The week of "lasts"...

I am coming up on my last. week. ever. at the job I hate oh-so-very-much.

Last week I hit a major "last" milestone--my last night of being on call. Ever. I was tempted to find the closest body of water to pitch my pager in to early on Tuesday morning, but I'm pretty sure the hospital would find a way to charge me for that...so I'll opt to hand it over to my manager on Friday instead.

This week, I'm sure, will be filled with many more "lasts". Last bronchoscopy, or "bronch", if you're in the biz. (We don't do those at the job I'm going home to, and I am filled with gratitude because of it. I may not mind looking at poop all day, but when a doctor hauls a giant booger out of a person's lung and wiggles it at you from the end of the scope, even my strong stomach starts to turn. Won't miss those. Not one bit.) Last trips to the OR and the ICU. Last time working with surgeons. (Thank GOD.) (Surgeons? Heads-up: focus on surgery and stop pretending to be GI doctors. You aren't good at it. Believe me.) Last time scrounging in the locker room for a pair of size-medium scrub pants that are, in fact, a size medium. Last time listening to the steady drone of anger and hostility that defines the essence of most of my co-workers. Ahhhh.

I thought that, perhaps, at this point I might be a tiny bit nostalgic about leaving this job, but I'm surprised (and happy) to report that I am having no second thoughts. When I look back at the past three years and three months of working for this hospital system, I see a tremendous learning experience--the type where you learn exactly where you NEVER want to work again. Ohhhhh, the book I will write some day documenting all the weird, inappropriate, insane behavior I've witnessed from my co-workers! However, that being said, I am leaving behind some good friends. My Department of Insanity shares close quarters with other departments that staff friendly, funny, and generally not-crazy nurses. I will miss them. But there is not one aspect of my current job that I am going to miss when I'm gone.

And really? It's a great place to be. I know that, when I walk out the door on Friday, I won't look back. I'll take what I've learned, knowing that I am a better nurse than I was three years ago, and run like hell.