I feel that I could have written this entry a few months back, but I decided to contain everything in a tight package and wait until my last day. LAST DAY.. it sounds awkward. Parang mamamatay lang the next day. Somehow, it felt just like that. In a good way.
Let us trace back history my friends while sipping your coffee (milk tea in my case) in this rainy morning. Please accept my warning that this will be a long post. Now that you've been warned, you cannot complain anymore!! :)
I never knew what area I wanted as an entry level nurse. When I was a nursing student, I think I sucked in every clinical area. I hated the ward, operating room and delivery room. See my dilemma? Where on earth can I possibly practice? So when I was asked what area would I like to unleash my inner nursing potential (Naks! Akala mo magaling na magaling lang), I WAS DUMBFOUNDED. Out of the blue, it's like a higher power whispered to me "Chooooooose Pedia", in an instant I found myself jotting down Pedia in that piece of paper. Next thing I knew, I was already setting foot in the Pedia Ward.
Trivia: I got my lowest clinical area grade in Pedia Ward during my nursing student days. Pedia pala ha!
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED KIDS. I have four younger siblings and somehow I've learned a thing or two on how to woo and care for them. But boy, was I totally surprised! Pedia was more than that. BELIEVE ME!
Things I learned in Pedia Ward:
1. Kids aren't always lovable. With my 6 months stay, I've reached the height of my patience. It may sound a bit harsh for a pediatric nurse but it happens. In the long run, you've got to learn how to control it and tell yourself that when you do get impatient, you have to start to be patient.
I had encounters with patients that cry at the sight of you. Kids that scream when you hold their hands thinking that nurses are all about injections and syringes. Imagine the effort in giving IV medications. It takes approximately 5-10 minutes of constant explanation and crazy animations before being able to give the medication. Kaya pagbalik mo sa station, lantang gulay ka na! HAHAHA
More so, hindi lang patient ang toxic sa ward, minsan mas toxic ang magulang! Every pedia nurse would have to agree with me on this note.
2. Mistakes are inevitable. Don't commit the same mistakes twice. Learn from it. As an entry level nurse, it's perfectly normal to rummage deep through our nursing knowledge. Kasi wala kang ka-alam alam! Dun ka talaga magttrust sa simula. Having said that, while doing that, mistakes may come your way. I know that nurses are supposed to be fully equipped, skills and knowledge wise, since what lies in our hands are LIVES, that is why we train and improve ourselves. My former head nurse once said that you are not defined by a patient mistake. It happens, and even the best senior nurses have gone through some of that once in their prime years. You should learn to stand up, continue to improve yourself and go on with the journey.
3. Nursing is a noble profession. Now this may sound a bit Nightingale-ish, but I've proved this to be very true. Charting down your care, preparing medications, carrying out doctor's order, regulating the IV fluid. This may sound a piece of cake to non-nurses. How hard can writing and injecting an IV medication can be, right? To nurses, however, charting means carefully choosing the right words to indicate patient care (charts are legal documents), preparing medications means accidental needle pricks, enduring the hazards certain meds brings, carefully calculating the right dosage and walking through the whole ward, carrying a doctor's order means analyzing every word of it and regulating IV fluids means making sure the patient receives the intended amount of fluid for 8 hours. So much work to do and yet at times to others it is not enough. Patients complain, doctors complain, even co-workers complain. As much as you want to shrink into a tiny creature, you've got to face everything head on and improve yourself. And you do all of this, with some personal problems in mind. Hirap maging nurse! My 6 months residency seemed like a 6 months duty. Requirement na dapat i-fulfill para sa certificate. But imagine those organic staff nurses that works not only in 6 months but for the rest of their life! A lifetime full of pressure, effort and sacrifice.
4. You've got to love what you do. Or else it would be everyday torture. Nothing beats waking up in the morning, feeling all over excited going to work. Nursing was never a dream profession. (I hated injections) But I've learned to love the work that I do. I adopted the mantra during my 3rd month of residency. I found myself tired and dragging my butt to work every single day. I thought that if I will continue to curse my work, every single day of my remaining months would be a mess. I couldn't bear days like that.
5. Surround yourself with positive people. Believe me when I say that I've been through a lot, rn resident speaking. If there's one thing that helped me through the bumps I've been, it's that you should be with positive people. It's easy to think worst about your own self, but the people who you are with helps you to see the goodness in you.
Here's a mini tour of our ward:
The sign that greets you! I will forever love and remember this place.
The nurses' quarters. Well, this is a linen room turned into a dressing room. Our ward is a special area hence we are required to wear scrub suits. One of the best things is we get to wear civilian clothes prior entering the ward so it is so much comfortable! Also, scrub suits are way more comfortable than skimpy white uniform and stockings.
Our very colorful medication room! This is where we prepare medications and sometimes this is also the room where we vent out or gossip! Tipong naiinis ka sa doctor or sa patient, welcome kang ilabas sama ng loob mo dito!
My favorite place! Hahaha! Where the food is of course! This serves as our dining area. Mala transformers din ito since this doubles as a sleeping area during the night hehehe
The ward hallways. We have one of the best wards in our institution. So proud to have set foot on this floor! Hahaha :)
How can I forget the people?
I took the picture kaya wala ako. Ito ang mga taong bumuhay saken while nasa ward ako!! Mahal ko kayo! :)
MAHAL KO ANG PEDIA! :)
