I kicked at the darkness, but where's the bleedin' daylight?
My Europe trip is drawing ever nearer. I feel as though I’m in limbo; refusing to start any long-term projects, or even short-term projects for that matter. I still need to take my ACLS course (a very expensive and time-consuming task that has been hanging over my head for months.) While ACLS is not mandatory on my unit, it is certainly expected. Actually, it’s really not even expected so much as socially unacceptable to not have it under your belt.
I also need to finish my critical care nursing certificate. All I have left is a case study (approximately ten pages), and several self-assessment exercises and papers.
Yes, all of this is being put off until after my Europe trip. It’s amazing how much life must be put on hold for a five week trip. But, they must be finished and completed eventually. After all, since I’m not “popular” in my ICU, I need to be certified. But that, my friends, is a completely different post–perhaps to be entitled “the rationing of knowledge based on popularity.”
Perhaps that could even be a Masters thesis? “Cronyism versus Meritocracy in nursing”
Yes, I definitely have a lot to say on the subject.
I’m also considering taking some liberal arts courses through a distance education university. I’m craving some humanities: philosophy, art history, languages. All of these are so severely lacking in nursing school. These are the courses that make university university. I feel cheated, and am thankful for the half a degree in humanities I did before getting my bachelors of nursing.
And, on an increasingly random note, I finally certified for PA catheters a couple months ago. Can I just say, I think these things are absolutely freakin’ cool! I truly wish they weren’t going out of fashion so quickly.
I guess I’m just a numbers type of guy. I love “nursing the numbers,” however appropriate it is or is not. I love watching the monitor: blood pressure, heart rate, PAP, wedge, CI, etc. and adjusting, readjusting, discontinuing, and adding different medications. I love the slight tweaks and changes made in a desperate attempt to get just the right numbers.
I never have been, and I never will be good at the interpersonal nursing. Then again, it is less appropriate for a man to be hugging people, or putting his arm around them, or even patting them on the shoulder and saying, “there there.”
I digress though, because that, too, is an entirely separate post as well.
So, simply, I felt a need to post on my blog. I didn’t have a subject in mind when I started writing–I just started writing. That is why I ended up with a scattered and random post.
But heck! At least I posted!
August 30th, 2009 at 09:13
Seems you’ve been making some changes here on your blog. Difficult to find ya these days. Your RSS feed keeps changing? LOL
Sorry about the difficulties with your co-workers. Don’t forget, there are other jobs if all else fails. Sometime you need to fall before you get a good run going (I know I did).
Definitely want your ACLS and the Critical Care Cert. Even if not for your current job, for you and your career as a nurse. That feather in your cap will be worth it in the long run.
Keep your chin up. The world of Critical Care nursing really is awesome, you just have to find your ‘fit’.
Best of luck.
August 30th, 2009 at 09:19
Thanks for stopping by. I know I’ve been a bit elusive lately. I’ve been amidst a long hiatus and a drastic change of blog name, style, and URL transfer. Thanks for finding your way over here though.
I’m dealing with basically a completely blank slate. Almost no visitors, and nobody knowing where I am. Both a blessing and a curse at the same time.
It will take a lot of work to get myself back to where I was in terms of visitors…