Adventures in Research Nursing

I never saw myself as a research nurse, but this current job is showing me a different side to my nursing skill. I've discovered that I get a mild high off getting a patient consented to the study. I enjoy making awkward visits to patients' homes and encountering their family members and pets. I have no problem calling people on the phone and asking them about their health that day. Yesterday, I worked eleven hours on the study and it did not feel like that much at all. It's not something I would want to do for the next thirty years, but I must say that is enjoyable right now. When I started working on the study, things were kind of stagnant, but right now, things are starting to move, and it is just so exciting.

Finding Myself on Tuesday

My day started at 6:30. I ate breakfast, showered, and then studied for my quiz today (which I didn't do the best on...not my worst, but sure not my best).

I walked to work this morning as I have been trying to get some more exercise in with a very busy lifestyle right now. Once I got to work, it appeared to be a slow day; however, my first hour there was quite deceptive. There were no new patients admitted overnight at the hospital, so I was planning on checking up on the two guys in the hospital that we were following and be on my way. Then, my co-worker reminded me of a lady we were watching as well. She was actually in good enough shape to participate. I got her consented and all her first data collection done (first one by myself). My co-worker and I went on a home visit to a patient in Fairmont, I finished doing everything with my new consentee, attended an online lecture, took an online quiz. After that I met up w/ a friend in the hospital cafeteria and talked to him for a while. I came home, reviewed some slides for my other class, read a chapter of a text book, checked my email, and now I'm ready to go to bed.

Today was packed with action. I am quickly discovering that I am the type who likes to stay until the job is done; however, at times, I have to call it a day. Organization is becoming increasingly important to me as well. Like, at work, I think the biggest thing I bring to our project at times is organization. I have become the person who keeps a calendar of what patients we need to collect data on when, the person who keeps the paperwork and charts, and the person who lets others know what needs done when. I am the list-maker. It's a new part of my life right now, and I am finding myself through this work. It's invigorating. I know I just wrote a big paragraph about my day (I hate the word "busy" btw). But this is a faction of my new life, and I'm loving it.