Flight Nurse

My proudest professional achievements to date is becoming a flight nurse. I never really knew how badly I wanted to do it before but now that I am doing it I can't imagine doing anything else. It is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs I could imagine. I have the needs for immediate gratification and I get that. I enjoy the challenge of making decision that can truly make the difference of someone surviving or not and to what extent. It is rather intimidating and makes you think about a lot of things. I have learned many things since I've started: 1) Your safety comes first, then your partner/pilot, then your patient. 2) When in doubt, don't go. 3) Even if you don't follow the protocol word for word, make sure what you do is a least reasonable because we are hired to think and make educated decisions. 4) Small community hospitals can be VERY scary. I've met some great people along this journey so far. This starts with the folks I spent 10 days with in Denver to the folks I work beside every day. There are some very seriously smart people in this field and I aspire to be one of them (in about 20 years or so because I have a lot to learn!) Back in March we had to make a precautionary landing. Of course, we were patient loaded and it was a really scary situation. We ended up in a field in almost a foot of mud. Everything ended up being completely fine but things like that will definitely make you think twice. If you really love the job, you get back up on the horse. I'm glad to say I'm back up on the horse. I had a rough few days after it realizing how scary what we do actually is, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Wow how the time flies

So, apparently I haven't been in here since before I went back to work after having Mackenzie.... almost 3 years. Yes, Mackenzie will be 3 in just a few short weeks. A lot has changed since the last time I wrote in here. Let's see... Josh turned 30 :-) Last October we gained a nephew- Kolebe. In November I travelled to Denver, CO to orient for a new job. I am now working for Air Methods/ LifeNet SC as a flight nurse. We finally got to meet Kolebe in March when we went home to say goodbye to my Mammam. My Mammam was an incredible woman. She was never afraid to speak her mind, she was always cleaning (to the point that Pap would yell at her), a fantastic cook and loved me like there was no other. She left some of the most amazing gifts. She spent most of her married life compiling memories of her and Pap into two books that she presented him for their 50th Anniversary. I have absolutely loved reading the details of their lives together. They truly were in love. Along with this, I've been able to work on our family tree which was something I always intended to show her, but I guess I can't now. She kept lots of interesting papers like her hospital bill from one of many miscarriages, the deed to their home, the permits for the electrical wiring and many death cards form funerals. I also received her and Pap's wedding and engagement rings. I had her engagement ring resized and rhodium coated so it's white gold and for our anniversary (fifth) Josh had my promise ring and her anniversary band combined into a very beautiful new ring for me. I think about her often and suddenly feel better about anything that's stressing me out.