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New Cruise Ship Nurse - Zuiderdam 9/1 - 15

NurseGeorge

By NurseGeorge,
in Holland America Line

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ecl9335

ecl9335

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Nurse George, we will be joining you on the Panama Canal trip. We were on the Zuiderdam in May and sat with Glenda (ship nurse)and Jim for dinner. They had some friends from Tucsan on the ship and we all were on the same table. Had a great time with them. Don't know if they know we will be going to Panama Canal trip with them.

 

Can you email me at ecl9332@aol.com if you can contact Glenda and Jim?

 

Also our daughter is is a nurse in ICU and Glenda told us she should look at being a cruise nurse. Look forward to meeting you, personally, not professionaly, on the trip. You should look at the Zuiderdam Panama Canal roll call they have for the Zuiderdam Meet and Mingle after we arrive in LA. We get on in Seattle for this trip.

See you on the ship,

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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George - when my brother was onboard HAL as one of the ship's doctors' date=' he usually ate in the passenger dining room with his wife - who accompanied him on most of his cruises. Some nights he had to host a table in the dining room at dinner as well. One night he had one of the nurses join them for dinner, but he mentioned to me that the nurses don't usually eat in the passenger dining room. Is this still the case?[/quote']

I will be posting more later but actually I will be hosting a table tonight in the Vista Dining room also...2 nurses will be...Tonights post should be a fun one...I am loving this experience.

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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Day two – A day at Sea

Got up early today although I was a bit groggy from staying up to late. Decided to wander about the decks last night before the Lido opened…just an excuse to be there at 11 when I could have some French Cuisine…more a fan of Cuisine than of French, but I digress. I was wandering about and went into the Crow’s Nest in time for the band to be on break…I was called over to the group of breaking musicians…one of whom is a new guitar player, Kevin, from Nashville, TN. He and I were both new to the ship…he, however is new to ships, period…wow…he was actually longing for firm ground. Don’t worry Kevin, the sea legs are coming….by the way…I think we have been cruising on a lake so far, the meclizine stock is still quite high. Got to talking with the band members and we shared our personal stories…it is what this experience is about for me…making connections. Did I already mention how welcoming the entire crew has been?

My early start began (after my shower and shave) with a trip for eggs and waffles on Lido deck. (I really need one of those flowershaped waffle makers)…I ran into the Pax Doc, Jeff and we ate together…he had not gotten much sleep either because of patient issues. Here is the deal, we have essentially an ICU on board, and if you are admitted to ICU for the night (or longer, god forbid) you need a nurse by your side. That is where we come in…I have spoken to people recently who said “oh you are going to have fun, you won’t need to work that hard…” I think that might not be the case…and I am up for the challenge. I didn’t take this JOB thinking that I was going on VACATION. This is just yet one more interesting place that a career in nursing can take you.

I stopped into the clinic after breakfast and offered myself up to work and learn. Technically, I am 3rd shift and could lounge around all day eating bon-bons…it just isn’t who I am, I like to be busy…I met some great crew members coming in for various things and also some passengers who were just not feeling quite right…nothing serious…and I am knocking on wood…As an ER nurse I get plenty of fire-breathing, hair-pulling, bonafide emergencies and while people are on vacation I would prefer if it was just the run-of-the-mill stuff. I have gotten a chance to play with some of the machines and my anxiety level is within normal limits.

I am having a great time talking with passengers and finding out where they are from and what brought them to the Zuiderdam…I love to get the stories. I talked with a very nice couple from a land down under who were on an extended vacation that they had won from a travel agency and they had two of the sweetest, most intelligent young girls 4 and 6 with them. These two were so polite and well behaved and were a pleasure to talk with…the 4 year old was explaining her “Leap Frog” learning device to me…I can operate a defibrillator but a child’s learning device and I am lost…she lost patience with me and went back to her math studies…I don’t blame her.

We had lunch as a medical team in the officer’s mess…and then I went for a work-out…not just the cursory lift, lift, lift leave, but a real, work up a sweat and get the heart rate up work out…there, I got use out of some other clothes other than the blue blazer, pants, and white shirt…

Speaking of clothes, I will be fitted tonight for my uniforms…I have been looking forward to getting a HAL uniform since I signed on months ago. The uniforms will not be ready for this cruise (the tailor is VERY busy on board) but they will be ready for my Noordam cruise in December. I am already planning cruise for next year, because the new schedule comes out soon. I plan on spending a longer stretch on board next year and my time is limited.

Tonight, Evelyn and I will be hosting a table in the Vista dining room for formal night. I do get to eat in the Vista….and THE PINNACLE GRILL!!!! I found that out last night from one of the waiters. What a Joy!!!! So far all of the things that I thought would make me long to be a passenger instead of crew are open to me…I am truly having a wonderful experience on the Zuiderdam.

To Ruth and Jim: Thank you for the heads up about HAL management…I am a very loyal employee and love the companies that I work for. I will always take care with how I represent them…hopefully HAL management doesn’t have some hidden policy about employees posting to this board…but I have looked and have not found anything that forbids it. I think that as the posts unanimously suggest, HAL passengers are enjoying my posts…thank you for the concern though.

To Susie and DH: You are going to LOVE this ship and crew, what a joyful group of individuals.

To Chris and Pattie: I will be thinking of you through the Panama Canal but unfortunately, I will only be on for these two weeks. I have to go back to Grad School at the end of September and I have to work at my other jobs. There are going to be some really fun times though…the O-Dam will be transiting with you. They are planning a HUGE combined crew party for the two ships. I don’t have all of the details but that would be a great gala to be at.

To Lisa: As I said, I won’t get my uniforms until I get back home…BUT then I will have a photo session and send you the results…what is YUM YUM MAN Cruise…do I really want to know?

Thanks to all of you who are loyal readers of Adventures in Nursing.

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LAFFNVEGAS "Live from...." Rare

LAFFNVEGAS

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George, the Yum Yum Man is the guy who rings the chimes before dinner and give out the mints when you leave the dining room. We named this cruise The Yum Yum Man Worshippers Cruise. We have an unbelievable crazy group of CCer's going over 30 so far. We are planning Slipper Parties with Jim and Ruth, A Huge Banner Wave in San Diego, a Pajama Party one night. Then we plan to eat and drink our way down the Mexican Riviera:D You and Bill would have a great time with us.:)

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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Great to hear about your experiences!

 

What kind of cabin do you get? Do you have to share or is it your own? Is it a regular cabin listed on the deck plans, or is it one of the ones in white on deck Z that passengers never know about?

 

Love these questions...I am on A deck...in a cabin that is smaller than the passenger cabins with a full/queen sized bed...I am not sure... It is perfect for one person and I am by myself...it is close to the Medical Center because I am on call...I am not so sure how this cabin size will be when my SO joins me in December...it will mean more time will be spent on deck....

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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George, the Yum Yum Man is the guy who rings the chimes before dinner and give out the mints when you leave the dining room. We named this cruise The Yum Yum Man Worshippers Cruise. We have an unbelievable crazy group of CCer's going over 30 so far. We are planning Slipper Parties with Jim and Ruth, A Huge Banner Wave in San Diego, a Pajama Party one night. Then we plan to eat and drink our way down the Mexican Riviera:D You and Bill would have a great time with us.:)

 

Definately a cruise with purpose...We would love it....February is the end of my Grad program...I am currently planning to have a 45-60 day contract April and May, not sure what itinerary.

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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I tried to post this last night but the Satellite was hiding. This morning I thought my wake up call was late and realized that I had gained an hour.

(note to self: always use the ships wake up system)

DAY Two Continues

My evening continued with dinner in formal garb…incidentally, I can’t wait until I get my uniforms…Tonight’s formal attire consisted of a black jacket, bow tie, tux shirt and very dark yet navy pants…I knew…no one else commented but who knows who noticed…

Dinner was amazing, Evelyn and I hosted a table as representatives from the Medical Department. Evelyn is a nurse on board and has been doing full time contracts for Holland America. Evelyn was assigned to be my “buddy”, lucky Evelyn. She has been very patient with all of my inane questions. She looked stunning in her formal uniform and was very gracious in the way she introduced me to the table.

A couple from Cincinnati at the table is celebrating 51 years of marriage tomorrow and seems to be still madly in love. The two of them were incredibly sweet and shared stories of their 6 daughters and then some stories about their 4 sons…TEN CHILDREN…their kids are back on national average though because at 2.2 children apiece they have 22 grandchildren. They have cruised a lot and are new with HAL…They seemed to be quite impressed with the Zuiderdam, as am I.

The other trio at the table was from Melbourne Australia and were on extended leave for 13 weeks. This gentleman was telling us about the benefits of long term employment in Australia and besides the 4 weeks of paid vacation they also accrue a phenomenal amount of extended leave…no wonder the Aussies are all so much fun…they don’t have to work 24/7/365 like the rest of us…The Aussies (oi,oi,oi) on this cruise are abundant and a barrel of laughs…the sense of humor is poignant and lots of fun.

After dinner, the Yum Yum Man (as monikered by Laffnvegas Lisa) came around with the “okay, now, get out!” gong…and everyone got up from the table and was heading for the door so that the dining room could be reset for the next sitting when “BREECH, BLOW AND WHALE HO!” a pod of humpbacks were spotted out the starboard side…this made everyone rush to the windows to see an amazing after dinner show.

But lets talk about the after dinner show, “Stage and Screen.” First of all I need to tell you all that in a previous life I used to do shows very much like the ones seen on cruise ships…they are not easy and very difficult to really pull off well…that being said…anyone fortunate enough to be a passenger on the Zuiderdam has the pleasure of seeing one of the most amazing show casts I have seen. Tonight’s show was so incredible and I can honestly say THE best show on a ship I have seen. There are 4 singers as most of you know, they are referred to as M1, F1, M2, and F2…it was difficult to separate them out because they were all outstanding. M1’s voice was crisp, clear and very mature, I was envious, I could only dream to have a voice that nice. All four of them blended and harmonized like they have been performing together for years. Bravo! was all I can say.

I did a little show of my own later tonight in the Karaoke night in Northern Lights…yes, for all that know me I sang New York, New York…and not very well, I might add…doesn’t matter though because I am exempt from superstar competition due to crew status…(and because I wasn’t very good)

Before my night plate in the Lido, I went to the Officers Bar or OB as they call it…(never knew there was an OB, cool) They were having a fish fry and they attitude inside was very jovial. This is not the first time I have said this and I am not the only person to notice…This is a HAPPY Crew! This ship is well run, well staffed and it shows. I blame the Captain! Captain Timmers has worked up through the ranks with HAL and embodies the warm and friendly spirit that you find on Holland America ships. His joyous attitude is transmitted to the crew every day and it show. And he is a cat lover, like me.

Well it is very late as I write this and tomorrow I am 2nd shift which means I have to help out in the clinic in the morning if it is busy. Tomorrow we go into Juneau and because I am new crew I have to go to immigration on shore at 12:30….then back to the ship by 2:00 for relief of the 1st shift. Looking forward to tomorrow in Juneau!!!

Cheers

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Sea Island Lady

Sea Island Lady

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I thought I would pop in on the HAL message board to see what's going on and I ended up finding this great thread!

 

I have so enjoyed reading about your days-at-sea. Keep the post coming!

 

You sound very professional and capable of doing a good job while on your shift, however I have read many controversial threads about other cruise lines, where the health staff has not been up to par. Such threads have stated it takes a good 30 before a staff member shows up in an emergency and in one incident, a child was mishandled after a pool accident. Are there certain ship protocols that the medical staff have to follow before treating a patient, such as waiting until a physician arrives before treatment begins?

 

Here is a photo of the Yum, Yum Man that I took on the Oosterdam. ;)

TheYumYumMan.jpg

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RuthC

RuthC

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I tried to post this last night but the Satellite was hiding. This morning I thought my wake up call was late and realized that I had gained an hour.

Guess crew doesn't get a little card under their pillow chocolate reminding them to reset their clocks. :( Guess crew doesn't get a pillow chocolate. :eek:

Loving your reports, George. Keep it up. :)

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Agr8RN

Agr8RN

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Nurse George-

 

I will surely be watching your thread closely! What an exciting adventure you have embarked upon.

It's nice to know there is such commeraderie on the HAL ships amongst the medical staff.

Maybe someday... I can retire from my f/t job to a ship! Just need to brush up on the ACLS!

Enjoy! :)

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WeRockChalkKU

WeRockChalkKU

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Nurse George - Love reading your posts and look forward to more info from you. Hubby & I are both nurses but only hubby would qualify to be a cruise nurse. I only have psych and ortho nursing. Hubby has ICU, ER, Cath lab, CCU, and flight nursing. We've joked that we'd love to do what you're doing. So, I took the liberty of responding to your email about sharing your application info.

 

Best wishes as you continue on this challenge!!!!

 

Les & Terri

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Susie51

Susie51

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Nurse George, reading your thread is one of the highlights of my day. You have a fun-filled style of writing. Your thread is like a good novel that I can't put down. But I have to leave thread until your next post.

 

I can't wait until Nov. 3 when I'll be on Zuiderdam. I'm looking forward to meeting this joyful staff and crew.

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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DAY 3 – Tracy Arm and Juneau

Everything happens for a reason, that is a philosophy I live by and it was solidly in place this morning. I already told you that I woke up an hour early this morning. It seems that my body has a built in alarm clock function…when I call the wake up service (something I HIGHLY recommend for anyone serving as a nurse on board) I guess my body just sets its own internal clock and has no function for time change…therefore at 6:30 according to my body clock it was only 5:30…I laid in bed for several minutes staring at the ceiling, blink, blink….nope, it was time to get showered and dressed…so I got dressed and went for some breakfast on the Lido…I wore my pants, shirt and tie with my long lab coat over it…(not remembering that it is a no no to go up on the passenger areas in anything other than the blue blazer)…after breakfast I thought that I would use my crew privilege to go up on the bow (on the part that passengers never are on)…well I could barely get out there because there were so many passengers and crew out there at 6:30 in the morning…they were passing out hot cocoa and blankets and the passengers were taking in the splendor of Tracy Arm. If you have never cruised up Tracy Arm or don’t know what I am talking about it is SPECTACULAR in true Alaska fashion.

I was standing on the starboard side taking in the sights of that side of the fjord and seeing mountain goats, waterfalls and the most opalescent green water I have ever seen when…THAR SHE BLOWS! Humpies feeding…I saw a breech, several tails, and multiple blows as we slowly maneuvered up the arm. Wow, what amazing creatures…I really thought that I would never see a whale in Alaska…I always seemed to miss them.

The last cruise to Alaska that I was on with Bill we saw whales and I have the pictures to prove it…actually, it was Bill’s idea and brilliant. We went to the Juneau Museum of whatever…and they were having an exhibit of the most fantastic naturalist photos of whales that I have ever seen…many have been used on the ship as postcards…but the pictures are big enough and clear enough and the lighting is just right that if you get close to the pictures and take a photo with the frame cut out they look just like you were there. We went back to the ship and showed people, “look at the whales WE saw,” we bragged. People were astounded and demanded to know where we found such an amazing tour for whale watching (having just gotten back from the Seal watching that was supposed to be whales)…we let the joke hang for a bit before we let them in on it…it was hard to keep a straight face.

So there I was out on the deck at 6:30 in the morning watching the wildlife and quite chilly in my lab coat when Mark, the Hotel Manager (and my bosses boss) turns to me and says how is that coat working for you. Mark, like the other crew that I have spoken about has an amazing wit and wonderful personality, yet has the professionalism of a true HAL officer. I thought, at first he was concerned for my warmth. It was not until later, when I related the story to Caroline that I realized the comment was directed at my lack of blue blazer…darn, I need my uniform…(shhh, I might just get it before the cruise is up…but don’t tell, I don’t want to jinx it)

I thought I would try to rectify the situation later when Mark came down to the Medical Center and I apologized for having my lab coat on out on the deck. He replied that it was not nearly as funny as when I was wearing my crew badge at the Captain’s reception…that’s right, make fun of the Newbie…I can take it.

I had a brief jaunt to Juneau and had to get off for immigration, but had to get tendered right back to the ship for my shift.. That’s right I said tendered, in Juneau….The O-Dam and Zuiderdam share a berth, and everyother week we tender to shore…It gave a great perspective of Juneau that you don’t usually get from the dock with Mt. Robert’s so close. I hurried back to the ship thinking that second shift started at 2:00…it starts at 4:00, oh well, at least I wasn’t late. After work, Doctor Jeff and I had dinner on the fan tail. The other med staff were in meetings so it was just the two of us.

Doctor Jeff is a great doc to work with…he is calm and professional. You can tell that he really cares about his patients and gives each of them the full measure of his attention and caring. He is also really interesting to talk with at dinner because he has been doing this cruise medicine for a while and has been on many of the HAL ships as well as others. I found out that we also share a love of Rhododendrons.

Right now, it is my after dinner reflection time and I am about to go work out.

Two for Two…worked out two days in a row…and I am feeling pretty good about myself because of it…<wink>…usually, as a passenger on a cruise my daily day is something like this….Eat, shower, coffee, eat, bingo, wander the ship or go ashore and eat, come back to the ship or go back to the cabin after a little snack and sleep, talk with Bill about the need for both of us to go and workout…oops look at the time…tux for dinner, “bring money for the casino”, talk about all of the reasons not to gamble, go to dinner, “stop by” the casino…just to see if anyone is winning, <gotcha> “ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, blink, blink, blink, blink…”Texas Tea”, lose all of our money, let Bill convince me not to take out a cash advance (only did that once and got caught in a lie), go to the show, wander the ship, go to the cabin, neatly remove tuxes, read for about an hour and go to bed….only to get up and repeat tomorrow…ahhhh heaven. Well, I have found some new parts of heaven…some of them marked “Crew Only”…I still can’t believe that I am part of a HAL crew. I guess it is because cruising is still such a romantic mode of transportation to me (and many others). I feel honored to be able to be part of the experience that the passengers are having on board. It is my goal to make each encounter with passengers and crew add to their experience (and mine, as a nice secondary benefit).

While I was working, John, the new Events Manager came in to work out…he is easy to talk to about his experience with HAL…he has a degree in Cruise Ship Event Management, how cool is that…and before I went to nursing school I had a degree in Political Science…if I had only known…I could see myself as a Cruise Director…but I love being a nurse…if only there were some way to combine that work…some things just don’t fit together well…like rollerblades and gravel, pickles and grape jelly, or high heels and high seas (hehehe) Anyway, John just got off of the Volendam and is getting ready in January to set sail on the world cruise on the Amsterdam. (Now I know that there are some of you that will be on that cruise, say hi to John)

Speaking of saying Hi, I found out who Glenda and Jim are and the Zuiderdam is Glenda’s ship…she was Lead nurse for quite a while…Evelyn remembers her talking about Chris and Pattie so I am trying to get a message to Glenda from you guys.

Now I am comfortably sitting at my computer, thinking about doing nothing but posting this and going to bed…no bingo, no casino, no have to be anywhere (unless my emergency phone rings), just me in my cabin and the new Harry Potter…a new part of heaven…although it is a relatively “small” part of heaven, but I am not complaining….

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NurseGeorge

NurseGeorge

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Guess crew doesn't get a little card under their pillow chocolate reminding them to reset their clocks. :( Guess crew doesn't get a pillow chocolate. :eek:

 

Loving your reports, George. Keep it up. :)

 

I brought some of the HAL chocolates that I have collected from previous cruises…chocolate never goes bad, right? I think that at the next time change I will put one on my pillow to remind me to set my clocks ahead an hour. The next time change could make me late for work.

After I posted my last long post I took a quick read of your responses to my posts and I was tickled…I am having a blast writing this chronicle but it makes me smile to know that it is bringing entertainment to people who understand the romance of cruising…I have shared this thread with friends on the ship and they are having fun reading it too. There is even a nurse who will be taking over for me who is reading this too, right Earl. Earl had a lot of the same questions that I had…a lot of similar “what to expects?” So I figured the best way to find out is to hear it day by day from some one doing it… I am really enjoying your responses and it is making it so worth writing.

I wish that I could respond to each of you personally but because it is so expensive to have satellite internet I have to compose offline and make a quick in to post and read and then out again…actually the satellite is so sketchy up this far north it usually kicks me off in mid sentence…I have had to retype several things (this post being one of them), I would like to specifically respond to one.

I am very sad to hear that there are stories of ANY medical crew on ANY ship not being up to par…when people are seeking attention from medical they are sometimes very vulnerable and as such need special care…The one thing that I will say is there will absolutely NOT be any comments of that nature from this medical staff…I am so impressed by this team, and honored that they have allowed me to be a part.

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Susie51

Susie51

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Nurse George, Thanks for the updates. I realize you can't respond to this question while on the ship, but if there is time for you would you be able to see what life on board a cruise ship is like for a children's worker?

 

My daughter would like to start working for a cruise line summer of 2008 after she graduates from college with her teaching degree. At that time, she will be 23.

 

When you finish your 2 weeks and are back home, if possible could you mention something about children's workers life on board the ship.

 

Please excuse me, if this an outrageous request.

 

Sue

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