Welcome!!

Welcome to my little home on the web.

I'm using this blog to chronicle my adventures, musings, frustrations and joys of being "a dirty floor nurse" and a clinical instructor.

A few words on the title of this blog:

"Dirty": as in gross, soiled, infested, infected, not clean, not perfect, riddled with blood, sweat and tears. NOT dirty as in sexual, kinky, perverse, etc. We're talking about where I work, not me per se.


"Floor": as in, medical-surgical floor. The foundation for all things nursing. Bedside nursing for stable patients with predictable outcomes. Not a specialty area. The basics. The basest part of nursing. Not ICU. Not Critical Care. Not an Extended Care Facility/Nursing Home. Not Progressive/Step-Down. Just "the floor."

"Nurse": a Registered Nurse (RN), licensed by the state in which I live to care for patients, pass medications, perform assessments, communicate with physicians and families, listen to and meet needs, educate patients and families, dress and heal wounds, start IVs, insert catheters, precept newbies, answer phones, answer questions, run around looking for things, relieve pain, bring down fevers, trust my instincts, advocate for patients, problem-solve, delegate, troubleshoot, put out fires, smooth over ruffled feathers, do damage control, etc., etc., etc.

This is the title of which I am most proud. I am PROUD to work the floor. It takes a certain caliber of nurse to enjoy working med-surg and to do it well. Yes, I can handle 5-6 patients while precepting for 3-12 hour shifts in a row. Is it safe? Not always. Can I do it with strength, grace, and calm? You bet your ass.

And I have learned recently that I LOVE nursing students, and teaching them to do the same thing I do...so in addition to my full-time job I am now also clinical faculty at a local community college...

Enjoy the madness.