Reason #582 why I want to work in OB:

Clinicals today. Critical care. I was in Cardiovascular ICU. My. Day. Sucked.

I spent all day taking care of a (brain) dead guy. He coded yesterday morning, was down (meaning, no pulse, no oxygen to lungs) for AT LEAST 30 minutes before EMS shocked him. They were able to restart his heart, but I'm afraid that our brain likes to get oxygen on a bit more regular basis than that. The guy was/is toast. Pupils fixed, flat EEG, and yet, b/c our system is screwed up I spent all day giving him meds (thru a tube of course), managing his ventilator, arranging for his dialysis, etc, etc, etc. very futile. And as if that weren't fun enough he was positive for c-diff, a very gross infection in poop (and if you think regular poop is gross, imagine the fun that dead bowels can create) that makes for a stinky day and is highly contagious and he was positive for hep C.

On the bright side though (and I don't mean this to sound disrespectful to the man), it's much easier to learn how to do things on a guy who doesn't respond or get anxious when you try new things.

I have my last day in home health on Saturday. Of course my temporary license hasn't showed up yet, so I can't start training in the new job yet, so I may have a bit of a hiatus. Oh well. What's another week without a decent paycheck? One of the girls in my class that I really really enjoy has interviewed for a full-time RN position in the same department I will be working in. To start after we pass boards of course. I hope she gets the position. She is a great nurse and a great friend, one I would love to work with.