The Big 2-2

Today was my 22nd birthday! I am well into my early 20s and flying fast towards being in my mid 20s. Other than getting dropped from my parent's health insurance, there is not really any other milestones attached to 22. But that's not going to stop me from having a great day!

As my alarm went off at 5:20 this morning I told myself "the earlier I get up, the longer I get to enjoy my birthday!" Whatever does it for you, right? So I headed to my first 12 hour day of my nursing career. Yes, I worked a 12 hour shift, on my birthday! My clinical group decided to work overtime today so we can be off tomorrow to prepare for our test on Friday. All in all, it was a great plan. I got to work with my favorite nurse in Cardiac Intensive Care at Princeton Baptist in Birmingham. I also got the opportunity to fly solo (with Mama Bird Collins never too far out of reach) for a little while. It gave me a little more confidence that maybe I will actually make it as a nurse. But after a crazy morning, the afternoon was quite dull. 6:00 could not come fast enough. But at 5:45 what do we hear...

CODE BLUE...

What was that?

CODE BLUE...

Did we really just hear that?

CODE BLUE...

Oh my goodness! An actual code!!! For those of you who are not familiar with this term, a code blue is a cardiac arrest. This is the point in Grey's Anatomy when everyone runs down the hall, pulls out the paddles, yells "CLEAR", and shocks the patient back to life. Except that is not how actual codes are run.

Codes are organized chaos. Two of my fellow students and I arrive at this room with a few doctors, a few nurses, and one patient that needs our help. I took over on chest compressions (I actually got to keep this patient's heart pumping). Doctors are calling out orders, and everyone is doing their part to try to get this patient's heart beating again. After all of us students (by now there are 5 of us) have rotated through compressions (these are tiring, you wear out in less than a minute) the doctor finally says...

"Hold compressions"

Silence, eyes glued to the cardiac monitor

"We have a rhythm!"

The patient survived! It's pretty satisfying to know you helped a patient live! So now a patient with airway, breathing, and circulation (nursing ABC's) can be left with the real experts...the intensive care nurses! These men and women work HARD and are ridiculously smart!

After clinicals I was able to have dinner with my friends, Whitney and Anna-Leigh. I returned home to cupcakes from Jen! This was my first birthday I have not spent with my family, but I will be able to celebrate with them this weekend. All in all, this was a great birthday!