It's been a very busy week so far...have been working on a med-surg floor and am completely exhausted because we do so much running around! My preceptor has been fantastic. That is one thing that I have loved about being at this hospital...I have had the best preceptors! Everyone is so friendly...a pleasant surprise! I'm learning a lot and feeling really good about my nursing skills and overall clinical practice. I'm very ready to be done with residency. I can't wait till I get to go back to my postpartum floor...loved working there!
Beyond that, I wanted to post something about why nursing in the Navy is different than in the civilian sector. First of all...they really do work you! Team nursing is a popular care delivery model...in which there is one nurse (BSN or civilian RN) who oversees care of a set of patients and delegates assignments to the LVN/LPN and corpsman (like a nursing assistant). On postpartum for example, a nurse (with an LPN) can have up to eight couples (mother and baby). That's a lot of patients! When I was in clinical at a civilian facility, the postpartum nurses had only two couples at a time. It actually does work with more, but it's kind of weird since the RN (me) has to go behind and sign off the assessments and everything for each patient (even if the LPN or corpsman took full care of the patient). That's another thing too...the corpsman can do just about everything a nurse can do...except give narcotic medications. They do not have to be supervised (up to your discretion), but they operate under your license. That idea made me quite nervous at first! So far, I've met some really great corpsman...but it is a very different approach for sure.
Beyond that, Navy nurses have incredible opportunities for career advancement. If you want to fast-track your career...this is the place to do it! I'm toying with the idea of going back to school for my BSN to DNP (doctoral degree). Who knows...but it is tempting since the Navy will pay for it in exchange for years of service. The Navy will also help you get additional training and other certifications. It is a pretty sweet deal! I will be able to live and serve overseas (probably on my next tour) and hopefully will get deployed while here. I will also have collateral duties on my ward and will be involved with several other things too. I am currently a member of the Nursing Association of Portsmouth and am hoping to eventually get on board with a research prOne thing too is that Navy nurses have to become excellent really fast...there is no time to waste. After six months on postpartum, I'll be trained to be a charge nurse and after one year, I'll hopefully be moved to L&D. Everything is done fast and furious...no time to waste. These are just a few things I have observed since being at the hospital!