another week down

Well I've officially been employed at the hospital for 3 weeks and I have just finished my 2nd week of OTJ training and I have learned a lot about the paperwork that has to be dealt with in my department. I have to say I think the desk will be my least favorite part of this job. I am ready for the next thing now. Next week I'll be learning about scopes. I have already learned quite a lot in that area from watching other people but I'm ready for a change of pace. I also know the person that will be training me is very nice. Ahhhh, I could really use some niceness after this past week! Thank you Lord!

Word of the moment

pa·thos (pths, -thôs)
n.
1. A quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow.
2. The feeling, as of sympathy or pity, so aroused.

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[Greek, suffering; see kwent(h)- in Indo-European roots.]
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I am currently reading Glimmer Train Fall 2001 Issue 40 and am finding it rather interesting. When I started reading it I thought I would zip right through it and send it away - because I just can't get rid of a book without reading it first or at least attempting. Many books have gone flying across the room in this fashion but I try my hardest to not damage the books in case some poor soul out there might like that type of writing. However, I know there are a lot of books out there that just aren't my thing so I put a bookcrossing label on it and try to read enough to get some thoughts to make note of on the website. I haven't really read much in the way of short stories so I didn't expect to like this book but no one ever told me about the power a short story can hold. Wow. I am astonished! So many times after reading a line I would think, Wow, what a great thought or What an amazing image! I need to read more by this author! I have a sheet of paper where I started to write down each authors name to look up later but I soon realized that I was listing every one of them. They were nice enough to include a bookmark with that info so that sheet of paper instead ended up torn into many small strips which mark the pages I intend to return to. Some of them include a word I wanted to look up and the word above is one of them. This word was found in an interview of Vikram Chamdra that at first I tried to gloss over....but of course I got trapped in this as well. I think I need to find out more about this Glimmer Train and it's future destinations.

Of course I must say that I don't just bookcross the books I don't like. This book will be a traveling book so that others may find it too and become addicted to Glimmer Train as I did.

Thanksgiving - mentors

I was just sitting here thinking about all that I have to be thankful for right now. It is, after all, November - the time to reflect and take stock in all that we have to be thankful for. So much has happened this year! At the beginning of this year I thought that life was hopeless....really. I hated my job and myself. My grandmother was gone and she was my mentor in life. I just felt like it was gone along with her until I realized one day that she can still be my mentor. Her legacy lives on. I can still strive to be like her and think of how she would have handled any difficult situation I find myself in.

I really am thankful for every minute I spent with her, every phone conversation I had with her and every letter I received from her. If it hadn't been for her I would have never made it through the medical terminology class because the whole time I was thinking about how she never gave up when times were hard! It was so hard starting out in that class and realizing that I was the only person there that knew nothing about anything to do with working in health care. But, I could hear her words running through my head and after I got that 69 on my midterm exam I sucked it up and talked to the instructor. I am so glad I stuck it out and humbled myself enough to seek out help when I needed it. I really wish I could thank my grandmother but I can't. There are other people out there though that I probably should be thanking.

A lot has happened in my life since February. I spent more time with my family, I got to know my neighbors, I volunteered, I went to school, I met so many wonderful people! Now I have a new job and things are so wonderful! Just imagine, I could have missed out on all of these wonderful things if I hadn't suffered a little hardship. So I'm thankful for the valleys that lead to mountains!

So, on this line of thinking, I am going to think about everyone who has influenced my life! I shouldn't have only one person to thank! I know there are other people out there that made an impact on my life that are still around! I really can send out those thank yous! Better late than never right? I'll work on my list this month and send out some cards in December just in time for Christmas.

Day 3 of orientation

Today was nursing orientation and much more interesting. I got a lot more information for things that I was wondering about. They answered all my questions and demonstrated how to do things. I learned a lot but I never felt like it was too much. You know that sinking feeling? I had this fear that I would get in there and be way over my head. I know I took the medical terminology class and CNA class but a class room is way different than working in a hospital with actual people. Well I started to feel a lot better after today. I still haven't actually worked my first real day on the job (that's tomorrow) but they went over a lot of information I felt very comfortable. My volunteer experience was way more valuable than I ever knew! A lot of what they were telling me about my job as a ward clerk I already knew from volunteering in the medical unit. There were a few other new CNA's there too and I was so happy that I wasn't any different than they were. It's the worse feeling when you feel like you are the least knowledgeable person in the room. We talked through a lot of the information together and everyone said something that helped the others.

After we were done we each went to our departments to meet our supervisors. So tomorrow I'll be going in there to finish up the last of the details I need to get my hospital badge and get my parking badge and scrubs access.

I still have that headache I got at the end of the first day and I'm starting to think it might actually be from the dental work I had done last week. I went in for my cleaning and found out I needed a crown. They had a cancellation that day so they were able to do it that same day. It didn't even occur to me that could be the cause of my headache until I did the symptom checker on webmd.com I love that site!

Orientation

Today was my first day at the hospital but not really my first day at work. It was a full day though. They had several speakers and we learned about the birth of the hospital through community efforts about 5 times. We read, completed, and signed a lot of paperwork. It was nice but long and my legs were so happy for any chance to get up and move around. Toward the end I was offered this chocolate brownie and ate it wondering if the nuts in it were walnuts. It didn't seem like they could be but they were very small pieces. Well not long after that I started getting a headache. At least it was at the end of the day and I could go home. The headache got WAY WORSE and I think it's safe to say that YEAH, THEY WERE WALNUTS! UGH. I am so stupid sometimes! Especially when it comes to chocolate!

Tomorrow Ry has an othodontist appointment at 8am and I have to be back at the hospital for computer training at 9am. I hope his appointment isn't long or I'll have to have Chris take him to school so I wont be late. I would have cancelled the appointment once I realized I had to be back at that time but being in orientation I didn't have a way to look up the number. I thought I had it in my phone but I couldn't find it. So, I have to go or I get charged a missed appointment fee and there is a chance they will refuse to make more appointments for us. That would suck because Jared is next in line for braces.

Sweet Angel

I have found a new favorite singer..... This is Narciso Lobo. I have listened to this about a thousand times tonight. Oh and he sings Rubber ducky! I love it!



Rubber Ducky

Plants, frogs, and books....oh my. I have no life.

For some reason I'm going plant crazy already! It's early in the winter and I already miss my garden. I keep buying more and more plants and really tending to the ones I have. It's like I'm impatiently tapping my feet waiting for them to go dry so I can water them. My husband actually had the nerve to suggest that I had too many plants and that maybe I should "get rid of a few". It must have been the look on my face because he quickly said "uh...never mind" and left LOL

I think I had a fungus/soil problem - probably from using too much fertilizer or maybe the wrong kind. I had this one bottle of Alaskan fertilizer that was causing strange "formations" to grow on top of the soil of some of my plants. Yes, I was following the directions! Some of my plants actually look great. So anyway, I removed the top layers of soil with all of the stalagmites and added in fresh soil. One large plant though, who has been looking really puny lately, had pretty solid soil. I don't remember what type of soil I put in there but it was hard to break up! I had to actually get a knife and chop at it. I was afraid to chop any roots but I never did find any in that stuff. No wonder the plant wasn't doing very well, all it's roots were in the top 3 inches of soil even though the planter is quite large. I completely romoved that plant and changed out the soil. I hope it does better now. I had a couple of smaller plants that died *sob* but I'll get more I'm sure. I think someone opened the kitchen window after the temperature dropped in the fall. The plants I lost were all there. I had a beautiful verigated ivy that had climbed up this little trellis and it turned brown and brittle!!!!!! I also lost an African violet that was there. I am not surprised no one will admit to being a plant killer! I think I might be a people killer if they did.

Anyway, I just bought a new ivy yesterday. It's a nice ivy even though it isn't verigated. I got it all potted and it looks great. I'll have to take a picture of it later. I got another neat plant sometime last week and I just love this one! I've never seen one like this before but I just loved it's unique red flower!

Drats! This thing wont let me post a picture! I'll put it up later.

Anyway, I also bought some new fishes yesterday. I bought 5 tiger barbs and they are so neat looking. They stay together in a tight little group and my little frogs don't know what to think of them. I've been watching the frogs sneaking around and checking them out and it's so funny. The tiger barbs look like a group of little soldiers darting around in their little group. They are primarily black and white striped with an orange fin. It makes them look uniformed compared to the other fish. The frogs are so big and clumsy compaired to the barbs. This one frog had climbed the cave dealy in there and was standing up precariously with one foot stretched out and supported by the top of cave. As he watched the strange group of barbs his foot slipped off and he went cartwheeling to the bottom of the tank........real.....s l o w. It reminded me of Jarjar binks following around a group of stormtroopers. I'll post some pictures when blogger decides to let me.

I finished reading the book "The sudden lady" and I am trying to decide what to read next. There are so many choices but I actually bought a NEW BOOK! I went to barnes and noble to renew my membership card and browsed the whole store while I was there sipping my starbucks. Nummy! I decided I want to learn how to speak Italian so I bought a book with a CD. I have wanted to learn Italian ever since I listened to the audiobook for The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans. I just fell in love with the sound of it. God help me if some good looking young guy came along speaking to me in Italian. If he happend to have lots of money and clean house......... Oh come on! You know I wouldn't do something like that..... hmmmmmm *day dreaming*

Crazy

Okay, I know this is crazy but all day I've been fretting myself to death. I've been doubting myself and my ability to do a good job as a brand new CNA. In addition, if I do fail in this job it wont only affect me. It will also affect my husband who works in the same building and everyone who put in a good word for me.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I need some confidence in my abilities but I can't get that until after I get there. I just have to remember that I can do all things through him Philippians 4:13

News

Well I haven't been feeling good for the past few days but I did have some excitment that is worth mentioning here. I got a j-o-b! I received an officer on October 31st. I was really hoping I would get that job but mostly I was hoping I wouldn't have to turn it down if I got a better offer. I applied for another job that had a better schedule but not the type of experience I was hoping to get. After I talked to them again on Friday I was worried I would be offered both and then would have to chose between the two. UGH. I agonized over that one all weekend. I prayed that I would only be offered the one I should take. The job I took is in special procedures and it looks like a very exciting job. I'm proud to have it! I just wont be able to take classes while working in this job. The schedule is from 11am to 7:30 pm. I am in the door though and things will work out.

On Sunday I went to the church that I went to as a kid and saw my old Sunday School teacher from when I was 3 years old. She also played the piano during my wedding at the same church. On December the 7th this year she will be 101 years old. I was so glad to see her and she how well she is doing. She's a wonderful lady.