Forever stretching myself to learn more

There is always something to learn in healthcare. Especially in the OR, and in surgical services.

There is always some new gadget, or technique, or new surgeon.

When I started the call position I was told that I would be functioning as the second PACU nurse after cases, as long as there wasn’t a to follow case. Cool, I like learning things. And I functioned in this capacity in California, and at times in my current hospital. And there needs to be 2 PACU nurses, there until the patient is either admitted or discharged home. I agreed.

One of the reasons they stared the call positions was to decrease called back times for the hourly employees. That, and people hate call. Okay, more call for me.

I can be the second PACU nurse and learn more about EPIC. And patient care, and how to care for a post-op patient. Absolutely.

While I am doing that, I am also doing education. To keep my hand in prior to school starting in TWO weeks.

I think one you get in the habit of learning, it is important to continue, not to stop.

Yes, I am that nurse.

The education has to come from subject matter experts in the field.

I have a dry erase board above my desk that has all the seminars and education things listed on it for the month. And all the cool stuff I want to learn. But more on that on Friday.

There was a request from the AORN chapter I belong to regarding leading one of the seminars.

Oh, good. Another thing to learn.

Oh, no. They’re going to be looking at me.

They want to me to give a presentation on IUSS. Or immediate use steam sterilization. And how my OR went to near zero incidence of it. I am working on collecting the data now so there can be CEUs attached.

I’ve given this presentation before. I had a poster presentation at 2021 AORN conference. This is just more formal. Okay, I can do this.

An educator I had way back when referred to skills that every nurse learns as arrows in the quiver. Or tools in the toolbox. It is important to always be adding to the arrows and the tools.

Or, in Latin, semper doctrina. And now I need that on a tee shirt.