When the beginning ended...

Dear journal,


Sir Johnny spoke to me the other day and told me that my probationary period will be over this week. According to him, I would officially be an independent ICU/CCU nurse. Do you know what's the worst thing about it? I can't be dumb anymore!

Nobody can probably say that being new in a place is easy. Being the "newbie" means that all eyes are on you and that you are always subjected for criticisms, may it be constructive or destructive. The adjustment is always a question that can only be answered by how difficult the environment is and how easily you adapt to it. Thus, the theory of adaptation comes to play.

When you are just beginning, you deal with lots of different people having varying personalities and characteristics. The sad part is that you have to include them in the scene because, whether you like it or not, all of them are vital in the process.

We have the "Judges." They are the people who seem to know you already because they have made a verdict even before the trial began. If you are taking it easy, they would say you are lazy and is playing safe. If you are eager to learn and ask questions along the way, you are then branded as aggressive and irritating. If you show them you are skilled, they would say you are a braggart and full of yourself.

The Judges do not teach you anything, and they are not ashamed to show you their non-standard practices. They are what the newbies should evade.

Then, we have the "Pathfinders." They are those who greet you with a smile everytime you come to work looking distressed. They help you find your place in the system, for they acknowledge how it feels to be the new member of a group. They teach you because they are secure about their position and they are unselfish enough in sharing everything with you. They encourage you to grasp knowledge and be an active learner. They serve as your model, for they view you as additional hands rather than a heavy block.

These two groups are actually the main players. In every institution in any place, there will always be the judges and the pathfinders. Other variants would include the wallflowers (those whom you don't notice much) and the jelly beans (they are in the same family of the plastic cups).

We should always bare in our minds that we don't stay away from the not-so-good people, but rather we observe them and we learn from them. We should be inspired by these persons; we should do our best not to be like them. 

In our next schedule, I wouldn't be called an orientee anymore. I'm only half-scared because I'm lucky to be in a place where growth is encouraged and people support each other. You can feel the respect in the air and there is no tension to cut because nobody creates one. This is one of the things that I thanked God for last night.

Remember, lightning could strike anytime...

Of course, thanks to Nestlee for being my preceptor... c",)