Tick tick tick
The days of waking up without an alarm are over… well, unless I find myself capable of waking up at 5am unassisted (with the kitties waking up around that hour that may actually be possible). Tomorrow I start the first day of my life as a real nurse. May I just state here that I hate being the noob. I know it will be short-lived. Heck, even a week from now I’ll probably be settled in with some semblance of a routine. But right now I’m dreading tomorrow… walking into the locker room, getting odd glances from people who have no idea who I am, hoping that the manager remembered to let folks know that I’m coming and that I have a pink badge waiting for me, answering the questions about where I went to school (and the accompanying eyebrow raises when I try to explain how it is that I’m a “new grad” but have not actually graduated from nursing school, but will have a master’s degree when I do). At least I’m starting out in the newborn nursery which seems fairly low-stress.
In preparation for my full-time job I tried to be productive this afternoon and get cracking on school stuff so it wouldn’t keep nagging at me. Too bad I was unable to post on the discussion board for our class. Apparently Microsoft Vista and Blackboard do not get along. Sigh… isn’t that just great, seeing as new computers don’t even come with the option of XP. I’ve resorted to reading posts on the new computer and responding to them on the old computer (typing as quickly as I can since I never know when it’s going to crash on me). Lovely system…. *rolls eyes*
Well, I am going to pick out my outfit to take to work (can’t wear it in, have to change there), make a lunch, and maybe reread some of my maternity text so I don’t look like a complete idiot when I come face-to-face with a wee one. Bed early since I’m guessing tomorrow will be a long day.
What…. is your quest?
As I’ve written before I’ve been on a quest for scrubs that are somewhat attractive. I get that I’m not going to a fashion show here, but I still want to wear work clothes that look nice, i.e. fit appropriately, are made out of fabric that isn’t starched within an inch of its life, and reflect colors and patterns that I would normally wear in my non-work life. It’s turned out to be more of a task than I expected. I am very picky, I guess, but I like to find a balance between blah and LOUD!!!
Well… I actually found some winners! I’ve realized that I’m not going to find anything I like in the stores, so I’ve been ordering a couple different brands online to see what they were like. The first three sets I ordered were okay. Not wow, but workable. I ordered two more sets last week and just got them today, and wahoo, finally something cute, functional, comfortable, in a nice fabric. Someone had commented on one of my posts before and suggested Urbane… indeed, one of the winners is from them. I found this lovely tunic and got some matching aqua pants. Okay, the aqua pants are not really me, but it was either aqua or brown and I didn’t want to go overboard on the brown and look like a flowered UPS delivery person. The other winner was this top and navy pant set. Not exactly haute couture, but, hey, for scrubs I’m pretty happy.
The universe demands payback
Apparently now that I’m making money (not much, mind you, I’m only getting in about 16 hrs/week) the universe has demanded repayment for the financial bones it’s thrown me over the years. As I’ve already mentioned the computer started getting twitchy a month or so back and became darned near impossible to use, so I got a new one. I am enjoying this gadget, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve been nice to wait another few months before sinking cash into that department.
The same day I bought the new computer I had the strangest series of events happen when I was heating up some leftovers… microwave beeped, took food out, shut door, and *poof* microwave goes dark. I checked the plug to see if it somehow became unplugged (how, I don’t know, the plug is in a cabinet I never go into, but it seemed like a logical first step)… it was plugged in. Opened the circuit-breaker box and sure enough it was tripped. “Weird,” I thought, but I reset it and everything seemed to be fine, except that one of the lightbulbs under it had burnt out (it’s an over-the-stove model). No biggie, I knew it was on its way out anyway, I’d get a replacement the next day. Then I went to turn out the (remaining) light. Hm… the microwave cycled through its display of “Bright Light-Night Light-Light Off” but the light stayed on burning as brightly as ever. Damn… damndamndamn. I googled it (how the heck did we ever survive before Google?) and found a message board with someone reporting a similar problem and another person replied saying it was some sort of board. I went onto the manufacturer’s website and schedule a service call. The guy showed up this afternoon, looked at the microwave’s guts and said, “Yup, it’s the circuit board.” He looked up the price: $200… with a replacement bulb and the labor, it would come to over $400 to fix. He told me it would be cheaper to get a new microwave. No kidding. He took the remaining lightbulb out. The rest of the microwave still works, but damn, I really liked having the light over the stove so I could actually see what I was cooking. Now I’ll be spending my free time trolling the home improvement stores for sales on replacements. On the plus side, I happened to mention that my icemaker shat the bed a year or two ago and he opened the freezer door, made a couple quick adjustments, and *presto* ice. So at least I got something out of my $90 service call. Poop.
On top of that I scheduled a front end brake job for the end of the week. Which isn’t really something breaking… I knew I needed new brakes since I took it in for its last oil change three months ago. I was just hoping… they’d grow back? It could happen. *sigh* I’m sure the car place will find something else to alert me of. Like the fact that the tires are wearing down. Since when is stopping and steering so darned important, hm?! I jest, but still.
Well, universe, if you could just give me an extension for another few months, I promise I will start payment with interest. Just don’t let anything else crap out on me in the meantime!
Got a new toy
I bought myself a little RN gift today. Okay, it wasn’t little and it had nothing to do with me getting my RN, but it was needed. I am typing this on my brand new computer. The other one was driving me nuts. For all I know its problems were fixable, but quite honestly between the paint wearing off the keys and the overheating and battery running down when it was always plugged in (?!) I didn’t really feel like trying to find out what its problem was. So after work today I checked out two branches of the local office supply chain to see what they had and brought home my new baby. It was hard not to buy the cheapest one they had (they did have a very cheap one), but seeing as that was how I went about purchasing the last one, I decided that maybe it was worth it to spend an extra $100 for the extra 2GB (not that I have the foggiest idea what GBs do for me, but I figure it can’t hurt). And it’s an EnergyStar computer, yay! Even has presentation mode and a webcam and microphone. Very exciting. I couldn’t help noticing that they don’t stock the brand of my old computer anymore… if I found out that they went under I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Oh well, it got me through the heaviest part of my program. I was hoping it would last the full two years, but hopefully this one will make up for it. And maybe I really should by that warranty thing… it would be cheaper than buying a new computer in another 18 mos. Anyway… so far I’m enjoying it and the kitties are enjoying the box.
T-minus one week until I get to don my new scrubs for the first time. Hard to believe. I talked to the quality director today and she asked if I’d be able to stay on per diem for them. I won’t be putting in the hours I have been, obviously, but I can keep up with a few of the chart reviews that I’ve been responsible for and make a little extra cash. It’ll be nice to keep my hands in the quality world, too. Something tells me that this fall I’m going to be absolutely nuts between my two jobs and school! But hey, it’ll all be worth it in the end, right?!
NOW it’s official
When I checked the state’s listing of RNs yesterday I was finally on it. Woohoo! I’m really glad I paid that $8, I couldn’t have stood waiting that long to find out that I’d passed. I then attached the RN tag that the CNO gave me what seems like years ago (but was probably just a couple months) to my work badge. I’m happy to finally be legit. Much like birthdays, though, I can’t say I feel any different otherwise. I wonder when I’ll stop feeling like the goofy student and start feeling like an RN.
I spoke with my manager for the nursing job yesterday and she is planning for me to start in the newborn nursery on the 1st. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I’m going to be happy to be back on the floors and really delving into maternal/neonatal nursing, but I like what I’m doing now, too. I keep wishing that I could get more involved on the quality side of things. At least I have my quality improvement project coming up this fall, so that should keep me more than occupied!
Still working on my summer class. I’ve been largely ignoring it with the NCLEX stuff, and now I need to get to work so I don’t have it hanging over my head once I start working. It would help if this stupid computer would stop crapping out on me, though. It has taken to shutting itself off with alarming regularity. I took it apart yesterday to clean out the fan, but there wasn’t nearly enough dust/cat fur in there to warrant its antics. I’m afraid that the solution might be getting a new computer, preferably in a brand that I’ve heard of before… as opposed to this current lovely piece of machinery. *sigh*
It’s still unofficial, but…
I passed!!!
My patience ran out this evening and I paid the $7.95 to get my unofficial results from the testing company. Seriously, the best $7.95 I’ve spent in a long time… the anxiety was driving me batty. Wow, this is such a relief to have this behind me!
Okay, back to homework for my class that I keep trying to forget about.
The wait begins
Oooooookayyyyyyy….
The NCLEX is done… I hope. I have no desire to take it ever again. I have no idea how I feel about my performance. It shut off at 75 questions (the minimum number possible), but that doesn’t mean a thing other than at that point the computer was able to determine that I was either definitely above the passing standard or definitely below the passing standard. So now I wait and try not to neurotically check the state board of nursing website to see if I have a license number listed. Ugh.
Quite possibly nuts
I got home around midnight last night from having dinner with a friend and her boyfriend and meeting their 8-week old kittens (insert *squee!!!* here, so cute!). I decided to check my e-mail before I got ready for bed and found my ATT [authorization to test] in my inbox! I clicked on the link to schedule it to see what was available. It searched the closest testing centers. I went to the first (closest) one and started clicking dates. There was a test available this Saturday morning. “Well, that’s a bit soon,” I thought. I started clicking on the upcoming dates… nothing, nothing, nothing. The next available test was in the second week in July! I then went to the next three sites’ schedules. They had absolutely nothing until the second week in July.
Here came my dilemma and my crazy move. I decided that I didn’t feel like having this hanging over my head until mid-July; I signed up to take the test Saturday (aka tomorrow) morning. I am, as the title states, quite possibly nuts. I have 55 minutes to change my mind without losing the $200 I paid.
As I tossed and turned last night with the adrenaline of my risky move still pumping through my veins I pep-talked myself about why this isn’t the craziest thing I could possibly do. I finished up my test prep program last week and it said that I have a 99% chance of passing. And if I do fail I’ll still have enough time to take it again before the new grad program at my hospital starts up (you need to wait 45 days to retake if you fail). I know this stuff. I’ve been learning it for a year and a half now. I’m good at standardized tests. And in all honesty, how much am I really going to study between now and mid-July? I’ll go through some test banks, maybe. But I’ve done the main prep already… I don’t see much benefit to postponing it.
So… I am taking the plunge, waking up ridiculously early on a Saturday and heading up north to face my fate. Dun dun dunnnnnn….
Quality Gal
I’m back in the realm of tax contributing citizens, yeehaw! I was beginning to think that maybe my per diem job wasn’t going to come through after I hadn’t heard back from the HR person. Then she called Wednesday evening and asked if I could be there at 9am the next morning for my pre-employment physical. A little last minute, but it’s not like I had anything else planned. So off I went.
I filled out copious forms. I walked on tip-toes to one end of the room and walked on my heels on the way back (hm, I think the last time I had to do that was my pre-kindergarten testing). I lifted 40 pounds using good body mechanics. I got yet another PPD planted. I swear the manufacturers of those are in cahoots with the Joint Commission, how many times do I really need to get one of those tests to prove that no, I still don’t have TB? I got nervous because now you need to get two done in a row and the first one has to be read before you can start. My start date was supposed to be today! Thankfully they accepted the one I had to do for school back in January as number one, which cleared me to start work immediately. Just have to go to the ER tomorrow to get this one read and I’ll be done for a year.
Then I chatted with an HR guy and found out that he and his wife live in the next building over. We gossiped about the neighborhood over I-9s and W-4s. Good times. After that I trotted myself off to the lab to find out if my MMR, Hep B, and chicken pox immunizations are holding up. I made the mistake of looking at the phlebotomist’s nametag… “Student”. Damn! I know I should not think this being a student myself, but I’m not good at having blood drawn. I’ve fainted once and come close another time. My veins do not like to give up their blood. It went okay, though. The first vial filled right up, the second one, not so much. Another person came over and helped out and luckily was able to get some blood (not a ton, but hopefully enough to do the titre). Just in the nick of time, too. My arm was turning blue from the tourniquet. Amazingly, though, I have just the tiniest bruise there today. Usually my entire inner elbow turns black and blue. So if I see that student again I’ll have to thank her.
On my way to the lab I ran into my old preceptor in the hall. “You’re here!” she cried. “Can you start today?!” It’s nice to feel wanted. And I probably would have started except that HR told me that my start date was today and I was also wearing jeans (not that such attire would preclude me from doing my job, but I would feel most unprofessional). I did stop back up after my blood draw and we talked about what I’d be doing and I joined them for lunch. It was good to be home again.
So today marked day number one of the new job, which is basically what I did as a student, but I get paid for it now. No complaints here! Though I did feel guilty that I didn’t put in a ton of real work today. I got there and we had coffee and muffins for a woman who’s leaving. That took up half an hour. Then my preceptor (who is not my preceptor, but will be my preceptor again in the fall… weird) had to go give out some awards, so I tagged along for that even though I really had no reason to be there. Then I got to work and spent a good hour trying to figure out what was going on with what I was supposed to be doing. Then somehow it was lunch time. When I got back from lunch I went down to the uniform sale they were having in the auditorium. Then I came back and reviewed, um, one chart. Go Chart Reviewer… way to be earn your keep. Oh well, it was a weird day. Monday I will be more productive.
I did go to HR to request a new name badge. It will look exactly like the one I have now, minus the great big “Student” title. I belong there now 
And it feels good to belong. I missed my quality & safety friends.
Still studying for the NCLEX. I thought maybe I’d be done with the prep people after the predictor, but my instructor told me to redo three of the assessments that I hadn’t scored as well on the first time around. I’d kind of like to be done with that stuff now, but at the same time it’s nice to have someone keeping me focused on it. I got an e-mail from the company processing my RN license application saying that they don’t have the piece that the school was supposed to send in. Argh. The school sent it before I sent my part! When I wrote back telling them that they replied saying that it can take 7-10 days to make it to their desk. Where is it in the meantime? I would like to become legit sometime soon! C’mon people!
Now it’s on to the weekend. Supposed to be hot. I looked at the 10-day weather forecast and there wasn’t a day below 80 listed. Yech. I max out at 80. Thank goodness for central air. It’ll keep me inside doing my schoolwork like a good doobie. Stay cool!
To-Do List Mania!
I am not a list person, never have been. But perhaps I should become one… the past few days I’ve been making daily lists for myself of things to get done and it’s resulted in me being surprisingly productive. I’ve gotten stuff done around the house, I’ve gotten stuff done for school, I’ve studied for the NCLEX. It feels so good to cross things off and not feel like a procrastinating sloth!
Speaking of studying for the NCLEX, I took a final predictor test today and it said that I have a 99% chance of passing the real deal. That sounds good to me! I’m still going to keep up my studying, but it’s nice to have that virtual thumbs-up in the back of my mind. Now if only I knew when I was actually taking it… perhaps I should put “patience” on my to-do list!
