Two weeks ago I was offered a position in a Nurse Residency Program. With great joy and not shortage of smiling I accepted and listened intently as my new boss told me what to expect, who to expect to call me and when orientation will be.
So as these weeks seem to fly by, my last vacation as a new grad, there are things I'm working on to prepare for this new position and life dream come true.
1) Focus on me
Nursing school meant hours and hours of studying which mean hours and hours of sitting. Each time I would try to exercise, my desire to do well in preparing for an exam or write a paper I couldn't focus or how many reps or sets I needed to do. So my knowledge increased but so did my weight. So I working on getting my BMI into a healthy region and be a healthy example for my patients. My personal trainer shows me no mercy and I'm glad. I'm a tell-it-like-it-is type of nurse and I appreciate his challenging workouts and well as his encouraging attitude. It keeps me focused on being sensitive to my patients as well as completely upfront on on what they need to know to improve their health.
2) Organizing my Family
My oldest just started high school and my youngest is in 1st grade. This time has allowed up to get a schedule together and work on keeping it. Soccer games and practices, homework due dates and exam days, whose cooking dinner or cleaning up the kitchen. This time is great for working out the kinks and seeing what works and fixing what doesn't. We'll be more prepared when I start those long work hours and need them to do more and not "try" to pile more on me to do.
3) Connecting and reconnecting with friends
I have had more "coffee" dates for a non-coffee drinker in the past few weeks than all my life. It has been therapeutic and encouraging. Hearing from classmates and colleagues who have been where I am going, giving me advice and sharing their stories are invaluable jewels that I will always treasure. These great people will be the listening ears I'll need in the coming week and I hope to be a good listener to them as well.
4) Have fun
I've made sure to do something non-nursing and non-demanding. Me and the kids are enjoying the video games and board games. We've also splurged (alittle thanks to friends, deals and coupons) and visited Disneyland, Magic Mountain and SeaWorld. I made sure to have as much fun as the kids, jumping in full force. I've also started back to writing, developing stories and putting poems together. Writing has become my secondary stress reliever along with exercising. Not that I count exercise as fun, its a necessary evil I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life.
5) Scale Back
As I was organizing I started looking at what do I really want to do, really need to do and waste my time really doing. It was amazing how much "Free" time I found. I can get my homework done, watch an episode of Judge Judy or Rookie Blue and not feel rushed or like I've got somewhere to be at all hours of the day. I continue to stay involved in my professional organizations but I don't run myself ragged. If I can volunteer and still be true to me and family then I do it. Otherwise I don't feel bad saying no. I am a healthcare professional and if I don't take care of my health I'll be no good to my patients let alone anyone else.
So as I get closer to my first day of work I keep employing these things so I can be the best new nurse I possibly can. I am so grateful for this opportunity to do what I love and be an asset to my new workplace.
Nurse Kim signing out for now.
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