A REFLECTION OF 41 YEARS AS A NURSE...

41 years of impact....

Recieving my diploma in December of 1981

As of June 1st 2023, I have 41 1/2 years of service as an RN at Mayo Clinic.

Through the years I have been impacted by many things...

Patients, Doctors, Co-workers, & Technology to name a few...

In the course of those 41 years, I have changed jobs at Mayo 6 times

Most of my career at St. Mary's hospital, 4 years at Methodist Hospital and then

finally at Mayo herself where I ended my career as a nurse.

Where Mayo meets Gonda

The IMPACT is not on what I may have done in my 41 years of nursing, 

but the IMPACT nursing has had on me.

I thought about breaking this up into 2 different posts, but it needed to flow, so here it is.

 I hope you enjoy reading a little bit about my career as a nurse.

As I ponder over my career I find it interesting and want to reflect on the 

IMPACT the various jobs have had on me as a person, and on my profession. 

My first Love was Cardiac!

 I found myself right out of nursing school in the Cardiac Surgical ICU. 

This was back in the early 80's when heart transplants at MAYO were a new thing.

This was also the beginning of computer charting, and pumps that ran by computer, talk about a learning curve. Looking back I'm glad I knew both ways. I actually had to figure things out in my head, like calculating a drip rate by watching each drip as it came out of the IV bag and then figuring out how many drips equalled how much drug was being given, therefore giving the correct dosage....   I also had to chart pressures & vitals every 15 minutes on a fresh cardiac post op, including,  RA, LA, CVP, blood gas analysis and so forth. Not to mention blood loss and replacement, all the while watching the Monitor for arrythmia's, adjusting drug drips to stabilize heart rates and blood pressures AND keeping the patient from pulling out their 'breathing tube"....I hated when that happened. Today everything is run by computer, that can be good (mostly good), but sometimes bad, like when "the system" is down....UGH

IMPACT... I had to learn fast, and think big.

 My 2nd job was in the Neurosurgical ICU

I was there for 2 1/2 years.  I only left Cardiac because I had my first baby, and took 5 month off to be home with her. That was too long for them to hold my job, so I had to find another one when I came back from maternity leave.  All I can say is it was a totally differen't ICU experience. Less intense, less monitoring, essentially no codes, less stressful, opposite of what I had just experienced in the 

Cardiac ICU. It was just ok, I stayed there until my 2nd baby came along.

IMPACT... A new thing to learn about... the world of Neurology.

My 3rd job was my most favorite of all, once an ER nurse, always an ER nurse.

16 years of Emergency room nursing. 

 For most of my nursing career I was an ER nurse.

 I was saving lives,  reacting to screeching alarms, juggling drug drips and blood transfusions. 

I've even reached into a patients chest after it's been cracked-open by the trauma surgeon,

 to plug a gushing hole in the heart, from a stab wound.

We didn't think twice about what to do for a Trauma Code or Code 45, we have to be fluent when it came to knowing what drug to give, how much, and in what order to give it 

during an emergency situation.

Thats the STRONG and BRAVE and CONFIDENT of a nurse, but we must not forget the...

COMPASSION, KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING!

Through multiple trauma's, death and cardiac arrests, I felt heartache and grief right along side families, even though it might sometimes appears to be a stoic calm. 

You see nurses work with an air of competence, and readiness to adapt to ever-changing situations. Most patients and their families won't see the emotional loss that we are experiencing right along side of them, it's usually on the way home in the car that we lose it. It's after the fact when we can let it all out, after we no longer having to worry that our skills would be affected from an emotional lapse, 

so we wait and grieve later....when we have time.

IMPACT... It's here where I learned confidence, and leadership.

My 4th job,  The Recovery room.

PACU (post anesthesia care unit)

It was at this time when I broke away from my 21 years at St. Mary's hospital and moved 

downtown to the Methodist campus.

Here's where we prepped patients for surgery and then took care of them after.

I found this to be a frustrating job for the most part.  

 Most of our time involved  management of pain and nausea, it seemed to be an endless battle! 

I admire the nurses that work with patient immediately after surgery, there's never a dull moment, patients never stop coming from the OR's, it's a whirlwind...

 In my opinion it is one of the most physically and mentally places to serve as a nurse.

IMPACT... I learned what "Busy" really was! Time management was my friend.

My 5th job, Interventional Radiology- Sedation nurse

Worst job in my career for many reasons, but I stuck it out for 7 year!

I will not go into detail, as it could go long, and stirs up bad memories! 

Lets just say I loved taking care of the patients, it was just the disrespect recieved from the physician group....I'd never seen anything like that.

IMPACT... It's hard for me to find any good that came from this long 7 years in my nursing career!  Lets just leave it with this,  I loved those patients, 

 a deeper sense of empathy started to develop within my soul.

We had to wear heavy lead aprons during the procedures, because of all the radiation.

A few of my old friends in Interventioal Radiology, 

we also had worked together in the Emergancy room, and a  few of them worked in other areas with me as well throughout my career

My 6th and final final job as a nurse

Lumbar puncture Nurse

Some may relate more to the term, Spinal Tap. 

Yes, we the nurses perform this highly technical procedure on all outpatients at Mayo. The Minnesota Board of Nursing has given it's blessing as we are the only RN's in the U.S. to perform this task. (so my supervisor has told us) I feel privileged and humbled everyday. The folks we do this procedure on are usually not hearing good results, as most of our testing confirms those dreadful neurological diseases such as ALS, MS,  Encephalitis, & CIDP, cancer, auto immune diseases, etc. The procedure is not as painful as most anticipate! A frequent comment by the patient following the tap is usually this... 

"Oh, wow you are really done, I didn't even feel that, it's not as bad as I had expected", 

those were beautiful words to my ears.

Sadly a few patients had experienced... "the inexperienced", that can make for a rough experiance.

I would always reassure them and remind them, this is our job...this is all we do.

I recently read an article from Heathline.com that says this about Lumbar punctures...

"Entering the spinal canal with a needle requires expert knowledge of the spine's anatomy and a clear understanding of any underlying brain or spinal conditions that might increase your risk of complications from the procedure" I humbly agree!

There are exceptions, when a patient has a "difficult back", we struggle, but we usually get the job done and the patients are thankful.

In addition to the outpatients diagnostic LP's, we also help with research, accessing that space where the spinal fluid is and then the doctors takes over to inject stem cells, or study medications. We occasionally have to travel a floor below to perform a LP on a sedated patient.

I Loved this job, there are only 7 of us. Despite our unique personalities, 

we strive all get along, and work pretty well together,

MY People.... I miss them

IMPACT... This job has made me a more compassionate nurse! 
 It has built humility and strengthened my confidence in knowing that 
I am trusted to perform this highly technical procedure. 

Throughout the 41 years of nursing,

I have cried with my patients, wiped their tears, laughed with them, held their hands and prayed with them. 

I have received hugs that don't wanna let go, firm grip handshakes, kisses on the cheek and pats on the back.

...but there is another side to my career, and I can speak for many. 

This profession is not for the weak of heart!  

We have been up to our elbows in every body fluid possible, 
we've been spit-at, swung-at, swore-at and threatened. 
 We've desperately worked to save lives, to make split-second decision, 
we have those "gut feelings".... we all know "that feeling", and we act on it! 
We are sometimes the last voice or last touch a person experiences before they die...
these are the hard things.

We are nurses, the backbone of the hospital, the patients advocate and friend. 
We encourage, reassure, and 
sometimes have to use a bit of tough love. 

Here's what I did on my way to work each morning I prayed for my patients! I prayed that my smile and reassuring voice give them a glimmer of hope. I prayed that I could be a light, a presence of peace in their hectic day. I hoped to reassure them, listen to their stories and care for them during a time of uncertainty and fear.

Once a Nurse....always a nurse

Now on to retirement

Retirement post coming soon

40 years...

40 years....

40 years ago today I started full-time employement as an RN in the Cardiac surgical ICU

  I was thrown into the fire of a very busy critical care unit fresh out of nursing school. 

I always knew I wanted to be where the action was and this ICU proved to be just that.

 It prepared me for the job I loved the most and stuck with for 16 year...

The Emergency room!

I had a very brief orientation and was told I just needed to dive-in.

I remember my first trauma code, medical code and pediatric code like it was yesterday

You never forget those thing.... and believe me there were many "things" I wish I could erase from my memory, but the good far out weighed that bad, there was a lot of that too.

Once an ER nurse...always an ER nurse, it kind of gets in your blood.

My 40 year pin I received in the mail this week

It's been 18 years since I left the Emergency Room, since them I have recovered patients from surgery, sedated patients for proceedures, then finally to my current job... I do lumbar punctures, 

something typically performed by MD's but we nurses are an elite group of 7 who have mastered-the-art, and we do it well 

I love it and  this is where I'll retire in a year or so.

Photo from my days in Interventional radiology, where I sedated patients

Throughout the 40 years of nursing,

I have cried with my patients, wiped their tears, laughed with them, held their hands and prayed with them. 

I have received hugs that don't wanna let go, firm grip handshakes, kisses on the cheek and pats on the back.

...but there is another side to my career, and I can speak for many. 

This profession is not for the weak of heart!  

We have been up to our elbows in every body fluid possible, 
we've been spit-at, swung-at, swore-at and threatened. 
 We've desperately worked to save lives, to make split-second decision, 
we have those "gut feelings".... we all know "that feeling", and we act on it! 
We are sometimes the last voice or last touch a person experiences before they die...
these are the hard things.

We are nurses, the backbone of the hospital, the patients advocate and friend. 
We encourage, reassure, and 
sometimes have to use a bit of tough love. 

We are Nurses.

Prayer has always been vital in my job as a nurse...

My hands are very important in my work as I need to guide a 3.5 - 5 inch needle into my patients backs

 until I reach the spinal fluid, so yes I pray before each patient quietly at the bedside, 

"Lord please take my hands and guide them right where they need to go"!

When I get that needle to where I need to be, it's always a quiet, "thank you Lord"  :)

I recieved this certificate in the mail this week, along with a gift certificate for dining-out

 and a code to pick out a "Service Anniversary gift"

Here's what I picked (with Rick's help) a pressure washer to have at the cabin.

Retirement is right around the corner, I have mixed feeling but look forward to this final year of my nursing career.  Meeting new people, caring for those who scared and awaiting a diagnosis, hanging out with my co-workers, lots of laughs, hugs and a sense of knowing that this is who I was created to be.

We are Nurses... HAPPY NURSES WEEK

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a nurse!

Growing up that's what I said I wanted to be, I never wavered.... I just knew.

This is NATIONAL NURSES WEEK 

A week to celebrate a profession that I think is sometimes taken for granted. 

We are the backbone of healthcare, we don't always get the credit for the near misses that we catch, or for saving a life because we were the first one that notices that somethings not right, or bringing something significant to the doctors attention before they even had a clue.

We don't need confirmation or pats on the back...it's what we do, it's 2nd nature,

We are Nurses

We have to be on our toes, we have to use critical thinking and act fast even before a doctor steps in the room....we have to just know!

In the back of our heads is tucked away many important numbers and values.

ECG intervals, Lung Sounds, Patient Anatomy, Lab values, ABG analysis, and

 Emergency drugs, just to name a few. So much to know, but somehow our brains retain it all

 For most of my nursing career I was an ER nurse.

 I was saving lives,  reacting to screeching alarms, juggling drug drips and blood transfusions. 

I've even reached into a patients chest after it's been cracked-open by the trauma surgeon,

 to plug a gushing hole in the heart, from a stab wound.

We didn't think twice about what to do for a Trauma Code or Code 45, we have to be fluent when it came to knowing what drug to give, how much, and in what order to give it 

during an emergency situation.

Thats the STRONG and BRAVE and CONFIDENT of a nurse, but we must not forget the...

COMPASSION, KINDNESS and UNDERSTANDING!

Through multiple trauma's, death and cardiac arrests, I felt heartache and grief right along side families, even though it might sometimes appears to be a stoic calm. 

You see nurses work with an air of competence, and readiness to adapt to ever-changing situations. Most patients and their families won't see the emotional loss that we are experiencing right along side of them, it's usually on the way home in the car that we lose it. It's after the fact when we can let it all out, after we no longer having to worry that our skills would be affected from an emotional lapse, 

so we wait and grieve later....when we have time.

Now take it forward to many year later...

I'm a Lumbar Puncture Nurse, that's right,

 I'm the person that skillfully places a 3.5 - 5.0 inch needle in the lower back of a patient, 

to collect spinal fluid for testing. 

These patients come because they are pretty ill with some sort of neurological affliction.

I get to sit, and talk to each patient and their family before the procedure.

I have plenty of time for them, time to talk away their fears, to give them some hope 

and reassure them that they are in a good place that cares about them.

The compassion is real, I've prayed with my patients, and they have prayed for me.

This is a good gig, this thing called NURSING!

I love this little snippet on found about nurses....

Happy Nurses week to all my friends and family members who are nurses.

We make a difference in the lives of many.

Anatomy of a Nurse....

Happy National Nurses Week May 6th - 12th

As a seasoned nurse of 36 years, I get this photo and oh I could add so much more. 

Our profession is a selfless and giving profession, we do it because we love what we do. 

 Our feeling of worth and job satisfaction comes not from upper management or co-workers 

but from the patients themselves. 

I have cried with my patients, laughed with them, held their hands and sometimes prayed with them. I have received hugs that don't wanna let go, 
handshakes, kisses on the cheek and pats on the back.

...but there is another side, and I can speak for many. This profession is not for the weak of heart!  We have been up to our elbows in every body fluid possible, 
we've been spit-at, swung-at, swore-at and threatened. 
 We've desperately worked to safe lives, to make split-second decision, 
we have those "gut feelings".... we all know "that feeling", and we act on it! 
We are sometimes the last voice or last touch a person experiences before they die...
these are the hard things.

We are nurses, the backbone of the hospital, the patients advocate and friend. 
We encourage, reassure, and 
sometimes use a bit of tough love. 

We are Nurses.

This is basically my prayer (in a nut-shell) everymoring as I drive to work!

Prayer has always been vital in my job as a nurse...

My hands are very important in my work as I need to guide a 3.5 inch needle into my patients backs until I reach the spinal fluid, so yes I pray before each patient quietly at the bedside, Lord please take my hands and guide them right where they need to go!

When I get to where I need to be, it's always a quiet, "thank you Lord"  :)

An old photo of me in my last job as a sedation nurse, my prayer here was always "Lord,  please help me to keep my patient safe throughout the procedure.

This week Is National Nurses Week
I want to give a shout-out to all my nursing friends, co-workers, and my daughter, 
As nurses you know that everyday we come to work we will touch a life, 
or...
 a life will touch us....truth!

The impact it had on me....

I thought about breaking this up into 2 different posts, but it needed to flow, so here it is.

 I hope you enjoy reading a little bit about my career as a nurse.

The IMPACT, not on what I may have done in my 35 years of nursing, 

but the IMPACT nursing has had on me.

Today marks 35 years of service as an RN at Mayo Clinic.

Through the years I have been impacted by many things...

Patients, Doctors, Co-workers, & Technology to name a few...

In the course of those 35 years, I have changed jobs at Mayo 6 times

Most of my career at St. Mary's hospital, 4 years at Methodist Hospital and now 

finally at Mayo herself where I hope to work a few more year until retirement.

Where Mayo meets Gonda.

As I ponder over my career I find it interesting and want to reflect on the 

IMPACT the various jobs have had on me as a person, and on my profession. 

My first Love was Cardiac!

 I found myself right out of nursing school in the Cardiac Surgical ICU. 

This was back in the early 80's when heart transplants at MAYO were a new thing.

This was also the beginning of computer charting, and pumps that ran by computer, talk about a learning curve. Looking back I'm glad I knew both ways. I actually had to figure things out in my head, like calculating a drip rate by watching each drip as it came out of the IV bag and then figuring out how many drips equalled how much drug was being given, therefore giving the correct dosage....   I also had to chart pressures & vitals every 15 minutes on a fresh cardiac post op, including,  RA, LA, CVP, blood gas analysis and so forth. Not to mention blood loss and replacement. All the while watching the Monitor for arrythmia's and keeping the patient from pulling out their 'breathing tube"....I hated when that happened. Today everything is run by computer, 
that can be good (mostly good), but sometimes bad, like when "the system" is down....UGH

IMPACT... I had to learn fast, and think big.

 My 2nd job was in the Neurosurgical ICU

I was there for 2 1/2 years.  I only left Cardiac because I had my first baby, and took 5 month off to be home with her. That was too long for them to hold my job, so I had to find another one when I came back from maternity leave.  All I can say is it was a totally differen't ICU experience. Less intense, les monitoring, essentially no codes, less stressful, opposite of what I had just experienced in the Cardiac ICU. It was just ok, I stayed there until my 2nd baby came along.

IMPACT... A new thing to learn about... the world of Neurology.

My third job was my most favorite of all, once an ER nurse, always an ER nurse.

16 years of Emergency room nursing. 

Oh the stories I could tell, but I won't, I'll spare you the gore, the heartbreak & trauma, but also the joys and the celebrations. I will tell you that being an ER nurse can make you hard, we really do have to put up with a lot (I won't go into detail ) but somedays you had to put on your game face and just get through it. It was a great place to be in my 30's, still young and able to run to Code 45's with my little black bag ( we were the only CODE team in those days), and jump up on a cart as we continued chest compressions all the way to the OR.

The adrenaline rush when we knew a big trauma was coming in, or a CODE 45 in progress, it was the team I worked with that made that job a great one. Respect and admiration for our efforts was mutual among physicians and nurses. Nobody was above nobody, we worked as a team.

IMPACT... It's here where I learned confidence, and leadership.

My 4th job,  The Recovery room.

PACU (post anesthesia care unit)

It was at this time when I broke away from my 21 years at St. Mary's hospital and moved 

downtown to the Methodist campus.

Here's where we prepped patients for surgery and then took care of them after.

I found this to be a frustrating job for the most part.  

 Most of our time involved  management of pain and nausea, it seemed to be an endless battle! 

I admire the nurses that work with patient immediately after surgery, there's never a dull moment, patients never stop coming, it's a whirlwind...

 In my opinion it is one of the most physically and mentally places to serve as a nurse.

IMPACT... I learned what "Busy" really was! Time management was my friend.

My 4th job, Interventional Radiology- Sedation nurse

Worst job in my career for many reasons, but I stuck it out for 7 year!

I will not go into detail, as it could go long, and stirs up bad memories! 

 I'm really done with it....DONE!

IMPACT... It's hard for me to find any good that came from this long 7 years in my nursing career!  Lets just leave it with this,  I loved those patients, 

 a deeper sense of empathy started to develop within my soul.

My 5th and hopefully final job as a nurse

Lumbar puncture Nurse

Some may relate more to the term, Spinal Tap. 

Yes, we the nurses perform this highly technical procedure on all outpatients at Mayo. The Minnesota Board of Nursing has given it's blessing as we are the only RN's in the U.S. to perform this task. (so my supervisor has told us) I feel privileged and humbled everyday. The folks we do this procedure on are usually not hearing good results, as most of our testing confirms those dreadful neurological diseases such as ALS, MS,  Encephalitis, & CIDP. The procedure is not as painful as most anticipate! A frequent comment by the patient following the tap is usually this... 

"Oh, wow you are really done, I didn't even feel that, it's not as bad as I had expected", 

those are beautiful words to my ears.

Sadly a few people have experienced the inexperienced....remember this is our job...this is all we do.

I recently read an article from Heathline.com that says this about Lumbar punctures...

"Entering the spinal canal with a needle requires expert knowledge of the spine's anatomy and a clear understanding of any underlying brain or spinal conditions that might increase your risk of complications from the procedure" I humbly agree!

There are exceptions, when a patient has a "difficult back", we struggle, but we usually get the job done and the patients are thankful.

In addition to the outpatients, we also trek over to St Mary's hospital in the OR, to do 

babies/children, thankfully they are sedated, it would be way too scary for them.

We also help with research, accessing that space where the spinal fluid is and then the doctors takes over to inject stem cells....crazy stuff. 

I Love this job, I only work two 10 hour days a week, there are only 7 of us, we all get along, and work well together, despite our unique personalities. Like I said earlier, I hope to finish my nursing career here, It really is a good gig.

IMPACT... This job has made me a more compassionate nurse! 
 It has built humility and strengthened my confidence in knowing that 
I am trusted to perform this highly technical procedure. 

On my way to work each morning I pray for my patients! I pray that I can give them a glimmer of hope, if even for just that short hour that they are with me. I pray that I can be a light, a reflection of Jesus face, a presence of peace in their hectic day. I hope to reassure them, listen to their stories and care for them during a time of uncertainty and fear.

SaveSave

LP = Lumbar Puncture / Spinal Tap

Finally... the moment you've all been waiting for...

or not!

I thought it would be fun to explain a little bit about

 my new job as a 

Lumbar Puncture (or as some say) "spinal tap" nurse.

Recently I posted a little synopsis about my career as a nurse 

before I started this new position in November. 

 I said I would be back for more on what I do now.

It may not be for the faint of heart so proceed with caution...

When I went to interview for this job, I totally thought it was a job in which the nurse assisted the doctor by setting up the Lumbar tray, handing him test tubes to collect the fluid and sending the fluid to the appropriate lab for testing. I wrong, within a few minutes of the interview I found out 

WE... THE NURSES actually DO the procedure! 

I immediately wanted this job.

Not only do the nurses preform the spinal tap but we (the nurses) teach and train the residents and Medical student how to do it. How cool is that. It'll be awhile before I do any teaching, since I'm still learning the skill myself. I have done 57 successful "Spinal taps" and have to do 100 before they let me fly totally on my own. Right now I do it all on my own, but one of my co-workers comes in the room and watches to make sure I'm doing everything right, she's also there for moral support  in case I cant get into the tiny space between the vertebrates (and that happens even to the seasoned LP nurse)

* all photos are from Google images, but this first on looks exactly like it could be my hands and my patient.... I love this job!

 The 3.5 inch needle is inserted into the L 3-4 lumbar space in the lower back, this person is collecting the spinal fluid in the clear test tubes

 We go about this blindly only guided by anatomical landmarks  experience and a lot of skill.

I'm getting pretty good at getting the patient scrunched up in the fetal position (like the photo below). 

Positioning is really the key to getting in between those vertebrate.
I sit behind the patient first feeling for the hipbone, then drawing an imaginary line down to the spine, there is a lot of pushing and prodding before I made my mark... 

I want to make sure the needle goes in the "sweet spot" for collecting the spinal fluid.

 My new job is humbling, each day brings challenges, we call these challenges "bad backs" meaning arthritis, narrowing vertebrate, curvature of the spine etc.

All these things make it more difficult to get into the space to collect the fluid. 

In addition to the physical challenges we have the normal fears, apprehension and tears

 that come along with a procedure like this one.  I love meeting with my patients before the procedure to explain the procedure, to get to know them a little , and to reassure them that everything will be ok! After the procedure they are usually surprised at how easy it was and 

 how all horrible things they imagined just didnt happen. 

 I love that.

Just in case you're curious why we even do Spinal taps,
here's a little LINK for you to check out.

I wore white dresses...

January 11, 1982....

The day I started my nursing career at Mayo Clinic

Just a young thing, 21 years old.

 It was back when nurses wore WHITE, and dresses above the knee,  

but not the white hat's

 (I'm not THAT old)

So this week marks my 33rd year a Registered Nurse, 

I've seen a lot of changes over those 33 years.

Computer charting was in the infant stages. 

As a new grad I started right out in the Cardiac Surgical ICU, my first choice. 

The 3D South unit had just been remodeled for computer charting, the North unit still paper charting.

Bear with me for just a moment non-medical friends,

For the nurses out there you might appreciate this jargon...

every 15 minutes for the 1st four hours after surgery we had to record, wedge pressures, RA, LA, CVP, (all heart pressures) on paper, it did not go into a computer automatically like now days. We also had to replaced blood outputs every hour, on kids we replaced 2/3 of what they put out. 

Another fun fact, Mayo Clinic's first heart transplants were being done

 but I was too new to get in on that. 

... a very stressful, touch & go, life or death kind of unit to work in, but being new, this is all I knew. 

The day and night shift were not much different, seemed like patients were always going back to the O.R. for bleeding in the middle of the night, and it was nothing to have to "crack open" a patient's chest right in the room to apply the internal defibrillators right to that quivering heart (all the while trying to keep the blood from spraying out WHITE uniforms)

 Oh those were the days!

Just a little synopsis of my career so far...

2 1/2 years in the Cardiac surgical ICU 

2 1/2 years in the Neuro surgical ICU 

16 years in the Emergency room....oh the stories I could tell  :) 

4 years in the Recovery room  

7 years, in Vascular radiology pushing drugs (sedation nurse) 

and currently.... 

Neurology department, doing Spinal Taps or as they say now, Lumbar Punctures.

I hope to finish out my career here in Neurology, not sure how many years I have left in me, 

I guess time will tell.

Come back in a few days to hear more about my current job... it's quite interesting  :)

New beginnings...

Today was the end of an era for me... 

32.5 years ago I started my career off as an RN in the Cardiac Surgical ICU.

Fresh out of college with my whole career ahead of me.

 All but 4 or those 32 years were spent at St. Marys, 

(I had a brief stent in the recovery room at Methodist hospital in the late 90's). 

Other jobs included the Neuro Surgical ICU,  Emergency room (16 years)

 and my job up until today in  Intervention Radiology as a sedation nurse for the last 7 years.

Yep that's me in my "get-up".  

My job.... 

to administer moderate sedation....to make people sleepy and comfy for 

procedures that are sometimes not too fun. I will add that there is way more to this job than the drugs...

I'd say 99% of my patients are afraid, vulnerable and feeling helpless. 

I have learned that a "good morning" and a smile can make a big difference 

when I greet them pre-procedure. 

Probably the most common thing I hear from these folks is... "I'm scared", my response is always a confident, "no need to be scared, I'm gonna will take good care of you, it's gonna be alright".

I'd have to say the last 7 years has instilled in me another level of compassion!

By far this job has made me realize every single day that life is fragile, 

people all around me are suffering and they are getting younger....or am I just getting older?

Many of my co-workers go wayyyyy back with me. Eight of us worked in the ER together. In the picture above I was able to round up five of us. Susie (2nd from the right) trained me in my very first job in the Cardiac ICU, so yes we really go wayyyyyyyyy back. I will miss these girls but something tells me it wont be the last time some of us work together again.

I will not miss my very heavy lead apron that we wear all day in the procedure rooms.

 Today was a good last day, it was busy so I felt like I went out with a bang!

Tomorrow I will start the next chapter in my nursing career.

I will be at the Mayo Clinic downtown in Neurology, my role will be to preform 

Lumbar punctures (spinal taps) and all that goes with that. I'm very excited to learn a new skill, to meet my new co-workers and to be at "Mother Mayo" This has always been my long term plan,

 to finish my career with an 8 to 5 job, no weekend, no holidays, no Call shifts!

So tomorrow it begins... a new beginning to the end.

...and sometimes you just know it's time to start 

something NEW and trust the magic of beginnings!