i held my breath all day

i held my breath all day for fear of sudden unpleasantness at work.

they tried to convince me it was my "turn" to work emerg but i put my foot down for i'm not exactly qualified to work there alone. particularly considering the recent state of extreme interventions we've had down there.

but then i learned that a nice calm RN was also scheduled there all day (she helped me during last week's trauma) and that i was thus supernumerary. so i went. to emerg. all day.

emerg is weird because if there's no one there, there's nothing to do. no charting to pretend to have to do. no games to play. just waiting and hoping that the next person who walks through the door isn't a cardiac or a trauma. or barfing. or verbally abusive.

i lost a little confidence when i missed IVs on two patients in a row. but third time's a charm. my third patient, who spent the whole time i was assessing his veins telling me about the last nurse he had (in kelowna) who was AWFUL and he had to tell her after torturing him through 4-5 attempts to piss off and find a doctor (which is funny because most doctors, unless they are new or anesthetists, don't get much opportunity to do IVs), did not succeed in breaking my spirit and i nailed it on the first attempt! what a rush!

and i did some catheters! the first one was concerning because it was a male catheter and yesterday another nurse and i ran in to difficulties with male catheters. Stupid enlarged prostates. Anyways, i went in to see the patient and all i had to do was prep him for a procedure by catheterizing him. i wasn't worried. until Dr. Chicken Legs saunters in on his long chicken legs and i have to tell him that i'm not ready for him yet. And then he stands there and decides to "coach me" through it by emphatically saying "go! go! go!". And "do you feel resistance? yes? go! go! go!". what a strange man.

and there was no barfing.
and there was no yelling at me.
and i some how succeeded in making the intimidating doctor laugh (and not AT me!).
and a patient bribed me with chocolate.