So I am talking to my half torso practice mannequin, pretending that that HE is a real patient as we would in the hospital. I pull back the sheet to expose the wound dressing I need to change only to find that my male torso is in fact a female, with all her feminine glory exposed to the whole room.
So one of my partners kindly offered up "if you really want to make it a male, I saw a whole box of penises back there, it made me giggle..."
Lesson of the day....never assume someones gender, mannequin or not!
23 February 2010
Hope you had your pain meds...
because this is going to hurt! (a lot)
Topic of discussion/demonstration of today's lab: wound care, including irrigation, debridement, culturing, and dressing change.
After lunch, focus completely changed to inserting/removing a urinary catheter and collecting a sterile urine specimen. We all got sent home with "practice kits" for these two main activities. I can soooo see people lining up for me to cath them now!
Today was also the last simulated labs for a while, watch out local hospitals Intro to Nursing students are in the building! Minus one more lab day in April to get checked of on our wound dressing skills, we will be in our assigned hospitals for the remainder of the semester. Should be fun or good for a interesting story or two. :)
I have ten or so of assigned chapters to read (with of course the corresponding workbook pages for said chapters), drug cards to finish, and two case studies to work on before next week, plus I think I also have a chemistry test to prepare for. Guess what I am saying, is don't look for posts anytime soon....unless something really interesting happens.
Topic of discussion/demonstration of today's lab: wound care, including irrigation, debridement, culturing, and dressing change.
After lunch, focus completely changed to inserting/removing a urinary catheter and collecting a sterile urine specimen. We all got sent home with "practice kits" for these two main activities. I can soooo see people lining up for me to cath them now!
Today was also the last simulated labs for a while, watch out local hospitals Intro to Nursing students are in the building! Minus one more lab day in April to get checked of on our wound dressing skills, we will be in our assigned hospitals for the remainder of the semester. Should be fun or good for a interesting story or two. :)I have ten or so of assigned chapters to read (with of course the corresponding workbook pages for said chapters), drug cards to finish, and two case studies to work on before next week, plus I think I also have a chemistry test to prepare for. Guess what I am saying, is don't look for posts anytime soon....unless something really interesting happens.
18 February 2010
Dreams Don't Lie (Much)
In anticipation for last weeks theory test grade being posted today, I dreamed about logging on to the computer to find out the results of test two last night.
Of course I am going to dream that I passed; specifically, the dream said I got an 85% on it. Pretty darn good! Had I actually thought about it at the time, with the questions being 2 points apiece and partial credit not given, an 85% is mathematically impossible. Oh well, I did get finally get some great restful sleep from that point on!
In reality, I got on 84% on it. Still not bad; I am quite ecstatic with the results. After the reviewing a correctly graded test last week, I was sure I had a whole lot more wrong...I actually lost count of how many I thought I answered incorrectly. This will be the one and only situation where I am happy to admit I am mistaken.
There is a mini break for the remainder of the week; school is closed today and tomorrow for some faculty and all college day thing. Fine by me.
I realized today, just how drastic my expectation on home cleanliness has changed since the nursing classes have started. While we're not living in a health risk situation, there is lots and lots of clutter.
Seriously how did we accumulate so much stuff, we have lived here less than two years!?! Things are just shoved where they could fit out of the kiddo's reach. Let's not even mention the toys! Yeah, I don't do clutter so well.
So the plan for today and possibly tomorrow is to organize, recycle, and donate! All I can hope is the cleanliness lasts until Spring Break! I wonder if upon noticing how much I cleaned today, my husband would feel compelled to take the Christmas lights off the second story of the house tonight? :)
Of course I am going to dream that I passed; specifically, the dream said I got an 85% on it. Pretty darn good! Had I actually thought about it at the time, with the questions being 2 points apiece and partial credit not given, an 85% is mathematically impossible. Oh well, I did get finally get some great restful sleep from that point on!
In reality, I got on 84% on it. Still not bad; I am quite ecstatic with the results. After the reviewing a correctly graded test last week, I was sure I had a whole lot more wrong...I actually lost count of how many I thought I answered incorrectly. This will be the one and only situation where I am happy to admit I am mistaken.
There is a mini break for the remainder of the week; school is closed today and tomorrow for some faculty and all college day thing. Fine by me.
I realized today, just how drastic my expectation on home cleanliness has changed since the nursing classes have started. While we're not living in a health risk situation, there is lots and lots of clutter.
So the plan for today and possibly tomorrow is to organize, recycle, and donate! All I can hope is the cleanliness lasts until Spring Break! I wonder if upon noticing how much I cleaned today, my husband would feel compelled to take the Christmas lights off the second story of the house tonight? :)
16 February 2010
Digressing
This is going so far off the original focus of this blog but trust me it all does tie in together somehow.
It has been a pretty rough last few days. School, family, friends, LIFE has encompassed every area of my brain; leaving little room for the information required for my nursing class.
We always hear, never leave things undone or what needs to be said unsaid; life is unpredictable you never know what can happen next. I, like most people, really don't follow that action to well. In fact, I have over a dozen unanswered emails sitting in my inbox right now. Priorities right? I always reply to my friends deployed to the "sandbox" rather promptly, who knows what can happen over there. For my friends at home, on safer ground, I run about a week behind in my responses back.
Sadly, there was one message I never had the chance to respond to. This past Thursday I found out that a friend I was stationed with a few years ago died as a result of a car accident. So many things left unsaid; life is very much unpredictable. Had I know last week what I know today, I would have said thank you for being such a great friend. That I thought you were doing a amazing job raising your boys, that they carry your spirit and passion for life, and will continue to do so as they grow into men. You are truly going to be missed by all.
To add to an already emotional roller coaster of a week, my three year old son had an appointment, of what I assume to be the first of many, to screen for Autism. Most see him as an incredibly bright child (which he is don't get me wrong), but when one is so advanced in some areas you tend to lag behind in others. At three years old, this boy of mine can read, write, and in his own words "spell complex words." Clearly very high functioning; however, he does have many of the Asperger's syndrome symptoms that requires further investigation prior to starting Pre-K this fall.
He has a referral out for further tests on 4 of the 5 areas of development. However, the lady conducting the tests said she couldn't really figure out if he was just being suborn and refusing to do the task or he really couldn’t do it (when things don't go his way he tends to shut down.) Just to be safe she put out a referral for us to meet with someone else. Only time and many more assessments and tests will reflect the true extent of what we are dealing with for now and the future hurtles we have to overcome.
What all this is leading up the test I took last week. While the test grade is still not posted, I have this strong feeling I didn’t do as well as I would have like do. My mind was of course elsewhere during the entire duration of the test; and I will have to accept the consequences of diverting my attention.
It has been a pretty rough last few days. School, family, friends, LIFE has encompassed every area of my brain; leaving little room for the information required for my nursing class.
We always hear, never leave things undone or what needs to be said unsaid; life is unpredictable you never know what can happen next. I, like most people, really don't follow that action to well. In fact, I have over a dozen unanswered emails sitting in my inbox right now. Priorities right? I always reply to my friends deployed to the "sandbox" rather promptly, who knows what can happen over there. For my friends at home, on safer ground, I run about a week behind in my responses back.
Sadly, there was one message I never had the chance to respond to. This past Thursday I found out that a friend I was stationed with a few years ago died as a result of a car accident. So many things left unsaid; life is very much unpredictable. Had I know last week what I know today, I would have said thank you for being such a great friend. That I thought you were doing a amazing job raising your boys, that they carry your spirit and passion for life, and will continue to do so as they grow into men. You are truly going to be missed by all.
To add to an already emotional roller coaster of a week, my three year old son had an appointment, of what I assume to be the first of many, to screen for Autism. Most see him as an incredibly bright child (which he is don't get me wrong), but when one is so advanced in some areas you tend to lag behind in others. At three years old, this boy of mine can read, write, and in his own words "spell complex words." Clearly very high functioning; however, he does have many of the Asperger's syndrome symptoms that requires further investigation prior to starting Pre-K this fall.
He has a referral out for further tests on 4 of the 5 areas of development. However, the lady conducting the tests said she couldn't really figure out if he was just being suborn and refusing to do the task or he really couldn’t do it (when things don't go his way he tends to shut down.) Just to be safe she put out a referral for us to meet with someone else. Only time and many more assessments and tests will reflect the true extent of what we are dealing with for now and the future hurtles we have to overcome.
What all this is leading up the test I took last week. While the test grade is still not posted, I have this strong feeling I didn’t do as well as I would have like do. My mind was of course elsewhere during the entire duration of the test; and I will have to accept the consequences of diverting my attention.
As a nurse you have leave your problems at the "time clock."
But I am not that nurse;
yet.....
But I am not that nurse;
yet.....
10 February 2010
Passing Meds Already!
Wow, this week has disappeared on me; so incredibility busy it's unreal.For one lesson alone we were assigned 9 glorious chapters to read in the Pharmacology book! Sad to say, it's still not done. Oh, and the theory test on said 9 chapters plus another 6 more is tomorrow afternoon...yup, I do realize it's a little to late to freak out now.
This week in Lab is the first time I slightly felt like a real nurse, instead of a glorified aide. We are leaning to pass medications and give injections. In fact we even signed off on the Intramuscular (painful shot into the Deltoid) and the Intradermal (think TB tests).
Next Tuesday will be the practicum on Med. passes and a subcutaneous injection (insulin injections). A little alarmed that my instructor felt the overwhelming desire to share with us that last semester she only had 3 people pass those skill first time around. I am not liking the classes' odds here. We do have an opportunity to retake, but it is done on our own time. Well, I really don't have the time to spare as it is....so I think it will be much easier on me to pass the first time around.
That being said, I can really use someone to practice on....
any takers?
04 February 2010
Wear Red Day
In the essence of spreading the word, here is the reminder that tomorrow is wear red day. Woman for so long many of us have been putting our own self and health on the back burner. Taking care of you first should be the first priority!
HEART DISEASE IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF WOMAN!
Get empowered with the facts, a few simple changes in daily lifestyle can lower that statistic for us! For example... make healthy changes to your diet and exercise, assess your risk factors for heart disease and get those regular checkups.It also kills more people in the USA than cancer does. Heart disease is often called the silent killer; but heart disease does not usually occur spontaneously, but after a gradual build up. All the risk factors: high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes can gradually damage the heart.
02 February 2010
Post It Note Tuesday
Okay so I saw this post it note Tuesday on a friends page, since I didn't have much to say today figured a post it will do nicely. :)
01 February 2010
Whining (Hey, I warned you)
So my two children started daycare when I had to start day classes nearly a month ago. I knew they will now be exposed to everything and would possibly be sick all the time. So it makes perfect sense (note sarcasm here) that I would be the one who is nearly on the deathbed now... while those two happy, healthy, noisy little critters slam things around the house.
Don't misunderstand me, I am happy and maybe a little grateful that other then a slight cold they are okay. But do they have to be so darn noisy, come on my head in going to explode here! I don't even think I would wish a sinus infection on my worst enemy.
Sigh, I have that practicum tomorrow, that when I was in great heath I signed up to do first thing in the morning (0700). Hopefully some of this pressure in my head will subside by then and I can regain the full range of hearing....because as of right now I am having a hard time hearing the low tones. (AKA the apical pulse) GREAT!
Alright, I am done whining...seriously considering smothering myself with a hot towel.
Don't misunderstand me, I am happy and maybe a little grateful that other then a slight cold they are okay. But do they have to be so darn noisy, come on my head in going to explode here! I don't even think I would wish a sinus infection on my worst enemy.
Sigh, I have that practicum tomorrow, that when I was in great heath I signed up to do first thing in the morning (0700). Hopefully some of this pressure in my head will subside by then and I can regain the full range of hearing....because as of right now I am having a hard time hearing the low tones. (AKA the apical pulse) GREAT!
Alright, I am done whining...seriously considering smothering myself with a hot towel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
