The New Typical Friday

I just had what I think is going to be my typical Friday for the next 8 weeks.  I have to be at Rush at 6:45 am so I can catch the briefing during the shift change from the night nurse to the day nurse.  Despite the earliness, I like traveling on an uncrowded el and I like knowing how my patient did the night before before going in their room so the glass is more than half full on the early clinical time.  I have clinical until 2ish each week and this is what I fill those 7 hours with:  a lot of time with my patient, practice reading blood pressures, conference with my clinical instructor, listen to guest speaker, group discussion and brief on the day.  The time flies!

This Friday was particularly great because I got my first assignment back and my instructor had many great things to say about it.  I was confident with my work when I turned it in, but you always question a little bit on how you did.  When I first sat down she said, "Well I can tell you were a teacher."  Interestingly enough, I have found that skills I've developed from my short career as a teacher have become assets being back in school and in the nursing field.  I was one of the few who didn't have to redo their assignment over the weekend.  Then at the end of the day I received a lovely compliment from one of the guys in my clinical group.  He said thank you for being a leader today since I kinda kept us on track with our ageism discussion and volunteered to do the write up.  Sometimes I don't even realize Im "leading" but it's nice when someone expresses their appreciation.  I had my same patient from last week, she was suppose to go home, but her walking is not nearly where it should be for a safe transition.  Her new tentative date of discharge is Monday so I definitely will have a new patient for my next clinical.

After clinical I went straight to Starbucks, scrubs and all,  to study with my friend Mary, whom I've known since undergrad at U of I.  I'm so fortunate to have familiar faces in my program.  People thought I was crazy to go study after a long day of clinical, but I know myself and if I went home I probably wouldn't have hit the books at all.  I need to go, go, go and then rest when it's done.  Of course we couldn't end the night just studying, I mean it was a Friday after all.  So we wen't out for dinner and a drink at a bar down the street and I literally mean a drink so I made sure it was a good one, Leinenkugal's Fireside Nut Brown.  Then it was home and straight to bed where I put myself to sleep with my kindle a little after 10pm because it was going to be another early morning.  Yes, on a Saturday nonetheless....
PS my kindle cover with the light attached is the greatest thing I ever bought.  If you have a kindle I highly suggest it.  Thanks Aunt Gam for the recommendation!