Feedback

Today, the nurse who had my assigned patient last night was giving report to my co-assigned day nurse (for my assigned patient today). The night nurse remembered me from last week (the same nurse who gave me verbal pat-on-the-back mentioned in my "Poopy Post") and she introduced me to the day nurse as "This is Joy, your nursing student" and then something like "she's really on the ball" or "she's got it together." Something like that.  Wow, how awesome is that?! This is a nurse that some of the other nursing students (and even PCA's) think it kinda "snippy"...but somehow I've earned her respect (as a nursing student) and she's passing that info on to other nurses.

THEN, this afternoon, my co-assigned nurse said to me..."really great job today."  Some nursing students complain that their co-assigned nurses aren't really nice or compassionate to nursing students or helpful. But that has NOT been my experience. I have had some really great interactions with a number of the RN's and PCA's on my floor. Sure some are much more oriented to explaining things than others. Stopping to explain something to a nursing student takes time out of their patient care time. Understandable! But I totally appreciate it when they do take the time to talk something through with me. My goal is to do my job as quietly and efficiently as possible and to consult my co-assigned nurse only when there's a problem or to update them on the status of my patient. I've only got one patient to care for...they've got six--including mine, that they are legally responsible for. 

I definitely feel like my biggest challenge is being organized in my care. I've learned so much in clinicals this semester and last, but still feel like a bumbling idiot sometimes in planning care. Some days I do well...other days when there are interruptions or other issues pop up...it can be challenging to feel organized, efficient and thorough. It's a learning process. But it will come.

Nursing is a field where positive feedback is almost non-existent (at least from higher-ups, peers etc..) ...so it's nice to get this feedback (as a "lowly" nursing student) that someone thinks that I'm doing a good job. It totally inspires me to do better.  So the lesson here is... you inspire others by giving good feedback!