Life...

This is part of the awesome metal display by the Bricktown walkway in Oklahoma City. All these pieces are forged in Norman and brought to the site...it is supposed to tell the story of taming the west...the pieces are bigger than life, just amazing.

Well, it has been a good couple of weeks at my old home. Of course I have been able to work a few days on my old unit. I feel really comfortable there. I feel like I know what to do and who to go to which makes it easier to care for my patients. I went to a different hospital about 2 weeks ago and it was a disaster. I couldn't get the hang of the computer system, I didn't know who to call for what...it really made me feel ineffective as a nurse. There is a huge difference between being a traveler and being an agency nurse. Agency/registry nurses go to different hospitals and different units daily, plus they get almost no orientation to the hospital or the unit until they get there. You have to have a lot of confidence in your skills to do it. As a traveler, you go to the same hospital but it could be a different unit and you get at least a day or two of orientation, so you have been to the hospital before you actually start working and you have some idea where to go and what to do. Maybe I'm just getting old.

On a sadder note, my husband lost his mother this past week. She lives in Ohio and she is an old world Spanish woman. She never worked outside the home, never drove a car, and spoke very little English. She mellowed with age and actually tried harder to communicate with us in English. It was quick and unexpected, but she didn't suffer, which is the only way to go. The down side is no one gets to say their good byes. Tell the people you love everyday how much you love them and don't leave the house angry...just a little advice. non noc nocere.