I survived!

The crazy weekend is over! I actually had some really good shifts in ICU; i really work well with the staff there, and it was actually pretty quiet in the mornings. We went 36 hours without admitting anyone into the ICU, which is apparantly a record-breaking amount of time. But when i was alone at the desk, we admitted 3 people!! Whenever we admit a new patient, things get really exciting really fast. You've got to order new tests, do new paperwork, call more doctors for more consults, co-ordinate alot of important things. So with three simultaneous admissions, it was a little crazy. Plus this guy comes up to my desk and is like "Can you please call a code blue for the CT scanner?" (Code blue is a medical emergency, usually cardiac arrest, or someone going unresponsive for some unknown reason.) Normally people call the switchboard, which then calls me, so the ICU outreach team can RUN and respond to the code with the crash cart and doctors. So this time I call the code, and everyone runs, and it was generally an exciting time.

In other news, you know you've been watching alot of Scrubs when you start to have this inner monologue going. So this blog is my inner monologue. It was a strange week, but i'm really at peace with it. I feel like i have a hundred doors ahead of me, a hundred choices to make, but not right now. I feel like everything that happens to me now critically impacts my future. Here's some examples:

Last fall i heard that the perioperative program would be shutting down. It's the course i'll need to take to become an O.R. nurse, if that's the pathway i'd want to go. So the termination of that program was a door closing for me. Now it's starting up again, running a few times every year, because there's such a shortage of O.R. nurses. Door opens again, and looks tempting. I know alot about the O.R., the staff, the flow, some of the politics, some of the opportunities. Being an O.R. nurse would also still get me into the missions field, as part of my 5 year plan as well... some would argue that O.R. nurses are more sought after than normal nurses, because of their specialized skills. Hmm... so that door is still open.

Then i learned that next November, the ICU is considering hiring grad nurses. A grad nurse is a nursing student who has finished third year nursing and has taken nursing 406, which is an intense clinical practicum. Grad nurses get ~$22/hour, and take on responsibilities very close to what an actual RN could do. In the ICU, that would mean 3 months of orientation and 3 months of shadowing a nurse directly. WOW. That would be so cool. and ICU nurses are amazing; the skills they have, the way they work with families and doctors and the patient, how they're so aware of everything that's going on with their patient and what needs to be done to fix what's wrong...i have mad respect for them. And again, i have experience in the ICU; i have my foot in the door, because the whole ICU has seen my work ethic, and they would know what to expect from me. Another door open. Getting into U of C nursing first try; that was an open door, and i couldn't be happier with where i am.

This whole door thing works for relationships too. Like us not getting a pastor yet...door closed!!! I don't like closing doors, for fear of what i could be missing. I'm trying to give my trust over to God, to allow Him to open or close doors for me. And i need Him to help me make these decisions, of which doors to walk through. Of course, i know myself, and i know how to watch out for red flags. Some of you may know the red flags that i speak of, and how too many of them are just a clear indicator to end something before it even begins. I can't be wooed by puppy dogs and milkshakes, and if you cause my co-workers to doubt me or my character, things will not go well between us. Someone who barely knows me bluntly stated "Hayley, you can do so much better". Just stop now, before things get anymore awkward. door closed!

But not all doors closing mean a slamming door. Sometimes doors need to be closed gently, to preserve friendship on both sides. Like one of those cool half doors that most awesome Baptist Church Nurseries have so the little munchkins can't escape. Sometimes between two people, half a door needs to be closed, to re-established the friendship. It looks a little strange, but you can still see eachother, be friends, and be a part of eachothers' lives. It's not a door slamming shut, but it's also not using a door stopper to keep the door, and hope, open. The door isn't locked, but for now it's right that it's closed.

Next week, on the Poor Metaphors Channel, we'll look at revolving doors, doors made out of glass, and doors that you need to push buttons to go through.

LOL, so my last bit of news, apparantly i'm getting married! Just kidding, for now. The picture at the top is of the bouquet of flowers i caught at a co-workers wedding. It was a beautiful catch, i jumped up and caught it with both arms above my head! And subsequently turned bright red. But they're my symbol of hope. I'm not supersticious (i obviously can't even spell it), but it's a nice thought, right?