Goodbye, Friends!

I'm in the middle of my last shift at Fransiscan-Skemp Hospital in La Crosse. I thought I'd take a quick break and tell you about how much I've enjoyed working here. It's started to feel like home! From the first moment I walked through the doors, I even noticed that it had a good "feeling" in the air. It was almost palpable, and very hard to explain. I came up my first Sunday afternoon in town to find the Pediatric unit so I'd know where I was supposed to go my first day. I walked up to the nurse's station, and I was greeted warmly immediately! I knew instantly I would like the people I would be working with!

Now that 13 weeks has gone by, I can say that I not only like them, but count them as friends! I'm so thankful that I got to have this great traveling experience at just the right time.

I've also appreciated being in a hospital that does a good job of CARING for their patients. I'm sure that each of you have had different hospital experiences here or there so you know what I mean. As a patient, you always want to feel like you are being cared for as a person, not just a disease in a room. It's absolutely up to the nurse to help that come across. I've also had enough experience to know that the entire hospital needs to have that mindset as well. If the hospital has the second mindset, from administration all the way down, then nurses with attitudes like mine just need to work extra hard to help the patient! And, that extra work is ALWAYS worth it! I will forever be grateful for the fact that I had great nursing modeled for me at Lake Region Hospital as I started out my nursing career (by the way, I still miss you guys and think of you almost daily!) and I feel like I've had a similar experience here at FSH.

Yesterday I had the chance to float down the hall for much of the shift. I hadn't floated anywhere yet and here I was at the very end of my rotation, but since it's the Family Birth Center, I sure didn't mind! They've been extra busy this week, so I was asked to go to the nursery and assess/rock/feed babies. Who could refuse that? I spent most of my time with one little babe that's been fussy, but once I helped her fall asleep, I was able to cuddle with a few others as well. This week I've been especially craving some good cuddle time with my nephew, so this was a good preview for the weekend. At one point, the other nurses went to do a few other things or take their dinner breaks, so I was left with five sleeping babes! Luckily, they only woke up one at a time so it was manageable! How do mothers of multiples handle it? :)

Tonight I'm back on my home unit, Pediatrics, so of course I'm glad to be here for my last shift. I'll head to my apartment in the morning and finish packing up. I actually have quite a bit left, so when you read this, please pray for diligence for me! I still haven't decided if I'm going to sleep for a few hours and then get up and finish packing and load up the car to head back to Burnsville, or if I'll just get it all done right away and then sleep once I get to my parents. I guess it'll just depend how I feel in a few hours!

To those of you reading this who have been my co-workers these last 13 weeks, thanks again for making my time here so great. Thanks for your friendships as well, and I'm looking forward to keeping in touch and coming back to visit sometime! And, let's make that a time when La Crosse has green grass and leaves on the trees! :)