Quasi-disappointing week

This week has been full of quasi-disappointments. But i define quasi-disappointments as things that happen that may seem disappointing, but that i choose to not let them bring me down in the slightest, because i know the big picture.

Q.D. #1: My Pediatrics exam. I loved pediatrics. I loved every minute in that big, beautiful hospital with my adorable patients and awesome group and terrific instructor! I'm pretty sure i found my calling. My last patient's mother asked me what kind of nurse i want to be, and i told her how i considered ICU and OR and what-have-you. She said "Hayley, you'll be a great nurse no matter where you work. But you need to stay in pediatrics. You fit here. You're so good with kids. Your patients are going to hate you, because you ask them to do things they don't want to do (like get up and move around after surgery to prevent pneumonia and DVT's), but you ask them so nicely, with the best intentions and will possible, that they wouldn't dare dissapoint you." My patients loved me. Their parents love me. it was a self-esteem boosting time, and i can honestly imagine me doing it and loving it.

Anywho, so there's how i felt about pediatrics. The practicum part is double weighted, it's like taking two courses, and it's recently changed to "Pass/Fail" instead of an actual GPA. So i "Passed", and got a really nice and uplifting evaluation from my instructor. The Theory portion is another course, and i LOVED the lectures. i STAYED AWAKE! Since i only had this one exam this semester, i studied EXTRA HARD for it. I knew my stuff. I studied Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, Seizures, Glumerulonephritis, Acute Renal Failure, Conjestive Heart Failure, SIDS, Epiglottitis, Croup, everything! I was ridiculously confident going into this exam. And it was a terrible exam. the short answer was awful, "List 5 trends in Child Health and the importance of each", very vague and ridiculously specific questions that none of us expected to know. I felt like i had no opportunity to show her how much i knew or how hard i studied...i felt like i had studied for the wrong course! GRRRRR!!

Yet, i'm only quasi-dissapointed. It was one test. I know my stuff. I know where i want to practice. I did great in clinical. I can't wait to go back. What's one test? Who cares? I eeked out with an 80% in the course, but the experience and the knowledge i gained doesn't reflect that.

Q.D.#2: At my work Christmas party, the guy i've been interested in brought his new girlfriend. Yet i didn't have too much hope for it in the first place, and workplace relationships are messy. Again, quasi-dissapointed. And my night ended VERY well, though you'll have to ask me about it...

Q.D. #3: i got my paycheque yesterday... $7.02 ???? i got paid $1.75/hour for 4 hours...that's my shift PREMIUM, not my actual wage!! That won't even pay for parking!! ugh. I hope it's just a glitch, but i need to go fix that. But the bigger picture is, i'm not living on my own, and really, one non-existent paycheque is not going to bankrupt me. I'm thankful for that. Though now you're all getting macaroni collages for Christmas.

Overall, life here in Calgary is looking bright! people are coming home, or coming back to Calgary, and things are gearing up for my Christmas party! Exams are over, work is INCREDIBLY busy, and the health-care system is feeling the crunch. But outside of FMC, life is good!
Time to go brave the malls with Shandell!