Becoming In.De.Pen.Dent

I’m halfway through my training program–11 weeks down and 11 to go. I can’t believe how quickly time flies (It never went this quickly when I was in nursing school!).

But nevertheless, the more time flies, the closer I get to working on my own and truly feeling comfortable in my shiny new skin.

I’m becoming more independent. That’s a huge word with so many meanings. Let me break it down the way I see it–In.De.Pen.Dent.

“In” – It’s about being “in” your zone. It’s that feeling that you can go from relaxing and getting your coffee while talking to co-workers straight to getting report without feeling flustered. When you’re “in” you’re finally able to switch on and off without it messing with your brain and stressing you.

“De” – The “de” stands for dependent. “Doesn’t that throw off the whole meaning of the word ‘independent’?” you might ask … NO! Becoming an independent nurse means knowing that you’re still dependent on others to make it through your day. You’re dependent on someone to double-check a medication for you, or dependent on your charge nurse to help you through a rough situation. It’s partly a dependence on the docs, and a dependence on your aides. Nurses can’t be nurses alone.

“Pen” – This stands for your charting, for covering your bases and remembering that age-old saying that if it wasn’t charted, it wasn’t done. But it also stands for getting organized. Becoming independent is about that moment when you get to work and you know what you need to write down and how to write it so that you can have an efficient, productive and organized day.

“Dent” – “Dent” is the constant reminder that despite becoming more comfortable in my skill level, I’ve still only made but a dent in my career as a nurse. Even though I’ve learned a lot in these 11 weeks, there’s still a ton to come in the next 11 weeks, and then more still in 11 months and years and so on. Being an independent nurse means you’re constantly learning from your experiences and changing your practice to keep up with the times.

I’m becoming more independent, but I am learning that skill and tasks are only part of the job. Eleven more weeks until I’m truly working on my own … I better keep learning!