Making Friends at Work

I had an interesting conversation with a girl from work last night. We were talking about plants which led to myself wanting to get more plants to grow up on my patio, which led to her suggesting we should go together on one of our days off to pick up some plants just outside of the city.

She was kind of apprehensive about exchanging numbers, which I thought was strange. Did she think this was a date or something?! But she has a boyfriend and she knows I have one, so what was so awkward about this? I asked her, and she says that she feels strange about befriending people at work too early (she just started in a line at work a couple of months ago). Apparently she's had conversations with another coworker who feels the same way. They've been invited to go out with some of the other girls from work before and felt strange about accepting. Their response (that they didn't actually say out loud) was "what? I have my own friends". Which I thought very strange, because I'm always up for meeting new people and hanging out with new people.

Myself having moved to a new city a year ago, I was very thankful that there were some people at work who were inviting and suggested going out and doing things together on our days off. I've made a few friends at work. Ones that I might call up and suggest going to the beach or going out in the evening together, none of them deep meaningful friendships at this point but who knows one might develop.

How is it that some people are opposed to making friends at work? Are they really such horrible personalities that they can't mix their social lives and work lives?!

I'm always up for making new friends and meeting new people especially since moving out here and really knowing barely anyone. As awkward and terrifying it can be to go and meet new people, I think it broadens us and makes us more accepting of others. If I hadn't been willing to go out and socialize with new people I know that I would never be able to move to an entirely new city across the country.

I'm glad to have made work friends, and hope to make more of them. It makes work much more fun!

One year...

A year in to my nursing career. I can't believe how much has changed in the last year. One year ago I was doing my orientation buddy shifts with a nurse and running around like crazy dreading the day I worked on my own. I had no clue how nurses did multitasking and got the basic nursing duties done for their patients.

I have definitely gone far in one year. I've learned so much. Time management is way easier to do, shifts go much smoother, team work has improved and overall comfort in the workplace has greatly increased.

Don't get me wrong, I've still got plenty of days that are total chaos, patients coming and going, doctors, physios, charge nurses, dieticians, occupational therapists, families etc... hounding me when I'm already super busy. I'm just saying I don't fell like curling up in a ball in a corner anymore when those kind of days happen. A year ago I definitely felt that way.

I'd say that I've definitely improved on not bring my work home with me. I used to be at home worrying about my patients after I got home from work. Now I've learned to just accept that the next nurse is caring for the patient and I'm at home, not working, so I should relax! Is this me being a good nurse or a nurse that doesn't care? I wonder sometimes, but one thing I do know is it allows me to get a whole lot more sleep now!

Sometimes I'm worrying that I am slowly developing the hard edge of a nurse that has been working for a while. You all know what I'm talking about, the old crusty nurse that everyone hates. She's not approachable, rough with the patients and downright miserable to be around. Also the nurse that comes into the room does her duties and leaves without even making any sort of connection with the patient, no words spoken, no eye contact, not even a gesture of acknowledgement. I definitely don't spend as much time with my patients as I used to. But then again, it doesn't take me as long to complete different task, such as dressing changes, bathing, monitoring vital signs and giving medications. I think I'm still an approachable and friendly nurse. I've just got to make a conscious effort to make sure that I stay that way. I can definitely tell how some nurses get calloused after years of work and seem to not have the personal connection with their patients that I like to develop.

One year has definitely changed my nursing abilities and even way of thinking about nursing, I hope for the better. We'll have to wait and see what another year will do to my nursing practices.

What's the big deal?!

Damn soccer!!!
I don't plan my schedule around what shows are on TV. If I'm around when my shows are on, great, if not, oh well, or I'll just download them.
Soccer is not like that, it takes over peoples' minds and they totally plan their daily schedule and social lives around watching the game. I'm not talking about a couple of games, I'm talking about practically every single game for an entire month!
I didn't grow up in a sports watching family, so I guess I just don't understand and haven't experienced being around people who are soooo OBSESSED!!!!!
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for watching a game occasionally and getting together with people to "watch the game", but when it's a gorgeous sunny day out and it has to be spent indoors watching the game....argggg!!!!
Okay, so maybe there is some compromising sometimes...some days are spent outside and the occasional game might be missed..
Let's just say...I'll be glad when Sunday comes and this will be over for another 4 years. And four years from now I'm going on a long trip...for a month, any suggestions of where to go? and no, not where ever the World Cup is being held!!!