I got to work the other day and my name wasn’t on the assignment sheet. Since I had worked the day before, I was sure I didn’t get my schedule wrong. Done that before. Then I saw my name way down at the bottom of the page…
Elise – float SOU
SOU? After asking a few different people I found out it stood for surgical observation unit (basically the PACU for more stable patients). Ok, I thought. Something new could be fun. But where is the SOU? Nobody had any idea!
I finally found out it was on the second floor, but that’s about all I knew. I wandered around in the hallways for a while and eventually found my way there.
The SOU is weird. The unit is closed on Sundays (elective procedures rarely/never happen over the weekend). Since they don’t get patients until post-surgery, and it was Monday morning, I was twiddling my thumbs with no patients until almost 11:30. That might sound like heaven, but I promise it was miserable.
I had a green monster on the way to work, to fuel me for…nada.
This green beast was the replacement smoothie after my black hemp disaster.
Spinach + peanut flour + chia seeds + French vanilla coconut creamer + water + ice = two frozen green monsters for early morning breakfasts
After I got a brief tour of the unit from the charge nurse, she basically left me to sit and stare at the empty beds for the next few hours. I couldn’t help but think of how much I could have already accomplished on my own unit as I was sitting idly waiting for post-surgical patients.
I took a looong breakfast since there was nothing else to do.
Oats + cinnamon + agave + raisins + chopped apricot
After I eating my oatmeal, I got out my book to read a few chapters. Having so much down time was really bizarre. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually missed the business of the step-down. Whodda thunk!?
After putting my food away (their kitchen had 3 refrigerators!) and locking my book up in my temporary locker (they have a separate locker room!), I headed back to “work.”
With no internet and no reading material, I was at a loss for what to do. I must have looked at the clock 18,000 times. How did I get that number? I calculated it based on the seconds in the minutes in the hours I had been in the SOU without patients. Yup, I was THAT bored.
And if you’re wondering about the rest of the staff…there really weren’t many people around. There are only 12 beds, so there was just the charge nurse and two staff nurses. Tick tock.
I took the first patient who came from the OR after having a TURP (prostate resection). He was a really nice guy and I was happy to have someone to chat with. He had more interest in getting food than talking, but once lunch was on it’s way he told me a number of inappropriate jokes while his wife looked on mortified.
Two more patients arrived shortly thereafter, which we all rotated in admitting, and less than an hour after getting my first patient, I got report on my second patient due to arrive. Talk about getting slammed!
But before my other patient got to the SOU it was time for my lunch break. What a stupid system! If the first wave of surgeries doesn’t end until so late in the day, why don’t they have nurses sleep in, skip the down time, and arrive when the action really gets going. Then we wouldn’t need to get lunch right when things start to get busy. Silly.
For lunch I had made a kale salad with dino kale, bell peppers, carrots, steamed sweet potato, and hummus.
I’m all shook up, hey hey hey.
The rest of the party posse included:
- the last of my Mary’s Gone crackers (I need to restock, I’m obsessed with these and going through box after box at alarming rates)
- apple (duh, no explanation needed)
- candied ginger (TJs, WFs, and all other local markets/co-ops are now out and after tweeting with @WholeFoods last week I am worried I may never see them on shelves again)
- Nana’s coconut cookie (sample size I just discovered hidden in my snack stash from Expo West)
- Enjoy Life cocoa loco chewy bars (have I still not done a review of these?…the box is now empty so it’s safe to say I’m a fan)
- Inka corn nuts (omg, salty bliss)
Corn nuts!!? I remember my friends in grade school had the nasty flavored ones by Planters. I never tried them when I was a youngin’ because my mom didn’t buy that stuff. I discovered a healthier (less processed) version at my local health foods store in NYC and fell in love with the salty kernels. Then I forgot about them again…until a few weeks ago when I stumbled across Inka Crops at Whole Foods.
I never thought of corn nuts as a health food really, but since I’m a “box turner” I took a look at the ingredients. Turns out, Inka’s corn nuts aren’t too bad for you. After all, they are a whole grain, they’re non-GMO, and the only ingredients are corn, palm olein and sea salt. FYI, I did some research and as far as I can tell palm olein and olive oil are comparable for their effects on blood cholesterol and lipoproteins.
Inka Crops even offer flavored varieties! The only downside is the environmental impact from importing the Peruvian corn (yes, their products are really from Peru).
But back to the work thang…
After lunching, I made my way back to the SOU and continued to admit patients as they came out of the OR. At times, the day dragged a bit, but definitely less so than in the AM. It was weird going from no patients to full beds in just a few hours. From what I could tell, the SOU is pretty much a holding pen for the patients until beds free up on another unit. So my job was to keep them happy and healthy as the time passed. They mostly wanted to sleep, and since they were all bedridden, on drips, with NG tubes and the likes, I just did my nursing thing and let them be. Good for them, boring for me.
Floating is good because it lets you dabble in other areas of nursing without fully committing to them. It’s a good reminder of how great I have it on my own unit where there are lots of staff members around. Where the days are far from slow or boring. Where I get to see patients go from zero to discharge.
That’s the cool thing about nursing though. There are so many different fields and specialties, and each person is drawn to different parts.
Personally, I like seeing patients improve as a result of my care, which happens slowly over the entire course of a hospitalization. I like encouraging my patients to get up and be active to get well enough to be discharged. I like teaching them about dietary changes to improve their health. I like forming bonds with them and their families. And I especially like the rewarding feeling when a patient hugs me before they get wheeled away to go home (and hopefully never to return).
To my fellow RNs and health care workers, have you ever floated to another unit? Did you like it?
Sounds like an interesting day! It seems like sometimes slow days are a blessing and other days they are just like torture! lol. I am just getting ready to start my final semester of nursing school on Monday. I really like surgery and my first two choices for my “transition” at the end of the semester are pre-op and PACU. I hope I get some great learning experience in during that time.
I was wondering…when did you first start applying for jobs? I know many of my classmates are starting to apply now. I have also heard that hospitals basically don’t care about you until you have your license though. Any advice?
Sounds like every day is interesting in your world!
And I admit that as a kid, I loved Corn Nuts. My mom never bought them either but small town, local Snyder drug (we didn’t even have Rite Aid!) bicycles, summer vacay…that meant lots of Corn Nuts and DQ Blizzards on junior high summer vacations!
I’m not an RN, but I can’t imagine being asked to go to an unfamiliar place and do your thing.
Also, never thought to put coconut creamer in my smoothies – I am so excited to try it!
hahaha i love that you put your gms in tupperware bowls. get a blender bottle bro! the wire ball and the cup is perfect for massive smoothies and you can freeze and shake it up to defrost with the metal bowl!
i feel your pain on the absence of candied ginger from grocery store shelves…. i feel like they are ALWAYS sold out when i want to buy them. i hate stockpiling but i might need to do that next time TJ’s has their candied ginger. my other go-to as a replacement is the ginger chews that The Ginger People make – the ginger peanut flavor is great!
Ugh boring days at work are always the worst for me! I have not being productive and not having things to do. Makes me feel worthless!
I don’t know how you make your salads look so good! My salads never look great and I hate making them for myself. It’s one of those things for me that always tastes better when someone else makes it 🙂
My background is mostly neuro/trauma (step-down) and the times I’ve floated I’ve been sent to medical telemetry. Cardiac alone makes me nervous (I’m quite happy with the TBIs and fractured folks) and floating makes me nervous too, but it’s exciting at the same time. It’s fun to focus my assessments on a different system and to see how other units operate. Once you get the layout of the unit, find where the code cart is, know where to get your meds and supplies, it’s just like any other day 🙂
I have a new found love for those Mary’s Gone Crackers crackers… they were one of the two gluten free options at the grocery store the other day so I tried them and have been sneaking a few, here and there ever since. Dangerous 😀
Good morning!
I’ve never done the floating thing but as part of my training we’ve had placement in 6 different areas in the hospital. It’s been really interesting and I’ve learnt that I’m more of a medical than a surgical nurse, and I prefer working more with chronic illnesses rather than acute.
Oh, and I hate it when the days just drag on. I feel more tired on those days than on the busy ones! xxx
Mixing up your work routine, whether “floating” or other changes, can help prevent stagnation. Yesterday, after being gone for a week, I learned that my partners had scheduled an unusual and risky case for me upon my return – preoperative embolization of a strange tumor in the neck (paraganglioma) to minimize blood loss during surgery. And not just one, but two consecutive cases of the same rare procedure! Rather nerve wracking but at the end of the day it was a bit of a rush. It’s good to change the routine once in a while.
Major props to you and all RNs. I could never do what you do!
Side Note on Candied Ginger – I was SHOCKED when I found your beloved snack in Madrid. You can find it in the ‘ultra cool and exclusive’ gourmet section of El Corte Ingles. And you only have to sell one kidney in order to afford a decent amount of it. I don’t know which is worse. Not finding it – or not being able to justify the deranged price!
oh geez. finding it ridiculously priced is way worse. bc id have to get it…
its so weird thinking that you have cases that are nerve wracking, even after so long in the field. i guess we really never stop learning. that and the field is constantly changing…
those days definitely drag on for-ev-er.
they grow on you!
those packages are so small though. for the $$ you dont get very many. id eat a few packages a day for sure. need to wean.
haha…oh the memories of being a kid…
but its fun eating it like an ice cream treat!
i didnt even try to apply anywhere until i had my license. i think most places dont care about anything until you have an RN after your name. its very competitive now, and (i hate to say this) hiring new grads is not very common. a coworker is moving to chicago and her old hospital wont even hire her back….and she has 7 years experience! [its bc she doesnt have a BSN though and most places are now making that a requirement]. start looking now, and start feeling out people you know who have pull anywhere. its ok to use your contacts, so start networking now. and as soon as you have a license, follow up follow up follow up.
This is so interesting to have a glimpse into the life of a nurse – floating or not 🙂 I really enjoy it, especially having been in hospital myself and realised first hand what a difference it makes to have an amazing nurse. So huge!
Mmm…I love nana’s cookies…my favourite is the peanut butter one and that totally rocks my world…especially after it’s been refridgerated so that it maintains its cookie shape and doesn’t crumble…soooo good! 😛 xyx
I work on a closed unit so no floating for me. Unfortunately that means when we’re short staffed we have to make due, not always the easiest thing!
SOU sounds interesting. I work in hematology so I know nothing about surgery but it definitely has interested me. I wish we could float from time to time.
That’s kind of what I figured. Since I live in the midwest I’m not sure if it is quite as competitive as being on the coast like you but I imagine my first job will probably not be in a place/area that I love. I am so glad that I am getting my BSN! Thanks so much for your tips! 🙂
I normally work NICU, but occasionally I have to float to transitional nursery. It’s pretty laid back and fun, since all I have to do is give baths and do vital signs. It’s still strange being out of my element though.
P.S. Your salad looks super yummy! Hummus + sweet potato are always a good combo 🙂
Haha I’m not a medical professional (yet! Future paediatric neurologist right here 🙂 ), but I spent a lot of time in the hospital, “floating” around wards. My favorite was paeds, but as soon as I turned 17 they yanked me out and I floated around different wards. I liked it better just staying in one place…it made the hospital much more bearable when I had a “home base.”
Hey! I am pretty sure I have never commented but I love reading your blog, the food is great and I love how you talk about the nursing field. I just started an ABSN program in Chicago yesterday, so all the day-to-day stories you share get me even more excited to enter nursing!! 🙂
awwww…hi ingrid!! thanks for commenting 🙂 im glad you like the nursing tid-bits – and congrats on the accelerated program.
i agree, having a home base is a nice comfort to fall back on.
i know. i had forgotten about sweet potatoes – that happens over the summer months some times – but this salad reminded me how great they are.
ps whats the transitional nursery? never heard of that. but i have zero peds experience.
thats too bad you have to make do even when you are short staffed! yikes. just out of curiosity, why no floating?
nanas are THE BESTTTTTTT. gah, so in love. the coconut ones is amazing. highly recommend. they are hard to find in stores though, so you may have to order online. and i completely agree with your fridge technique.
I work in a cancer-only hospital so my floor does Bone Marrow Transplant/Stem Cell Transplant exclusively. My manager believes that our patients are highly specialized and only wants her BMT-trained nurses working here. It has its ups and downs like tonight we’re short but that’s pretty normal here. I definitely would like to float from time to time, however.
Most hospitals now have the babies room-in with their mothers the entire time of their hospital stay. At the hospital where I work, though, we have a transitional nursery where the babies come to get their first baths and have their vitals done until 4 hours of age (or 6 hours if they need a little more time to work out small issues that don’t require NICU). They may also get their hep B before going back to mom. Plus, the babies can come back to the trans. nursery for labs, phototherapy or even feedings if the moms want to rest or shower.
got it. that seems like a fun place to work! although maybe they arent as cute when they are so brand new
got it. thats cool that youre trained in such a specialty role!
Haha. It depends, but it’s funny b/c now I am definitely accustomed to how premies look so full-term babies always look gigantic and a little funny to me (but I am glad they are healthy of course!).
Pingback: Meh | She Don't Eat No Meat