HOW ARE YOU??????

Hey everyone!

I miss you all so much! Just been reflecting on life lately, and was thinking about how different it all is now. I have nursing students following me around at work all the time, and asking me questions and I remember back to the days when we were all wandering the hospital halls wondering if we would ever know everything we needed to know....which is funny b/c I still feel that way sometimes...haha! God has brought us all so far in the last few years...can't believe it's about to be 3 years...so crazy! Anyone changing jobs yet? Or doing anything new and exciting? Or just wanna say that God has been faithful in keeping you where you are...

Love you and am praying God is using you wherever you are :o)

License Renewal

Hey team-

Hey guys! How in the heck is everyone? Just wanted to write and say hello because I think that it's CRAZY that it's already time for us to renew our licenses! I still feel like a baby nurse but I've been one for 2 years...WOW! Andy and I live in Anaheim, I'm working at CHOC still on the peds hem/onc floor and Andy is a Worship Coordinator at a church in Bellflower. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the best fit so we're praying to see where the Lord leads us. Our daughter, Avery, is almost 1 which is soooooo stinkin' weird! She is so adorable and full of life and blesses us every day.

Anyways, I thought of you all as I'm trying to renew my license and wanted to check in. Anybody else have updates??? Marriages, babies, jobs, etc? Hope all is well!

-Haley Koning

master's degree

Hey all,
I've decided to go back to school and pursue a master's degree. I'm currently applying to a distance program in Kentucky called The Frontier School of Nurse Midwifery and Family Nursing. I will be applying to get my MSN in nurse midwifery. I love being a L&D nurse, but my heart is truly with the delivering aspect...it's amazing to be so integral in the birthing of a new life...so I have decided to put having my own children on hold until I finish school in approx. 3 years. Keep me in your prayers when you think of me.

Happy Nurses Week Everybody! can you believe it's been 2 years since we graduated!?

So, um, anybody's hospital hiring? Waiting tables is sort of losing it's charm...

Lemme know.
Josh
joshuajmcbride@gmail.com

The Lord's Work

hey everyone...it's been a while since anyone posted & I thought I'd send out a note to say hi and hopefully encourage you.

I have recently been somewhat frustrated with my job.....mostly because I feel like I want to be doing something more as a nurse than just passing out pain meds to surgical patients, making sure they can pee after I pull their foley, and that they can at least pass gas, if not go the extra mile and get them to poop post-op.

Oh the joys of a surgical floor...haha!

Yesterday I had this patient, and unfortunately she has become somewhat of a frequent flyer because of complications with the multiple surgeries she's had. We found out yesterday that it's looking like her cancer is back and her prognosis is poor. As I was walking out the door, purse and lunchbox in hand, the surgeon asked if I would round on her with him....which I just felt like I needed to be there to hear the news, so I went down to her room and was there as they faced overwhelming news. After he left I stayed and asked if I could pray with her and her husband. It was one of those moments when you can absolutely feel the presence of God and we all knew He was there with us. It was a truly amazing moment, and although it had been a long exhausting day, I was so blessed by having stayed there. When I was done praying, we were all in tears and she said, "Thank you. You are truly doing the Lord's work here."

It was a huge reminder that spiritual care is SOOO important, and if you can find those moments, it makes your whole day worth it.

So I encourage you, spread the love of Jesus to your patients, no matter where you work, because whether in the ED, ICU, L&D, or out in the "mission field" we are truly about the Lord's work.

Merry Christmas!

Hey Class of 2008! Just wanted to say hi and have a Merry Christmas!

Another Fun Report!

Remember the old Olympic skier, Peekaboo Street? Well, apparently her Olympic sponsors aren't paying the bills anymore... She is now an ICU nurse at Whittier Presbyterian.

Yesterday, I called the ICU to give report on my 49 year old septic patient and she picked up the phone, "Peekabo, ICU!"

Yep, you're welcome.

1 whole year....

so all through school and at the beginning of my new grad program everyone kept saying "it takes a year". I've been meaning to post this sooner, but time just flies....

anyways, my new grad program was an entire year, and we just finished a few weeks ago...and it got me thinking....wow, it's been that year everyone talked about. I still don't feel like I know everything, but I don't feel nauseated to walk into work....or to walk out. I think leaving was just as bad as going there for a while. I was always worried I'd forgotten something major and left a mess for the next shift.

Well those days are over and I feel like I know what I'm doing most days and I really love my job now.

How about you guys? How has the time we've been working changed things for you? Any big things you've learned this year that you'll take with you into the next?

I definitely learned not to sweat the small stuff. Sounds so silly, but the little things that used to stress me out are no longer a big deal and I have learned to prioritize things much better this year.

Little Miss Avery Jean

hey team...just wanted to let you all know little avery jean was born on july 10, 2009 at 1852! the birth was rough, but she's perfect! 10 fingers, 10 toes, apgars of 8 and 9. she was 7lbs. 5oz, 21 inches long. she's gorgeous! if you want to check our blog for more updates it's: thekoning5.blogspot.com

Reunion

Hey everyone....I sent out a facebook invite for the reunion...but not everyone has facebook...so I just wanted to let you all know... 

Aug 8-9. 

Location TBD. 

Significant others...esp husbands and kids...are welcome!

Another fun report!

So I had this patient the past few days who has osteomyelitis of his T-spine. He's had extensive back surgery & now they wanna do more. My hospital (Scripps Encinitas) is kinda little, and we don't have a thoracic surgeon on staff i guess, so we had to transfer him to Scripps La Jolla so that they could do this crazy surgery they plan to do on this man. So I called La Jolla for report, and who else do I give report to, Melissa! haha! we had so much fun, not to mention I felt like it was probably one of the better reports I have given b/c I wasn't nervous...haha! Anyways, it was fun & it made my day. It's still so crazy to me that we are all really real live nurses doing this all for real...

Hope you're all doing well! Miss ya!

get together?

Hey everyone!  I was talking with a certain someone (Katie Potter!) and we would like to have a get together with whoever can sometime early-ish August!  What do you all think?  We were thinking something near the beach :)

Calling Report

Hello fellow Nurses!!

I don't think I have actually made a post yet, but I love reading everybody's and hearing what's going on with you all...so I thought I should probably contribute at some point. Well, life as an ER nurse at St. Joe's is hectic but good for the most part. Most days I question why in the world I thought I wanted to start out in such a fast paced department! I am not exaggerating, every shift I have worked for the last 2 1/2 weeks, I have had critical patients every night, for just about the entire shift, and each time I rush one to the CV-ICU or to the OR, I turn around and have a new one coming in right behind them.

Last night was one of those nights as well. I got to assist our ER doc with the placement of a chest tube for our pt. with a spontaneous pneumo and I was resp. for the conscious sedation...AGH! something we learned when I was hired and I haven't had to do yet, so that was fun trying to fumble through the fat packet and make sure I was doing everything right. But it went well, the chest tube was placed, the pt's lung immediately re-expanded (as verified by a repeat CXR) and then the best part came! I got to call report up to the receiving RN...

I was on hold for a couple minutes and then I heard someone answer but couldn't quite hear and I said, "I'm sorry, what's your name?" and the voice on the other end said, "Kyle." And I said, "Kyle Compann?!?" and then I heard a little laugh and "no way!" So I got to hand of my pt to a former classmate and then transport the pt. upstairs and see Kyle!

So, there's a glimpse into my work world...Other than nursing, I am a proud new Auntie and I have an adorable puppy named Roxy...photos on Facebook for any of you who are interested! Well, hope you are all doing well! Signing off for now...

Hello friends,

Just wanted to write and give a small update on me. I'm up in the Santa Clarita valley (Chris took a job as a teacher up here, so I found a job to fit). I'm working tele and have been on my own since the middle of February and still feel like I don't know what I'm doing a lot of times. I really like the atmosphere of where I work. The people I work with are very supportive and since it's a catholic hospital it is very values based.

On a different note, I am pregnant again! :) I'm due August 5th which means I'm in my 5th month now. So far both mommy and baby are healthy, praise God.

Hoping all is well with you,
Sheri

p.s.

found out today it's a girl...yeah!

Reunion?

hey guys...so all those in favor of planning something..say aye...or call me! 949 202-6433. let's get this ball on the roll! i miss you :o)

baby herman

in case you guys don't check facebook i thought i would post an update picture of baby herman to the blog so here's a pic at 5 months.  the doctor said yesterday we have a "very, very active baby" which i haven't decided how to feel about yet!  we find out in a week and half if it's a boy or girl and get better sonogram pictures, so exciting!  hope you guys are doing well!

Look-a-Likes!

Does this happen to anyone else - where you meet or see people that look like and remind you of someone else in our nursing class? Well, I have a few of those in my life right now at my work. And it makes me smile. There's a float nurse guy who reminds me EXACTLY of Kyle, in looks but mostly mannerisms, and there's a float nurse girl who reminds me EXACTLY of Heidi. Then there's a nurse on evening shift who looks exactly like Cindy but 10 years younger and minus the moles, she wears low cut scrub tops and really shouldnt. Anyways just thought yall should know Im thinking of you. And Im curious if anyone else has people around them reminding you of our beloved classmates.

my life as a nurse thus far

It's hard to believe that i've already been working as a nurse for 6 months, but it has been fantastic...i'm still being trained though!! i got hired as a perinatal float nurse at kaiser in woodland hills, which basically means i float between L&D and postpartum (wherever i'm needed most)...but it also means more training...

i was hired with some other new grads and we first went through postpartum training and spent time of the floor with preceptors and then began our training for L&D mid-October and are currently still being trained...we were just switched to be training on nights (which is our shift of hire) which is a hard adjustment, but it also means that we are going to be on our own fairly soon...

just like the rest of you who are loving your jobs, so am i...it's not as busy as margaret's hospital, not at all like it actually...recently, the kaiser i work at went from a level 3 to a level 2 NICU so we don't really take care of high-risk pregnancies and lately our census has been low...but just like any L&D we have days where there are people streaming in huffing and puffing in labor...but it is fantastic being there to bring new life into the world and then get to do all the teaching that one gets to do in postpartum concerning taking care of this new little life and breastfeeding...we had a two day class on breastfeeding!

anyway, i do have a personal prayer request though...Jared's dad just passed away the day after Christmas, and it's kind of been a little stressful here lately...Jared discovered his dad's body and had to initiate CPR before the paramedics arrived, and that has been especially hard on him, he had quite a few daymares and nightmares going through it over and over again...but also, his mom and his sister (who currently live at the house) dont' know if they will be able to make all the payments on their own to keep the house and have a place to live...so we aren't sure yet, but Jared and I might have to move into their house and help with the payments...the idea isn't at all appealing to me from the newlywed point of view, but we love his family and want to help make sure they have a place to be, so please be in prayer that if we have to make the transition that it will be smooth and that we will all be able to get along...thanks, and i'll keep you guys updated...

~Bethany