PM Shift

Working the PM shift...wait, I can't call it "working" can I? I don't know what else to call what I'm doing (precepting the PM shift, doing the PM shift, riding the PM shift, studenting the PM shift?), so, let's just say "working" until someone comes up with a better word...

Working the PM shift is making me a somewhat lonely person. I can't call most of my friends when I get home (most are doing days, some are doing nights so one is reluctant to call those night-shifters at all because they're probably sleeping at noon in a room with tinfoil taped to the windows or something). The kids are asleep and Mr StudentNurse is grouchy waiting up for me. I drop the kids off at school in the morning and say, "See you tomorrow." Ouch. Have I mentioned that one of the reasons I went into nursing is that it's a good Mom Job? Have I mentioned that nusing student is not at all a good Mom Job? I do like working the weekends, though, I get to hang out with the kids in the morning (Well, I'm sleeping past 10 AM on the weekends. Can you blame me?) and afternoon and I get to kiss them goodnight at 2:30 (oops, sorry at 1430. That was a potential med error..) instead of at 0800. Sure, the hubby is grumpy when I get home, but it's a Saturday night, right? He can take it.

Did I already tell you how much I LOVE labor and delivery? I am going to cry and cry (and cry) when my preceptorship is over. My second patient tonight was in there with her family. She had on pajama bottoms and wanted "female providers only" (she's Muslim) and her mom was in there rolling on her back with a wooden rolling pin. She was a tiny little thing with an out-sized tummy and even at 8 cm and with no pain meds on board would politely say, "I'm having a contraction now," and breathe quietly. My preceptor let me take care of her with minimal help and, at first (with intermittent monitoring) it took me FOREVER to find that babe's heartrate, but by the end of the night I knew EXACTLY in what neighborhood I could pick up that hummingbird-fast heartbeat. I actually felt...competent.

Doesn't that picture look like it was taken with an electron microscrope? It's actually a close-up of that funky, swirly cauliflower that probably has a name but it's 0130 and I can't come up with anything anymore.