As of today, it\u2019s been exactly one year that I\u2019ve been at my job. There are still days I find it hard to believe I made it through nursing school and I am actually a nurse. When I look back on that process, I know that training for endurance sports is a major contributing factor to my success.
\nEndurance: the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. Synonyms: tolerance, sufferance, forbearance, patience, acceptance, stoicism.
\nTraining to run marathons and complete long-distance triathlons gave me the mental capacity to keep going when it gets hard. Nursing school was hard. Life as a nurse is nothing to scoff at either. But here are a few things that I have learned, or at least been reminded of over the past 365 days:
\n*I care deeply for people. Even when it\u2019s people who are threatening my sanity, I put my entire heart into serving them. Even if that means I have to sit on hold with a pharmacy well after the 5:00 dismissal so that someone gets a prescription they need so they don\u2019t have to remain uncomfortable. Doesn\u2019t mean I won\u2019t complain about it, but I will still do it.
\n*The sound of a fetal heartbeat is the most beautiful sound in the world. It never gets old. Not. Ever.
\n*For all the nurses I fit for shoes at Fleet Feet, I daily think about how important good footwear is. But Aleve is necessary to keep on hard as well.
\n*I never get tired of carrying my dad\u2019s stethoscope around my neck. I take him with me daily. Today our supply guy, Paul, asked me about it and I\u2019m pretty sure we both had tears in our eyes.
\n*OB\/Gyn is definitely where I am supposed to be. I love the hope of new life, the relationships I get to build over 9 months and the beautiful babies that come to visit.
\n*I have cried for my patients on more than one occasion, and I have prayed for them even more.
\n*There will always be someone who doesn\u2019t like you. And that\u2019s ok.
\n*Spontaneous triplets might be the coolest thing in the world.
\n*It makes me crazy when people leave a voicemail without telling me their name.
\n*Coffee makes the world go round.
\n*Scrubs have pockets for a reason.
\n*You can\u2019t beat a good pen.
\n*Even better than the words \u201cThank you\u201d are the words \u201cI appreciate ya\u201d.<\/p>\n
Nursing is not for the weak or the faint of heart. It takes strength, and endurance to get through the days and the weeks. You don\u2019t always know when you\u2019ll get to eat, or pee, or even sit down for a moment. But take advantage of the aide stations when they come, keep putting one foot in front of the other and stick with it for the long haul. And it will be worth the effort.
\nUnrelated to my job, I\u2019m pleased to report that I\u2019ve been running a couple times a week. Even in the midwestern misery of heat and humidity, I\u2019ve built my mileage up to 8 whole miles. Its slow and steady, but it gets the job done. No Garmin, I just know where the turn arounds are from many years of training and I couldn\u2019t begin to tell you my pace. I don\u2019t really care, maybe cause if I knew it would make me sad how far I\u2019ve fallen off from where I was before. But also, I\u2019m enjoying it more this way. So there\u2019s that.
\nAnd last but not least, since we were talking about being in it for the long haul, I picked up a project recently that I had to set down for nursing school. It seems kind of appropriate that on the year anniversary of starting one job, I\u2019m going back to another. No, I\u2019m not selling shoes again, and I won\u2019t be making an income from this one for a bit, but I started back today as a writer. I had a conference with my book coach this morning, in the chaos of my life, with a husband, four kids and a puppy in the background, and it\u2019s time I got back to telling my story.
\nIt\u2019s never going to be easy to find the time to make this dream come to fruition, but it\u2019s not going to get any easier the longer I wait. And so, the journey of Rambling Runner Girl resumes. Slow and steady, one foot in front of the other. Onward!
\nMaybe by my second work anniversary, you can all celebrate by buying my book. ;)\uf04a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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