New Nurse

So here goes for my first post! So to catch you up on what's all been going on lately. I finally graduated from nursing school as an LPN graduate nurse on October 27, 2023! The next few months were spent finding a job and studying for my final licensing exam. January 5, 2024 was the big day in which I wrote my licensing exam. January 8, 2024 I began my first job with Alberta Health Services (AHS) on the surgical units in Grande Prairie, Alberta! No, I do not work in the OR but I work on the units that receive the patients after their surgeries. My first two weeks of work were mostly orientation by doing online modules at home or else going into the hospital to listen to many talks and doing hands on skills to show that I was competent in doing them. Very long two weeks but very glad for all the info that I got! After that began the real thing... I began orientating on the floor. I work 12 hour shifts either day or night shift. Had some lovely nurses to orientate with so I felt like my orientation was great! End of February I got my results back from my exam... I passed!!! A dream come true of finally becoming an official LPN!!! Sometimes I still find it hard to believe that I am actually a nurse! Then March 4, 2024 night shift was my last orientation shift. March 5 night shift I was on my own for the first time! Exciting but scary. I have done several shifts on my own now and it's been crazy but good! The nurses are very willing to answer questions and are truly great to work with! Haven't seen anything too crazy yet but just a little bit crazy. lol. There is a subacute area on one of the units that I was pulled to one night. It's an area where people who are waiting for longterm care placement are living. It was an HCA and I who worked and we had 10 patients together. The next night I got to be float nurse which was super fun! That means I did not have any patient assignments but just helped out wherever I was needed. So I got some practice in some skills that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise which was great! It was a busy night also so it was fun being float nurse! As of now that is where my life is at... learning a new job as a new nurse and otherwise chilling at home. I do have to say I love the fact that I get to go home after my shifts and relax or do my own things instead of studying all the time. I do NOT miss school in any way. except maybe seeing my friends every day.

P.S. please bear with me if something is not working on the website and let me know. I'm still trying to work out all the kinks.