Next Assignment: Tulsa, OK

Being in San Diego was fun.  I loved being there with my daughter, son in law, and granddaughter and especially being there for the birth of my newest granddaughter.  We loved the beaches and the awesome weather.    

Then the time came to look for my next assignment.  Nelson has two more classes to finish before he will be ready to do the LPN to RN bridge program and he has decided to do that program in Oklahoma.   He found the two classes he needed at Tulsa Community College.  Freshman Composition II and Sociology were both available in four week accelerated classes one week apart.  Nelson enrolled and the hunt was on for me to find an assignment nearby.

I found a teaching hospital in Tulsa with a small 14 bed NICU that was in need of a NICU traveler.  I contacted my recruiter and he went to work to get me there.  After some negotiations, the contract was signed and the search for an RV site was started.

Since we had lived in Tulsa before we already knew about some places we could stay and had 2 places picked out.  Unfortunately, both places were full and we started searching for alternate sites.  We found an ad on Craigslist that told of a site next to a pond in West Tulsa. The monthly rent was good, only $275 per month plus electric and the spot was big enough for our 43 foot unit.   After exchanging emails and phone calls we made reservations.

The time came for the return trip cross country.  The RV was connected to the truck then the tow dolly to the RV and the Ford Edge was loaded on the dolly.    Nelson drove and I navigated.  Well he already knew the route but I need to say I did something. 

The night before we left I had a dream that something had happened.  In my dream we were stopped for the night in a wooded area and boon docking.   Some men tried to break into our RV and when we did not open up they started a fire in the truck.  Because of that dream we did not stop in a state park on our way back.  Of course we could not stop at a national park since the government was shut down.  Some people don’t believe in dreams, but why take a chance. 

We had a good trip back and made it in plenty of time for Nelson to get to his first class on time. 

Choosing a New RV

I became a nurse because I wanted to be a travel nurse.   At that time I did not know I wanted to live in an RV.  But in those years of going to school and getting some experience I rediscovered RV’s and made the discovery within myself that I wanted to live in one while traveling. 

If you are considering buying an RV I would suggest that you look at several dealerships and possibly going to an RV show.  There are several types of Recreational Vehicles (RV) and there are pros and cons to each type. My husband and I looked at them all and chose to live in a 5^th wheel.  We made this decision based on several reasons.  5^th wheels are cheaper than motorhomes both in buying and maintaining.  There is no engine, so no problems that way.  The insurance is a lot cheaper and you end up with more room.  The ceiling is usually higher when inside so you don’t have that claustrophobic feeling.  There is also more storage. A 5^th wheel is not made to move around in while in transit so the slides are larger and you get more square footage when all slides are open.

We bought a small one for fun first, then upgraded to one we could travel and live in full time.  After one and a half years we made the decision to upgrade once again.  As we started the search for our third fifth wheel we came up with a must have list.  This list was arrived at by experiences while full timing in an RV and what we had seen at shows and dealerships.  Everyone will have different lists but I will share mine here.   We have purchased a new RV already so I will also include why we wanted them and what the outcome was.  We purchased a used 43 foot Mobile Suites with 4 slides.

1.  2 air condition/heating units.  You really need one for the bedroom and a separate one for the living area.   Our new RV has 2 but because it so large we really need 3 for those really hot days.  This unit also has heat pumps in addition to the propane furnace.   The heat pumps are electric and since electric is included in our monthly rent it makes sense to use it.  The propane furnace turns on automatically if the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees.  In our last RV we had purchased electric space heaters and used those, this is so much nicer.

2.       4 season unit.  This means that the RV is set up for cold climates and the underbelly is enclosed and has heat ducts that will keep the water lines and holding tanks from freezing using the propane furnace.  Our new unit has this as well as an artic package.  The arctic package has more advanced insulation to withstand even colder temperatures with heaters on the holding tanks.  We have no plans to ever need this but it’s nice to know it’s there if needed.

3.       Auto awning.  Some awnings are opened by unlocking slides and manually pulling down the awning.  This requires a lot of work and is sometimes hard to do.  I have had to go out at 2 am during a storm to put the awning back in.  We now have one that opens and closes with a push of a button.

4.       One touch Auto level.  RV’s without auto level must be leveled side to side by using leveling blocks or boards.  This requires checking the level then pulling forward, adding blocks, backing onto the blocks and rechecking the level.  This sometimes has to be done more than once.  Leveling front to back is done using the front legs.  100% auto level is as easy as unhooking and pressing a button.  The RV will do it all.  It is wonderful.  Unfortunately our new coach is not  100% auto level.  What we do have is hydraulic leveling jacks.  We unhook our RV then use a remote control to level side to side.  It is 100% better than before but hopefully we will be able to get the one touch level next time. 

5.       Double frig.  This is just a larger refrigerator.  And yes we got one.  We really need the extra space.

6.       Generator.  Our new RV came with one and we love having it.  When we made the trip from California back to Arkansas it was great to have.  We were able to boondock (no hookups) and use the generator as needed for electric.  Our generator runs on propane and it can get expensive running it full time.  If AC is needed we find it is cheaper to stay at a park than run the generator all night.  We made the trip in November so we used the gas furnace for heat.

7.       Granite.  We do not have granite, we settled for Corian instead and have no issues with it.

8.       Instant hot water.  This was not available in 5^th wheels yet but I have heard that it is now.  We currently have a 12 gallon hot water heater that runs on both propane and electric.  When we are hooked up to electric we leave it on all the time, if not we turn it on and off as needed to conserve propane.

9.       King size bed.  We do have one.  We purchased a new latex mattress and it is great.  If you do plan on replacing the mattress, be sure and measure before you buy.  We measured and bought a new mattress for our last RV and then moved it into the new one.  Then when we started to slide the slide we found a problem. The mattress was too tall to fit when the slide was closed.  Lucky for us we found a way around our problem.   There is a storage area under our bed with hydraulic hinges.  We simply raise the bed before sliding the slide and then it rests on top of the dresser while in transit.  We leave the bedspread on so it does not scratch the dresser.

10.   Picture window.  We love looking outside and having lots of natural light.  We also love having a large window in the back of the RV.  We did get the picture window but what we really wanted was a large TV in the back on a lift that closes down.  We got the TV on the lift but on the side not in the back.

11.   Satellite.  We do have a satellite on the RV.  We have Dish network at our home in Arkansas and an additional receiver in our RV.  The only charge is renting the additional receiver. The downside to this is local channels are only available in either the home or the RV, not both.

12.   Separate oven and microwave.  We have a convection oven and also a propane oven.  Our last RV had the convection oven but not the propane one.  Sometimes you just need a real oven.

13.   Solar panel.  A solar panel will help keep the batteries charged when boon docking or storing.  We do not have this at this time.

14.   Washer and dryer.   There are a few options for washer and dryers in an RV.  There is an all in one unit that washes and dries in one unit.  I have never used them but have not heard good things about them. We currently have separate units.  I cannot state how awesome it is to once again be able to easily do laundry.

We got one item in our RV that we did not know we wanted but today I would not want to live without. That item is a dishwasher drawer.  I have to say, I love my dishwasher!

As you start your search for the perfect RV for you, take a close look at floor plans.   Think about how you live in your home and what you need to be comfortable.  You will be in a much smaller space than previous and you will want to still enjoy those same things.  Do you cook?  Then maybe a larger kitchen with an island would be best.  Do you work nights and not live alone?  Take a look at the bedroom, can you close it off so you can get some sleep?   Make a list of what you want and then be prepared to compromise on the less important items.  

update on travel assignment

It is now seven weeks into this travel assignment and things have slowed down and are
working out fine.  I have mastered, almost, the new computer charting and learning where everything is in the unit. The nurses I work with are terrific and easy to get along with.  I had heard that travel nurses sometimes hada hard time with resentment from staff nurses but I have not found that here.
They seem pleased to have us, and there are several travel nurses on this unit.  The hardest part is the time it takes me to get to work.  I leave the RV Park at 5 pm and my shift starts at 6:38 pm. I do get there around 6 but if I leave later the traffic is worse and I barely make it on time.  Nelson and I took a day and drove to all the RV parks we could find around the hospital, but in the end decided the amenities here, including being safe and having good neighborhoods around us with lots of restaurants, made the drive worth it. 

We are staying at La Haceinda RV park and it is very nice.  The sites are clean, the bathrooms and
laundry facilities are clean. Now that spring is here they are planting more trees and flowers.  They have events in the pavilion on some nights so people can get to know others in the park.  I think my all-time favorite is the hot tub.  The only downside to the hot tub is that it is only hot from 5 to 10 pm.  We have cable here also.  One night we took the TV outside and had some new friends over and watched a movie outside.  It’s like being on vacation whenever I am not at work.   

My mustang

The weather here is so beautiful and I had really been missing my convertible.  One day I mentioned that I wanted a convertible again and the next day the search started.  We started out searching on craigslist. I thought I wanted an Infinity G37 hard top convertible.  It did not take long before price and the lack of truck space made that an unreasonable option.  Then we started looking at other cars.  We drove a beautiful red Sonoma convertible and it was nice but just not the “I can’t wait to get this” feeling I was looking for. We drove another one that smelt like mold inside, that was definitely a no.  Next it was Volkswagon hardtop convertible and I loved everything about it till I drove it.  It had leather seats that were heated and was loaded with features but it drove like the 4 cylinder that it was. 

We came back home and I started looking again and kept coming back to the mustangs.  I had loved the one I had before, it was a 2002 red mustang convertible with a peanut butter top. 

After several hours of looking on the internet we narrowed it down to 3 places to go the next day.  The first place we looked at the car but did not drive it.  It was nice, black, but it had cloth seats and I really wanted leather, but we left it in the running.   The second place we went they had just sold the car.  It was at this location that I realized the body style had changed from 2009 to 2010 and I really liked the 2010 body. 

At the last place we found the winner.  There were two to choose from, both 2010 models, one silver and one red.  After walking around the red car I noticed a tear in the top, that left the silver one.

The sales lady brought the keys and when the doors were opened the scent of leather rushed out to greet us. The sleek look of black leather combined with the matte look of silver trim was elegant and inviting. I sat in the driver’s seat and she started going over the features. 

It has Microsoft sync which is amazing.  It links to my Bluetooth phone which is great but it also uses voice command for my IPOD.  I think it is amazing that I can tell my car which song to play!  Another neat feature is the interior lights.  I can change the dash lights, the halo around them and the other lights in the cup holder and by the door.  The can all change to different colors so I can mix them up. 

It is incredible to drive my car with the top down and enjoy the hill country of Austin.  

My first day as a travel nurse

I am here, on the unit, ready to start my first day of being a travel nurse.  I had two days of classroom orientation where I learnt all about codes of conduct and took HIPPA tests and fire safety.  All those wonderful things that each hospital has to have all employees do.  I was also given a NICU information guide that explains some of the guidelines in this NICU such as the visiting policy, when IV tubing gets changed, when baths are given, oxygen settings, etc.  I read over these guidelines before my first day.

I am going to get two days of orientation on the unit then I will be on my own.  I found my preceptor and introduced myself.  She was in the middle of getting report on our three babies, so I grabbed some paper and started making notes.  One thing I noticed right away is the babies have different times that their cares are due, timed 30 minutes apart.  I was told that the parents know when their babies “touch times” are and try to time visits to coincide.  After report it is time to start the cares.

I was told in orientation that all meds and breast milk are scanned at the bedside prior to giving to the baby and that another nurse must also check all meds and breast milk.   My preceptor brought a COW
(computer on wheels) to the bedside and I am ready to sign in and learn how to scan.  Or, maybe not as my codes are not working.   In the end, my preceptor signed in and I am doing everything under her name.  Next lets try the computer charting and see if those codes work, and, they do!  I am
discovering that computer charting here is different, no work list to remind me what to chart next, that means I will be writing myself a checklist.    

Caring for the babies is something that I do know how to do, just have to learn all the ways that it is different here. There are different residuals that are acceptable, different things to chart, different positioning aides, etc. I am also discovering new meds that I have not given before and that donor breast milk is widely used here. 

My first day ends with me feeling that I have much to learn and only two days to do it and when am I supposed to care for the babies when I have so much charting to do?

Family, children turning into adults

Leaving my children and grand-children behind was a very hard thing to do.  As my children grew up, they, one by one, left me.  But I have never left all of them behind at once.  I thought I had it all planned out, plenty of time to see everyone and spend time playing with my grand-children.  But mother nature had other ideas: two major snow storms, me getting sick and Amandoria being stuck at
the hospital for a week.  In the end we planned one night in Tulsa where five of my children and their families could all get together with me and Nelson. Since it was also almost Amethysts birthday we celebrated that also. 

I loved spending time with my family, loved playing with my grand-children.  There is nothing like walking in a room and seeing those little faces light up with smiles, the rush of Mimi’s from all their
mouths and the race to get to me first. Being oldest Kaylee always wins but Ariah comes in a close second.  Emily always hangs back and when they are done she comes in for her hugs and kisses. She is so soft and cuddly.  Leeanna doesn’t walk yet but I am sure she will join in soon.

Watching the interaction between them as they play together and how they are comfortable with all their aunts and uncles was comforting. Knowing that they are happy and loved by all makes leaving them easier for me.

I didn’t get to spend as much time with Anthony and my mom as I wanted. They both live 120 miles away.  We went there and had lunch with them and spent some time, but not enough.  I also regret that I did not get to see my little Kiera.  But at least Papa got to visit with her.

We have a unique family, one that started almost 16 years ago when Nelson and I said “I do”.  I had 4 children and Nelson had a son.  We did not yet know about his daughter.  Then one day the phone call
came to announce he was the proud father of a 13 year old.  Adding Alyson into our family was an adventure.  There was never a moment when she was not loved and wanted, it just took her a little time to know it. Now she fits as if she has always been with us.  I love my large family and the way it keeps growing and filling love into all the crevices of our lives.

I love knowing that my children, though now all adults, are growing and gaining the knowledge of what it means to truly be a family.  The part that family has played in their lives has changed as they have matured.  They have gone through many phases, from I need everyone, to I need no one, and on
to everyone needs me.  I think most of them are now in the stage of I need some, some need me, and it changes depending on the needs.  In other words, understanding that life really is a combination, not
all one.

As adults, my children have started jobs, spent time in the military, started college, gotten married, gotten divorced, had children, had heartaches and found the love of their lives. I believe that some of them have started to settle into life and have found their niche, while others are still searching for it.  I want to be there to gently guide them on their way, yet let them make their own final decisions and let
them know that it really has to be theirs.  I am hoping that my time away from them will bring them closer to each other. That they will more fully understand the special connection between siblings. 

I miss my family, I love my family.

My experiences at the Saint Franics NICU

My last day at Saint Francis Hospital was bittersweet. Leaving my friends and the Neonatal Intensive Care Center was not easy.  This is where I started my nursing career, where I learnt what it meant to be a nurse, where I laughed in the good times and where I cried during the sad.  

I remember my first day in the NICU, my first patient was a 23 weeker.  Meaning the baby was born at 23 weeks gestation.  I watched this baby grow and go home with his family.  In the past two years, I have taken care of lots of  babies, I have met many parents and have fallen in love with many babies.  There are always those special babies, those that make you smile when you see them and their parents.  Those babies that you just want to hold and cuddle with all night long.  Sometimes these are the babies that start out as “touch me nots”, babies that cannot even handle a touch without having
desaturations and / or bradycardias.  Watching these babies grow and mature and knowing that God has touched them is something that is beyond words.   

The first time that a baby passed while I was in the NICU was in the old unit.  It was the middle of the night and the family was at the bedside.  The unit became quiet, all the nurses knew what was happening and we watched as the baby was coded.  I realized that the entire unit was quiet.  Not a baby was crying. In those few minutes as the baby passed I felt a calmness and I wondered if the babies could sense an angel in our presence? 

During orientation, I made my first friend in the NICU.  We were both new nurses and started our NICU careers together.  Now we are starting our travel nurse careers together.  It is amazing that both of these were completely unplanned.

I made so many close friends in the NICU. Without naming names, I am sure you know who you are.  There is “Booby juice checker”,youPublish Post got that name one night when everyone around you had to have breast milk checked.  You grew to be my closest friend in the NICU and I am really going to miss you. Another close friend, I worked next to the first time in the “family room” in the old unit.  We spent time together whenever our schedules worked out.   Nelson and I loved hanging out with you and your husband.  We will keep our friendship alive and see each other whenever possible.

When I was still on orientation during the day, I was told there is a secretary on nights that is wonderful and will make your life easier.  When I met this man, he made me feel at ease
and made it easy to ask for anything without feeling like I was interrupting.  This person grew to be a good friend.  We gave each other a hard time, lots, but it was all in fun and I will miss him.  By the way, just want you to know, your scrubs match!

There are so many more wonderful nurses, respiratory therapists, and secretaries that
made my experience at Saint Francis a warm and wonderful experience.  Thank you to everyone.  I will you.