Proud of myself

Every time I go to the hospital to work as a student nurse, I try and remind myself that I am there to learn and that no task is 'too small'. Yes, I want to see the cool stuff, and try to do the more complicated nursing tasks, and yes, I HATE bed baths, but I do it without complaint because, as mentioned, this is the place to learn and to build my observation skills.

I guess that has paid off. Every single placement an RN has mentioned that I should work there after graduation. And this is not an obligatory statement made to the group of us because they are short staffed, this is a nurse either pulling me aside or talking to my instructor and saying that I would be an asset to their staff. I am proud of this, and I hope in a few years time I'll actually be worthy of those statements. For now, I'm a newby student nurse that hopefully one day lands herself a job in the Emergency Department.

This day was no different. I had low expectations of Labour and Delivery because of how much time was spent sitting in a room doing nothing last time. Today it was different... it was relatively busy, and I ended up working with 2 placenta previa patients. Placenta previa is a condition for which the placenta has implanted low in the uterus, so that it actually covers the internal os, or in layman's terms, covers the cervix. If this happens, the baby cannot go out the vagina like it normally does, as the placenta is in its way. This can lead to major bleeding if the cervix tries to open, which can not only can kill the baby, but also the mother. Patients with placenta previa have c-sections to lower the risk of hemorrhage.

At first, I have to admit the nurse I was assigned to was not easy to get along with, and she seemed to not like me. She made some rude comments, and did not like that I had to follow her around. I figured it wasn't me, but that she didn't like to work with students. I think that I did a good job of interacting with the patients we were working with, and yes my nursing histories took longer then the average nurse, but that is normally the case because as a student we are not familiar with the forms, and actually ask all the questions on there.

After numerous hours of working with this nurse, I guess I must have proved to her that I was competent as a student. Perhaps it was my ability to locate some things for her on the internet, or it was the fact that I was capable of doing the tasks she required. But her annoyance for me dwindled. At the end of the day, she asked me where I wanted to work after graduation. I mentioned the ER and she said I should apply to L&D. She even mentioned it to her nurse coordinator that she should put my application at the top of the pile!

Although I am unsure of whether I would apply to L&D, I did enjoy it while I was there. I've always enjoyed the fetal development process, and the idea of helping out with labour is fascinating. Perhaps when I'm sick of traumas and older people and drug users/abusers, I'll put in an application for L&D.