First Week Down!

So I started my new job in a clinic Monday. I was so nervous & anxious about it Sunday night. I feel very comfortable in the hospital setting, but I had no idea about working in a clinic. Well, Monday came and I made it through the day very overwhelmed! After going through a very brief orientation one of the managers there gave me a tour of the whole building! (If this sounds like no big deal, let me tell you it's 4 floors of many hallways!) She also introduced me to almost all the doctors, nurses and other managers that worked in the building as well. She then showed me where my suite was going to be, but we were not able to really go in because the construction crews and such were still working on getting it all painted. Then she took me to meet Carol, my preceptor. Let me tell you Carol is one different duck! She is a very "seasoned" nurse that has a terrible attitude about everything! She is always cussing about one thing or another. Anyways, she only works until 1545 every day and I am supposed to work until 1700. So I would get a break from her every afternoon when I took a lunch (she didn't take lunch, which is why she got to leave so early), and then again after she left in the afternoon. Monday I went back up to the manager's office that I was with earlier that day. We tried to do many different things on the computer, but  none my log ins and such were ready, so instead I started working on something else and ended up having a great conversation time with her and eventually her husband. It really worked out quite well I think. Anyways, the next two afternoons Catherine and I went and worked to get everything in my suite set up and ready to go.  Catherine is the nurse in the surgery suite right next to mine. We really hit if off and I'm so excited that we will be working together. While in family practice during the  mornings I would work on trying to figure out the EMR and such, so I wouldn't be 100% lost when we started seeing patients next Thursday. I actually was able to get it down and was able to make phone calls, room patients and everything by myself! It was such a great feeling! Carol told me several times that I was doing a great job, which I learned from another one of the nurses there is saying a lot! As I said before Carol is one of those nurses your nursing instructors warn you about in school and so for her to say that I was doing great is huge! Anyways, I was finally able to meet my doctor on Thursday! Dr. Boucher is very nice! I'm so thankful to have such a friendly doctor to work with. She came up a went through the equipment and some of the supplies that we had already and then looked through the catalogs and told us what else she would need or wanted. It's so crazy to me having to start a new clinic like this. Catherine and I totaled up just part of the list of things that we had to get for her and were shocked by the amount it came to! Working 5 days a week is definitely a different thing for me. I was feeling it Friday morning. However, I completely love getting off so early in the day! I also love getting to leave at 1700 rather than having to wait for someone to come and give report and all that jazz. I love that I am home by 1730 everyday and that I have so much time to spend with Reed every night! I have no doubt that I made the right decision going from the hospital acute care setting to the clinic setting. The cut in pay is 100% worth it for me right now! This job, so far at least, is also tons less stressful than the hospital! I can't wait to start seeing patients and to have everything clean and organized. The suite that we are in for Orthopedics was last used really by a podiatrist about 2-3 years ago. He left on a whim so there are tons of supplies and such left over from him. Catherine and I have worked for the last several afternoons to get all of the supplies out of the rooms and laid out for Dr. Boucher to be able to easily look at them and tell us what she wants and doesn't want, and then tell us what she wants in each room so that we can get the rooms set up for patients. We were able to get it all laid out by noon yesterday, but Dr. Boucher was not able to make it back to the office yesterday afternoon, so when I left yesterday all the supplies were laying everywhere and the clinic is a complete disaster! I guess that is all the big news we have to offer for now! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!