Well Thursday was our first day of NUR 1229.
We had a quick "orientation" of sorts talked about the syllabus,the calendar & our books for this semester... 3 hard back books & 2 study guides for $323.00 (Maternity & Women's health & study guide, Pediatric nsg & study guide & Community health book).
Then we went right into IV drug Calculations. I've got the math part but it's setting up the problem the right way that seems tricky to me. I'm sure I'll get it with some practice.
Friday was 1/2 day learning venipuncture in lab,(fun!) & the other 1/2 was computer testing crap!
Monday we have our first lecture day with an instructor we have not had before, and 13 chapters in our community health book to read before then.
The calendar for this semester seem quite hectic! Alot more clinical days,& basically a test every Monday!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Finals week
Well Monday I was scheduled for simulation lab. We were given some brief info on our pt on Friday, then Monday I was suppose to be at school @ 1:30 for this sim lab. I get ready to leave my house about 1:15, and my truck won't start! Honey just happened to be there to eat a late lunch & was able to take me to school but I'm frazzled at this situation, but thankful he was there.
I get there and LL & BA were in my group. We were given "report" by Mrs. E, and I was to be the meds nurse, LL was the assessment nurse, & BA was the treatment nurse.
OK I'm still frazzled right? It was like I was a walking zombie..you know when you just don't seem to have a grip on things they seem to snowball..? That's how I felt.
I needed to give insulin & do an accucheck...no big deal except that I haven't mixed or given insulin but twice, once in lab before skills check off & in skills check off...ummmm...8 weeks ago..?
Looked totally ridiculous! Next she needed an IM antibiotic...again haven't looked at needle sizes or syringes since skills check off..not pretty! So basically I'm glad this was just to see where our strengths & weaknesses were b/c I would have failed if it had been pass/fail! We were able at the end to sit & talk about the experience & she was glad that I was able to recognize that I was not prepared & did a poor job. Now I know what I need to work on for next semester. I did mention that I thought this sim lab would have been helpful before clinical to help prepare us more for the "real pts" & some situations that we might face. They are looking into adding it to our schedule before clinical next sem. So I did something good!
Then for the next 2 days we did NCLEX questions in the comp lab. Then another program tests that if we made an 80 on the final test we would not have to take our final, I made a 71.7! Only 2 people made an 80. One was photographic memeory M*! of course!
Thurs we go in to take the 100 question final, the weather is steadily getting worse outside forcast snow & ice. We start the test, I get to #32, the electricity goes out, 2 lights at half power are still on. Some people had to move to another room to see their tests. I get done she says ok those of you who are done can go ahead and go...as I'm walking out the door the lights come back on!
I had to stay to meet with my clinical instructor Mrs. P. While meeting with Mrs. P she says I should put you on probation for this last week of clinical but you have done so well I'm going to go ahead and pass you! WHAT? She says you need to work harder on slef-evaluation. SO let me get this straight you would fail me for not self-evaluating myself on this last weeks paperwwork..? Not b/c I killed a pt, or didn't complete the work about my pt, or said anything in appropriate or missed a day of clinical like M* but b/c I need to be better at self-evaluation...? Youv'e got to be kidding me! Now I thought all fo this while I shook my head in agreement with her.. yas ma'am I will work on that, thank you for giving me another chance, and passing me....UGGGGGH!
But hey I passed and made a B for my semester grade! YAY!
I get there and LL & BA were in my group. We were given "report" by Mrs. E, and I was to be the meds nurse, LL was the assessment nurse, & BA was the treatment nurse.
OK I'm still frazzled right? It was like I was a walking zombie..you know when you just don't seem to have a grip on things they seem to snowball..? That's how I felt.
I needed to give insulin & do an accucheck...no big deal except that I haven't mixed or given insulin but twice, once in lab before skills check off & in skills check off...ummmm...8 weeks ago..?
Looked totally ridiculous! Next she needed an IM antibiotic...again haven't looked at needle sizes or syringes since skills check off..not pretty! So basically I'm glad this was just to see where our strengths & weaknesses were b/c I would have failed if it had been pass/fail! We were able at the end to sit & talk about the experience & she was glad that I was able to recognize that I was not prepared & did a poor job. Now I know what I need to work on for next semester. I did mention that I thought this sim lab would have been helpful before clinical to help prepare us more for the "real pts" & some situations that we might face. They are looking into adding it to our schedule before clinical next sem. So I did something good!
Then for the next 2 days we did NCLEX questions in the comp lab. Then another program tests that if we made an 80 on the final test we would not have to take our final, I made a 71.7! Only 2 people made an 80. One was photographic memeory M*! of course!
Thurs we go in to take the 100 question final, the weather is steadily getting worse outside forcast snow & ice. We start the test, I get to #32, the electricity goes out, 2 lights at half power are still on. Some people had to move to another room to see their tests. I get done she says ok those of you who are done can go ahead and go...as I'm walking out the door the lights come back on!
I had to stay to meet with my clinical instructor Mrs. P. While meeting with Mrs. P she says I should put you on probation for this last week of clinical but you have done so well I'm going to go ahead and pass you! WHAT? She says you need to work harder on slef-evaluation. SO let me get this straight you would fail me for not self-evaluating myself on this last weeks paperwwork..? Not b/c I killed a pt, or didn't complete the work about my pt, or said anything in appropriate or missed a day of clinical like M* but b/c I need to be better at self-evaluation...? Youv'e got to be kidding me! Now I thought all fo this while I shook my head in agreement with her.. yas ma'am I will work on that, thank you for giving me another chance, and passing me....UGGGGGH!
But hey I passed and made a B for my semester grade! YAY!
Clinical week 4
Well this is quite a bit after the fact but here it goes:
Week 4 there was a mix up with some times so my clinical group picked up pts Wed about noon. We weren't able to actually meet our pts but we were able to get our assignments & copy some info from their charts for our paperwork.
My 180 y/o pt from Timbuck2 had cellulitis, from a wound on thier RLE.
Again another "low maintenance" pt. I did spend alot of time this clinical rotation helping my peers, and fellow nurses, but have not really had alot of challenges with my pts.
The good news is the paperwork seems to be getting easier, or maybe I just care less about care plans. Since we din't have to be there until noon I didn't have to stay up super late to get my paperwk done & then get to the hospital by 6:30 am! That was awesome! So instead of working 6:30 am - 2:30 pm we worked 12-6,which was suppose to be 2-10pm. SO no baths, scheduled bed linens, and my pt didn't have any meds during that time, except prn pain meds. They slept alot! So what did I do ? Helped peers change dirty diapers, and bed linens! After the first week I learned a few things about these "procedures" ....vicks vapor rub in the nose...works well but causes some tingling even after wiping it out...N*k gags...alot, Mel...likes to face me when trying not to vomit, doesn't matter which side of her I'm on...Cl*...has gotten alot better at not gagging over the pt...Je**...is great at changing a bed with a pt in it...but the one you want in these certain situations is CM* she is a pro! Fast, expressionless, and keeps everyhting "contained"!
Other things I've learned about my peers..M*, just doesn't like people, and complains alot! Boo is awesome, and knows how to have a good time! N* loves her pts, and has a huge heart! I've grown closest with Mel, I can see us being friends forever.
I was able to change my pts wound dressing & that was fun, not near as "ugly" as some other wounds I've seen. But really nothing really cool this week.
Week 4 there was a mix up with some times so my clinical group picked up pts Wed about noon. We weren't able to actually meet our pts but we were able to get our assignments & copy some info from their charts for our paperwork.
My 180 y/o pt from Timbuck2 had cellulitis, from a wound on thier RLE.
Again another "low maintenance" pt. I did spend alot of time this clinical rotation helping my peers, and fellow nurses, but have not really had alot of challenges with my pts.
The good news is the paperwork seems to be getting easier, or maybe I just care less about care plans. Since we din't have to be there until noon I didn't have to stay up super late to get my paperwk done & then get to the hospital by 6:30 am! That was awesome! So instead of working 6:30 am - 2:30 pm we worked 12-6,which was suppose to be 2-10pm. SO no baths, scheduled bed linens, and my pt didn't have any meds during that time, except prn pain meds. They slept alot! So what did I do ? Helped peers change dirty diapers, and bed linens! After the first week I learned a few things about these "procedures" ....vicks vapor rub in the nose...works well but causes some tingling even after wiping it out...N*k gags...alot, Mel...likes to face me when trying not to vomit, doesn't matter which side of her I'm on...Cl*...has gotten alot better at not gagging over the pt...Je**...is great at changing a bed with a pt in it...but the one you want in these certain situations is CM* she is a pro! Fast, expressionless, and keeps everyhting "contained"!
Other things I've learned about my peers..M*, just doesn't like people, and complains alot! Boo is awesome, and knows how to have a good time! N* loves her pts, and has a huge heart! I've grown closest with Mel, I can see us being friends forever.
I was able to change my pts wound dressing & that was fun, not near as "ugly" as some other wounds I've seen. But really nothing really cool this week.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Clinical week 3
Hello all~
This week my 180 Y/O pt from Timbuck2 had Asthma. That was their med diagnosis. They were very self sufficient even considering their age. I mostly helped out the other students with, bed changes, pt turning,etc... I helped with my first adult poopy diaper change today! Really nothing exciting this week. I did realize this week that I am praying not to get Alzheimer's & that I need to be extra sweet to my children so that they will take care of me when I get older & God forbid I get some terrible disease that will leave me dependent on them or some one else. I guess I was pretty nieve about some people's care for the elderly. I want to become a nurse so that I can take care of people who can't take care of themselves. Whether old or young we all deserve to be cared for properly, and with compassion.
We have next week off for Thanksgiving then a test that Monday (Dec 1st.)
Then last week of clinical and the next week is finals!
Hang in there your'e almost done (for a few weeks atleast)
This week my 180 Y/O pt from Timbuck2 had Asthma. That was their med diagnosis. They were very self sufficient even considering their age. I mostly helped out the other students with, bed changes, pt turning,etc... I helped with my first adult poopy diaper change today! Really nothing exciting this week. I did realize this week that I am praying not to get Alzheimer's & that I need to be extra sweet to my children so that they will take care of me when I get older & God forbid I get some terrible disease that will leave me dependent on them or some one else. I guess I was pretty nieve about some people's care for the elderly. I want to become a nurse so that I can take care of people who can't take care of themselves. Whether old or young we all deserve to be cared for properly, and with compassion.
We have next week off for Thanksgiving then a test that Monday (Dec 1st.)
Then last week of clinical and the next week is finals!
Hang in there your'e almost done (for a few weeks atleast)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Clinical week 2
Clinical week 2:
Let's see we'll stick with my pt was 180 y/o & from Timbuck2...I see a trend forming here....
This week we were suppose to work on our IPR's we had to document 10 exchanges & reference the theraputic communication we used etc...
Again this week (maybe I should tell you about last week's incident before this weeks... when we got to the hospital on our p/u pt info afternoon I had my chart trying to figure out what I was looking at...and the nurse came & got the chart..dr. needed to look at it...20 minutes later back to writing down my pt info, and she comes back & says I need that chart again..ok 20 more minutes... I get chart back. So about 45 minutes total lost documenting time) fast forward week 2: I got to the hospital received my pt info started writing their name down & my chart is taken from me b/c the dr. wants to look at it and visit w/ pt. so I wait about 30 minutes..dr. comes back & says pt is being discharged. While we are finding me a new pt. the new pt's chart was taken by dr. while he visited with them. So 2 hours after everybody else got their pt info & wrote it down so that they could complete their paperwork that night..I got started with mine. Thank goodness my instructor knew my situation & was "lenient". Remember we need a pt that we could converse with...mine not a talker! Like pulling teeth! So my IPR will be pretty sad when I finish it tomorrow night. I'm going to use some of Mel's interraction with them, and the radiologists too! pt had Hypertensi*n, and being 180 this was surprising! LOL! they were taken thurs for an abdominal u/s due to pain in the RUQ. checking on gallstones maybe..? c/o chest pain diminished throughout Wed & really needed nothing from me while I was there, being 180 they were able to feed themselves, and bath themselves, so I helped the other students out most of the time. Which most of their pt's were pretty self suficient too! We did get this pt we'll call him "Steve"..why Steve b/c it's a pretty name...my girls love that line from over the hedge. Again not the pt's real name!!!! "Steve" had a few screws loose...he was mental...he also had part of his bowel in his scrotum so it was the size of a grapefruit! those 2 things coupled together made a boring day pretty interesting. It took several of us holding his hand and legs for the nurse to get the IV in his arm and wrapped b/c he is known for pulling out his IV's. He likes to kick, and scratch at you! We also got to help him to a chair like a recliner b/c he does not like to be alone and he sat in the hallway by the nurses station so he could look around. While getting him into the chair he grabbed my pocket & was pulling at me..this worried me b/c all I could think about was what was in my pocket..where were my bandage scissors...Then later on we got to hold his arms and I had both ankles while radiology did an ultrasound. I've gotten to see so much in my first 2 weeks! I look forward to what I get to do & see this week!
MJH ~SN
Let's see we'll stick with my pt was 180 y/o & from Timbuck2...I see a trend forming here....
This week we were suppose to work on our IPR's we had to document 10 exchanges & reference the theraputic communication we used etc...
Again this week (maybe I should tell you about last week's incident before this weeks... when we got to the hospital on our p/u pt info afternoon I had my chart trying to figure out what I was looking at...and the nurse came & got the chart..dr. needed to look at it...20 minutes later back to writing down my pt info, and she comes back & says I need that chart again..ok 20 more minutes... I get chart back. So about 45 minutes total lost documenting time) fast forward week 2: I got to the hospital received my pt info started writing their name down & my chart is taken from me b/c the dr. wants to look at it and visit w/ pt. so I wait about 30 minutes..dr. comes back & says pt is being discharged. While we are finding me a new pt. the new pt's chart was taken by dr. while he visited with them. So 2 hours after everybody else got their pt info & wrote it down so that they could complete their paperwork that night..I got started with mine. Thank goodness my instructor knew my situation & was "lenient". Remember we need a pt that we could converse with...mine not a talker! Like pulling teeth! So my IPR will be pretty sad when I finish it tomorrow night. I'm going to use some of Mel's interraction with them, and the radiologists too! pt had Hypertensi*n, and being 180 this was surprising! LOL! they were taken thurs for an abdominal u/s due to pain in the RUQ. checking on gallstones maybe..? c/o chest pain diminished throughout Wed & really needed nothing from me while I was there, being 180 they were able to feed themselves, and bath themselves, so I helped the other students out most of the time. Which most of their pt's were pretty self suficient too! We did get this pt we'll call him "Steve"..why Steve b/c it's a pretty name...my girls love that line from over the hedge. Again not the pt's real name!!!! "Steve" had a few screws loose...he was mental...he also had part of his bowel in his scrotum so it was the size of a grapefruit! those 2 things coupled together made a boring day pretty interesting. It took several of us holding his hand and legs for the nurse to get the IV in his arm and wrapped b/c he is known for pulling out his IV's. He likes to kick, and scratch at you! We also got to help him to a chair like a recliner b/c he does not like to be alone and he sat in the hallway by the nurses station so he could look around. While getting him into the chair he grabbed my pocket & was pulling at me..this worried me b/c all I could think about was what was in my pocket..where were my bandage scissors...Then later on we got to hold his arms and I had both ankles while radiology did an ultrasound. I've gotten to see so much in my first 2 weeks! I look forward to what I get to do & see this week!
MJH ~SN
Clinical week 1
Just so we are clear....I have changed all pt info & names, and locations...you do not know these people!
OK so I realized in my update I did not tell you about clilnical pt week 1:
we will call her pt wk 1 she was a former nurse in lets say Timbuck2: she had CHF, and was let's say about 180 y/o! (Enough changes to keep me safe?)
Anyway being a former nurse she was very helpful in my first few days of clinical.
I was so scared to even go in & talk to her..which is so out of character for me!
Wed night I go in (Mel came in with me as support) pt wk1 was out like a light! We talked and introduced ourselves she didn't even know we were there. I thought to myself this should be fun. Came home, hours of paperwork but you've already read about that! Thursday morning after listening to the night nurses report I go in to see pt wk1 and she is sitting up in bed A,A + O X4 (for you non-nurses that is Awake Alrt & Oiented to Person Pace Tme & Situation!)
Intro'd myslef & after helping her with breakfast, assisted her to the BR, I changed her bed, and while waiting her home health nurse came in and I was so relieved when they wanted the hhnurse to give pt wk1 her bath! I did however do this for her the next day! Interesting first pt bath! I guess I can say this here b/c none of you know who I'm talking about since I have changed all of her info!!! When Mel & I assisted with her bath on day 2 she said "I'll wash my gorilla"...(LOL) that's what she really called it! Thank goodness! I still had to wipe & wash her we'll call it a baboon (LOL)! anyway no other real mishaps with pt wk 1. She was transferred after we left Friday to a hospital in another city for more tests. Worst thing I did week 1...did not chart..anything...! oooops! All I missed was charting her vitals 2 times, and the last time she was getting transferred in a few hours anyway! But that won't happen again! Chart, Chart, Chart!
I did get to experience my first wound in week 1. We'll call this pt wound wk1.
I got to see my first real wound. You could actually see tendon! This pt's leg was amputated the next morning & some of my other nursing school students got to change that surgical wound this past week.
Stick around for week 2.
MJH~SN
OK so I realized in my update I did not tell you about clilnical pt week 1:
we will call her pt wk 1 she was a former nurse in lets say Timbuck2: she had CHF, and was let's say about 180 y/o! (Enough changes to keep me safe?)
Anyway being a former nurse she was very helpful in my first few days of clinical.
I was so scared to even go in & talk to her..which is so out of character for me!
Wed night I go in (Mel came in with me as support) pt wk1 was out like a light! We talked and introduced ourselves she didn't even know we were there. I thought to myself this should be fun. Came home, hours of paperwork but you've already read about that! Thursday morning after listening to the night nurses report I go in to see pt wk1 and she is sitting up in bed A,A + O X4 (for you non-nurses that is Awake Alrt & Oiented to Person Pace Tme & Situation!)
Intro'd myslef & after helping her with breakfast, assisted her to the BR, I changed her bed, and while waiting her home health nurse came in and I was so relieved when they wanted the hhnurse to give pt wk1 her bath! I did however do this for her the next day! Interesting first pt bath! I guess I can say this here b/c none of you know who I'm talking about since I have changed all of her info!!! When Mel & I assisted with her bath on day 2 she said "I'll wash my gorilla"...(LOL) that's what she really called it! Thank goodness! I still had to wipe & wash her we'll call it a baboon (LOL)! anyway no other real mishaps with pt wk 1. She was transferred after we left Friday to a hospital in another city for more tests. Worst thing I did week 1...did not chart..anything...! oooops! All I missed was charting her vitals 2 times, and the last time she was getting transferred in a few hours anyway! But that won't happen again! Chart, Chart, Chart!
I did get to experience my first wound in week 1. We'll call this pt wound wk1.
I got to see my first real wound. You could actually see tendon! This pt's leg was amputated the next morning & some of my other nursing school students got to change that surgical wound this past week.
Stick around for week 2.
MJH~SN
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