Mad Scribblings From the Life of a Middle-Aged New Nurse
I drove to Grey-Sloan Hospital yesterday, the site of my first job as an official nurse, to do paperwork and physical completed. I took a moment to stand at the edge of the parking garage that overlooks the hospital campus and note my surroundings. I will be in the big show in a couple of... Continue Reading →
Now that I have the job at Grey-Sloan lined up and have graduated Nursing School -- though still awaiting the license exam -- I'm finding myself entering a new phase of life. And I want that life to be better than the one I'm leaving behind. My brother's wife pointed out to me that I... Continue Reading →
After I officially passed Nursing, I sat in my feelings for about an hour. It seemed strangely anticlimactic. Hard to imagine that two solid years of frustration and fear and questioning my sanity in Nursing School would peak with one 75-question exam encompassing one semester's work for all the marbles. It was a dark, cold,... 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 →
I always knew the end of Nursing School would come eventually, but I certainly never thought it would end in the middle of an international plague. I am four days from the final exam finding myself thinking back to simpler times. Just a few short months ago, I thought that at this point, I'd be... Continue Reading →
Some things about getting older are fun. Knowing more than "kids these days" is always an interesting tunnel to go into. Like when they hear about what life was like before Google -- you had to go to the library and look things up in a card catalogue! OOH! Or they listen in amazement when... Continue Reading →
After much debate with the administration, it has been decided that my nursing class will graduate a week early. It's not much, but it's something. All our classes have been moved up to accommodate NY's request to get fresh nurselings out there to relieve the overworked and overstressed nurses on the front lines. How much... Continue Reading →
There is an interesting phenomenon emerging from this COVID-19 crisis. Nurses and healthcare workers are actually being FURLOUGHED. Laid off. Fired. I had heard rumblings about this a few days ago. Entire ER and ICU staff being sent home. That's crazy. Now why would this be? A couple of reasons. First, those who treat non-emergent... Continue Reading →
For those wondering, I am fine. Whatever was going on with me a few days ago, I appear to have no further issues. Probably just overtired. I haven't been tested for coronavirus, but even if I chose to be, there are no tests left around here anyway. They closed all the drive-thru testing facilities. Fun.... Continue Reading →
The news report in the link below could have come out of my hometown. Our nursing program retention is at an all-time low -- 45%. That's abysmal. But students flock to it -- fight to get in. This is happening everywhere. Why? Low tuition. Check. 96% Board Pass Rate. Check. Virtual guarantee of a decent-paying... Continue Reading →
Mad Margaret Diaries 