I moved back to Michigan about a month ago and since then I’ve done a couple of things:
- I got a new job
- I bought my first home and I’m moved in last week
- I attended the AANA (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists) Annual Congress
A lot of big and exciting changes are happening in my life.
Probably one of the hardest things for me to acclimate to a new institution is getting used to new
- flow (from pre-op, intra-op, to post-op for all different surgeries and procedures),
- equipment and location of materials,
- staff (are they seasoned nurses and techs or are they unfamiliar with the preferences of the surgeon),
- physician anesthesiologists (do they communicate well with you, give pre-medication, follow protocols well, etc) and
- surgeons (knowing their preferences, speed of surgery, etc).
Sometimes when things don’t flow as well as I’d like, I have to think about the big picture: “did the patient safely go through surgery?” If yes, “what else could I do next time to improve? What did I do well?” I continuously reassess my day. Sometimes I’ll reach out to my colleagues to ask them of their opinion as well.
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For now, go blue!