The photos are unrelated, but I haven't posted any pics in a while...
My first day on floor 6 was a bit odd. I started getting a headache and nausea around 11 am and by 1 pm I was ready to head home. I left early and by the time I got home, I was photo phobic and had a splitting headache. I took some advil and tylenol and slept and felt much better. Not the best first impression!
Day 2 was split up. I started on the unit, but went to "Pre-Hab" to learn what they teach the hip and knee replacement patients before they get their surgeries. It was very informative. Following that, I headed back up to the unit to finish the shift.
Night 3 was a crazy day in general. I started onto nights, but before work, we had our house inspection, and needed to go to the bank to sign papers, and to the notary to sign papers. The night shift was fine. There is a lot of paperwork there. VERY inefficient system. The inefficiencies are driving me bonkers, but I'll have to get used to it! The morale is very low. There is a big sense of powerlessness and attitude of defeat amongst the staff. I find that very concerning. It was funny to listen to them gripe about their heavy loads...3 patients a piece on days and evenings and 6 patients on nights!!!! At the end of the shift, I could not help but essentially tell them to stop complaining. They have no idea how sweet they have it. (I was very diplomatic and did not make anyone feel bad ;-) ) The patients are mostly old people. A lot have broken hips, others are joint replacements, some are other bad breaks that needed surgery. The other half of the unit is mixed medical. So, basically anything. The rooms are mixed gender - that's a first for my career! And they have a mix of 4, 3, 2 and 1 bed rooms. The physical unit is old and the bathrooms are too small for any but the most ambulatory of patients, and there is only a sink in the room with the toilet. Not ideal - especially for infection control.
Night 4 was much the same as the previous one. I took 3 patients for the night. None of them were a joint replacement! It was nice to have the variety. The demographic of the staff is different from all other places I have worked. There are almost no senior nurses on staff. The average age of the RN's is probably about 28. Most are in their first position and have less than 5 years experience. The unit is a revolving door where people start out and then move on to better pastures. The LPN's, however, have been there forever. Their average age is closer to 40 and most have almost 20 years experience. The scope for LPN's is much smaller here than in AB, but they are expanding it. I have been viewed as a Junior RN for my entire career, now I have more experience than most of my peers! Yikes! I think I'm going to have to consciously praise the younger staff when they do well and work to keep my mouth shut more often and not sound like a 'Know-it-all". ( I am aware that this is something I need to be conscious of! )
I am really missing my last job in Boyle. I loved the sense of family among the staff. I loved hearing all the cool stories. I loved the outpatients and all that variety. I loved the independence. I appreciate the sense of control that I felt about the inpatients. We all knew them, what they needed, they were people to us. We were all on a similar page about how they should be managed. We would answer any call bell and not only our assigned rooms bells! I miss being known and being a person to my co-workers. It's amazing how the tone of a unit is so much colder when no one says "Hi" to you in the morning, or looks you in the eye!
I understand that during times of change, it is normal to grieve a bit. I think that's sort of what I'm going through right now (at least where work is concerned!) As far as moving is concerned, we are very happy with Nanaimo. We love being able to head to the beach and explore the coast. We love the rain, and the smells of the ocean. We're having a good time exploring our new city.
We are planning to move into the new house on the last Saturday of this month (the 28th?). So, clear your calendar and come on up to help us move our stuff! The new house needs a post replaced in the front, and some new vents installed from the bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans to the roof. There is also one exterior door that needs the jamb replaced, and the railings on the deck will need replacing in the next year or so also. Any takers to help with those projects? The rest of our jobs will take place over time. I don't think I'm even going to paint for a while yet. Aside from the exhaust fans, installation of a humidistat, and the post replacement, we are not doing much this year. We will now have 2 living spaces. This is a first for us. So, we will need some furniture for that second living area! We're also looking for a nice queen size sofa bed for the guest room. If you (dear reader) plan to spend any amount of time visiting us, it may be in your best interest to keep your eyes out for a sofa bed YOU would like to sleep in! We have a frame for a twin size cot, and plan to pick up a foam mattress for it after we move so, this will also be available for guest accommodation.
Following a tip from a new co-worker, we headed toward Nanoose Bay this afternoon in search of a beach with tidal pools and rocks. We discovered Beachcomber Park and enjoyed exploring the shore. The water was surprisingly warm, so the kids even had a little dip! It was a beautiful day and I loved experiencing the sounds, smells, and sights of the coast. Ethan and Ryan tossed bits of wood into the water, then watched their 'boats' float back to shore. Evelyn took every opportunity to be in the water. We saw and touched crabs, snails, starfish and (dead) jellyfish and even found some fossils of shells in the rock. 
