SI-- WEEK THIRTY SIX

Week forty six? Already?! Graduation is getting close! This week was filled with the beginning-of-a-new-month jitters. Although I'm back at the VA and quite comfortable with important things like the electronic medical record and cafeteria hours (just keepin' it real!) - I have a lot to learn about how to take care of patients requiring intensive care. Our training is great at just throwing you in -- my first patient this month is on a ventilator. So, on rounds, part of my job is to "present" what adjustments need to be made to his vent settings. Like I said, you just jump right in! It's amazing what you don't realize you know.. and also how quickly you can learn something when it's important to someone's care. Although day one I wasn't completely confident in my suggestions (and welcomed the corrections from the fellow and/or attending) I already feel much more comfortable.

This rotation is also interesting because we work in combination with residents from Creighton. We also have a large team compared to other months and alternate between the two schools for who stays overnight. The call schedule works out that I have a 28 hour shift every 4th night. That makes for a lot of time away from home! Travis is great and is so understanding of my busy schedule. Another difference in call this month is that when I'm "on" I carry a code pager and also answer pages from nursing/lab/whoever on all the UNMC patients on the other floors. I work closely with the upper-level resident who is also on call overnight - but it's definitely a change in responsibility from previous months. This is one of the things I love about the program I'm a part of! I get exposure to these aspects of residency that I otherwise would be isolated from as a student. Instead of getting thrown into these things after graduation I at least get a run at them while I have even greater support and supervision!

Now to wrap this up as I just realized I'll be losing an hour of sleep tonight due to daylight savings time (I'm writing this post on Saturday because I'll be at the hospital all day Sunday for one of those 28 hour shifts..) T and I had fun this afternoon hanging with my parents and ironing out the details for our cruise! Each step of the planning process is fun - but this step, planning the activities in each city, is especially good. Today we decided to go big in Naples and not only see Pompeii, but to also visit the Amalfi Coast:

Gorgeous, right?

We've also been reading travel blogs learning how to pack light (ideally in only a carry-on!). T thinks there is no way that I can accomplish this goal - so now I'm more motivated then ever! I started a secret Pinterest board where I've been saving images of potential outfits (outfits without too many layers or fabrics that wrinkle, etc). I've also been stewing over the perfect walking shoes. Here are my top three (all fairly unattractive but reportedly oh so comfortable!):

Birkenstocks  -  Vans  -  Toms

Hope you all were able to get out for this new Spring weather! I sure don't take nice weather and fresh air for granted anymore. Have a fabulous week!

xo,
Krista