😒 Scrubs and Side Eyes

Tag: newnurse

  • 🌤️ Sunshine Shift: A Reset We Didn’t Know We Needed

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    Julie Kay
    in

    Yesterday felt…off.Maybe it was the thunderstorm coming, the gray skies, the heavy air–but my mood was definitely not it. Nothing major even happened.No emergencies.No chaos.No “drop everything, we need a nurse” moments. It was a stable Saturday…with an unstable mood. But today? Completely different story. The sun is out, there’s a nice breeze,and I’m sitting…

  • Weekend Double Diaries: Hospice Lessons

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    by

    Julie Kay
    in

    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…

  • Paradise Shift🌞: Don’t Get Too Comfortable

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    Julie Kay
    in

    Back at it again. Different shift.Different unit.Different residents.Different vibe.and whew…. what a change of pace. Covering some vacation shifts and I’m not even going to lie — this feels like paradise. No major behaviors. Residents are mostly independent.And right now? We’ve got gospel reggae playing in the background and it’s a whole mood. Like….smooth sailing…

  • A Stable Father’s Day Weekend (Suspiciously Stable)

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    Julie Kay
    in

    This weekend was…..stable. And in long-term care, stable is basically the gold standard — like, we don’t ask questions, we just say thank you and keep it moving. It was Father’s Day weekend, which was noticeably quieter than Mother’s Day. We only have five men on our unit, so it wasn’t exactly a full production.…

  • 🩺 When You Lose a Resident You Barely Knew

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    Julie Kay
    in

    Losing residents is part of the job.You know that going in. But no one really talks about what it feels like when you lose someone…and you’re not sure how you’re supposed to feel. Within a few weeks, we lost two residents. And I sat there thinking—am I sad?I think I am… but not the way…

  • Peds vs Memory Care: Same Chaos, Different Size Humans

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    by

    Julie Kay
    in

    I’ve worked with two very different patient populations—pediatrics and memory care.And honestly? There’s not much of a difference. Someone is always asking for snacks… or ice cream… like they haven’t eaten all day. In pediatrics, giving medication? You better tap into your inner negotiator. We’re talking bribery, bargaining, and Oscar-worthy performances just to get Tylenol…