Sorry I've been MIA!!!

Is it really half way through July already?? When and how did that happen? I have been LOVING work, been an official RN for 3 weeks tomorrow. :-) I anticipate switiching to night shift the week of August 9th--just waiting to hear for sure from my supervisor. I will probably get 2 additional weeks of training on night shift and then be on my own. Scary thought! Last week I was practically on my own one day...my normal preceptor Catherine was called off due to a low patient census and so I was put with the charge nurse to supervise me...only the charge nurse is very busy with other stuff so I was practically on my own and just had her as a go-to person. One thing I've learned is that I really hate calling doctors. It helps that I already know all (well, most) of the doctors I work with, but it's still nerve racking!! Imagine if I was on an entirely new unit with doctors I'd never met before?? Yikes. Guess I'll count my blessings!!

I am thoroughly enjoying not having any tests or studying to worry about. That does mean I am kinda bored on my days off, but for now at least I am enjoying that. My house got entirely cleaned last Friday, so I don't even have cleaning to do right now!! Today I have to mail in my passport renewal application in preparation for our cruise in October (can't wait!!), then I am FINALLY going to go get my hair cut!! It's been FIVE months since I've had it cut, the longest I like to wait is 4...but it costs money and I refuse to go to costcutters or somewhere like that...so I waited! Moving is expensive, btw...not something I want to do again anytime soon!! Hehe. Anyway, this really prestigious salon in Chandler came to my hosptial a couple weeks ago selling a promotional package of 3 salon visits. 2 visits are for a professional cut, and the other is for a color or highlights. All 3 visits only cost a total of $60. I normally spend $120 for ONE visit for a haircut and partial highlights with 2 colors. So I am getting it cut today, then next month I'll get it colored, then right before our cruise three months from now I'll get it cut again. :-) And all for only $60. Yaaaaaay!!! Not to mention the guy who is cutting my hair today is supposedly the top hair dresser in the state. Nice! We'll see if I like what he does or not...

Enough about my hair, I think I'm going to go play my Sims 3 game before heading out to the postoffice and salon in a few hours. I love Sims!!! It was my present for finishing NCLEX. I bought it that day!! Hehe.

TTYL!!
~Abigail Sampson, RN~

Got My License!

My real, actual, physical license (hehe) arrived in the mail yesterday!! I'm so glad it came quickly, because now I can turn in copies first thing Monday morning at work and start getting paid real RN wages and doing all the RN work. I'll have to get set up with a password and fingerprint at the med station, get a new badge, get new uniforms, and...I think that's it. I'm so excited to be able to get my patient's own meds this next week instead of having to ask Catherine (my RN preceptor...she's AMAZING!!) everytime one of my patients needs a motrin. Yesterday she was joking around saying that Monday I am going to give my very first Colace. Oh goody! LOL! (Colace is a stool softener. Such an important med, HA!) I'm being sarcastic. Maybe it was funnier to us....

I really had to LOL though when I saw the license because it is just on a piece of regular strength paper and is about the size of a credit card. It's so flimsy!! I may get it laminated, but I heard somewhere we're not supposed to do that...maybe I'll call the state board and ask if that is allowed. At first I was thinking "no wonder it's so easy for poeple to forge an RN license, all you have to do is copy the thing!" Seriously, it looks like it's just normal white paper...nothing special. But on closer examination there are some letters in tiny tiny black dots on the paper...the license itself still looks white unless you look VERY CLOSELY and you can see the itty bitty dot letters. That made me feel better. :-)

~Abigail Sampson, RN~

:::EDIT:::

I forgot, there IS something else I get to do Monday....I get a new login to our computer charting system, and on our paper charts I will get to sign my name as RN for the first time!! :-D Yesterday I was signing RN to non-legal documents (like the Congratulations card we all sign and give to all our new parents upon discharge), but I'm not allowed to use the initials RN on any part of the legal chart until my license is on file at the hospital...which will be Monday!!

:::END EDIT:::

::::Drumroll::::

I'm an RN!!! I've known for about 12hrs, but I was at work today so I couldn't post this until now. Sorry if I kept anyone waiting in suspense! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!! This is one of the best feelings EVER!! No more studying, no more tests, no more constant stress....at least about school, haha! I can't even begin to describe how good it feels to FINALLY be done with this 5 year mission (5 years in college...but much longer in the pursuit of this dream!). Once I turn in my paper license, which should arrive in the mail by Saturday according to my classmates, I will get my pay raise (yay!), be able to pass meds and handle IVs AND get my new uniforms for work. :-) SO EXCITED!!!!!!!! But scared at the same time...with the initials RN come great responsibility...and yes, I am terrified of being on my own in postpartum. I don't care if people say it's the easiest department to work in, and I don't care that I've been in that department in one position or another for 4 years now, I'm still scared to be on my own. It's a good fear, though, it would be worse if I was so confident I wasn't frightened at all. Afterall, an RN license is quite realistically a license to kill. Scary thought, but remembering that will keep me humble. I'm just SOOOO excited to finally be able to say I'M A NURSE!!!


::::::Drumroll::::::


~Abigail Sampson, RN~

:::Cues Jeopardy Music:::

I just got home from my test. I got the minimum 75 questions, and it only took me 45 minutes. I'm not sure how I feel about that!! I either passed, or bombed miserably because it will keep going and going up to 265 if it (the computer) thinks you still have a chance. To fail at 75 questions means it has no hope for you, so it shuts off! OR I did marvelous and there was no need to keep going so it shut off at 75 questions. Of course I'm hoping it's the latter scenario. :-) I must note, though, that the questions were a LOT easier than the study questions I've been doing. Okay, easier may not be the word....how about basic. They questions were very basic, but the answer choices were confusing. Oh, and there were TONS of multiple-multiple answer questions...the kind where you have to "select all that apply". Fun fun. :::makes icky face:::

Now I wait until tomorrow to find out if I can breathe....

~Abigail~

The Day Before the Rest of My Life

I suppose every day could be classified as such...but it feels even more surreal today than any other (except for maybe the day before my wedding). Tomorrow morning I will be taking my NCLEX-RN exam, and hopefully by sometime Thursday will be able to sign my posts with RN after my name, AND change the title of my blog. Uh-oh...I'm going to have to think up a new title! It really is nerve racking...but I am unexplainably at peace right now. Well, not unexplainably...I know it's because I have tons of people praying for me...but it's still weird to not be jumping out of my skin in anticipation and sheer fright at the thought of this test. My whole life has been leading up to this point, literally! Since the time I was 7 years old, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. Specifically, a baby nurse. :-) Tomorrow, I finally have the opportunity to realize that dream.

I will be taking the exam at 8am, and will have anywhere from 75 to 265 questions. It is all on the computer, and I will have up to 6 hours to complete it. I won't know ahead of time how many questions I will have, the test will simply shut off once the computer has determined I am done (based on my performance). It does not tell me how I am doing, or give me a result at the end. Tomorrow afternoon I have scheduled a massage using the spa gift certificates I received for my birthday last month. Scott and I will probably go out to dinner....I fully intend to indulge in a margarita!! Then Thursday and Friday I go to work and attempt not to go nuts waiting for my results to post online. Let's hope they post on Thursday!!

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers!!

~Abigail~

It's Official!

I just received my Authorization To Test for my NCLEX-RN exam this afternoon...and I've scheduled my demise, er, I mean my test date. Hehe. *drumroll*

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 @ 8:00am

***Dun-dun-dun***

Randomness

Hey there! I finally have some "down-time" and thought I'd update. I'm not in the writing/editing mood, however, so you're all going to have to deal with a bullet-point style update. :-)

--Went shopping with my mom yesterday and got an awesome rug set for our house on clearance...more than 50% off! AND I found a totally cute black w/ white flowers skirt. :-)

--Went grocery shopping today using my grocery game thing and spent a grand total of $48 and SAVED a total of $136. Yes I did! Got several things for free...

--Going to a wedding tonight. I love weddings...brings back memories and gives me goosebumps (happy goosebumps!). Why does one's wedding day go by so fast?? I can't believe it's been 2 1/2 years...

--Going to California this next weekend with Scott's family. Knottsberry Farm and the beach...here we come!!

--I'm nervous about my big NCLEX test. Don't know why, I just am. I don't have a test date yet, I'm waiting to reveive my ATT letter (Approval To Test) from the state. My review course is June 4-7th.

--23 feels the same as 22 and 21 and 20 and.... Yeeeaaaah....I don't feel any older.

--I am loving my job! Working more than 1 day at a time gives me the opportunity to really connect and bond with my patients. I've even been able to turn a few "bad stays" into "good stays". Last week 2 out of my 4 patients on one day had "mommy melt-downs" as soon as I walked into their rooms in the morning. They were both exhausted and overwhelmed (3 days post unplanned cesarean deliveries), frustrated with breastfeeding and babies who were losing too much weight, and needed some TLC. By the end of the day the tears were gone and they were BOTH happy and had gotten some much needed rest, and the babies were eating much better. I had help from my wonderful preceptor of course, but it is fun and fulfilling to be able to turn someone's day around like that...and then have them thank you and say you made all the difference. *Happy sigh*

--I KNOW I have more to say but I am drawing a blank right now...

--Will be joining LA Fitness in a couple months with my friend Angela. We plan to take some classes together...I really want to try kickboxing. :-)

--First mortgage check goes out tomorrow. Good feeling. :-)

--We will be taking Scott's dog, Elvis (a beagle), to our house in a week or so. He has been at Scott's parent's house for the past several years since Scott got him, and now that we (finally!) have a backyard, he can come live with us!! It will be interesting to see what the cats think of him...Elvis is used to cats, he lives with 3 of them right now...but our cats have NEVER lived with a dog. Maybe I should pop some popcorn and invite the whole family over for some entertainment when we introduce them all....hehehe. :-P

--I want to learn Spanish. Once I pass my RN test, Spanish is my next big aspiration.

--I am excited to start working night shift.

--It's time for me to go start getting ready for the wedding we're going to!!

~Abigail~

I'm Gradu-ma-tated!!

That's a word my friend Bonnie and I used when we graduated from high-school....and I finally get to use it again!! :-D The pinning ceremony was last night, and was so amazing!! It was awesome to be the one on the stage with the gown and name being called and congratulations from instructors, classmates, family and friends! So fun!! Now it's like...um, okay, it's all over...now I have to WAIT some more to take my NCLEX review class the first week of June to prepare for the *the test* (cue dooming music)...then take *the test*....then wait for my results...THEN (hopefully) I can add the initials RN to my name!! :-D :-D

My co-workers threw a graduation party for me this past Tuesday, which was so much fun!! My preceptor, Catherine, was the one who put in most of the work (and I imagine $$ too!) to pull it off, and it turned out so great!! I don't have any pictures, but I hope to get some eventually from some of my co-workers who came prepared with their cameras! I think the coolest thing there was a basket of stuff labeled "Night Shift Essentials". Here's what it had in it: Reynold's Wrap (to cover the windows), a cute sleep mask, a "restful sounds" CD, Dr. Pepper and Red Bull (caffeine!), Tums and Aleve for inevitable issues due to an awkward schedule, Smart Water, Bubble Gum, Tic Tacs, several types of energy bars...and I think I'm forgetting a few things...but it was so cute!! Catherine gave me a cute PJ's set to go along with the "night shift" idea. Hehe! :-) And very thoughtful of all of them to put together for me! All the night shift girls signed the card for me, too! I've never worked a night shift at Mercy in my 3 years of working there, so it was really sweet of them to think of me like this and welcome me to their shift!! I won't be switching for a couple more months yet, but I am excited to get to know all of them better! MUCH thanks goes to Catherine for putting the pot-luck and party together for me! YOUR'E THE BEST!!

As if this month isn't busy enough already, tomorrow is my birthday!! This is my last day to be 22!!! Where has the time gone?? I know 23 isn't old, but when you're a kid and thinking about being an adult, it seems SOOOO far away...heck when you're 10 even 18 seems like a lifetime away...and for a 10 year old, it practically IS!! When I turned 18 I thought I was so old and mature (old in the sense that I was proud to be an adult...and SO much older than my 16 and 17 year old friends! Lol.) Old and mature....HA! Now I think, wow...18? That was 5 years ago. FIVE YEARS!!! Really, already? I didn't know ANYTHING back then! I wonder what I'll say about myself at 23 five years from NOW. *Sigh* I don't know what I'm trying to say. No I don't feel old. But I don't feel 23 either. The number doesn't match how I feel or think of myself at ALL. I suppose that's how it's always going to be, huh? *shrugs* Twenty-three, here I come!! Please don't go as fast as your predecessors?? Please?? I would like to enjoy and savor every minute of you. Thank you Lord for the opportunity and blessing of another year!! I wonder what and where this new year will bring me?

On the HOME front, we are almost entirely moved in. In fact, I spent the majority of the morning doing routine cleaning...not the move-in type, that was done a couple weeks ago...but you know, the "this has to be done every week or so" type of cleaning, the type of cleaning that makes it feel like you actually live there. *Happy smile* I was cleaning MY house!! :-D :-D So by ALMOST entirely moved in, I really mean that the only thing we have left to do is declutter the guest room. The miscellaneous boxes were all stacked in that room, so we need to sort through those and put stuff away, but other than that...we were done within a couple days of moving in (thanks to all our friends and family who helped us!!)! We even hosted two dinners the weekend after moving in. The first was my grandpa and my family, we wanted to have my grandpa over for dinner before he took off back to Montana to escape the heat (which he did a few days later...), and the second was a big Mother's Day get-together with my whole family and most of Scott's family. It was a lot of fun! And I made a Teapot cake to celebrate the occassion. :-) I will do a picture post one of these days....maybe...or you all can just look at the pictures I post on Facebook...it's easier to do it there.

ANYWAY, it has been a busy few weeks, and then next few are going to be just as busy: birthday, working full time again, CPR renewal, a wedding shower/wedding for a friend, another family birthday, weekend trip to California, then my NCLEX review class....

Don't be suprised if you don't hear much from me for the rest of the month!! I will do my best to throw in a couple of updates, but I make no promises! :-)

~Abigail~

It's official!

I'm DONE!!! I finished my preceptorship yesterday, and what a day it was! It started out REALLY slow...6 patients in the ER to start out the shift...a big change from Monday's 40 patients deep in the waiting room and on diversion to ambulances practically all day. It was kinda weird. Anyway, about 3 hours into our shift yesterday, we got an ambulance call, we were getting a man who was found with an altered level of consciousness, apparently had been drinking and overdosed on his meds. He was combative and the EMTs weren't able to initiate an IV site. So he arrives on our unit, gets transferred from the ambulance gurney to our stretcher and there are literally 10 people in the room from nurses, to the doctor to security guards and the guy is obviously fighting everyone (although he was completely out of it). It took 5 people to hold him down, and everyone else was running around grabbing stuff, hooking up the monitor etc. I got the priveledge of starting the IV. The charge nurse was holding his arm down for me and pointed out a good vein for the IV...only I couldn't see the stinkin' vein...I could feel it, but it was on the top of his arm and I couldn't see it for the life of me. AND the patient was struggling and squirming. Not feeling too confident, I took the chance and just did it...and it went in perfectly, got the flash of blood immediately, advanced the catheter, hooked it up and taped it down...all with 10 people watching and a struggling patient. Talk about no pressure!!! *Phew*!! They were impressed and so was I! And of course I am very proud of myself. :-D :-D THEN we ended up having to intubate him, which I had never seen before so that was awesome! Poor guy, this was his 4th suicide attempt in the past year (we looked up his past medical history in the computer).

So, I've probably started my last IV for at least a year. It is rare for IV's to be started in postpartum, they all get started in L&D and I won't be allowed to switch to L&D for at least a year after graduation. :-( I'm still slightly considering the possibility of working ER, but almost every other patient I change my mind...like the guy above, I really don't want to have to deal with that!! Then there's the patients who come in with a case of "stupid". I mean seriously...my very last patient last night came in with a main complaint of a cough. When I asked her when it had started, she said "About an hour ago." Me: "Have you taken anything for it?" Her: "No." SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? A cough for a freaking hour?!?!? I'm not making this up, I promise. She was in NO apparent distress, was sitting on the edge of the bed joking around with me and the cough sounded fake...like she had to make herself cough every 30 seconds or so to convince me of why she was there. *rolls eyes* AND she didn't want to wear her mask--everyone complianing of a cough gets a mask right now due to the swine flu thing. Good grief. Oh it gets better....as I was filling out the assessment page I had to ask her when her last period was. She just looked at me. I asked her if it was this month, last month....she finally said it had been a couple months, then she added that she had just started birth control and asked me to please not tell her husband because if he knew she was taking it he'd be soooo mad (they did have a 3 yr old...who was also being seen in the ER for a fever...her husband was supposedly going to have an x-ray...what is the ER, the doctor's office or something??) Anyway, she finally came up with 3/16 as her last period (who knows if she was just making it up or not) so I asked her if there was any way she could be pregnant...she said, "No way!" "Are you just saying that?" I asked. "No, I'm really not." Too bad I had to leave and didn't see the results of her blood work.

I'm not sure I want to take care of those kinds of patients day in and day out and have to put on the face of "oh, I'm sorry you have a cough, we'll try and figure out what's going on." There are genuinely sick patients who come to the ER...I like taking care of them...but the stupid ones?? Not so much. Not when I know they are on Mercy Care and I am actually paying for them to be there. It just irritates me. I'd practically have to be dying before I would go to the ER. Oh well, stupid people mean job security for those in the ER I guess.

I hope I haven't offended anyone!! Lol.

I am off to pack and take another load of stuff over to the new house!! We got our keys last Friday and spent all day Saturday and Sunday cleaning and then moving/setting up the kitchen and bathrooms. We also picked out all of our appliances on Saturday, and they will be delivered this Friday. The washer and dryer are cherry red!! We ended up getting a black Samsung refridgerator, and an upright freezer which I'll be putting in the laundry room. Now I can finally start stocking up on all the frozen goods from The Grocery Game and I'll have somewhere to keep them!!! Woohoo!!! AND our "First Time Homebuyer's" tax credit is on it's way....we should have it by the 8th of May--goodbye credit card debt!! :-D

Later!
~Abigail~

Signing Day

We signed what felt like a million papers today in order to close on our house!! We should have the keys by Friday, once everything is finalized. But our part is over! :-) To celebrate I went shopping with Brenda (Scott's mom, for those that don't know her!) for new bathroom stuff for the guest bathroom. The bathroom is painted a very dark olive/forest green with pergo wood flooring, so we were attempting to find stuff to match. We found a shower curtain and accent towels that matched, plus bath towels and rugs that complemented them. I love decorating!! I can't wait to actually set the bathroom up on Saturday...

I am enjoying my day off today...I did 2 more shifts in the ER Monday and Tuesday and have one more tomorrow, then I work my normal shift on Friday. Ugh, busy week!!

~Abigail~