ordinary day in the life of nat

wake up at 5 am
get to work 6:40ish, sun is just rising over the east river
start at 7 am
get reports from night shift, check to make sure everyone is breathing
assess new patients, check up on the ones i know from before, look over charting, give nurse manager updates
meds, send patients to tests, draw bloods, suction trachs, clear out PEGs, hang IVs, answer a million phone calls about all sorts of issues regarding patients, meds, meds, meds, get reports from nurse manager about updates, talk to PT, nutrition, social worker, IVs, more blood, more tests, more phone calls, worried family members, BREAK
go outside on 1st avenue to breath and see civilization
get report from a nurse to cover both her 6-7 patients and mine. meds, IVs, tests, phone calls, issues, problems, solutions, send some patients home, prepare for new admissions from ER or MICU
meds, meds, meds, finding out tests results, figure out who'se going for surgery, closely track the psych patients from the 11th floor who are on the floor for monitoring.
5 pmish do my 12 hour checks and start finishing up stuff to report off for nights
meds, especially coumadin, potassium and magnesium
6:50 start counting minutes, double check to make sure everyone is still breathing and present
7PM eagerly greet night shift to pass on the adventures of the day

7:30-7:40 homebound. and if i'm extra lucky Soshini comes up to the floor and we stroll down to the subways recapping on how crazy working in a hospital really is. Home 830ish, 9ish.