Friday, October 8, 2010

Med Passes

So today in Lab I think I "killed" my mannequin!  Lovely.  we practiced med passes...which was a GREAT experience...but then realized that my "patient's" MAR medical record number didn't match his arm band number.  Yep....fabulous!!!!!!!!!
OK, so now we move on and try to study for finals, not stress about next term and injections, etc, etc, etc
But I can promise you that I will NEVER forget to REALLY compare those numbers again!!!!!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

clinicals this week

this week was really exciting because we got to do a full body assessment in Clinicals.  I really enjoyed my patient; the patient continues to go through alot physically and she was incredibly gracious (and patient) to me!  Best of all, after reviewing the chart I found that I accurately assessed him/her which is always a good feeling!
We also filled out medication forms which took forever but was so interesting!  Gave me a great feeling of anxiety for pharmacology in B term.  (ha,ha)
Good luck to everyone studying for the final!!! have a good weekend.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

no clinicals last week

OK, so last week we didn't have clinicals!  It was strange but nice to have a break.  I'm looking forward to clinicals this Thursday since we should be doing assessments.  I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed about the final.  We have tons to read and absorb.  I definitely need to work on my stress...I know, join the club right?  I started running again (after I broke my toe the first week of classes) so that should help.  If anyone has any stress buster tips feel free to let me know!!!!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

glad midterms are over

OK, so made it past midterm in Fundamentals. It was as hard as I thought it would be but so glad we've had the experience and can move on.  Not knowing what to expect always makes me so anxious.
We also had our 2nd clinical on Thursday.  It was a really laid back place when we were there.  The staff was really helpful.  Unfortunately my group didn't get to experience baths because our side of the floor was really high functioning but I did hang out in the P/T room quite a bit and saw some really interesting stuff.  Having never experienced Physical Therapy myself I learned a lot from the therapists.  They talked about several new surgeries being performed and the pt work associated with them.
I look forward to our next clinical and to the medications unit that we will tackle next!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

survived first clinical

Westminster Oaks was a beautiful facility.  I have lived here my entire life (although not for the past 15 years).  I remember the original facility and man has it come a long, long way.  I really enjoyed my time with my client.  She was so relaxed when I performed vital signs that I even got her BP right!!!
My client suffers from Alzheimer's and that made for a challenging day; however, she was so sweet and truly excited to have someone spend the day with her that every 30min or so it was like Christmas to her (each time I reintroduced myself and my purpose).
I look forward to our next clinical and hope that I walk away feeling as good as I did Wednesday!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

2nd week and counting

OK, so today was really my first day of "freaking out".  I'm in the vital signs chapter and how scary is it to not only try and retain this information but we don't know how we will be tested on it for the midterm!  Ok, with that said I'm excited for lab tomorrow: I am anxious to learn how to do blood pressure and I think that all the different sites to take pulse rate is so interesting.
Good grief, will this stuff truly become as familiar as breathing...hard to imagine!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Why I want to be a nurse

Well, I just completed my first week of nursing school!!!  Yay.  My family will tell you that nursing has been something that has been in my mind for many years.  I have a master's degree in social work, worked in a psychiatric hospital for 6 years and then went on to become a pharmaceutical representative for 6 more years.  Thus, I have always been in and around the medical field; however, I have never experienced that feeling that I am doing what I'm supposed to do in this life.
After years of experience around nurses, doctors, hospitals, etc I have figured out what many folks have known for years....good medical care begins and ends with nurses.  That's of course not to say that doctors aren't miraculous, necessary people (as are other members of the medical field) but that nurses have the unique experience of "total care" for the patient.  Nurses care not only for the patient, but for their family, friends, acquaintances, and even for their community.
When I was 18 years old I was caring for my father, who was undergoing routine sinus surgery, in the hospital.  Freakishly, dad hemorrhaged terribly and suffered six surgeries in six days...ending in an emergency surgery in his room to save his life.  I was alone in the hospital with my dad; I never spoke with anyone but the nursing staff.  I was required to sign paperwork to save my dad's life that involved a procedure that most likely would kill him.  It was a nurse that walked me through the paperwork, through the medical procedure and through my fear.  Now I realize that this situation probably wouldn't happen today (as I'm much older now) but that fact remains that I was able to make an educated decision for my dad AND receive much needed emotional support because of this amazing nursing staff.  PS: by the way, dad lived!
This experience has stayed with me through many years of medical experience.  I continue to have a profound respect for the nursing community and have come to realize that I want to be a part of that community as well.  I want to care for the "whole picture" and I look forward to the next two years of my training.
EKH