Week 34: Shut up and Dance-Walk the Moon

HAPPY NURSES' WEEEEEK!!!
I'm so excited to have celebrated my first official Nurses' week!!! It may not seem like much but it is a great deal to me. I'm so thankful to be a nurse. I do not want to forget this feeling of appreciation and excitement! It is such an honor to be able to have such a challenging, yet rewarding career and to finally wear that damn RN after my name!

In honor of Nurses' Week, I wrote: 5 Tips for the New Grad RN:

1. Carry a Handy Dandy Notebook: 
• Chances are you are going to walk in on your first day and be bombarded with a million and one things you need to know. And if you are anything like me.. you are probably going to retain about 15% of it. That is why it has been very helpful for me to jot all the key things down in my handy dandy notebook, which I still carry with me every shift! I may not always open it but, it is nice to have it with me to refer to if I needed. It is in a way my security blanket. 
• It is also fun shopping and picking out a cute little notebook! The one I chose is this cute, red pocket-sized Moleskine. 
2. ASK all the stupid questions:
• So I learned this tip the hard way. 
• If you are unsure of something or have any questions, no matter how stupid you may think a question is, do NOT hesitate to ask a fellow nurse or your charge nurse for the answer. It is wayyyyy better to look or feel dumb asking a "stupid" question than to make a mistake simply b/c you didn't ask! 
• Oh and I know people may say that there are no stupid questions, but I'm here to tell you that there are definitely plenty of stupid questions. But you are going to ask every single one of them. GOT IT?
• Okay, let's move on!
3. Wear comfy shoes:
• Believe it or not, the shoes you choose make a HUGE difference in your day. My feet have chosen the Nike Free 4.0 Flyknits. They are so comfortable and cute at the same time. But everyone has different feet so chose what's comfortable for you! 
4. Take care of yourself:
• Pick a hobby that has nothing to do with nursing. Yes I said it! Nursing is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. And have you heard of nursing burnouts? THEY ARE REAL. And even more real for nurses in their first year. It is important that you have some form of hobby or outlet to balance out the stress from work. 
• Here are some of things I like to do:
• Coffeeshopping 
• Traveling and everything that comes with it!
• Exploring San Diego
• Working out (ONLY if I'm in the mood.. hehe)
• Singing 
• BLOGGGGING!!
5. Get to know your team:
• Because you are going to need every single one of them! I know that in my unit, when a crisis arises, I can always count on my colleagues to be there to support me. A typical team may consist of all the nurses around me, respiratory therapists, doctors, a social worker, a pharmacist, the unit clerk, and I can't forget our amazing volunteers. 
• I make it a point every morning when I start my shift to find out who my patient's RT and Doctor is. 
• You also want to make sure that you have a resource nurse around you. This does not have to be an official assignment, but someone you assign in your own head. 
• I have found myself drawing towards the same nurses. Get to know the nurses around you. Remember those stupid questions we talked about? It's definitely easier to ask those stupid questions to a nurse you can trust [: 

Hope you find at least one of these tips useful!

My triple shot of the week:

1. My Nike Free 4.0 Flyknits and rainbow compression socks.
2. My Moleskine aka Handy Dandy Notebook aka Security Blanket
3. My last travel destination at the lovely 49th Parallel Coffee paired with Lucky's Doughnuts in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Feeling blessed,
Soojung

Week 33: Talking Body-Tove Lo

WOWWWW! I am THE worst blogger in the world. Who goes from week 2 to week 33! NO it is not a type-o. I did not accidentally hold the "3" key down too long with my chubby, middle finger. This is unacceptable. I have no excuse.. okay I lied. I could definitely come up with a couple excuses in my head. HOWEVER, I will just accept the fact that I have a scatter brain and that I suffer from commitment issues.  Actually, that's what I've been thinking about a lot lately. I think I just love to do too many things that I have not been able to excel in one or the other. I'm just "alright" at everything. Or maybe that's just another excuse I make when I jump from project to project.

So for this month of May (I'll start small), I challenge myself to post weekly once more. Even if it's just a quote, or some crazy thought or epiphany I have in my head.. I'll promise myself to post it. THEN maybe I'll be able to excel at this blogging thing. I said MAYBE.

This will be my master plan for now.

OH by the way! How lucky am I that my 3rd post is actually my 33th week here in San Diego. I definitely cannot take credit for that. Sometimes.. things in life just work out. HAHA Anyways, I cannot believe I have been living in SD for almost 9 months now. I still feel like I'm getting to know this awesome city. (Yes.. I still need GPS to get around sometimes..) It's been so fun exploring and eating through San Diego.  But of course, the travel bug in me cannot stay in one place for too long, no matter how amazing it is. So this past April I found myself itching to get on a plane. And I ended up in Vancouver, BC, Canada! And oh my goodness, the only negative thing I have to say about my trip was that it was WAY TOO SHORT. My advice would be to go for at least a week or more.  I loved the fresh air, the green trees, the beautiful ocean, the coffee shops, and I could go on forever....

Luckily, one thing that hasn't changed is my love for travel and photography.

Here is my triple shot of the week (past 31 weeks):
1) Mission Beach: post crazy/random flash flood. Still by the far the best sunset I've seen here in SD.
2) Torrey Pines State Reserve: my favorite hike here in SD. I am not by any means an active person. However, the beautiful ocean definitely helps distract me from the fact that I'm huffing and puffing through the trails here.
3) Capilano Suspension Bridge Park: my favorite activity in Vancouver. Tip: they have a free shuttle bus that makes multiple stops throughout downtown AND they offer AAA discount.

Week 2: Thankful-Kelly Clarkson

My triple shot of the week:
1) My first baby garden. Hopefully these succulents can survive living with me! My thumb is actually the opposite of green... I give them about a month or two.
2) La Jolla Shores. I still feel like it's a dream that I live here. I took this shot during my lunch break at the La Jolla campus today.
3) Krakatoa Cafe. Loved everything from my Strawberry Lavender Lemonade to the outdoor seating under their large fig tree.

Happy Thursday!

What a crazy week it has been. I finally started orientation week (aka brainwash week)! 

Random thought: I think it's ironic that we have to sit through a 2 hour presentation on planning for our retirement. But I am all for it! The earlier I start, the happier old lady I will be. :D

I must add though, that UCSD has an awesome new employee orientation program! This entire week was focused on orientation to make sure everyone was comfortable and ready to work before hitting the floor next week. Today I learned that I am one of the 17 new grad RNs hired this summer out of a whopping 2,200 applicants!! My mouth literally dropped when I heard this. I don't know how or why I got so blessed with this opportunity but all I know is that I am never allowed to complain. Not only am I lucky to have gotten hired as a new grad, I get to start off in my dream unit, the NICU. I believe everything happens for a reason and I cannot wait to see where God takes me after this. 

Felling thankful and blessed,

Soojung

Thankful - Kelly Clarkson

Week 1: Rather Be-Clean Bandit

My triple shot of the week:
1) My family vacation to Oahu.
2) My bestfriend/boyfriend and I exploring Kualoa Ranch
3) My baby Bazemore.

I'm not going to lie. Week 1 was very tough. After driving 8 hours, I finally made it to my tiny new studio home in San Diego, CA. The week consisted of unloading and unpacking all my junk, getting my new employee physical, and making many "necessary" target and ikea runs. I also met a few new neighbors who were all very welcoming. So what am I complaining about?

I AM HOMESICK.

Just proves that no matter where you are, like beautiful San Diego, if you are not with your loved ones... everything just doesn't taste or look the same. That is why I am dedicating my first triple shot to my loved ones back at home. I will say though, it has been getting a little brighter and brighter every day. And I'm sure once I begin my new employee orientation next week and begin werrrrkin, it'll get even brighter.

Feeling hopeful,
Soojung

Rather Be-Clean Bandit