Could I be going through a midlife crisis?? NEVER! I am way too young to be midlife...or am I?? The last month has had so many changes going on I can hardly tell what I am doing from one day to the next. I have to keep checking my calendar to see what the heck I am up to for the day.
Really big change. I left bedside nursing and changed my work setting to this:
Fixed Wing Flight nurse for AirMed based in Rock Springs.
No I am not moving, just commuting
This will be my work view. Well, when I'm not crapping my pants trying to keep patients stable up in the air.
This is a picture I took in February when Al and I were taking off in Salt Lake City to go to Colorado. Airmed was behind us for take off. That is my patient care station. hahah
I applied a year ago to AirMed and the interview made me realize what I really needed to work on to pass the interview. Not even necessarily to do the job, but to impress upon the team that I could do a great job and work as a team and make decisions best for our patients. I took my CCRN test and accepted a job in the ER at the U in order to get the experience I need. Lucky for me all that experience, studying and strong desire to fly paid off and they hired me! I start this Monday. NOW, I will spend three months learning a lot of stuff I don't know so I can do my job well. I can't wait! I'm a nerd like that. I like the learning stuff. That or its my genetically predisposed need to be constantly moving and learning. (thanks dad and mom!)
The complete downside to that.
Leaving the ER. A short time there and I have had so much fun. The people that I have worked with have been so kind and taught me so much! I usually work at a job until I move onto something else or am just DONE with it. I feel like there were so many more shenanigans to experience!!! Thanks to everyone who was so awesome!
I also had to say farewell to the SICU. Luckily Julia (manager) will allow me to pick up extra shifts as needed and I will definitely be doing that. I am so emotionally and personally involved with the SI that some people are closer to me then family. I have so much pride in how far I have come as an ICU nurse and how awesome it is to work with such a great crew. I will miss coding a patient with my besties in the room and we are KICKING ass and taking names. Not easy to die in that unit. The only thing that helps a little is that they are going through some major changes and evolving enough that it's like moving on after a great party.
Who wouldn't want to work with these people??!!
Of course it's not all a party. Sometimes we have to get serious!
Halloween, I think 2008. I was charging and Terri Michele made us all nursing hats. Then we took a picture with our attending sitting on a commode. Dr. Barton was a good sport!
Then we grabbed Dr. Selzman, but we got him a decent chair.
I think he had been at the hospital maybe a month. He looks suspicious!
Marnell left the SICU in December 07, but will never be forgotten. She was super smart and a blast!
These are our emergency cardiac med boxes. We went through three the night before and I was just coming on. I hope Pharmacist Jeanie sees this and I can tell her.."I didn't open it!" Kyle should have been proud. We would break these open when we needed code meds but nothing else and that way we wouldn't break the code cart and charge the patient an extra thousand. Plus they were easier to keep stocked.
Wasn't the first or the last pair of shoes to be violated in the SICU. I was always kind of a freak about my shoes and would use shoe covers and all kinds of stuff to try and keep them clean.
I am pretty sure this is 2007 or early 2008. Just another great day in the SICU. Little did I know that they could add a few more machines in the next few years. Look - it's paper charting!!
I found this by my computer one day. Apparently someone wanted to have Jesus be my co-pilot for the day. I think he's averting his eyes. Everyone took cover to see if lightening would strike.
Oh look! New Bari beds. Lets see how many nurses we can get in it!!
I was always amazed when they left the chest open. This one, the tips of my fingers could feel his heart beat. I know, I'm not wearing gloves. My hands were super clean!!
When we first started doing bi-vads it was just so amazing. Yet again, the surgeons soon added another component to it and later on we were hooked up to this AND an ECMO machine.
In no way shape or form can I forget my Triad of Triads. Being a charge nurse in the SICU has been a lesson of trial and error when it comes to dealing with critical patients, logistics and SOCIAL politics and boundaries. After having to send an apology letter and giving many apologies for hurting someones feel goods I came up with my triad. Because sometimes you have to take the high road and act like the adult.
I've learned a lot!
Terri and I share a birthday week. So I brought us a cake and we had our own party.
See how we are??
Can you see where I could miss it all? I have had so much support from my friends there. When I had bad days as a single mother then Danielle would sense it and make me cry..then she would cry and then Tera would get all mad about why we were crying and she would start crying. I will appreciate those times forever and so lucky to still have Tera and Danielle counted as friends for life!
Memories of my first patient that was a fresh quadriplegic. He was fresh off his mission and I just bonded with him. His family was amazing. That night I had one of many calls from SLPD about this and that with a particular son. That night my patients mom and I sat in his room and cried together.
Becoming so close to a patients family that when she died I think they were comforting me as much as I was comforting them.
Laughing so hard I almost pee'd my pants so many times I can hardly count.
Watching the miracle that is medicine work. Sometimes not work. There is no magical answer it just is what it is.
Seeing Dr. Vargo's eyes in the OR during an especially tragic situation. He is the only surgeon that I still get nervous around and I still chase him down and ask him questions. He's no longer an attending in the SICU, but he's an excellent surgeon there. He also came to my rescue when a particular CT surgeon decided to give me the smackdown (yelling/swearing) in the dirty utility.
Sitting in a patients room with David. She was dying and her family couldn't be there, it was too much for them. We sat with her so she wouldn't die alone.
The three circle brain starter. When you turn three circles around in a room because you have no idea where to start it's all so crazy.
Crashing patient and the surgeon ripped off the ioban and stuck her hand in his chest and held the aorta that was bleeding. She sat on the bed and we wheeled them both up to emergency surgery. I always wondered were our dramatic music was at those times. It was just so surreal.
Talking to Dr. Kimball who I have come to respect so much as a friend and co-worker. Sometimes we are all just real people with real lives and just need someone who can understand. Plus I have been in a lot of critical patient situations with him. After a while when you are with the same doctor, it all becomes smooth and seamless.
Tera across the bed from me in a code. I have no idea why we have done so many together, but when my patient codes my adrenaline is through the roof and having Tera across from me brings my head back into the game.
Yelling at Dr. Barton. Not proud, but it was the end of a long frustrating day of trying to get someone to listen to me. It's ok, he yelled at me too once in a while.
I can't think of all the highlights and low lights right now. It makes me think I should start writing them down. What a great 8 years!
Thank you peeps!
HELLO AIRMED!! I'm jumping in with both feet and hoping to land safely..every time!! I can't wait to get to know the crew and learn to be as bad ass as they are. Because if I ever have to be transported by air they are the people that I want to do it!!!
Blog on...........
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