Did you know it takes 200x the force of gravity to break the forehead bone (supraorbital rim)? Yes, this is what I'm learning. Mom brought to my attention last night that many of you may not know what my fellowship is or what I'm doing. In nursing school we are taught to think like nurses. We learn how to assess and determine what course we think a patient might take and what might be needed to stabilize and improve the condition of the patient. At least that's what I think we were supposed to learn. They also teach us how to do procedures like start an IV, draw blood, insert catheters and NG tubes, how to give various types of meds, etc. But mostly we're taught how to think. So all new grads, when they start working in the hospital get some form of orientation to the unit and are taught how to be a nurse. Some orientations are relatively short, others are much longer. For example, a general medical-surgical unit might orient for 12 weeks whereas an ER might orient for 6 months and an OR might orient for a year. As I am in the ER, I orient for 6 months. So between now and December I will have class for 8 hours a week, online class for 8-16 hours a week, and clinical training for the remaining hours. In a few weeks I will be assigned a preceptor. I will work that preceptor's schedule and during that time will be required to pass off a number of skills. My whole orientation should be complete in April and then I will be responsible for taking my own patients. That whole program is called a fellowship. There are 12 of us, all girls, that all started together. Because of the size of our group we are usually divided up for our clinical days. I really enjoy my group. I think I have found "my people". We are all slightly irreverent and find humor in things others would be horrified or at least nauseated by. We can talk about secretions at lunch and nobody gags or loses their appetite. Apparently most ER nurses have a similar sense of humor. Last weekend I worked my first night shift. I actually did far better at night than I do most days. The interesting/funny thing was, at some point, everyone got a little punch drunk. It was perfectly okay to be giggly or to call your co-worker the "Purple Power Ranger" (one of the techs nicknamed me due to my purple scrubs). I loved it and had the perfect excuse to sleep all day.

As for the social life. I am making friends and have already found a few people that I really enjoy. Last night I went with the ward to the Children's Hospital to play with the kids. There were 20+ of us and about 5 of them. My table, who included family favorite Mike Hill, played with playdough. Afterward 9 of us went to a diner called, no kidding, "The Diner" in DC. The food was fantastic and it reminded me of the diners you see in TV sitcoms. Sunday night I attended an Apple Fest - featuring treats made with apples. Saturday was a quiet day and then a friend came over to watch a movie. Tomorrow I'm going to a Halloween dinner and Saturday night is Fall Festivis (everyone prepares a dish using an ingredient they've never used before). Overall, I love it here. I miss my family tremendously but know I'm right where I need to be.