Half way already??

It really feels like just yesterday (or at least last week) we started summer session. Yet here I am, half way through the semester! I'm doing as well as I had hoped/planned, but there's always room for improvement. I feel like I should take a page from Melissa's book and read 15 pages a day in med/surg, and probably also mental health and pharm.

So far, I think med/surg is my favorite clinical. The class itself is challenging because we're really expected to teach ourselves - classes are just to supplement our reading. Thankfully I spent so much time grilling on patho that it's not bad. My big problem is how horrid the book is! Clinical, however, has been a blast. I adore my clinical instructor - I feel like I'm learning SO much from her!

Mental health clinical has been a real challenge for me. I'm not sure what I expected from it, but it's certainly challenging my brain!

Pharm is interesting, to say the least. Again, it's really a class where the focus is on the reading, and lecture supplements. I love the way the book is laid out and written. It makes it fun to read, so I tend to save it for after med/surg to cheer me up!

Well, that's about all I have time for right now. Lots to do before I sleep!

Summer School

Summer classes begin today: Mental Health, Med/Surg (yay) and Pharmacology. And heeeere we go!

And, go!

Finals week. The words students across the nation (and possibly world) fear. Will we have prepared enough? Did we retain the information?

Time to find out.

Nurse, heal thyself

Dehydration is the pits. I want to take the time to remind anyone who follows this blog that ignoring the need for water has VERY serious consequences which are just not enjoyable.

I've heard the term "nurse's bladder" - it's when nurses (or others in fast paced jobs with few opportunities for breaks) don't relieve themselves enough and end up stretching the muscles that allow you to hold urine in. That's bad enough. But it's also bad to avoid drinking water just because you're busy.

So my public service message of the day: don't be like me. Drink enough water and avoid the pitfalls of getting sick from dehydration!

End of Semester, Like Whoa

So it's the end of the semester, and I have mixed emotions. Today was our last clinical day - now we have tons of testing on all the skills we have learned thus far. I have to be honest here, I'm not sure just how much I've learned. Technical skills? No problem.

But head to toe assessment?

I find that I'm better able to cope with the stress of school than in my PSU days. This pleases me. I don't get myself worked into quite the same tizzy - I'm very pleased with my first semester of work.

I just wish I was getting more understanding of nursing skills. Or, well, maybe not. Maybe I'm just over-thinking it all.

Maybe I should just get some sleep for once.

Thoughts from the OR

So today I made up my missing clinical hours (from my missed days due to strep throat, blegh!) with another group. This group's clinical instructor runs things differently from how mine does, so I got the opportunity to spend the morning shadowing in the OR!

It's amazing to me the amount of energy I can glean from being near surgeries! I'm such a surgery junkie.

The OR tech (who is also an LPN) showed me the ropes and talked to me about a great many things that got my mind to thinking. I would very much like to be in a position to work in an OR. He and I were very similar in mindset, and he really seemed to thrive in his position. I enjoyed watching him work. I've got many thoughts now about how to pursue my nursing career.

In any case, one of the surgeries I watched was a diagnostic laparoscopy of the abdomen. The gentleman was having a good deal of pain for quite a while, but it turns out there was nothing evident that was likely to be causing his pain. Hopefully for him, he will feel better knowing there is nothing physically wrong.

The second surgery was an orthopedic case - an ankle fusion! Boy was that interesting to watch. You always hear how strenuous ortho is, but it doesn't really mean anything until you've seen it done. They really have to put their backs into it! And now that gentleman has some hardware in his leg that will hopefully help with the pain he's been experiencing from his degenerated ankle joint. As someone who has her own hardware (broken navicular), I hope his surgery helps him as much as mine helped me. I also wish him luck with the rather impressive wound on that same ankle. I cannot imagine living with such painful-looking damage!

So that is my summary. I have a lot to think on, but for now I am in serious need of sleep. Good night to all!

It's About Time

When I started nursing school at Georgetown in January, they gave us all journals. The idea was to reflect on what we learn, how we experience nursing school, and then to carry our reflective nursing on to whatever practice we end up in.

It's April. My journal is blank and dusty and I think it may be pouting.

Problem is, there's no time. I write ever so slowly and I just don't have the energy at the end of my days to sit and write in it. Since typing is much faster and I spend so much time on the computer anyway, I got inspired by MB to create my own blog. So here it is, a glimpse into my 16 months of nursing school.

"Hold on to your butts!"