VIP Nursing

So I am still in part of a lengthy hospital orientation. Of all the nursing jobs I've had over the years (and there have been many) this is by far the longest, most complete orientation I have ever received. This is because of the huge differences in the Saudi culture, and the wide range of background, education, and cultures of the nurses. A couple days ago we got to tour our nursing units, and meet with the nurse that has been assigned as our preceptor. I am going to be working on the VIP floor, which looks after all the royals, and other wealthy Saudi's. It is a mix of post-partum, newborn, peds, and adult. I have never worked with peds patients, so am a little nervous about it. I'm sure I'll be feeling more confident after my orientation is complete.

Touring my floor was really unlike any nursing floor I have seen in Canada or the US. There are gold plated elevators and furniture that looks like it was borrowed from Queen Elizabeth's Palace. Sometimes they book out the adjacent room, and use 1 as the patient's room, and the other as a sitting area. Its all pretty different than what I'm used to. One of the rooms I visited had at least $15000 worth of flowers. I've never seen flower arrangements like this before. I'm sure I will have lots of stories to tell!!

My preceptor invited me to a going away party for a fellow Canadian. It was really great to meet the other girls on my floor, and to get out and socialize. We went to a restaurant at a nice hotal here, and the food was delicious. All that was missing was a nice glass of wine! Last night I went to a British compound party with a group of girls. Had a great time!! A massive sandstorm rolled in just as we were leaving, and we had a terrifying drive home. It was near whiteout (sandout) conditions, and cars were driving all over the road. Luckily our driver was great and got us home safely. More updates to come../.