Talk amongst yourselves.
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The first time I tried to make a lather with a boar brush… Was an epic fail!!! I think I must have soaked it for too long or not gotten enough soap. It was also my first time trying the “scoop” method instead of loading directly from the puck - I think that is what really did me in. I tried a practice lather today loading from the puck and it turned out great.
Not sure about what went wrong with the scoop method, maybe I am vastly underestimating how much soap I pick up when I load from the puck, or maybe boar brushes are just like that on the first use?
DaveWave94@wetshav.ing 1 day ago
I’ve now worked 6 days at my new workplace, a hospital in the Thuringian forest. My station is for gastroenterology, rheumatology and unclear/psychosomatic diseases.
The onboarding process is at least happening, but it’s not as organized as I hoped it to be. The station is always very busy and so, there’s little time to show me things. For example, as someone with a background in geriatrics and nursing homes, I hadn’t dealt with infusions at all and my internship at a neurological rehabilitation centre during my retraining only had me disconnecting empty infusions and “flushing” the lines with NaCl = sterilised sodium chloride/salt water. I rarely helped with preparing them. Now that’ll be one of my primary duties. So my new colleagues have to teach me, which isn’t very easy for either of us during stressful times.
It also doesn’t help that nurses who worked in geriatrics or nursing homes are generally looked down upon by a few older colleagues in the hospital due to the less intense medical knowledge needed in that field. I kinda feel the need to prove myself, unfortunately. In Germany, nursing is no academic profession like in the US - it used to be 3 different apprenticeships: one for children, one for adults/hospital work and one for seniors/geriatric care. Since 2020, it’s a generalized apprenticeship with a new title. There’s also a B.Sc. course for it now for a bit of academic value. As I started my retraining in 2022, I received the new title but some of the old guard aren’t even that aware of all those changes. To them, those who worked in the geriatric field are the less qualified, less skilled nurses.
There’s also yet another winter storm over here and I still deal with some nuisances from a minor cold I got on the very first day of the new year. Today I had to fight to keep my car on the road due to all the fresh snow. It won’t be much better tomorrow, as it rained with warmer temperatures in the afternoon but now it’s freezing over with a cold blast of -11°C. So it’ll be slippery AF tomorrow. Yes, I actually already work 7 days in a row on my first week. As I said, trying to prove myself. Like my mom said, to describe what I am dealing with atm: “Hardcore is an understatement”.
Unfortunately the exhaustion and early shifts (have to get up at 4:00 AM) leaves barely any time for hobbies, nor even any shaves. I must admit that I ordered an electric head shaver for some morning touchups where every damn second counts… Not my proudest move, as these things are neither close nor comfortable. Yet I need to look presentable as I represent the nursing staff of the hospital. I hope things will change for the better soon, but don’t be worried if I’m posting less frequently and am barely active here. Chances are that I am just working, not dead!
TriplePlaid@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
I feel your pain with the winter driving, we have had a lot of rough days where I live. Do you have snow tires? I have found that they make an enormous difference (but sometimes it is sketchy driving no matter what).
Good luck with the new workplace! Sounds stressful, but maybe it could be very rewarding?
DaveWave94@wetshav.ing 12 hours ago
First off, welcome to our community!
Tbh, I don’t have snow tires. Last year I had to get a new car - not entirely new, but in great condition - and it has “all-year tires”. In Germany, those need to have “Alpine certification” (? or something along those lines) indicated by a snowflake symbol imprinted on the tires. They aren’t bad, but not as great as real new winter tires with a deep profile. My plan is to get some of these this year, when I can afford it thanks to the new job.
Thanks! “Stressful but possibly very rewarding” could be applied to nursing in general. It’s still the best job for me personally and the hospital setting feels more right for me. Now I only need to improve my skills and expand my knowledge, which is actually a fun challenge for me. I like learning new things.
walden@wetshav.ing 1 day ago
Was working 7 in a row optional? Sometimes a good way to prove yourself is to take regular days off. Your absence might make them realize you’re good to have around. Of course, if there are lots of people working there they may not notice you’re gone!
DaveWave94@wetshav.ing 12 hours ago
Unfortunately not entirely optional - there are quite a few sick colleagues on that station atm and I was available as the “young, fresh new guy”. My duties today were mostly providing basic care and measuring blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and body temperature as well as asking about pain levels on the numeric rating scale (NRS) and taking care of the 3 infectious patients (COVID, Flu and MRSA).
There are indeed lots of people working there, mostly RNs and only a few assistants or trainees. Today my team was entirely different from yesterday. It was me and two older female nurses and a young trainee in her first year. I get what you mean though, fortunately I have two days off immediately after my shift tomorrow and only work on 3 days the following week. 👍🏻