Patience with Patients

I was nuts for signing up to work today after the weekend that I had. It was physically and emotionally draining. I really needed today to be my rest day but instead, I got up (an hour earlier than I should have bc of day light savings time), went to church, went to lunch and went to work. My shift was from 3-11. When I went to CSO (the central staffing office-where I report and find out what floor I'll be working on for the day) I found out I would be sitting. This was quite a relief but also a little worrisome. It was great to be able to sit and do nothing for 8 hours and get paid for it, but I was so exhausted I was afraid I was going to fall asleep. I almost did many times! Then I got a phone call-I was sent to a different floor to work as a PCA (patient care assistant-aka buttwiper). I was excited because I was going to be able to pass the time faster, stay awake and work on the floor my friend works on. I was quick to realize that the floor I was transfered to was a rather difficult one! I was assigned a team of 14 patients. Half of these patients were very easy patients that required little. But of course that leaves 7 more. Those 7, well they gave me a run for my money! They wanted to teach me what it really means to have patience and really love on them. I started my 2200 vitals at 2130 (military time people), and was hoping to be done by 22:30-45 so that I could give report and leave by 2300 when my shift was over. As I was doing my vitals I was called to clean up a patient (not on my team) who had vomited all over himself. I was quick to do this and had no problem helping him out. Really, could you imagine?Being so sick you vomited on yourself in your bed and couldn't do anything about it? I returned to my task of doing vitals. I was called away again to clean a patient who was dreaming she was on a bedpan and really wasn't. Ah this poor woman. My heart hurt for her. Finished with her and got back to my task of doing vitals. PCA needed to room 22. DEEP BREATH ok.. PATIENCE! GRACE! I was called away 3 times during vitals to clean patients who had messed themselves. It wasn't the cleaning them up part that I had gotten flustered about. It was that I still had 8 patients to do vitals and chemsticks(blood sugars) and I/O's (ins and outs) on and it was 2245. What time was I supposed to get off tonight? answer: 23oo. What time did I really get off tonight? answer: 0020 (12:20am for those of you who don't know military time). The stupid part is this! It is now 0143 and I am still up and blogging about this night. I should go to bed-school starts at 0900.