Valentines...& working.

Since I've started working as a nurse, I've found every day to be a challenge! A challenge to do my very best, to learn something new, help make an impact on someone's life, and the list goes on. Throughout my hospital experience at Albany Med and now at Sunyview, I have found my time well spent and very rewarding. Oh, not always at first, but as time goes on, definitely.

There is a very big difference between Albany Med and Sunnyview hospital, and that difference is the length of stay. The rehabilitational hospital is for weeks to sometimes months. It is here that I find the opportunity to build closer, trusting relatonships between the familes and patients. You get to the point where you feel like you are a part of them, their life history, and there are no problems carrying on conversations. We all learn how to pick & tease as if we're a family. That's pretty awesome I'd say.

*********

Anyways, there are moments where we as a staff are given such wonderful gifts that you hate to even accept them. They're given to us out of thankfulness and love for caring and helping to make such a difference/impact on someone's physical condition.

********

Last night, Valentines day... we had very few patients(compared to normal) to nurses. The supervisors have been cutting a lot of us because it wouldnt be cost effective otherwise. Being fairly new to the facility, I had never been left alone on my unit to keep things in order. Everything you can think of, I was to do... but didnt feel like I had anyone to lean on in time of need. The RN for the unit was being split between 2 units and so most times I was holding the fort ALONE. A bit frazzled I was at times... but the patients were so good! I couldn't have asked for better patients to care for last night. Their families helped make Valentines Day special for us there.

How sweet & thoughtful.

*********

Now, back to work this weekend..and hope we have a few more patients than we had, or else Im afraid I'll be floated. Now that wouldn't be very sweet and thoughtful.