A double weekend… again.

I really don’t know why I do this to myself 😅🤑

But this weekend?
It taught me something nursing school never could.

My first real experience working with hospice.

And let me tell you—
nothing prepares you for that moment.

After lunch, my resident became… off.
Unresponsive-ish.

And instantly—
panic.

Not on the outside though.
On the outside, I was calm. (well at least I hope was)
Doing what needed to be done.

But inside?
My brain was running in circles—

Do I take vitals?
Do I clean her up?
Do I call 911??

Oh wait.

Hospice.

Call hospice first.

That part right there?
Yeah… they don’t really teach you that in nursing school.

So I called.
And the response?

“Continue to monitor. Call us if anything changes.”

Ummm… what?!

Everything in me was like
this feels urgent

But hospice care…
it’s different.

It’s not about rushing.
It’s not about aggressive intervention.

It’s about comfort.
Observation.
Letting things unfold… naturally.

And that’s a hard shift to make in your mind
when you’re used to acting fast.

Thankfully, hospice called back during my assessment—
which honestly helped ground me.

blood pressure
231/116.
Side note – (The normal blood pressure range for elderly individuals is generally considered to be below 130/80 mmHg.)

Um, yeah.

By the end of the shift, she was back to baseline…
and I didn’t even realize how tense I was until I finally let out a big sigh of relief.

The kind of relief you can actually feel leave your body.

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And as if that wasn’t enough—
the restlessness on the unit tonight?

On another level.

You could feel it in the air.
Even one of the residents noticed and was over it 😩

It was just one of those days—
emotionally heavy, unpredictable,
the kind that keeps you on your toes every second.

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But if there’s one thing I took from today:
Healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all.
And hospice?
It’s a whole different mindset.

Some shifts shake you.
Some shifts teach you.

This one did both.

And the learning continues.

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Scrubs and Side Eyes
— learning in real time, one shift at a time 💭

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Understanding Hospice
Hospice – What I’m Learning in Real Time