So, I became a nurse

In August 2020, I made a rash decision - I signed up for into to biology and intro to chemistry as prerequisites for the Nursing School at Malcolm X College in Chicago.

3 years later, 1 month later, I am in my second week "on the floor" at one of Chicago's top hospitals. 

And, I love it. 

I love interacting with the patients. 

I don't mind the fluids. 

I don't mind the charting. 

I don't mind the regulations. 

I don't mind the hours. 

Now, I'm aware that "The new broom always sweeps clean." However, it's not exactly my first time working with patients nor being in a hospital. 

For the last year and a half, my last job was working in the office of a private psychiatric practice. There, part of my job was to ask my patients about their symptoms, which included patients with major depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and schizophrenia.

"Are you having thoughts of suicidal ideation or self-harm," was a common question.

I loved being there. 

On the floor of the hospitals that were part of my clinical rotations while in nursing school, I always felt eager to do the job. 

And now, I'm a professional. 

Not to confuse that with a pro! 

What I mean is, am experienced nurse. 

Perhaps that's what I'll write about,going forward. 

We'll see! 

Bedtime flip

Almost every night, I am second to bed. Actually - third. Wife on the far side, dog against my pillow.

Dog waits for me to pick up the blanket from the side of the bed and gently continue lifting until the blanket lifts and rolls her over to the middle of the bed. 

I fall asleep petting her soft, black, wavy coat. 

Evaluating a person

While listening to the Hubermann Lab podcast with guest Tim Ferriss, the following quote was mentioned:

"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers."

-Voltaire

Please edit "man/his" to "person/their."

Or don't.

***

Funny thing: I looked up the quote. It turns out that, according to my brief research, that quote is wrongly attributed to Voltaire and isn't quite correctly stated:

"It is easier to judge the mind of a man by his questions rather than his answers."

-Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Levis (Wikipedia page)

the amateur vs The Pro

 At work, I was talking with a person with depression and anxiety who has an artistic gift, but they have not practiced it in a long time. They referenced wanting to use it to make a lot of money. 

When talking with them, I asked if they love doing it for themself and maybe trying out a small gig.

My supervisor came in at the end of the session. He talked about using their artistic gift in a way to improve structure in their day to alleviate their symptoms. 

That is a pro - knowing how to use tools toward achieving an effective outcome.