Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation

Clinicals on Saturday were really great. We had mid-term evals, and my instructor had some really nice things to say. The only weakness she pointed out was that I am so confident and assertive that staff nurses and other students who don’t know their stuff might be intimidated. I don’t think this is true with my fellow classmates, we are all pretty brilliant, but I get her point about nurses on the floor. I can usually tell pretty quickly whether a nurse knows what she is doing, and I only ask questions of those who I think will have an answer, or be excited to help me figure it out. I never want to make anyone feel stupid (okay, sometimes I do, but not at clinical or in class).

I’ve always been pretty good at communicating with patients, but I am starting to think of myself as a nurse and not just a caregiver. I went right up to my new mom and helped her get her baby breastfeeding. I’ve even become quite comfortable with the process of assessment, and I can get through a head to toe without missing anything. This is amusing, because I was totally checked-out for that whole class, yet things keep rising from the ether when I need them most. My instructor told me if I ever get lost, think of my patient as my “cheat sheet,” and I won’t forget anything. It seems obvious, but it helps a lot. She helps me a lot, because the way we process information is similar, much of what helps her get along also works for me.

Of course, the rest of my life sucks. I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t get a job soon. Grants and loans barely cover tuition this summer. I got a call from a recruiter at one of the metro hospitals, but she isn’t sure they can work with my schedule. 

I know this is all my fault. I could have handled things better at my last job, taken a leave of absence or something. Or better yet, sucked it up. It wasn’t brain surgery.