Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Tales from the Med-Surg floor

Where has Martha gone? Oh yeah...back to work. Unfortunately, it is not work that I get paid for but rather the final stage of this RN refresher course I've been working my way through since August.

What has changed in the 16+ yrs since I've worked on a med-surg unit? Not a lot. It seems like the hineys have gotten a tad larger...but you still clean 'em up the same way. They've got new and improved "stuff" to make the job a tad easier...but at the end of the day...well....you get the idea.

They have hand sanitizer every where you look. And when you read the patient's charts...you can appreciate why they have it every where you look.

You get to read the chart electronically. And while it is overwhelming at first, by the end of the day, you are grateful that so many things are now point and click. Especially when you end up discharging and admitting several patients over a 12 hr shift. I had 4 patients at the start of my shift and 4 at the end, but only two stayed the same. Do the math: you are one tired out nurse by the time the new shift comes in to take over.

One thing that hasn't changed? Is that little burst of pride you get when your patient looks at you and says "You are good at what you do! Thank you!".

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