It’s Not Where You Work … Accelerated Learning Resources

It’s Not Where You Work …

I never thought there would be a day that I would be sleeping in for four hours by waking up at 9 a.m. As a teenager, sleeping in meant waking up at noon, maybe 1 if I was feel really unproductive that day; however, as a pretend-RN right now, sleeping in means waking up AFTER the sun rises and not having to drive to work in the dark. Waking up at 5 a.m. and leaving by 5:45 was an adjustment, but also good practice for the mornings when I have a real job, which still has yet to be found.

I am halfway through my practicum experience in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and I am loving every minute of it. So far I’ve gotten to care for several premature twins, admit new infants to the NICU, hold and care for a 1-pound baby, and teach new families about the NICU among other things. I’ve learned so much in so little time and I am truly understanding that most of what I’ll learn as a BSN graduate will come not just from what I’ve learned in college, but also from how I can apply classroom content to actual patient care situations. Even halfway through my time in the NICU, I feel like I’ve learned so much, and am thankful for the opportunity I have been given synthesize classroom ideas and patient care.

One thing I’ve noticed by working in the NICU for the past couple weeks is that the role of the NICU RN takes a lot of heart, a lot of understanding, and attention to detail. The hospitals where I am applying both have newborn nurseries, but only one has a Level III NICU just like the one at which I am completing my practicum hours. I have applied to the newborn nursery and other maternal/infant health jobs at one hospital, and the NICU at the other hospital. While I’ve learned that I love intensive care nursing through my practicum experience, I also know that I’ll be happy working at the larger hospital in the NICU or the other hospital in the newborn nursery or another maternal/infant health field.

Recently, a family friend was visiting and talking about his experiences as a patient in an oncology clinic, and something he said really resonated with me. He was receiving chemotherapy over a period of weeks and he said that while he could have found bigger facilities to be treated for his cancer, he could not have found bigger hearts from the nurses and staff that worked there. This really made me think that no matter where I work or where I live, it really just takes a big heart to make a difference in someone’s life. While I can’t pick the NICU hospital over the other hospital when it comes to jobs simply because they pick me in the interview process, I can make a commitment to be the best RN that I can be and bring as much heart into my job as possible.

I’ve realized that sometimes it’s not just where you work, but it’s also whom you work with, and I hope to be a coworker whom others wish to work with, bringing understanding, love and putting my “heart” into my job. Hopefully my patients, and their families, will notice it too.

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