Yet Another Great Name for a Dog

Melena = black, tarry stools

Yesterday's Post was a Reaction to Someone who needed a Cephalic Analectomy

Yes, I mean they have their head up their ass.

There was a post I read on the Allnurses.com forum started by someone who wondered why the nursing students at her school where so negative. This person had yet to start nursing classes, she was just finishing up her pre-req's. She wanted to know why they seemed so negative. Naturally, everything in this person's world was wonderful including her 2.8 children, husband, and pizza delivering job.

I would love to be there the first time she has a non-compliant client. 10 to 1 she will alienate them with her "life is so wonderful" shtick and then wonder why her clinical instructor jumped all over her ass.

The Real Nursing School Experience

This semester is eating me alive. The typical non-clinical day has me reading several hundred pages, reviewing notes, taking practice NCLEX questions and trying to get assignments done all the while attending lectures. Clinical days mean setting the alarm for God's wakeup call, hopping into that fabulous uniform and getting to the hospital before your clinical instructor asks where you are (because being early isn't enough). Then it is full day of either overwhelming client care or an underwhelming experience in which you need to keep yourself busy. Follow all of that up with 3 hours of paperwork so that you can put your feet up and be ready to do it all over the next day.

Yeah - I'd say that describes my week. Now I want to include the following additions:

• The failing grade on any test is 79% and you freak out when you get an 85%
• It is tough watching those you like struggle hard and there's only so much you can do for them
• It's even tougher to watch those that have the intellect of a retarded sheep have their praises sung by your myopic instructor all the while ignoring the true talent in the class.
• You spend all weekend trying to figure out why a certain instructor makes it seem that she hates your guts and then you realize... it's not just you - it is everyone who doesn't fit her "Barbie Perfect" world.

That in a nutshell is what my life is like at the moment. For all the Pollyanna's out there - yes I am being negative. This is an outlet so that I can put on the front and play nice today and not explode into a puddle of whatever is left after you explode.

Absent Blogger

2nd semester rocks - but it takes all of my time and energy. We are on spring break at the moment so I hope to catch up with some stories this week.

Under Where?

Our classrooms have wireless internet access, so it stands to reason that you can do a little internet surfing during those boring class times.

Note to self: Don't shop for intimate apparel during nursing classes unless you are in the back row where no one can see your screen. I'm just saying.

This One's For You Woodworking Man

Woodworking Man = My Father in Law

Woodworking Man is a Type II diabetic who has very strong opinions about the location of a finger stick when testing blood sugar. I have heard on more than one occasion that it drives him nuts when healthcare workers take his sugar, they poke the pad of his finger and not the side.

Last time it came up I promised him that if they didn't allow me to do the side poke while in school that once I was out of school, I would do it his way.

He will really like my instructors, because during our blood sugar testing lab today, they told us to use the side of the finger.

"Victory for Woodworking Man"

You like me, You really like me

I think I was channeling my inner Sally Fields at orientation the other day. Walking in I was thinking "No one will want me to sit by them, no one will want to talk to me." It's like all the fears of Jr. High came back with a vengeance.

I'm such a dork. I found a place to sit by people who I really like and I spent a lot of time catching up with many of my classmates.

I am such a ninny.

2nd Semester Orientation

It really should have been called "How to scare the shit out of a room full of adults." Ok - maybe we weren't scared, but definitely overwhelmed.

I'm really excited about this semester since we will be learning about chronic diseases. Most importantly is that our time in class to clinical gets better, it will now be a 1:2 ratio (class to clinical).

Gearing it back up

Break time is over.... it was sure fun while it lasted. I can't believe a whole month has gone by.

Thursday is our orientation day and then next Monday we are off to the races. IV's, Trach care, bladder irrigation here I come!

We have a scavenger hunt that we need to do before showing up on Thursday and I thought, "Oh - I'll just pump this out and get it over with" late yesterday afternoon. WRONG. It turned out to be WAYYY more detailed that I expected. I can live with it because I found that our 16 page clinical write up form we had to do last semester has been replaced with a 4 page form. I expect it will be the last time I will ever see paperwork reduction in this field.

I'm Loving It

I am LOVING my time off. I get to sleep in (compared to 5:30, 7:00 IS sleeping in), surf to my hearts content, and then try to get something accomplished so that the day isn't a total loss. Right now I am finishing up Christmas shopping. There wasn't much to do, just getting around to the places without loosing my mind was an accomplishment.

I went to school yesterday to help unpack and sort books for next semester. I was thrilled to note that I only have one new set to worry about this semester. We get all of our reference books in first semester and then everything after that are the books specific for the semester (for me, Med/Surg). We got our tentative class schedules yesterday too. During the first week we learn how to start IV's...

It is finished

My 1st semester of nursing school is complete. I received a great evaluation and was told that I am in good shape to go into next semester. The rumor mill is that 4 people will not be advancing with us, far more than I expected.

I can't even begin to describe the feelings of relief I am experiencing at the moment. I think this picture sums it up...

My Own Little World

I participated in a study group for our final. I knew the people in the group, but really haven't worked with them during the semester, so it was a bonding time.

For most of the semester I have kept my head down, ass up and kept out of all the typical squabbling/cliques that go on in this type of environment. I mostly did it because I immediately knew who in the class I wanted to stay away from, but didn't know their circle of influence.

So naturally in this study group I got to catch up on the class gossip and acted shocked at the appropriate times when classmates antics were talked about (but in reality it was just a confirmation of what I had already surmised).

That being said I received several comments this week along the lines of, "Where have you been all semester - we didn't know you thought that way?" and "How did you stay out of all of this mess?" Each time the answer was, "I was in my own little world." The best reply I got was, "That sounds like a good idea. Can I immigrate to it?"

Down to the final hours

Tomorrow morning I take my final for school. This time tomorrow I will be breathing a sigh of relief or they will be cleaning up the classroom because my head exploded during the test.

That means on Tuesday I go in for my final evaluation with my clinical instructor and I get my grade for the class. I figured out that I need a 5% on this final in order to pass the class, which means I only have to get one question correct. That makes it nice because I won't be feeling the pressure to do well on the exam in order to advance to second semester. Unfortunately, I can't say it is that way for all of my class. Some really nice people who will become great nurses are struggling. The main problem they are having is learning how to think the way they want us to think.

Oh and on Tuesday night... the husband and I are going out for dinner to celebrate!

Squatting at Borders

I have this whole week off in order to enjoy the full experience of studying for my final. Today I'm going to meet up with some of my classmates at Borders. We plan on raiding the NCLEX books in order to practice question answering. While I feel slightly dirty for doing this, there's a very good chance that I will walk out of there with some random book - therefore a win-win situation in my mind.

I'm in love with the man at the liquor store

Last Saturday I stopped by our local state controlled liquor store to pick up some vodka in order to make some vanilla. Anywho, I go up to the counter to pay and the guy asked for my ID. I instantly fell in love. I don't care that he has to card everyone who appears under 35 - he carded ME. I think it had to do with the major local university sweatshirt I had on more than my youthful appearance. Either way, I wanted to kiss the man on the lips, tongue - no tongue, which ever he preferred.

Clinicals Are Over!

This week I finished my first clinical rotation and turned in the last of my paperwork. Yahoo! Now I am studying for the final which is little over a week away.

I loved the second part of clinicals this semester. We were at a local VA rehab facility and I got to see some interesting things and work with some really nice people. Also, I LOVED my clinical instructor. She is a great teacher and no matter what dumb things I did, she was always encouraging, yet correcting me at the same time.

So now I am trying something different while studying for the final, I am actually working in a study group. I have always been against them because I felt that the quality of study wasn't worth it. However, I think with all the time I have available, I am more open to it because I can study with them and then do some on my own. Yesterday was our first session and I think it went well. I also found out a bunch of gossip about things I was completely in the dark on. In fact, one of my classmates said, "Wow, you never seem to be in the middle of this stuff." I told her it's because I completely out of the loop and have no idea of what has been going on.

Oh, funny thing while studying yesterday... the question that was read was about how you insert a tympanic thermometer in an ear correctly. One of the choices was read incorrectly, but nearly had us all on the floor. One of the possible answers was "Move the penis to get into the ear canal." It should have been pinna, but I liked the first choice the best.

Riddle Me This

There is a news story on CNN that has the headline, "Friends, family mourn 'good kid' who died after Taser incident". My question is, if he was such a good kid, why did he put himself into a situation where the police would Taser him? Discuss it amongst yourselves. That is all.

The light at the end of the tunnel

Three clinical days and a final exam are all that stand between me and the end of the semester. I start today studying for the final. There is a huge amount of material to review, so it is going to take me several weeks. I plan on breaking it up with cleaning out the room that will be our guest room. Over break I plan to redecorate it, since I will have the time. I will also be studying for the Nurses Aide I exam.

I've been doing clinical at a local VA rehab facility. I've had two clients who were absolutely delightful. This last week was the first week for giving medication. My client sometimes is reluctant to take his meds, and he tried to get out of them, but in the end I prevailed. Just before we went to lunch I had to give him some Tylenol and he missed his mouth. He performed quite a dance for me trying to find it (it was stuck in his clothes).

Shoot Em Up

Now all that is left for skills check off is the injection. School policy doesn't allow us to stick each other, so we have to do it on a mannequin. I SO don't get the policy. We can't practice on each other, but it was acceptable for our first stick to be an elderly person. You would think that we should have given each other our flu shots.

While on the same subject, I got my flu shot today. The hospital conglomerate associated with my school gave us free flu shots. I was especially thrilled that she didn't activate the needle safety device while still in my arm. If you notice on the picture below, there is a button on the end of the shaft. You have to press it pretty hard to get it to work, plus it can pinch the skin when it retracts. Now, I'm not a fan of getting immunized, but I'm not afraid of it. The nurse today told me about a hospital employee who had to have two colleagues hold her down in order to get her flu shot, the employee was an RN!

Cathy can Cath

Today I had my skills check off for placing urinary catheters. I had to place an indwelling cath into a anatomically correct model. I was thrilled that when I opened my kit it didn't smell like grapefruit. I didn't want to have to explain that to my instructor.