what I did. That's what many of us did. Some succeed. Some just survive. Others (like me)... Continue Reading →
The end of my time at Grey Sloan appears to be close. I had hoped that maybe this situation could be turned around, but I've come to believe it cannot. After spending two days with a new preceptor -- who was really nice, by the way -- the news is grim. It seems my Nurse... Continue Reading →
[A quick programming note. I did not do a weigh in this week because, honestly, I'm too stressed out to handle any potential failures. I've been eating on and off either well within my diet restrictions or with minor cheats inbetween. That's all I have to say about that.] I officially hate working at Grey-Sloan... Continue Reading →
Having finished all my computer training, I have been working on my assigned unit for three whole days now. My overall assessment: this job sucks ass. If there is a nurse out there reading this: YOU DO ARE NOT GETTING PAID ENOUGH TO DO THIS. Why did I do this to myself? I knew it... Continue Reading →
"So how's it going?" Not so great. "I mean with your new job. You must be excited!" I know. I am. I mean, it's not horrible or anything. The people seem nice. It's just [nervous laugh] I'm having a rough time adjusting. "Adjusting? What's going on?" Well... mostly I'm just frustrated because I have no... Continue Reading →
Okay, so here's the thing. Reality is setting in. I have spent the last seven years of my life preparing for a life in medicine. The last two years in nursing school proper were hell on fire. Now I finally get my "dream job" at Grey-Sloan and... bro, I'm straight up not having a good... Continue Reading →
I don't deal well with change. Particularly big changes frighten me. I assess the situation and evaluate all the potential outcomes -- and in many situations this is a plus, but in this situation, it works against me. Many times in my life, I have been stymied by my inability to take action because outcomes... Continue Reading →
It's finally over! I finished the NCLEX exam yesterday, so I thought I'd offer a few free tips. I think I did well -- early results won't be available until tomorrow, but I felt pretty good about it. Let's face it: Nursing School only minimally prepares you for the actual job of a nurse. I... Continue Reading →
My dog is old. We aren't sure how old. When I got him in the spring of 2009, shortly after Barack Obama was elected President, the SPCA estimated he was between 2 and 5 years old. I put him closer to two based on his high energy level. This little Pomeranian was part a group... Continue Reading →
I finally slept last night! Utterly exhausted, I got all of 6 hours of sleep, but it was by-and-large uninterrupted, which is unusual for me. Even the dog seemed to appreciate that the worst of the educational storm was over, sleeping quietly all night in the cool of my bedroom. Along with depression, I have... Continue Reading →
Mad Margaret Diaries 