A Birthday to Remember....

So I want to start off by just saying thank you to everyone who showed me love and support on my Birthday!! I am blessed to have the greatest support system, truly you beautiful humans humble me with how much you spoil me! I am beyond grateful for all the amazing friends and family that I have. If I have done one thing right, I have surrounded myself with some of the most amazing people on this planet.

Sorry I have been quiet for the past few days but there has been a lot going on behind the scenes. So to catch everyone up, I completed my hospital orientation and then Epic EMR charting orientation last Thursday and Friday. I was waiting to find out my schedule and figured that since it was the weekend that I would get it Monday. I received an e-mail on Sunday saying that I would get my schedule on Monday. Well Monday came and went and no schedule. I tried to remain patient and understand that they have a influx of travelers coming to my hospital and that they were doing the best that they could. I continued to remain in contact with my recruiter. Then Tuesday came around and still nothing, I continued to message my recruiter and he was escalating things on his end, I had found a number for a direct contact at my hospital that I had tried calling before and went to voicemail that was full previously. And for some reason I got the idea to try to act like I was going to text it, and low and behold it turned blue. Thank the lord baby Jesus that it was an i-phone and I knew that it was a mobile phone of some sort. So I sent this contact a text message just reaching out to try and figure out a plan through all of this chaotic mess. My recruiter and I had planned on finding out answers the next day since he had escalated it as high as he could and it was Tuesday night at this point, so I went to bed and had planned on getting up and going to get FITT tested (get tested for the right size N95 mask). So I woke up bright and early, made my bed, did the dishes, started some laundry, and gathered everything that I would need for my adventure.

While walking to the Hospital I was able to stop and capture a photo of some of my favorite flowers. I also received a text message from the Hospital contact that I had reached out to the night prior. She told me come in the next day for my orientation to the unit bright and early at 0700. So I was happy to have made progress. I continued to walk, I should say hike the 3.5 miles from my apartment to the hospital. I made it and got my FITT testing done and then made the 3.5 mile walk back to my apartment. Could I have taken the subway or taken a Taxi or a Uber? Yes, yes I could have but I guess staying in a apartment for most of the weekend had me craving for as much possible time outside. So after a while my legs started to feel it but I was happy for the exercise. Now that I knew I would be in the hospital the next day I had to shift around some plans that I had. I had found this amazing bakery with my room-mate that just so happened to make Tiramisu cakes, so of course I had to have one for my birthday. Since it is my favorite dessert of all time. I had originally planned to have my cake delivered on my Birthday, so I called the bakery and asked if I could just pick it up later on today (Tuesday) thankfully they were able to make it happen. And god bless my friend Sarah who is also a travel nurse who I met back in Wichita for being the true friend that she is and coming to celebrate my birthday with me and eat some cake. Even though it wasn't how I would ever think to celebrate my birthday, it was one to remember. It reminded me that there is ALWAYS something positive in any situation just depends on how you look at the situation. I know that my family and friends back home would have much preferred that I stay at home and celebrate with them, but I am off chasing my dreams and living true to who I am as a person. And if Ive learned anything from growing up as a military child is that you can celebrate birthdays and holidays in more than just the normal ways you think of. You just got to get creative and a adapt to the situation that you are in.

Of course Sarah and I talked about all that she has been seeing in the hospital and about what my upcoming day of orientation would look like. I am so thankful for your friendship and mentor-ship through this whole world of travel nursing Sarah. I'd be lost without you and so glad we are able to talk about anything and everything! After Sarah had left Paula my room-mate woke up (she works nights like me) her and I had a piece of cake. I began to get ready for the next day ahead of me and I went to check the mail and what did I find...

in true Megan Meier fashion a gift that only she would give. At first I was confused because I didn't remember buying a water bottle and until I found the message that stated, "Don't forget to drink your fucking water under all that PPE!" It made me laugh and smile so hard and made me feel so loved and thought of, I had forgot that I had given people my address to send things to let alone my Forensic girls. See they had teased me that they would send me all sort of funny adult toys that would make me blush for others amusement, which I'm sure they will still do.

Now for the part that you have all been waiting for, my first day in the hospital. I arrived early and tried to find my way to where I was suppose to be and as I mentioned the name of the lady that I had been talking to no one there knew her name. My heart was pounding and I was beyond nervous, my anxiety was kicking in at this time. But I kept making my way back and a kind male nurse took me to the managers office and I managed to meet with the manager of the ER and she didn't have me on her list but she did know the name of the person that I had been talking to but that lady was the manager for another ER that was in the group of hospitals that this hospital was apart of. Come to find out I was not on either of their lists. But thankfully they let me continue my orientation on the unit that day as they figured out was was going on with my travel company. So I continued to do and learn as much as I can while I was here and just help all my other nurses and co-workers out as much as I could. It was crazy to see how some things in an ER never change no matter the location of the size. The hospital that I am at is huge. It is over a 100 bed ER. talking to the manager she said that they typically would hold over 120 patients a night and for them to have 30 patients was unheard of. But she said that she was so happy that we are here and that they were giving their employees time off to take a mental health day or days, whatever they needed. Just a few weeks ago this ER and hospital was busting at the seams. During the day we got up to over 80 patients. We were well staffed to where we had a normal ER load of 2-3 patients sometimes we had 4 but not for long. It was amazing to see how happy and appreciative the staff were to have us there. The teamwork was on point and it was all about the patients. It was from a ER nurse mentality cool to see that they had converted a once regular section of the ER to their own ICU where intensivist's came down and ran this section of the ER while patients were on drips, intubated and waiting for their ICU room upstairs. This is what ER nursing is, we take care of anyone and everyone and that means sometimes the sickest patients and we stabalize them. Even before all of this, we were holding ICU patients and med-surg patients down in the ER. Now this is not ideal but we put patients first and we do the best that we can. This is why I love being an ER nurse, we don't just throw in the towel we see a problem. We come together and we get down right funky. We adapt and overcome issues that we otherwise didn't know or even think about overcoming. The workload on my first day was just a different kind of busy getting use to finding the things that I needed to find, but it was still just the same nursing that I love. It also took a little bit to get use to earing all my PPE, at times it felt suffocating but I know it was worth it. There were times I had to step away and just let my face breath and not feel the pressure on my poor nose and cheeks from my N95 mask.

The amount of food donations that we got was amazing and not just that the food was amazing. I had a mushroom burger and it was just AMAZING, made me vegetarian/vegan self so happy. And not to mention my lunch break was more than 30 mins, it was a real break. I even got a second break where I got to have even more food being this delightful salad and quiche that consisted of goat cheese and herbs. I even got to take home a beet juice smoothie. This all made me stomach and heart happy.

Leaving that night I still did not have my schedule but one of the night shift nurse managers ensured that I would be able to contact the manager this morning and follow up on getting my schedule. So I did that this morning and finally I have my schedule, and go back to work tonight. I just wanted to update you all on the past few days here. I had been refraining from posting anything too soon because I was still very nervous with everything since there are travel nurses that are having their contracts cancelled. I am thankful to be healthy and able to work and do my part to help the nurses and medical community of NYC. I know that some of the days ahead of me will be challenging but I know they will change me for the better!

And thank you again to everyone that wished me a happy birthday, it meant the world to me! This Birthday was one to remember for sure!!!

Love,

Destinee