My first week and a trip back in time

As many of you know, I started my new job this past Monday. I am very excited about making some money but I am equally if not more excited to grow in my nursing career.
I have worked as a nurse for about 4 years and in that time I have done a few different specialties. As a new graduate I started working on a very busy orthopedic/neurology floor in Austin, TX. I had six weeks of orientation and was thrown to the wolves. There were days that I came home and didn't want to go back..but I did. By the way, I was pregnant with Kambry at the time too. The other nurses didn't really help me out all that much, they were just as busy as me. I did meet a few other new nurses just like me and we stuck together like peanut butter and jelly (does that even make sense?) and tried our best to help each other out. After having Kambry I moved back to North Carolina and worked at a much smaller hospital on a surgical floor. The nurses I worked with were wonderful and even though I didn't LOVE the job, I never had a day when I just didn't want to go. I learned a lot and met some great people. When the hubby had to deploy I decided to move back home so I could work a little and have my mom help take care of the girls. That's when I moved to Mother/Baby nursing. It was great because I was so much closer to what I really wanted to do. The majority of my patients were spanish speaking so I had to learn what I could really quick. Once we got orders to Virginia I was very excited about my opportunites there. Again, I was able to work in a mid size hospital on a Mother/Baby unit. The girls I worked with were wonderful. I really miss them a lot. I felt like I was where I wanted to be but at the same time I was finding myself wanting to step over to the Labor and Delivery side of things. Now that I am in Florida the opportunity has presented itself and I am so excited to start.
This past week I sat through hours of classroom orientaion and learned how to chart on their computer charting system. I did so many online review courses that my eyes hurt. I did so many chest compressions on a pretend person that I think I got a workout in. I stuck a rubber vein with an IV needle so many times I could probably do it with my eyes closed. I froze my tushy off everyday because they kept the rooms so cold. But best of all, I met a couple of other nurses new to the hospital that I am going to be working with. I am ready for next week. I am ready to learn, I am ready to help a mom birth her baby. I will keep everyone updated on my new job and give you stories about my days. Of course for the privacy of my patients I may leave out certain details and will never use any names. I hope you will follow me in this journey. I am ready!