on being a nurse and why you should marry one

Jumpsuit: Madewell | Shoes: F21 | Purse: Target

Oh hey, blog, hey. I didn't forget about you, whoever you are that is reading this. I'm always surprised that when I log in, my stats tell me that I still bring in a good amount of readers even though it's usually radio silence over here. Maybe my regulars are just good old 'bots.

Is it just me, or did this year just fly by? Summer is winding down and there are lots of changes happening! I'll be starting a new job and after almost two years of renting in the city, I'm finally taking a big step in adulthood and am looking to buy my first house. Am I even allowed to buy my own house yet? In DC no less!

You guys, it's about to get rillll.

And on that note: storytime.

Ok. So as excited as all of the above sounds, I'm actually a walking bubble of fear. At any given point, I could burst and expose a huge side of weakness about me that I don't want anyone to know about, except here I am exposing it for the world to read. The thing is, I get it's completely normal to be nervous and scared about a new job. It's just part of life and about moving on to more challenging things. But in my profession, the expectations are set really high from the beginning where there isn't much room for mistakes. Mainly because the consequence is too heavy. The consequence is a persons life. And if you really let that sink in... HO-LY. CRAP. I'm pretty certain that during my first year as a nurse I would always say a quick prayer before getting out of the elevator. Something along the lines of Dear God, please don't let me kill anyone. And just to throw this one out to the heavens, I'd love to be able to eat sometime during this shift. Or go pee. Amen. 

Switching specialties and moving to a new unit is like starting from scratch. I think this is what I'm the most nervous about. I have to find a good balance between showcasing just enough curiosity while exhibiting intelligence yet not exposing too much for fear of it being translated to ignorance. And even though I'm more than two years out from graduation, I'm just beginning to muster the confidence to feel like I really know what I'm doing but more importantly why I'm doing it. Critical thinking skills, guys. You can't just write it in your resume. I always am so grateful to have those veteran nurses because their knowledge is never-ending. They are, no doubt about it, superheroes in my eyes. While others are busy checking emails in the morning and sipping their coffee at their desks, nurses have already begun their shift hours earlier, saved a patient who went under cardiac arrest, all while taking care of three other patients at the same time. This profession is great. It's meaningful and overly rewarding. It's also the wild wild west out there so really what I'm saying is: if you meet a nurse, know they are the best in the world. Snag one. Put a ring on it. Nurses are the next best thing after Beyonce.