Ok, so now I'm leaving the hellhole in exactly two days! I just can't take it anymore.
I have a pretty thick skin. I'm good about standing up for myself, and I can shut anyone down with my sarcasm. In short, I can cut it. But, I can't spend another week in the hellhole. I just can't.
I'm gonna miss the patients dearly. I love them so much!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Happy Dance!
Thank God. I'll be leaving the hellhole in exactly one week!
I got the call today that I've been chosen for the PCT job. I can't express how thrilled I am to have a hospital job on an ICU floor. The interview yesterday went extremely well!
Once the formal interview was over, I got a chance to take a tour of the ICU floor. 24 beds total, which houses the sickest patients in the entire hospital! Yes! The floor is comprised of 4 separate units: MICU, SICU, NICU (neuro), and EICU (still don't know what this is all about). I'll be working nights, so I will have 12 patients on every assignment if all beds are full. Walking into an empty patients room made me feel like a kid in a candy store. All the buttons, lights, lines, sounds...I can't wait to work there! I start orientation on the 29th. That means I will in fact have Christmas off this year.
The job of a PCT has grown over the years. PCT's are a fairly new addition to the hospital setting. As the years go by, they are able to do more and more. I've heard of PCT's inserting IV's, foleys, doing EKG's, and even administering meds. Of course, there is some controversy due to scope of practice, and nurses feeling like their turf is being taken by unlicensed personnel. My take! Who cares! A PCT will never be a nurse, just like a nurse will never be a doctor. A doctor can start an IV just like a nurse, but you don't see nurses complaining about that. Everyone wants to be respected for the job they do. In my book, there is room for everyone in healthcare.
My duties will include all the normal CNA stuff, but I will also be responsible for vital signs, glucose finger sticks, running EKG's, and connecting monitors. Hopefully, I can also use my phlebotomy skills, too.
I got the call today that I've been chosen for the PCT job. I can't express how thrilled I am to have a hospital job on an ICU floor. The interview yesterday went extremely well!
Once the formal interview was over, I got a chance to take a tour of the ICU floor. 24 beds total, which houses the sickest patients in the entire hospital! Yes! The floor is comprised of 4 separate units: MICU, SICU, NICU (neuro), and EICU (still don't know what this is all about). I'll be working nights, so I will have 12 patients on every assignment if all beds are full. Walking into an empty patients room made me feel like a kid in a candy store. All the buttons, lights, lines, sounds...I can't wait to work there! I start orientation on the 29th. That means I will in fact have Christmas off this year.
The job of a PCT has grown over the years. PCT's are a fairly new addition to the hospital setting. As the years go by, they are able to do more and more. I've heard of PCT's inserting IV's, foleys, doing EKG's, and even administering meds. Of course, there is some controversy due to scope of practice, and nurses feeling like their turf is being taken by unlicensed personnel. My take! Who cares! A PCT will never be a nurse, just like a nurse will never be a doctor. A doctor can start an IV just like a nurse, but you don't see nurses complaining about that. Everyone wants to be respected for the job they do. In my book, there is room for everyone in healthcare.
My duties will include all the normal CNA stuff, but I will also be responsible for vital signs, glucose finger sticks, running EKG's, and connecting monitors. Hopefully, I can also use my phlebotomy skills, too.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Interview Tomorrow!
Yes! Fnally, I have secured an interview for a hospital-based PCT position in my hometown!
This has been a long time coming. I know, it's not a job offer, but at least I feel like I'm making some progress. Now, all I have to do is sell myself. I really, really want this job. It's time to leave the hell hole.
I think the main reason why I detest my currrent position is because no one wants to teach. Why would they? They have their degrees and certifications. But...a huge part of healthcare is teaching; see one, do one, teach one. No one at my job wants to show you where the bathroom is, let alone allow you to draw blood, or show you how to place a foley. It's terribly frustrating for someone like me who loves to learn, and needs these skills in order to put myself ahead of the game once PA school starts. Also, CNA's are expected to be supermen. We take a patient load of 12+, but are yelled at if things aren't absolutely perfect. Somethings gotta give with numbers like that. I work on the floor with the highest acuity. My assignment consists of patients with severe dementia, cancer, heart failure, renal failure, and MS, with tubes all over the place. This add a challenge to the job that I do enjoy, but it's hard to tend to the needs of 12+ patients who are so, so sick.
The new job sounds great: nice sized facility, pay increase, tuition reimbursement, 11p-7a, and on an ICU floor! Can't beat it. I'm so glad that I took the phlebotomy course last month, and finished learning how to read EKG's. I'm hoping these new skills will help me land the job. I'll keep you posted!
This has been a long time coming. I know, it's not a job offer, but at least I feel like I'm making some progress. Now, all I have to do is sell myself. I really, really want this job. It's time to leave the hell hole.
I think the main reason why I detest my currrent position is because no one wants to teach. Why would they? They have their degrees and certifications. But...a huge part of healthcare is teaching; see one, do one, teach one. No one at my job wants to show you where the bathroom is, let alone allow you to draw blood, or show you how to place a foley. It's terribly frustrating for someone like me who loves to learn, and needs these skills in order to put myself ahead of the game once PA school starts. Also, CNA's are expected to be supermen. We take a patient load of 12+, but are yelled at if things aren't absolutely perfect. Somethings gotta give with numbers like that. I work on the floor with the highest acuity. My assignment consists of patients with severe dementia, cancer, heart failure, renal failure, and MS, with tubes all over the place. This add a challenge to the job that I do enjoy, but it's hard to tend to the needs of 12+ patients who are so, so sick.
The new job sounds great: nice sized facility, pay increase, tuition reimbursement, 11p-7a, and on an ICU floor! Can't beat it. I'm so glad that I took the phlebotomy course last month, and finished learning how to read EKG's. I'm hoping these new skills will help me land the job. I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The ABC's of PA school
What do I know about it? I haven't even started yet, but it seems there is a trend among pre-PA students and many PA-S's. Get the grade, by any means necessary. I know, we live in a competitive world. Only the strong survive. Here in America, our goal is to be the best of the best. We do not settle for less than that, and if by chance we miss the mark, we interpret that as failure.
I just can't agree with this mindset when it comes to PA school. Perhaps I'm being a bit naive, but there must be a shift in thinking when one goes from undergradute to graduate studies. It's true, no one can get into PA school with subpar grades. You must attempt to get the highest marks possible in order to secure a seat, and even then, the odds are slim. It's just that competitive. However, once PA school begins, it is no longer about the prestige of good grades, high GPA, and honor roll mention. It is no longer about us, it is about future patients. It is about COMPETENCY! Every exam, every practical lab, every patient encounter, every dissection, every factoid is for the sake of the patient. I don't see why this is so hard to understand. I don't know why so many fight this shift in thinking.
Perhaps we are raised to believe that grades make the person. In college we used to brag about being on the dean's list, or having a 4.0. This mindset should not exist in PA school. Am I saying that grades don't matter. Absolutely not. What I am saying is if students focus more on learning as much as they can for the betterment of their future patient population, the grades will take care of themselves. Isn't medicine about patient care after all?
So, whether the grade is A, B, or C, the student will be successful as long as he or she remembers to focus on becoming the most competent practitioner possible. It seems that younger pre-PA's are the ones hung up over grades, and the older, more worldly pre-PA's/PA-S's focus on competency. There are exceptions to every rule, however. It will be interesting to see if/how my stance changes once I start matriculating. What will be even more interesting is to see how my classmates respond to one another in such a stressful academic setting. Will we be competitive? Will we work as a team? I am hoping for the latter.
I just can't agree with this mindset when it comes to PA school. Perhaps I'm being a bit naive, but there must be a shift in thinking when one goes from undergradute to graduate studies. It's true, no one can get into PA school with subpar grades. You must attempt to get the highest marks possible in order to secure a seat, and even then, the odds are slim. It's just that competitive. However, once PA school begins, it is no longer about the prestige of good grades, high GPA, and honor roll mention. It is no longer about us, it is about future patients. It is about COMPETENCY! Every exam, every practical lab, every patient encounter, every dissection, every factoid is for the sake of the patient. I don't see why this is so hard to understand. I don't know why so many fight this shift in thinking.
Perhaps we are raised to believe that grades make the person. In college we used to brag about being on the dean's list, or having a 4.0. This mindset should not exist in PA school. Am I saying that grades don't matter. Absolutely not. What I am saying is if students focus more on learning as much as they can for the betterment of their future patient population, the grades will take care of themselves. Isn't medicine about patient care after all?
So, whether the grade is A, B, or C, the student will be successful as long as he or she remembers to focus on becoming the most competent practitioner possible. It seems that younger pre-PA's are the ones hung up over grades, and the older, more worldly pre-PA's/PA-S's focus on competency. There are exceptions to every rule, however. It will be interesting to see if/how my stance changes once I start matriculating. What will be even more interesting is to see how my classmates respond to one another in such a stressful academic setting. Will we be competitive? Will we work as a team? I am hoping for the latter.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Fitness Freak Extraordinaire!
I had finally decided that I just wasn't cut out for a career in music. I wanted a family, a stable home; I didn't want to live 10 months of the year out of a suitcase. I had dropped out of college two years prior, but I still looked like a college student; I was putting on weight in all the wrong places. So, I decided to join a gym. Walking into the gym was an experience in itself! The music, the brand new equipment, the medicine balls, the huge aerobics floor. I instantly fell in love. I was soon a frequent participant in all of the aerobics classes, and quickly became a front row bunny. I even convinced my mother, who had struggled with her weight for years, to join me. It was our home away from home!
I was no more than a few weeks into my new workout regimen when the owner of the gym approached me after a kickboxing class. She praised me on my diligence and hard work, and told me that I should consider becoming a fitness instructor. She encouraged me to research the profession. I looked up all of the most reputable certifying bodies and decided to go for it! I ordered the study materials, chose a testing date, and got to work. Learning proper body mechanics and exercise anatomy and physiology reignited my passion for the human body. A month later I was a certified fitness instructor. I taught everything: kickboxing, body sculpting, step, hi/lo, abs...everything. I went from having 3 people come to my classes, to having a floor full of participants waiting for me to arrive at the gym. It was wonderful! I felt that I had found my niche.
Being a good fitness instructor requires lots of work; you must stay on top of changes in the industry, constantly create fun, fresh routines, buy new music, and always have lots of energy in every class. Being a great instruction requires all of the above, plus taking your personal fitness seriously. People love training with instructors that look the way they want to look. After a year of teaching aerobics, I was fit and had lots of energy, but my body didn't look the way I wanted it to. I wanted muscle...so, I began bodybuilding. I was instantly hooked. The challenge, the determination, the sacrifice...it was right up my alley. Working out became my life! I exercised for a living, and I trained in my spare time. Later on that same year, I became a certified personal trainer! I was a true professional.
I began training all over town. My clients really challenged me. I had lots of clients who trained strictly for aesthetic purposes, but many of my clients where children who were obese, and middle aged to elderly people who had been sent to me by their doctors for rehabilitation. It's easy to see where most people go wrong with diet and exercise. Those mistakes are easy for a trainer to correct as long as the participant is compliant. It's the rehab clients that offer the most challenge. There is so much to consider: strengths, weaknesses, compensations, atrophy, scar tissue, etc. I loved training these patients and seeing them get stronger and stronger every week. These are the clients that encouraged me to go back to school and pursue a career in medicine. I still work out on a regular basis, but I gave up training and teaching early this year to gain more direct patient care experience. It's been a long, long road so far, and I still have three more years to go, but boy, what a ride! Every step I've taken -the music, the fitness, going back to school- has gotten me to this point. Nontraditional, yes! Boring...absolutely not!
I was no more than a few weeks into my new workout regimen when the owner of the gym approached me after a kickboxing class. She praised me on my diligence and hard work, and told me that I should consider becoming a fitness instructor. She encouraged me to research the profession. I looked up all of the most reputable certifying bodies and decided to go for it! I ordered the study materials, chose a testing date, and got to work. Learning proper body mechanics and exercise anatomy and physiology reignited my passion for the human body. A month later I was a certified fitness instructor. I taught everything: kickboxing, body sculpting, step, hi/lo, abs...everything. I went from having 3 people come to my classes, to having a floor full of participants waiting for me to arrive at the gym. It was wonderful! I felt that I had found my niche.
Being a good fitness instructor requires lots of work; you must stay on top of changes in the industry, constantly create fun, fresh routines, buy new music, and always have lots of energy in every class. Being a great instruction requires all of the above, plus taking your personal fitness seriously. People love training with instructors that look the way they want to look. After a year of teaching aerobics, I was fit and had lots of energy, but my body didn't look the way I wanted it to. I wanted muscle...so, I began bodybuilding. I was instantly hooked. The challenge, the determination, the sacrifice...it was right up my alley. Working out became my life! I exercised for a living, and I trained in my spare time. Later on that same year, I became a certified personal trainer! I was a true professional.
I began training all over town. My clients really challenged me. I had lots of clients who trained strictly for aesthetic purposes, but many of my clients where children who were obese, and middle aged to elderly people who had been sent to me by their doctors for rehabilitation. It's easy to see where most people go wrong with diet and exercise. Those mistakes are easy for a trainer to correct as long as the participant is compliant. It's the rehab clients that offer the most challenge. There is so much to consider: strengths, weaknesses, compensations, atrophy, scar tissue, etc. I loved training these patients and seeing them get stronger and stronger every week. These are the clients that encouraged me to go back to school and pursue a career in medicine. I still work out on a regular basis, but I gave up training and teaching early this year to gain more direct patient care experience. It's been a long, long road so far, and I still have three more years to go, but boy, what a ride! Every step I've taken -the music, the fitness, going back to school- has gotten me to this point. Nontraditional, yes! Boring...absolutely not!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Can I Fast-forward Time?
Is it at all possible? I need to be in school...NOW!
The last thing I want is for this blog to turn into a sob story for the next year. I know time will fly by on its own. I guess I'm feeling this way because I hate my job, and I absolutely love being in school.
I've always said I could go to school for the rest of my life! If there were a job that paid people to go to school full time, I would strongly consider it. I love to learn, always have. It's amazing, though, that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. I will be back in school next month to finish up my degree and to take the last two prerequisite courses I need. However, I have no interest in the courses I'll be studying. Hopefully working full time and being in school full time will make the year go by faster. Or maybe I can convince the cop to do my coursework for me, so I can go into a self-induced coma and wake up refreshed and rested in preparation for PA school!!!!
The last thing I want is for this blog to turn into a sob story for the next year. I know time will fly by on its own. I guess I'm feeling this way because I hate my job, and I absolutely love being in school.
I've always said I could go to school for the rest of my life! If there were a job that paid people to go to school full time, I would strongly consider it. I love to learn, always have. It's amazing, though, that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. I will be back in school next month to finish up my degree and to take the last two prerequisite courses I need. However, I have no interest in the courses I'll be studying. Hopefully working full time and being in school full time will make the year go by faster. Or maybe I can convince the cop to do my coursework for me, so I can go into a self-induced coma and wake up refreshed and rested in preparation for PA school!!!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
You Should Go to Nursing School!
Um, no, I shouldn't. And if I hear this one more time, I think I'll scream!
Why is it that the only career a CNA can aspire to is RN? I just don't get it. There are plenty of healthcare careers to choose from: Physical Therapist, Speech Language Therapist, Physician, Paramedic, Phlebotomist, Radiation Therapist, Xray Technologist, Audiologist, Social Worker....the list goes on and on. But I'm always asked, "Have you ever considered nursing?"
The truth is...I did consider nursing. I considered it because I was being lazy. I knew that becoming a nurse would not afford me the scope of practice that I desired. I wanted to diagnose and treat patients, order, read and interpret labs and xrays. I wanted to prescribe physical therapy and medications. I wanted that scope of practice. So, I began my research. It was then that I discovered the PA profession, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to endure Microbiology, Chemistry, Statistics, etc. In the end I decided to go for it, and I am so glad I did!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a nurse. I have a lot of respect for nurses and what they do. What I admire the most is the fact that they are the doers! They get to carry out the orders from the doctors and other practitioners. I want that, but I also want the added responsibility of writing orders, and making decisions. I want to be a doer and a decision maker! And that is being a PA.
I've been thinking a lot about the school that I've chosen to pursue my PA education. I can't be more proud of the decision I've made! The school I'll be attending is not a big name school, nor does it carry a large amount of prestige and recognition. It doesn't have the latest technology-although the technology they do have is nothing to sniff at-and there are no world reknowned faculty members on staff. But...when I walked onto campus I felt at home! The staff is down to earth, funny, sincere, and they all currently practice medicine. The small town feel is right up my alley; the rent is cheap and everything I'll need is just a few minutes down the road. And the best part...the cafeteria is to die for! I'm talking pasta bar, dessert bar, hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, salad bar, you name it! And, the gym is a dream come true! In exactly one year from today, I will be packing my things and moving hundreds of miles away to pursue this dream that is years in the making. It's almost surreal to think that this is my life. My life!
Why is it that the only career a CNA can aspire to is RN? I just don't get it. There are plenty of healthcare careers to choose from: Physical Therapist, Speech Language Therapist, Physician, Paramedic, Phlebotomist, Radiation Therapist, Xray Technologist, Audiologist, Social Worker....the list goes on and on. But I'm always asked, "Have you ever considered nursing?"
The truth is...I did consider nursing. I considered it because I was being lazy. I knew that becoming a nurse would not afford me the scope of practice that I desired. I wanted to diagnose and treat patients, order, read and interpret labs and xrays. I wanted to prescribe physical therapy and medications. I wanted that scope of practice. So, I began my research. It was then that I discovered the PA profession, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to endure Microbiology, Chemistry, Statistics, etc. In the end I decided to go for it, and I am so glad I did!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a nurse. I have a lot of respect for nurses and what they do. What I admire the most is the fact that they are the doers! They get to carry out the orders from the doctors and other practitioners. I want that, but I also want the added responsibility of writing orders, and making decisions. I want to be a doer and a decision maker! And that is being a PA.
I've been thinking a lot about the school that I've chosen to pursue my PA education. I can't be more proud of the decision I've made! The school I'll be attending is not a big name school, nor does it carry a large amount of prestige and recognition. It doesn't have the latest technology-although the technology they do have is nothing to sniff at-and there are no world reknowned faculty members on staff. But...when I walked onto campus I felt at home! The staff is down to earth, funny, sincere, and they all currently practice medicine. The small town feel is right up my alley; the rent is cheap and everything I'll need is just a few minutes down the road. And the best part...the cafeteria is to die for! I'm talking pasta bar, dessert bar, hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, salad bar, you name it! And, the gym is a dream come true! In exactly one year from today, I will be packing my things and moving hundreds of miles away to pursue this dream that is years in the making. It's almost surreal to think that this is my life. My life!
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