Something New...x 2!

So...i got a job! That was probably the best interview of my life, i had plenty of examples from the OR and the ICU...
"Describe a stressful situation and how you dealt with it" -

"Well, a surgeon called as they were doing CPR on a patient en route to the OR and needed a room AT THAT MOMENT... there were no rooms, nurses, or anesthetists at that moment. that was stressful. I handled it."

ok next question...

"Are you a good multi-tasker?"

"In the ICU, i've been seen with a phone pressed to each ear, talking into the intercom, listening to my charge nurse, telling patients' families where to go, paging for x-rays, entering orders... in short, yes, i can multi-task."

The interview went on like that. we talked about the shortage, education, people we'd both worked with, pediatrics, England, ICU, the OR... then he gave me a tour of the units, and offered me a job at the end!
He said: "if you can handle over a year in the ICU and the OR, i have no concerns about you working here!"

So i have a new job on Unit 111 of FMC. I'll be an Undergraduate Nursing Employee, which means i'm like an RN with less experience and half the pay... The unit is primarily Neuro, so i'll be dealing with lots of brains and spines and stuff. Should be AWESOME!

Yes...the other new item... let's just say i never envisioned "Kiss Me i'm Irish" to be the greatest pick-up line ever! No, i didn't drunkenly pick up anyone at the pub. But on St. Patrick's day, Devin and i started dating. He won me over with a bottle of Bailey's with Caramel! Just kidding. He won me over by being sweet and showing that he cares and laughing with me and calming me down when i start to rage about community nursing (a common occurrence...) He has faith that i'll make it to Birmingham, and he laughs whenever i see a child, because it's so clear how much i want to do pediatrics. He respects me, respects my faith, and understands what's important to me, like friends, faith, family, and nursing!

I know we might seem like an odd couple, but we're happy and having fun, so it's all good!

1 month and 21 days...still no word from Birmingham.

On Pressing On.

A busy awesome weekend between two busy weeks... couldn't have asked for anything better. Ryan was back in town, so we got to go for drinks with Cyler and Shandell, and it was such a treat to have some of my favorite people in the same room. That and i had a really SUCKY day in community nursing, and life got so much better after i left that room. I had breakfast with Ryan on Friday morning, then we went to see the blood-bath - CGI ab fest - escapist movie 300...that's some good cinema! Then i hung out with Shandell for the evening, watching Armageddon and doing terrible Steven Tyler impressions. The next morning was breakfast with Barbara, and shopping at the mall on St. Patrick's day, a quick 8-hour ICU shift until 10pm, then i dropped in on many friends that i haven't seen in a long time at Talia's birthday party. I won a game of pool against Lincoln by default, (he scratched on the 8-ball), caught up with Matt and Jason, and generally enjoyed good company for a little while before catching a few z's to be fresh for a 7am OR shift. Sunday night i enjoyed sushi with Ryan and his family, and got him safely to the airport for a return to Vancouver.

MONDAY was a rollercoaster. Slept in due to a powerout, caught a ride, got a devastating grade on my midterm (unjustly in my opinion), then got a job interview for Unit 111 five minutes later! Went drinking to commiserate with the nurses, then went back to work. As you can tell, life is still incredibly busy, but i did avoid homework all weekend, much as i'm paying for it now. Life is a bit of a gong show, but that's how it goes.

3 weeks till semester is over.

Still no word from Birmingham.

Insanity laughs, under pressure we're cracking

Sorry, just a line from the song that best represents the past 3 weeks..."Under Pressure" - by Queen and David Bowie. Friends, its been insane. I worked every day of reading week, some 12 hour shifts, then i jumped into the WORST two weeks of school i have ever experienced! Its been a blur of Literature Reviews, Clinical Reflections, Midterms, Speeches, Analysis, Film Critiques, Bioethics essays, job applications, resumes, cover letters, applicatiosn for funding for Birmingham, calls from scheduling pleading me to pick up more shifts, or double booking me for the shifts i do agree for...AAAUUGHHH!
You know, this is the first semester where i have actually HATED school. like, with a fiery passion. the stupidity, the wordiness, the fact that i work my @$$ off and STILL don't get a good grade!
BUT, i need to take stock of the good things.

• the sun WARMED my face the other day! (in case someone outside of Canada is reading this, its been pretty damn cold here lately, so effective sunshine is never taken for granted!)
• The new Relient K CD makes me happy, and voices just how frustrated i am, and how much i need to look to God in times of +++ stress.
• my application for funding for Birmingham and my application for a summer job both only require the GPAs of my PAST 10 courses! Present failures in progress will not be considered! (yet)
• I finally got paid for all those shifts i worked over reading week...hooray!!
• i got a good midterm evaluation for community nursing, because of my focus on "spirituality - the forgotten determinate of health"
• the cheesecake cafe makes HELLA AWESOME eggs benedict! it's even better when indulged upon with good friends.
• [Scrubs] is still my refuge, and helps me relax from the day.

Through the past few weeks, i've found that the more foul of mood you're in, the more you're delighted by the little positive things.

But nevertheless...wake me up when semester ends.