On a good note...all the nurses are SO nice! I am really excited to be working with some really great-quality people. My supervisor is helpful and will be good to work with. When I met with her during that first day, she told me that I would be put on the postpartum unit. I was completely shocked because for about two years, I've been told that I will be working on a medical-surgical unit before doing anything else. I had put that NICU (the neonatal intensive care unit) was a place I was interested in. My supervisor was quite excited that I had some interest in mother-baby and promptly put me on postpartum. Apparently, there is a big shortage of maternal-child nurses...so they were happy to see me! I was also told that it shouldn't take the usual 18 months to go from their to labor and delivery. I'm hoping that within one year, I'll be working on the labor and delivery unit. Who knows?! This is all very different than what I was expect or hoping for. Most of the nurses in the residency program are hoping to go into intensive or emergent care. Anyway...I was also told that my next tour will very likely be overseas...how's that for a first day!
So...I am a part of the nurse residency program at the hospital. It is for new nurses...and it is basically like a mini nursing school. I have lectures, clinicals all over the hospital, homework, presentations, etc. I will be doing clinicals on many different units...about one unit per week. The program is eight weeks long. I will graduate on the 31st of October and will then go to my unit. In the meantime, my schedule is pretty sweet...I work 0645-1515 each day and get every weekend off. Once I finish and am on my unit, I'll be working 3-4 12-hour shifts per week and will switch between nights and days every 6 weeks. My life is going to be a bit crazy I think!