Nurse Sean (dot) com

It has been a great weekend! Friday evening was puppy playtime. Charlie is gaining so much confidence! He had no problem running and playing with the other dogs. He is completely over his need to hide under chairs or behind our legs. I’m really going to miss going to puppy playtime. I’m tempted to get another puppy, just so I have an excuse to go to what has now become a Friday night ritual. We need to buy a house! We really do want to have another puppy. Oh wait, if I stay in this city, I will NEVER own a house!

I used to be such a cat person, but I’m finding that dogs bring you joy on such a completely different level (not more or less, just different). I think I am becoming a dog person…as crazy as that thought seems. I think it is a combination between how much time you put into caring/training a dog, and the pure joy on the dogs face when they see you come home.

Saturday was a busy day! We spent the morning cleaning the apartment. This place is truly a disaster zone, and after several hours of cleaning, we’ve only scratched the surface. I just want to live somewhere clean…without having to clean it! Is that really too much to ask?

We then went grocery shopping and spent way more than we can afford. However, it’s nice to have food in the house again.

Saturday evening I went to INLAND EMPIRE, the latest David Lynch movie. Richard decided to take Charlie for a nice long walk instead of going, so I went alone. I actually prefer going to movies along *shrug.*

The movie was beyond strange. It was completely non-understandable for the first few minutes. Then, for about twenty minutes of hope, it made sense. However, for the last two and a half hours, it was a complete melting pot of confusion, horror, suspense, beauty, and intrigue.

I still have no idea what the movie was about, and I’m pretty sure nobody else does. I have poked around the forums for other people’s interpretations; however, they are usually vague and incomplete…which leads me to think that everyone is as confused as I am.

While watching it, I honestly thought it was about a woman with multiple personalites. I thought we were floating from one personality to another. But, I’m pretty sure I’m wrong, and the more I think about the movie the more it seems wrong. In fact, every time I have a theory, I discredit it…arg! Trying to figure out his movies is my prime reason for loving David Lynch, but this one is almost inpenetrable.

For those that have seen it (slight spoiler): Near the end, when Laura Dern’s character walks into and empty, old fashioned movie theatre and sees herself on the screen…I realized I was in an almost identical empty theatre. It was hard to stop myself from turning around to see what was behind me….but I was too afraid of what I might see.

That’s the kind of affect David Lynch has.

Sunday was the Lillac festival! I have always loved this festival. We walked up and down the street checking out all the booths and watching the crowds. And what trip down to the beltline would be complete without a Tubby Dog!

Tonight, after dinner, I am going to make some doggy treats. Then I’ll be making some chocolate chip cookies and watching Twin Peaks. I’m almost done watching the entire series again.

Tomorrow is back to work. I work three day shifts, have one day off, then work three more days. I think I may have students tomorrow…that would be a definite bonus! I love having students to help me out.

Yes, it has been more than a month since my last post. However, after about seven years of blogging, I’m quite aware that my desire to post ebbs and flows. There will be times where I excitedly blog every day. Other times, I will go weeks without posting. Lets face it, blogging is a lot of work! I think the only regret I have is that regular posting generally equals regular readers. I crave the hordes of readers other bloggers have, but they typically post at LEAST once a day.

That’s enough talk about how often I post! Too many of my posts start with a similar speech. I also want to mention that I’m aware that I have been tagged for the “eight random things” meme. I will try writing that in the next couple days. For now, I would like to update my last few weeks!

Believe it or not, I took a vacation! It was the first time I had more than two or three days off in a row since I went to Boston for ten days…four years ago! And before my Boston trip, I hadn’t had more than two or three days off in a row since 1997 when I went to Seattle. One vacation in ten years is insanity! My habit was to just get my vacation paid out.

So, to have two weeks off felt great! I didn’t go anywhere and I didn’t do anything. I watched a lot of television, walked my dog often, played on the Internet, and read. The most exciting experience was buying my new car! I bought a 2007 Galaxy Grey Honda Civic LX coupe with a manual transmission.

The absolute highlight of my vacation was my David Lynch film festival. I watched Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Dr., and several episodes of Twin Peaks…all in the same day. This weekend I am going to see his new movie, INLAND EMPIRE. I’ve heard it described as one of the craziest movie going experiences of all time. Apparently it makes no sense…and well…what else would I expect from David Lynch?

Charlie really is driving me to the brink of insanity. He’s a walking contradiction! He is so easy to train with simple obedience exercises. He has no problem learning how to sit, lie down, loose leash walk, and his recalls are nearly flawless and reliable. Unfortunately, his potty training is getting worse every day (despite taking him out every 2-3 hours and watching closely for signals that he has to pee. He is also SO destructive when it comes to ripping up paper. And after trying everything in the books and out of the mouths of our obedience trainers…he still bites…A LOT! So, sometimes it feels as though we have the greatest, smartest dog, and other times I’m nearly in tears wondering what I’m doing wrong.

Charlie is actually done his puppy classes (sadness). They were incredibly fun! A lot of it involved him just running around socializing (playing) with other dogs. Charlie loves chasing puppies, being chased by puppies, and play fighting with puppies. Even more than that, we adored our Friday nights watching dozens of incredibly cute puppies running and jumping. As one woman put it, “you can feel your blood pressure going down by the minute!”

He will be starting true obedience classes on June 7th. It’s time to get a bit more serious with the training! He will learn to increase his attention span, gain self-control, and all the usual basics (sit, lie down, loose leash walking, etc. etc.). I truly love the facility I’m using. They are so incredibly friendly and knowledgeable!

Well, I have worked three shifts since the end of my vacation. I feel calm and at peace while at work. There is definitely a different vibe within myself while I go about my day. I will admit that I lucked out with my patient assignment, but in general, I feel as though I am starting to really enjoy this career.

Which reminds me!!! I received my RN license in the mail! When people ask me if I’m an RN, I no longer have to answer, “Sort of…I have my degree…and I passed my test…but I’m waiting for my license to arrive in the mail.” Yes, it’s all over and official, I’m the real deal!

It has been fun during the last few days watching the undergraduate nurses starting their jobs on the unit. I’m fascinated by the fact that only one year ago I was exactly where they are now. I am amazed and proud of how far I have come since then. It has been one hell of a year!

Of course, I celebrated my graduation from school and my registration as a nurse by promptly signing up for the “Advanced Studies in Critical Care Nursing” program at Mount Royal College. It is five courses long (physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and assessment of critical care patients, followed by a practicum) and will provide me with the beginning training needed to transition to the ICU or ER. So yes, starting in fall, I will once again be a nursing student! I’m still very disappointed in the lack of critical training in Canadian schools as a basic part of becoming an RN!

Well, after going a month without posting, I could go on for ages. However, this post is getting long! So, I have decided to stop here. I will try to be a better blogger in the coming weeks.

I’m not sure when the transition happened, but I have realized over the last few days that when someone asks what I do for work, I no longer say I’m a “Student Nurse.” Instead, I tell people I’m a nurse. I feel comfortable in my skills and knowledge that I make no apologies identifying myself as such. It will be nice when I can call myself Nurse Sean RN.

I’m 99.9% positive that this confidence and comfort comes from working as an undergrad nurse during the summer (they’re so desperate for nurses here they created a job for almost graduated nurses). I was on the most intensely busy, complex, and scary unit I have seen (both patients and nurses), and I am realizing now what a positive effect this has had on me.

In three months, I feel like I learned what could take years to learn on any other unit. So, while it was torture to work there, and I found myself hating everyday, there was a positive outcome.

I remember describing my summer job as being akin to the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” in which the main character works a horrible job for a year. Her job is torture, but she knows that if she just hangs in there she will learn a lot and be able to get any job she wants.

And yes…some of the nurses on the unit were as crazy and mean as her boss! It’s an awesome movie, I recommend it with all my heart. I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book, but do whatever makes you happier!

So, I’m on nights again this weekend. night shifts make me very happy. There is a definite calm in the air. Things are peaceful as the patients sleep. I love that it’s slow enough that I have time to really look over patient’s charts and get to know them. I also love watching the unit dive into instant chaos at 7:00am when doctors and nurses start arriving, and patients start waking up and needing help.

The unit I am on is a urology unit, which I’m truly enjoying. It’s giving me a set of procedures/surgeries/conditions that I can research and learn. There’s enough for me to sink my teeth into, but not so much (like a general surgery or medical unit) that I barely have a hope of getting a handle on my patient population. I also like that the patients tend to be a bit younger.

As for the school aspect of this practicum. I have been working on putting together a list of journal articles and professional websites on urology. I have also been doing a lot of reading on leadership. This will be a busy busy busy three months, but it will help time fly by until graduation. I can’t wait!