First Day as a Real Nurse (aka RN)

That title is meant to be a joke. No RN does not stand for Real Nurse but ya know... it does kind of fit!

All of us have been waiting for the day that we will become "real" nurses and yesterday was my day!

Like I mentioned before, I will be working day shift (7am-7pm) for a few months while on orientation and then will move into my home of working nights.

I was unsure of how I would feel about having to work days since I was used to seeing how the unit runs during the night. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really enjoyed day shift.

I have been paired up with an awesome preceptor which makes all the difference. Unfortunately, I will only be with her for the first 3 weeks and then will be handed off to someone else to learn a different area of the unit. By the end of orientation, I will have been oriented to Post-Partum, Newborn Nursery, and Labor and Delivery. I love the way this unit trains its employees to be well rounded in their ability to work all three areas. This allows for more flexibility in staffing and ensuring all the needs of the unit are always going to be met no matter who is on shift that day.

So the next three weeks will be my Post-Partum experience. After going through Maternal/Newborn clinicals during school, I really had a liking for the Post-Partum unit. It was so laid back and easy going and my experience yesterday proved the same.

The moms and families are so easy to get along with, because at this stage of the game, they have their precious baby they have been waiting for 9 long months to meet and that is all they need. So our job is to ensure mom is recovering well and her pain in under control. Otherwise, we try to leave them alone and enjoy their new bundle of joy.

Yesterday we had four mom's and four babies to take care of all day. Even though this was a big load for just the two of us, it kept us busy and the day went by really fast.

That is the one thing I realized that is different than night shift thus far....the 12 hour shift goes by much faster during the day. And since our bodies are actually meant to be awake from 7am to 7 pm, I never felt like I was about to fall asleep. Pretty good deal considering a 12 hour shift can be brutal.

But it went GREAT! I love the facility, love the staff, and most of all LOVE my job!! I couldn't be happier with my decision to work in Labor and Delivery and most importantly, at this facility. I can tell it really is going to become "home" for me over the next few months and I look forward to the new friendships I am going to build along the way.

The new chapter has begun and it looks like it will be one filled with lots of excitement and fulfillment. The time is finally here and I am now living out my goals and dreams. Couldn't ask for more.