I was lucky enough to land a job before I graduated. I got a job in a level 3 NICU at a very busy hospital right in the heart of downtown. I was eager to start and make the big bucks or so I thought...nurses don't make crap for the work we do, but that's a whole other blog post! In school, I'd never thought about working with babies but in reality it's actually a great fit for me and my personality. I call it my "blessing in disguise." I love working with the sick and very critical preemies. It really makes me feel that I'm saving lives everyday I go to work. But let's get back to the good stuff. So, I started orienting on dayshift with a preceptor, let's just call her Diana. I've never been a dayshifter or an early riser. I hated waking up at 0500 and going to work. I was tired for the full 6 weeks of orientation. Dayshift tired is a different kind of tired. It makes me sick and I want to vomit sometimes. My position that I was hired for was nightshift so I just had to get through that 6 weeks and I'd be good, or so I thought.
My first day on orientation was extremely overwhelming. They don't have a NICU class in nursing school. I was trying to remember everything I could from my PEDS and OB class, but that was semesters behind me. In the NICU, you learn as you go and pray to God that you preceptor is great! Diana was upfront and honest with me. One of the first things she said to me was, "I'm not a morning person so if I don't say anything to you, don't take it personal." I said, "I'm the same way." It takes me a few hours to warm up to the day on dayshift, so I knew how she felt. From then on, we grew to an understanding of each other. She was a great preceptor and I've never seen such a neat and tidy incubator in my life! She was so meticulous. The cords have to be this way, the blanket needs to be straight, baby facing that way, no spots of blood, poop or pee anywhere. God forbid the lab person got a drop of blood on the blanket. This was something that I adopted after I was finished orienting. I love a neat and organized bed! The incubator is like your workplace in the office. It's your desk. I can work better when my area is neat and organized. It's also visually appealing for the parents when they look at their baby. They are already intimidated by how delicate and small their baby is, then you hook it up to wires and a ventilator...the least you can do is make your bed nice.
Dayshift is pretty different than nightshift. Most of the nurses were older and welcoming, others were standoffish. I expected that. There is this myth of "Nurses Eat Their Young." I didn't feel this way but being the youngest nurse on dayshift I felt so small and incapable. I dreaded the day when I would be on my own. It's amazing how little you know when you start, but how much you grow in one year. Not only as a nurse but as a person. I've always been the quiet, shy type. I never want to step on toes or cause conflict but nursing will make you grow a pair REAL QUICK, especially in the NICU.
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