Aaaaaaaaand, there goes my QI project. I was supposed to be days away from finishing my chart audits. About a week away from completing my data analysis. Ten days away from ordering my poster to present at two conferences. And then bureaucracy struck. I went to my clinical site this evening to continue chart audits. …
Category Archive: Clinicals
Apr
02
Mar
13
Home Stretch
Last week I did the unthinkable. I crammed 40 clinical hours on top of my 32 hours of work. This week it will be more like 20. But I plead for your patience nonetheless. The next 40-some days are shaping up to be brutal. But I’ll endure because the end result is oh so sweet. …
Jan
29
Pass It On
If there is one thing I have realized after two years as an RN, it is the importance of communication to patient safety. On my very first Med-Surg rotation, I remember my clinical instructor telling me to over-communicate. And that has stuck with me. I’m sure it makes me a pest to some, but so …
Aug
20
Progress
My summer “break” until the end of August has been filled with catching up on clinical hours and papers. Some break! But it does have me getting kind of excited (if a bit indimidated) about the project I am about to tackle. Our final year of training to be a CNL is focused on spending …
Feb
15
Digging Myself Out
I’m alive, I promise! Between the new job, the semester from hell (more on that soon – mama needs to vent!), wedding planning, and now we’re MOVING in two weeks, I honestly don’t know who I am or where I’m at. Oriented times zero. In the meantime, chew on this video and an investigative series …
Jan
31
The Myth of the Second Degree Nurse
I’ve had enough. Enough of being told that people like me may be “smart”, but can’t make clinical decisions where it counts. Enough of having derogatory labels bestowed upon me. It’s time to set the record straight. I present to you my favorite myths about second degree nurses and nursing students (SDNs). SDNs are ambitious/cutthroat/want …
Dec
02
Nurse Teeny’s Favorite Things
When did it become December??? Not that I’m complaining …we’ve already had our first snowfall (before Thanksgiving, even!). So I’m definitely in a festive mood, what with the perpetually lit fireplace, balsam fir-scented candles, and Starbucks peppermint mochas at my beck and call… Pandora is my new best friend while I’m studying – their Swingin’ …
Nov
08
Pie In the Sky
Every so often, I check the careers website at the hospital where I did my senior practicum, just to humor myself. I think to myself, maybe someday there will be an opening in peds hematology/oncology? Well today’s the day, folks. I feasted my eyes on the job description – 0.6 FTE, nights (blech!), but on …
Oct
15
Use Your Brain
I’ve noticed via recent blog stats that posts featuring nursing brain sheets have been quite popular lately. ‘Guess that’s due to the beginning of fall clinical rotations. So while I’ve been piddling around I thought I’d post one more… As I adapted to routines in the PCU, I found that the more detailed brains I …
Sep
14
The Journey
This post is late in coming, but the timing really couldn’t be better. With this blog reaching 50,000+ hits and my own career at a crossroads, what better time to look back on the long (and twisted) road that got me to this point? And reflect on a few lessons learned along the way… The …
Member
