Loving this photo Chris got of me after a show the other night, in one of my natural habitats – over the people and into a book.
Today was my first day supporting my CNA students on the floor for their clinical rotation. It’s been a long time since I’ve been responsible for patients or residents at 0600. It’s been a long time since I’ve crept around my house in the dark, trying not to wake family or animals, stumbling into scrubs and spilling iced coffee on my way to the car. Oh, what a journey this has been. I love being a nurse.
Most certainly do not recommend food poisoning. I got my first taste (oops) last night and paid a dear price.
Most certainly do recommend, however, IV hydration therapy. I am privileged to both know a gal and have the funds to cover it. I bounced back enough for church, and even managed to teach a few new hospice volunteers in the afternoon.
I have since returned to the couch with a significant amount of fatigue and newfound appreciation for the Meyers Cocktail. This town is small but mighty. And that crab chowder was good.
We’ve been trying to sound the alarm for years. Violence against healthcare workers has increased at an alarming rate, and now it’s at an all-time high. Nearly half of all nurses in the United States have experienced physical assault on the job, and nearly three-fourths of us are regularly verbally assaulted. Healthcare workers are now diagnosed with clinical PTSD at a similar rate as active-duty military personnel. The pandemic simply exposed and exacerbated that which was slowly and steadily boiling beneath the surface.
And now two more of us are dead, and I’m not sure how else to feel except for scared and angry.
I truly, mostly like who I’m becoming here. Alaskan Rach is a gift and I am learning to treasure her.
Two nurses joined me at the community college today, to help me teach a skills lab. One of them has been a nurse for fifty years, most of them in our community. A bald eagle flew over me as I stopped for gasoline on my lunch break. A lady complimented my manners. A man complimented my husband’s photography. I love this town.
And on this, the first day of a new month, I had a hard time recovering from the last.
I cleaned my room and visited with my family but mostly, I lay in bed.
Eventually, Chris dragged me out and dressed me and took me on a date.
Not my best day, but not a bad one either.