My alarm was set for 0600. Usually I wake up an hour or so before and have time for coffee, reading and a liesurely bath. Not this time, I slept right till the alarm so my normally leisurely preparations were somewhat rushed. Rather than omit the coffee, I omitted the bath. Coffee is an integral part of my day; two cups for work and one for home, all mixed with soy milk, flavored cream and a spoon of sugar.
Rushing out of the nice warm house at 0645 into frigid -35 degree air is more than a little shocking to the system. To top it off, I found that the electrical outlet which was functioning when I plugged the car in, was no longer working. The car still started but it was sluggish and was only starting to warm decently by the time I reached the Tecumseh Parkade at HSC.
Its a 5-10 minute walk from the parkade to D2, dependent on whether I walk through the tunnels or brave the elements outside. Due to the bitterly cold weather lately, I've been taking the tunnels to stay warm.
When I arrived on D2, all the nurses were already in the conference room giving report. Let me tell you, when you get five night nurses and seven day nurses in one small room all talking at once, it gets quite loud. Occasionally one of us gets frustrated and yells for everyone to shut up. It quiets down for a minute or two and the volume slowly creeps right back up. This lasts for ten to fifteen minutes. The night nurses go home, and the day nurses go out on the floor.
On a normal day shift each nurse has four patients. If we're short a nurse, that goes up to five. Yesterday I had five, today I started with four and am currently down to three. That makes me first in line for an admission. Our charge nurse today has five patients and is responsible for the whole unit. Not quite a fair distribution in my opinion.
Usually the first thing I do when I leave report is gather up my medication records for my patients, staple my patient notes together and write up a worklist for myself. I've discovered that with a worklist, I leave less things undone and make fewer errors. As I complete tasks I scribble them off my list. Items on my worklists include items like vital signs, assessments, dressing changes, giving meds, changing IV bags, administering pain medications, writing notes, checking charts, and many other miscellaneous things. And, yes, that includes bed pans and bum wiping.
Next I go around and introduce myself to my patients and inquire if they need anything immediately like pain meds, or water, or anything. This doesn't take very long on most days.
Following this, the day very rarely goes according to schedule. This is when unexpected things start coming up. For example, 48-1 needs to go for an x-ray and 19-3 is being called for surgery. The list goes on. If a patient goes for x-ray, we need a minimum of two people to assist because the patient must go on a stretcher and usually requires two people to transfer the person to the stretcher. Transport personnel come up to the ward and take the patient to the x-ray department. The process is reversed when the patient is finished in x-ray, again requiring two people to get the patient back to bed. Some patients require up to five or six people to move from bed to stretcher and back again.
When a patient is called for surgery, it used to be that we sent them to the O.R. via stretcher, now we send them on their beds. Before a patient is considered ready to go for surgery, the paperwork must be done and this is the time-consuming aspect of the job. An pre-op checklist must be completed, a pre-op note documenting the patient's status must be written, all the papers pertaining to the patient must be in the patient's chart, the I.V. pumps must be attached to a pole on the bed, and a pre-op dose of antibiotics must be given. O.R. personnel come to get the patient from the ward and they don't really appreciate when they have to wait to long while the nurse scrambles around getting stuff ready. Unfortunately, this cannot be avoided in some cases.
Barring any interruptions, following vital signs and assessments, I go back to the med room and get each patient's medications. Our med delivery system is computerized and accessed it via name and fingerprint. Narcotics require counting before the computer will give us any. We carry blue trays with white cups with the patients room numbers on the cups for delivering the meds.
The first few hours of the shift are normally the busiest of the day; the afternoon is generally used for paperwork, which, as any nurse will tell you, there is always plenty.
No two days are alike, or even similar; this is just a generalization of our work day.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Financial Taboo
Why is money such a taboo subject and why is the amount that a person earn such a big secret? We all deal with financial issues and most of us struggle with them. So why don't we talk about our issues and maybe we won't feel so alone in our day to day challenges regarding money.
Since I'm all about taking taboo subjects and discussing them out loud, I'm gonna tell you all my money secrets and then you, my readers, can hold me accountable and check in on me to make sure I'm doing what I've set out to do.
For starters, I earn $35.23 an hour on a day shift. Night shifts is $1.75 extra. Working the weekend is $1.25 extra. Being in charge is $0.70 extra (the 'extra' is a per hour fee). I work twelve hour shifts virtually every time I come in to work. Our pay periods are two weeks long. On average, I am guaranteed 2-4 shifts every two weeks as I work a .5 part-time position. Each shift, before taxes is $400. Most pay periods I am able to pick up enough shifts to have six to seven shifts per pay period. That's a fair chunk of cash, even after taxes. I'm not bragging about my income; quite the contrary, I'm wondering why I'm in such financial trouble. My gross income for 2009 was approximately $54,000. Five years ago, that amount of income was a totally unfathomable number, and now its not enough?! What gives?!
I started working as a nurse in mid-December 2005. My first paycheque was $1250. I was ecstatic!! Finally I could spoil my kids at Christmas. My first full year of employment, 2006, was the year that I kept saying to myself, "I've worked hard and I deserve to treat myself."
Before I go on, I must clarify something; virtually all of my debt is student loans. I have absolutely no credit card debt, etc. My debt is entirely related to my education. All $50,000 of it. Why didn't I work while I was in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba? Two children and a demanding course of study made that virtually impossible. And, I justified that by saying "soon I'll be earning lots of money."
Also, you must also know that I did not go into nursing for the financial rewards. I've wanted to be a nurse since I was four or five. I would do my job for half the wages I earn now for the pure passion for the work.
While in school my finances became a very low priority, so I paid little attention to my bank balance and to pre-authorized debits, etc. The NSF fees piled up in alarming amounts, car payments were not made on time, etc. In short, I developed some very bad habits.
Its those same habits that became amplified upon leaving school. And I say amplified because the amount of money I was earning made me feel like I could just relax and my bank account would take care of itself. Well, it did take care of itself, just not in a positive fashion.
Money just disappeared. I have no nasty habits, I don't smoke, I don't drink very often (maybe one or two drinks a year), I don't gamble. In short, all my money has gone to very legitimate expenses. And, for those of you who know me, the money certainly wasn't spent on fashionable clothing.
Here I am, having earned a good income for four full years with nothing to show for it. No savings, no debt reduction, and quite possibly the worst credit rating ever. I have $2000.00 in RSPs, but that was saved before I began school on a much lower income. I own my 2004 Kia Rio, but my mother loaned me $10,000 for payment on the day of purchase.
I would estimate that $150,000 to $200,000 has flowed through my bank account in those four years. How is it that I have nothing to show for it?
Thankfully, something "clicked" for me in December of 2009 and I've begun to take a great interest in my financial situation. I could tell you, to the penny, what my net worth is. I could also tell you, again, to the penny, where all my money has gone since August 2008.
Obviously its not the income portion of the equation that is the problem, the issue must lie in my spending and the managing of my money.
There are no excuses for my situation, and I have no one to blame but myself. However, I manage my household on a single income.
Housing accounts for 22% of my expenditures. Childcare is 15%. Followed by food, transportation and other expenses.
Unfortunately, since I have begun to take such an active interest in my finances, there has been one setback after another. In January 2009 the shifts available for pickup were few and far between. In February I was ill and missed two weeks of work and had no sick days remaining. Here we are in August 2010 and the pickup shifts are again few and far between and I've been advised to take sick time, but I cannot afford to do so.
What has improved, however, is my attitude towards money and the way I spend it. Prior to mid-December, I was using my debit card for all purchases and rarely checking my bank balance or remembering to allow for pre-authorized debits. Mid-December I started to use the 'envelope system.' Have you ever heard the expression that "the definition of insanity is expecting different results from using the same action"? That was me in a nutshell, I'd write up a budget and swear I would follow it from now on. Of course, that didn't happen. And I would do this repeatedly. Every six months or so I would "start over."
So it was time for change; I decided to try something that had worked for me when I was 20 and a single parent working at McDonalds and receiving social assistance; the envelope system.
Happy 2nd of January to you all!! Thanks for reading.
Since I'm all about taking taboo subjects and discussing them out loud, I'm gonna tell you all my money secrets and then you, my readers, can hold me accountable and check in on me to make sure I'm doing what I've set out to do.
For starters, I earn $35.23 an hour on a day shift. Night shifts is $1.75 extra. Working the weekend is $1.25 extra. Being in charge is $0.70 extra (the 'extra' is a per hour fee). I work twelve hour shifts virtually every time I come in to work. Our pay periods are two weeks long. On average, I am guaranteed 2-4 shifts every two weeks as I work a .5 part-time position. Each shift, before taxes is $400. Most pay periods I am able to pick up enough shifts to have six to seven shifts per pay period. That's a fair chunk of cash, even after taxes. I'm not bragging about my income; quite the contrary, I'm wondering why I'm in such financial trouble. My gross income for 2009 was approximately $54,000. Five years ago, that amount of income was a totally unfathomable number, and now its not enough?! What gives?!
I started working as a nurse in mid-December 2005. My first paycheque was $1250. I was ecstatic!! Finally I could spoil my kids at Christmas. My first full year of employment, 2006, was the year that I kept saying to myself, "I've worked hard and I deserve to treat myself."
Before I go on, I must clarify something; virtually all of my debt is student loans. I have absolutely no credit card debt, etc. My debt is entirely related to my education. All $50,000 of it. Why didn't I work while I was in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba? Two children and a demanding course of study made that virtually impossible. And, I justified that by saying "soon I'll be earning lots of money."
Also, you must also know that I did not go into nursing for the financial rewards. I've wanted to be a nurse since I was four or five. I would do my job for half the wages I earn now for the pure passion for the work.
While in school my finances became a very low priority, so I paid little attention to my bank balance and to pre-authorized debits, etc. The NSF fees piled up in alarming amounts, car payments were not made on time, etc. In short, I developed some very bad habits.
Its those same habits that became amplified upon leaving school. And I say amplified because the amount of money I was earning made me feel like I could just relax and my bank account would take care of itself. Well, it did take care of itself, just not in a positive fashion.
Money just disappeared. I have no nasty habits, I don't smoke, I don't drink very often (maybe one or two drinks a year), I don't gamble. In short, all my money has gone to very legitimate expenses. And, for those of you who know me, the money certainly wasn't spent on fashionable clothing.
Here I am, having earned a good income for four full years with nothing to show for it. No savings, no debt reduction, and quite possibly the worst credit rating ever. I have $2000.00 in RSPs, but that was saved before I began school on a much lower income. I own my 2004 Kia Rio, but my mother loaned me $10,000 for payment on the day of purchase.
I would estimate that $150,000 to $200,000 has flowed through my bank account in those four years. How is it that I have nothing to show for it?
Thankfully, something "clicked" for me in December of 2009 and I've begun to take a great interest in my financial situation. I could tell you, to the penny, what my net worth is. I could also tell you, again, to the penny, where all my money has gone since August 2008.
Obviously its not the income portion of the equation that is the problem, the issue must lie in my spending and the managing of my money.
There are no excuses for my situation, and I have no one to blame but myself. However, I manage my household on a single income.
Housing accounts for 22% of my expenditures. Childcare is 15%. Followed by food, transportation and other expenses.
Unfortunately, since I have begun to take such an active interest in my finances, there has been one setback after another. In January 2009 the shifts available for pickup were few and far between. In February I was ill and missed two weeks of work and had no sick days remaining. Here we are in August 2010 and the pickup shifts are again few and far between and I've been advised to take sick time, but I cannot afford to do so.
What has improved, however, is my attitude towards money and the way I spend it. Prior to mid-December, I was using my debit card for all purchases and rarely checking my bank balance or remembering to allow for pre-authorized debits. Mid-December I started to use the 'envelope system.' Have you ever heard the expression that "the definition of insanity is expecting different results from using the same action"? That was me in a nutshell, I'd write up a budget and swear I would follow it from now on. Of course, that didn't happen. And I would do this repeatedly. Every six months or so I would "start over."
So it was time for change; I decided to try something that had worked for me when I was 20 and a single parent working at McDonalds and receiving social assistance; the envelope system.
Happy 2nd of January to you all!! Thanks for reading.
Random Thoughts from a Nurse on Break
2010 is off to an auspicious start!
Kevin slept through the night the past two nights. Not a peep out of him last night, and just a wee bit of crying the night before. I, however, am not sleeping through the night. Can't actually remember the last time I slept through the night. Shift work and a weak bladder will do that to a person.
Other than that, not much has happened for me to make that bold opening statement.
On New Year's Day, my VBF was over for the afternoon. While I went through boxes of sentimental belongings, "Julie & Julia" was playing; we weren't paying much attention to it. Virg was quite amused simply watching me toil through box after box of paper and clothing; boxes of my oldest son's belongings, select items of infant clothing, his baby book, miscellaneous photos (his first Santa picture), and a full box of school papers and drawings.
Some of the boxes had been untouched since he was in Grade Four, which is at least 15 years ago as he is currently in his 3rd year of university. Each and every paper that was in the box was kept for specific reasons when I made the choice to keep them. If only I had written those reasons and dates on those papers. Many contained drawings of indeterminate objects with no date, name or description to indicate why I may have kept them. Those papers filled a large trash bag and made their way out to the dumpster. Report cards stayed, but only if they were the end of year report card. Others were thrown out. I'm not sure why I'm still keeping so many papers and things for "sentimental" reasons. But I am thrilled to pieces that I've managed to part with so many things in the past two months.
One corner in the living room is piled with numbered and labelled boxes already filled and ready to go. However, it is my goal to go through these boxes at least once or twice more to weed out even more belongings. I have boxes of clothing that I wore 40 pounds ago and continue to be optimistic that the weight will spontaneously melt away. There is a box of cookbooks, which was once two or three boxes. I'm keeping only the ones that I've actually used. I am not a big fan of having to cook, but I love to bake, and having Kevin requires that I cook occasionally.
Please accept my apologies for the randomness of this blog; I seem incapable of sticking to one topic today.
I'm at work in the break room and two nurses are having a conversation behind me while I type. ADD dictates that I keep one ear on their conversation and try and type a sensible blog at the same time. Possibly do-able for a non-ADD person, but not for me.
My daughter, Kev's birthmother, has her plane ticket to Quebec and is leaving on January 12. My feelings on this range from thankfulness to sadness to nostalgia. I'm thankful because we have not been getting along for a long time now and the situation has been complicated by our reversal of roles in Kev's care. The sadness is also because we don't get along and I don't want her to leave with bad memories and associations. But at the same time, I do not want Kev to see the disparity between Jen and myself. Nor should he be privy to the disrespect that Jen frequently demonstrates towards me.
Break time is over, work calls.
Kevin slept through the night the past two nights. Not a peep out of him last night, and just a wee bit of crying the night before. I, however, am not sleeping through the night. Can't actually remember the last time I slept through the night. Shift work and a weak bladder will do that to a person.
Other than that, not much has happened for me to make that bold opening statement.
On New Year's Day, my VBF was over for the afternoon. While I went through boxes of sentimental belongings, "Julie & Julia" was playing; we weren't paying much attention to it. Virg was quite amused simply watching me toil through box after box of paper and clothing; boxes of my oldest son's belongings, select items of infant clothing, his baby book, miscellaneous photos (his first Santa picture), and a full box of school papers and drawings.
Some of the boxes had been untouched since he was in Grade Four, which is at least 15 years ago as he is currently in his 3rd year of university. Each and every paper that was in the box was kept for specific reasons when I made the choice to keep them. If only I had written those reasons and dates on those papers. Many contained drawings of indeterminate objects with no date, name or description to indicate why I may have kept them. Those papers filled a large trash bag and made their way out to the dumpster. Report cards stayed, but only if they were the end of year report card. Others were thrown out. I'm not sure why I'm still keeping so many papers and things for "sentimental" reasons. But I am thrilled to pieces that I've managed to part with so many things in the past two months.
One corner in the living room is piled with numbered and labelled boxes already filled and ready to go. However, it is my goal to go through these boxes at least once or twice more to weed out even more belongings. I have boxes of clothing that I wore 40 pounds ago and continue to be optimistic that the weight will spontaneously melt away. There is a box of cookbooks, which was once two or three boxes. I'm keeping only the ones that I've actually used. I am not a big fan of having to cook, but I love to bake, and having Kevin requires that I cook occasionally.
Please accept my apologies for the randomness of this blog; I seem incapable of sticking to one topic today.
I'm at work in the break room and two nurses are having a conversation behind me while I type. ADD dictates that I keep one ear on their conversation and try and type a sensible blog at the same time. Possibly do-able for a non-ADD person, but not for me.
My daughter, Kev's birthmother, has her plane ticket to Quebec and is leaving on January 12. My feelings on this range from thankfulness to sadness to nostalgia. I'm thankful because we have not been getting along for a long time now and the situation has been complicated by our reversal of roles in Kev's care. The sadness is also because we don't get along and I don't want her to leave with bad memories and associations. But at the same time, I do not want Kev to see the disparity between Jen and myself. Nor should he be privy to the disrespect that Jen frequently demonstrates towards me.
Break time is over, work calls.
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