So much for a quiet weekend…who am I kidding?

I had to send another resident out. At this point, it’s becoming a trend —- every weekend I worked lately, someone ends up taking a little filed trip to the hospital. Love that for me. 😏

This one was different, though. He’s on hospice…and of course the ED questioned why I sent him out.

Ummmm…because he was actively bleeding…? Because his wife was standing right there, asking for him to go.

Those are the moments no one really prepares you for — when goals of care, family expectations and real-time clinical decisions all collide.

On top of that. Pneumonia seems to be making its rounds like it pays rent here. One case turns into two, and suddenly it feels like everything is happening at once.

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There’s this constant balancing act in nursing — especially in long term care. You assess, you trust your judgement, you try not to overreact…but you also don’t want to underreact. And when things shift fast, you’re left replaying your decisions like a highlight reel no one asked for.

Am I doing too much?
Not enough?
Did I miss something?
Should I have seen that coming?

By the end of the day, things finally steadied out. Not perfect– but manageable. The kind of shift where you can take a breath again. Everyone settled. No new emergencies. A small win. We’ll take it.

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Sunday came in a bit quieter. Most residents were sleepy and had a late start to the day. The building had that clam that almost feels suspicious after chaos. The full-time nurse comes back tomorrow, so theoretically, things should return to “normal.”

Whatever that means.

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Looking back, the weekend was heavy. A lot of calls. A lot of decisions. A lot of moments where I wasn’t sure if I was doing enough — or doing too much.

But overall? It was a good weekend.

Not because it was easy, but because I showed up. I learned. I advocated. I made the calls that needed to be made — even when they were questioned. Even when I questioned them myself.

Lessons were definitely taught…and learned.

I know this is a weekend I’ll carry with me.

And as Sunday winds down, things are finally quiet. The residents are resting, the building feels calm again, and for the first time all weekend, it feels like I can breathe.

Tomorrow, things go back to normal.

Hopefully.

— Scrubs & Side Eyes 😏
Just trying to keep it together one shift at a time.