Second Day

It is, I hazard to mention, going surprisingly well.

First things first, I met my mentor today. They are a staff nurse from the Philippines with English as a second language. This will, to be honest, be annoying if anything lacking in the English language impacts on my paperwork, but that's hardly a huge worry. They are a decent nurse, by the looks of things, so I'm pleased. My other mentor is off for 4 weeks as they are getting married. Hrm - good work if you can get it, that is.

Anyway, I get to stay in 'Team B' which means I look after the same group of beds, which is a refreshing level of consistency. The turnover of patients is higher than I thought, but there are some around for long enough to get to know, which is positive.

I surprised my mentor by being able to do observations, dispense medications and mix up IV antibiotics, which inevitably meant an end to my gravy train of sitting around on my lovely bottom. But I wouldn't have it any other way, really. Hopefully my responsibilies might increase on this ward, a step I feel I'm ready for.

One sad thing involved the afternoon shift sitting around not wanting to do any work until 3pm, it seemed (I can't be sure as I was let off just after 2, which was pleasurable indeed), instead preferring to gossip gathered around the nurse station. I don't like that, personally, but it happens. I have begun to act a tad cheeky when the situation calls for it, and show my previous experience on the ward. I'm not sure how many people this is endearing me to, but it works and I like it so I'll stick with it for now. An air of cheery confidence is much better than quiet contemplation when it comes to nurse behaviour, I believe.

The prickly pear that is lying to patients reared it's ugly head today. Talk about absolute honesty all you like, it's sometimes not that black and white. We have a patient with a cerebral injury - I haven't found out exactly which part of their brain has been effected just yet, but their judgement and memory are pretty hazy. Although they are 'specialed' this doesn't mean they're taken care of all the time. Sometimes the Support Workers aren't much good in that role, sometimes the patient turns violent. So, when they threaten to leave in their 'car' unless their son turns up it's much more advisable to tell them their son will be along later on, even if he will not. When the alternative is diazepam and a curt call to security, I know which idea gets my vote.