Wow...I have been away for a long time. I started to read my blog this past week and thought...I really did a great job and I miss this.
Needless to say, a lot has happened since I last wrote. In summary, my Dad past away December 16th 2014...He was everyone's rock and hero....I was with him when he passed. He was on hospice on the inpatient unit I had worked....It has been difficult with his passing.. Mostly, my Mom has had a lot of emotional ups and downs.. She also has had some minor physical ailments....We are all trying hard to help in what ways we know.
Work has changed significantly. I am still working at the same place and same unit; however, the patient mix is different. We are now a SNF instead of Short term medical unit. We had to downsize one provider and many nurses and bed count. It has been a challenge. I am still not sure administration knows what we are...I try my best to remember my priority is the patient....and stay out of the politics.
VA has finally passed ruling of Full Practice Authority for Advanced Practice Nurses. Our VA is slow on moving on this..but we will get there. I am sure there will be challenges on the way. Most immediate is educating others on what this means...
My Daughter relocated 4 years ago to Indianapolis from Maryland....she finally is back on the East coast living in Baltimore...It is a good feeling to know she is close by. Most importantly, she has achieved a goal she has set out for herself ....So very proud of her.
I am a great aunt x2...Nephew 3 years ago and niece this past January....We also had 2 weddings in our family ( my niece and a nephew 2 years ago). Another wedding for next year (another niece).
My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th Wedding anniversary in November...We have tentative plans to celebrate with a dinner with close friends and family.
I have been precepting a lot of Nurse Practitioner students. When I first started doing this, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. It has been a full filling experience....It is exciting to see how they grow throughout their time with me. The downsize on my unit gets stagnant with patient experience and it may not benefit in the NP students' learning experience in the long run. I have decided to take a break from this for a semester or two....then we will see where time takes me.
My career is slowly winding down... I do feel burnt out sometimes. I feel I have lost the effort to learn and be challenged. I am growing tired of fighting with those who don't understand what I and my fellow peers do on a day to day basis. I find myself constantly refocusing on what matters...my patients.
I am looking at retiring in the next few years, but I feel I still can share my thoughts and experiences until then. I really missed this and I hope I you will enjoy my thoughts and experiences through this blog.
