starting fresh....

this week i started a new position at work....

I am now part of the critical care float pool.... this means I float to all the ICUs in the hospital (all 5, one being the 7ICU where I came from) which all have there own specialty, the Emergency Department, the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and pediatric ICU.... I will still visit my old home but am pleased to be float around the hospital seeing new things, meeting new people and learning new skills.... I am still working two 12 hour shifts per week but only every 4th weekend and holiday....

I like it thus far.... I spend 1 and 1/3 nights in the PACU and 1 and 2/3 nights in 3ICU (the surgical ICU)... every one seems to be welcoming and very nice... amazed to see how many people in other areas I already know....

making this change has been on my heart for a long time... I didn't want to get burnt out where I was and our patient population was less than desirable (I know that sounds rude but let me explain)... they ware mostly people who were infection filled, were on deaths door and had abused themselves in many different ways for 30, 40 or 50 years (drugs, alcohol, not taking there meds or seeking appropriate medical treatment, or eating right) and they (or their family) wanted us to do everything in our power to save them... this included a lot of pain and suffering for our patients which is hard to see 24- 36 hours a week... some of the nurses I worked with just didn't care anymore and were very complacent... I however never want to be this way in my attitude toward my job... shortly after having Daisy I thought I should do something different and now I have... I will still float to this ICU but won't have to face it day in and day out... the whole thing felt very bittersweet... leaving a place I had friends, stability, had learned a lot and shared a lot of laughs!.... and this new job is scary.... seeing traumas come into the ED, working with people I don't even know, asking lots of (sometimes stupid) questions, seeing little kids not make it.... wow! it will be really hard!!!! but I feel up for the challenge!