The dog ate my Littmann

Need I say more?

Work Woes

Getting blamed for doing something, or rather not doing something, that I have no idea how I could not have done it, is really pissing me off.

Skin assessments are every day. I supposedly missed 3 skin assessments. How? I have no idea, but I am damn sure that I didn't. I think their chart audits are messed up. Why? Because one of the "rooms" I was supposed to have "missed" doesn't even get a skin assessment on any of my working days. But I have a bit less ass then I used to none the less.

Oh well vent, fix it anyway, & move on I suppose.

Stressing and Sweating

Hummm... when is not a good time to move? Um.. probably August in Arizona. LOL

So I am still stressing but I found out that I need less money than I thought I did to move in. Which is all kinds of awesome!! Of course now I have to set an actual time and date that I will be able to bring over the check. Now I just hope the bank deposit I am expecting clears before Thursday.

Packing and Saving... a lesson in living as a minimalist

Right now its packing time. I have VERY limited money right now because of the total amount due to move in and the other expenses associated with moving. I have most of it saved and we are waiting to see what hubby's check is before we commit to an actual moving day. We will either be totally out of here on the 1st or totally out of here on the 7th when I get my next check.

In the mean times its rice and beans, beans and rice, so to speak to conserve what little extra money we can. Between gas for the cars and food we are scrimping right now to limp by with the basics of basics. Of course I am very good at finding stuff to cook out of what little staples we have. The bad news is that since I am not home during the week to cook, hubby is not as good at it.

But it'll be worth it, I haven't over drawn our budget and once we move we will be caught back up pretty quick which is a good thing.

I just can't wait to be there!!

More Algebra... heck no!!!

So I finally got the course outline on the classes and such that I would need for the LPN-BSN program at UOP... so needless to say, the title of this blog may speak for itself.

I think based on these two factors... Taking more Algebra, and repeating A&P 1... hummm yeah no thanks!!

Soooo... its back to the proverbial drawing board on where I want to take my education/career in the near future.

At this point I need, Humanities, Micro & Chem still. As well as a refresher Pharm now because it'll be more than 1 year since my last Pharm class.

What to do what to do.

I think at this point paying out of pocket and taking 1 class at a time until I have the LPN experience behind me to allow me to seek employment elsewhere is the only way that I can get RN to fit into my need for money and school commitments. I wish I worked for a place that cared about their employee's furthering their education... but they don't. But you live and you learn and in April of 2011... I will no longer be a new grad and will have that glorious 1 year or more of experience needed to take my LPN butt elsewhere. Right?

Confused and can't decide...

Ahhh... what to do what to do? I want to continue my education and become an RN. Then I think I don't want to go to school anymore, couldn't care less about being an RN, most especially don't want to go through clinicals and a ton of general ed classes again and then I look at the letters next to my name and think, " Christine, you are too smart to stop now!" But I'll be like almost 40 when I actually finish. Bedside nursing and OR in particular is not going to want a 40 year old new grad will they? I would like to teach Nursing theory, so the MSN is only like 2015 attainable.

Of course I am bored and miss going to classes. I actually miss having tests and things to do. But I also know that its going to be tough again because I will be home even less than I am now and we all know what happened last time.

My dilemma is that...University of Phoenix called and said my start date has been moved up from June 2011 to Feb of 2011. I spoke with them and at this point its set for a finish date of 2014. They do all of the Gen Ed classes and then start the Core classes last. Makes sense of course its forward progress and all that. Its the only program that will allow me to keep working. Its also expensive. However, its a BSN. So that's a bonus.

At this rate an ADN would get me done 1 year sooner.... hum.. probably not worth it since I would not be able to work at the same time.

So... to BSN or not to BSN Is 40 too old?

Like a real Nurse

So yesterday at work was full of the fun and amazing things we nurses get to do in a shift. Two admissions, a straight cath, a nasty dressing change, stool sample for c-diff, two suppositories, TB injections... and numerous accuchecks and their subsequent insulin coverage injections. Not to mention orientating a confused resident back to reality and medicating the rest of them. Not counting the 1 call to the doctor for a high BG level... overall it was a good night.

You know its time to move when...

Two mornings in a row you wake up to the dogs barking like crazy because one of these is in your backyard...

Sonoran Sidewinder Rattlesnake

My thoughts are not my own

The thing about working as a nurse is that your job does not stay at your job. Inevitably you seem to take your work home. I did not have this problem as a CNA or as a Customer Service Agent. It was like I had job amnesia, some switch would click as soon as I walked out the door and I would not think about work until I was back there.

With nursing that is not the case. The residents stay in my head, the meds stay in my head, what I did that day, what I could have done that day, what I should have done. I am constantly thinking about if I forgot something. At 3am the other morning I awoke from a sound sleep with a start, I'd forgotten to shut off an SVN machine.

I am constantly reminding myself as I try to drift off to my, always interrupted sleep, to not think about work. I am never quite as successful as I'd like to be!

& the Winner is...

House number 1


Close to the kids school, great paint colors, nice upstairs, cute courtyard in the front entry & TONS of closet space.... down side is the teenie tiny kitchen/livingroom. Hate the kitchen I must admit, but there are so many positives that I can work with it.

But I am done hunting, it'll do and it gets me closer into town again by 18 miles and I have a bedroom with a door again!!

So plan is to move in for the first of course. We are giving the deposits on Friday. Kids start school again on the 2nd. It's going to be crazy around here again. But everyone is excited about the new move.

Have I mentioned that as a family we really love the new house smell so much that we pretty much move every year? I think that is why I will never buy. Oh well can't wait to decorate my new place!!

Up Up in the air...

Sooooo... the house hunting is continuing. We should hear about another place today. Of course the Realtor said this one should be for sure, except the last one was for sure too, until another contract bumped us. This contract application crap is a huge PIA all of a sudden. Of course I like looking at all the houses :-) Its my own personal version of one of my favorite shows "House Hunters" !

So is it House number 1 close to the kids school




House number 2 with the nice backyard



or House number 3 with the weird neighbors





Or..... none of the above??

I just want sleep

I just want to be able to sleep for a solid 8 hours. Not two hour intervals at a time. Its getting to the point where I am so frustrated with not being able to sleep through the night, that all I want to do is lay on the couch when I finally give up on trying to sleep in bed.

The cause... the fucking dogs and where we live. I'm really looking forward to moving and really hope it solves the problem. A nice doggie door and a bedroom with a door to keep the little shits away from ME!!

I'm about to get rid of them all... including the cats!

An Artist Rendering... lol

Hehe... but it gives you an idea of the news ;-)


Oh... and of course this is not to scale. The front rounded bedroom is the larger of the two on that side of the house. My Mom tried.

hummm

may need to rethink that BSN program. They only transferred 25 of my credits which is f'ing lame. Yeah so back to the drawing board on the RN route.

In other news its off to look at another place in a few minutes and to figure out a deposit issue. Hummm... back to the drawing board on this one too.

I wish I would have known I could have found something and should have given notice so that I could have used my prepaid last months rent now so I would have money right now for the deposit instead of having to wait until the 15th

A bit less stressed feeling

The new side at work has taken some of the dread away from going into work. It gives me more people to talk to and the side is much lighter over all. At the very least there are WAY less treatments to do ;-)

Not much else going in right now just waiting to hear from the BSN program and waiting to hear on the house.

Moving...

So we have offically started the house hunt. I may have found something... just have to see about getting approved with my history. But we more than have the income so we shall see... stay tuned!

Is it wrong...

Because I, using my new found seniority, have requested to change from my current hall, to the recently vacated hall? My hall is LTC, very very heavy load. Always full, not much changes that doesn't require a body bag. Yeah very dark and graphic sorry. But its so bad that I have 28 residents who's treatments and meds i have memorized. This of course is a good thing. But for me it equals burn out.

So the other hall is the medicare hall. More turn over, as most come in for PT/OT or some rehab of some such, and then go home. There are a few of the LTC type. But they are more with it. Less treatments and actually less in the med pass department, & also less psych!

But hey, the new person is technically pool and well NEW! So she'd has to roll with it to make the bucks. I did.

So whatcha think? Of course the residents that I have that are with it are totally bummed I am switching. But its my sanity ya know?