Push yourself to do more and to experience more. Harness your energy to start expanding your dreams. Yes, expand your dreams. Don't accept a life of mediocrity when you hold such infinite potential within the fortress of your mind. Dare to tap into your greatness. - Robin S. Sharma
Alright.
This post has been a long time coming. It's not really that amazing but it's basically how I have been feeling the last 6 months.
Everyone always tells you to never stop learning and never stop dreaming. So, that's what led me to ICU, the means to an end to make it to CRNA school. As a PACU nurse I was challenged occasionally. Not always daily, and really it was not always that hard. There is a quote I hear often saying, " PACU is where nurses go to die." Honestly, it's where many go before they retire. You don't deal with the complete uncertainty that the ER brings, you don't keep your critical intense patients for 12 hours like the ICU, and if your patient has to poop you basically just tell them to hold it until they get to the floor or until they get home to their "own" bathroom. (yes, sometimes it doesn't work, but ohhhhhhh many times it does!) PACU is legit, it is not floor nursing. It is ever changing and always different, it has just enough critical care element to keep you guessing and you have enough autonomy to make quick decisions and really are tested on the strength of your nursing knowledge. EVERYONE told me don't go, don't leave, you will hate it. But, on and on I went about how I am trying to be SMARTER!
Eff that man.
Smarter and harder go hand in hand. Also, pretty sure the grammar in that sentence is wrong. ICU has been everything everyone told me it would be. If I am being blatantly honest. I really do NOT love it. Maybe I will get there, but really I think I was just a spoiled little RN in my PACU trained life. Most RN's go from ER or ICU to PACU, so they've already gone through the trenches, while I just showed up there fresh faced and doe eyed with complete ignorance of the floor nursing struggle.
Most days I literally think to myself, " What the eff was I thinking?"
Now, this post is not going to turn into some fluffy, oh but I am loving every moment now. Nope, wiping butts and dealing with patients trying to die every 4 hours has not been my cup of tea.. Lets be real, it's the poop. I just. can't. Oh, and the night shift. (insert eye roll emoji)
I am just trying to see if there is anyone else out there who is in the trenches right now thinking WTF did I do to myself, I had it so cush with my Monday -Friday day shift PACU job.
We shall see what happens. Sometimes now I really think, man maybe now CRNA is too much.... What is happening to me?? I legit just wanna work my 3 12's, take my kids to the beach, eat acai bowls and hang with my friends listening to Taylor Swift...
Oh wait. I guess that is my life.
I guess the poop will pass....
Or not.
xoxo
Katelyn
If you wondered how I ended up in the ICU click HERE
Here are some of my PACU besties I miss every day! But, there are some legit awesome smart ass hell nurses in ICU, so that helps for sure.
