Thankful Thursday | Piper in a box

Ok, first up, I want to show you this picture of Lisey’s cat, Piper. Because it makes me giggle every time I look at it. 

When I saw this picture, it reminded me of how it feels to try on your pre-pregnancy jeans after you have a baby. Like maybe you can zip them, but the zipper is holding on for dear life, just like the seams on this box.

This week, I am thankful:

that it’s my last day of orientation!

This week we’ve been doing an on-the-unit boot camp, and today is the last day.

I start working as an actual nurse (with a preceptor, of course) on Sunday. 

I am excited, but also a little nervous about the learning curve. However, I take comfort in the fact that my preceptor will be with me every shift for the first 12-16 weeks. I won’t be on my own for a nice long while.

Whew! 

that fall is near

I was taking a walk downtown the other day and noticed a local shop had a very fall-themed window display.

Yay! 

that we have continued to have many lovely days

I seriously cannot believe how often I have said that this month, because August is usually miserable!

But the air has been so nice, I have actually wanted to go out for walks in the woods. 

I am so, so, so grateful for a mild August!

that soon I’ll be down to three days a week

Once orientation and boot camp are over, I will start a three-shift per week schedule, and I much prefer that.

Orientation days have been shorter than 12 hours, which is sort of nice, but I don’t love having to go to the hospital so many days per week.

I’d rather work longer shifts and go in only three days a week. That gives me so much more schedule flexibility! 

for so much skills practice

This week in boot camp, we’ve been on the floor, practicing skills with patients (supervised OF COURSE). So, I have gotten to do lots of medication administration, including many IV push medications and heparin injections, and I’ve also gotten to pull meds from the Pyxis machine, something I’ve never done before.

I’ve gotten to hang TPN (a bag of “food” that goes straight into your veins) and do a tube feed, where the nutritional mix goes straight into the stomach through a tube hooked up to a pump. 

These are skills we didn’t get to do enough at school clinical shifts, so I’m really happy to get some practice to help me feel more confident and competent. 

for my new grad cohort

There are five of us starting on my unit, and we’ve been in orientation and boot camp together for the last three weeks solid. I suppose this would be dreadful if there was a personality clash, but luckily, I love everyone in my cohort, so I have been happy to see them every day. 

(This is neither here nor there, but remember how we are all wearing pink on Wednesdays? I think we convinced our one male new grad to join in, and he is going to order this color from Figs. Heh.) 

that we get our very first nurse paycheck today

Today’s the first payday that reflects our nurse rate, so we are all excited about that. Woohoo! 

One of you asked what I planned to do with my first paycheck. I probably will save most of it, but my cohort and I are going out for Mexican food after work today to celebrate. So, I will spend some of it on Mexican food. 

You know what I also will probably do? Buy some pink scrubs! I’ve been wearing a pink t-shirt with black scrub pants on Wednesdays, but I think I want some actual pink scrubs too. 

that I’m on my home unit as a new grad

I can already tell that it is such an advantage to already know the floor and the people who work there. It makes everything easier!

I almost forgot to include Chiquita!

I was about to hit “publish” and then realized I only had Piper in this post and not Chiquita.

Here you go.

 

Chiquita has a bigger cat bed than everyone else. 😉 

What are you thankful for this week?