Thanksgiving break has finally arrived. I've flat run out of energy for the semester, but, I don't get to take a break from my studies, for when I return from break, I have my math final Monday (scream) and my pharmacology final Thursday (yelp).
This week was very non-eventful school wise. We learned how to give intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. True fact: The gluteus maximus is no longer the preferred site for deep muscle injections. Apparently, too many folks were inadvertently hitting the sciatic nerve (youch!) So now, we give these intramuscular injections....wait for it.....in between the anterior superior iliac spine and the iliac crest.
We had a fundamentals of nursing exam on Monday, that I thought went pretty well, but apparently this was a tough exam, and I received a B. Better, compared to some of my classmates who failed or got C's. Surprisingly, I only minded a little bit. I still have an overall A in the class, and I only have the final left. The final that's worth 200 points. I could still manage to pull off an A.
Last week, I wrote about the desire to have a real life conversation with someone. Well, it occured to me that it's okay to reach out to people and ask them to hang out. (I have this deep seeded fear of rejection, hence why I rarely ask anyone to do anything with me. Lame, I know.) Anyway, I reached out to a friend Monday night, and it turned out to be a really enjoyable evening. He treated me to dinner, which at this point is life saving, being that I have very little money, and then we watched football, and chatted. It was enough for this little nursing student to feel human again. I did the same thing with another friend Wednesday, and sure enough; it was uplifting.
My roommate came home early Wednesday evening and told me she thinks I spend too much time in my room, and she'll start calling me Rapunzel from now on. It's simply where I study best. Besides, I'm fatigued almost all the time, and my joint pain is slowly returning. I go where I'm comfortable.
Pretty boring entry for this week. Until next time.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Semester One, Week Thirteen
Last week was so hellacious, I didn't even get a chance to write until now.
Not really.
My comps, a demonstration of the skills I have learned this semester are officially "up there" as one of the most terrifying moments of my life. For one, I suffer from stage fright something awful. And when this happens, up goes the heart rate, breathing pattern, hands begin to shake, and my memory becomes cloudy.
So while I'm trying to demonstrate to my mannequin the skills I will be performing on her today, simple words evacuate my mind, and I'm left standing there, throwing any words out that I can remember from class. "S1 and S2 sounds ausculated! Clear, crisp! Lung sounds clear, no adventitious sounds, equal chest rise and fall, eupneic, capillary refill less than three seconds, equal bilaterally, brisk."
On and on it went; my hands shaking throughout, desperately trying to recall, and demonstrate that I am a worthy first semester student.
And, it went fairly well, until the foley catheter demonstration, where I forgot about this handy thing called sterile gloves. You need those babies in order to insert a catheter without introducing bacteria. I saw them, and removed them from my catheter kit, and got busy removing the betadine swabs from the kit, until my instructor made a dreaded buzzer sound (can't you hear it in your head?) and pointed out to me my fatal error. I mean, really? Catheter without sterile technique? Sarah!
She was gracious, and did not dock off every point I deserved.
In fact, she told me I did everything else almost perfectly, and she initially thought I just may be one of those 100% students (until the catheter incident of 2014.)
I passed, with an A.
The rest of the week included a pharmacology test (96%!) and a culture presentation (my group earned an A!)
I signed up for second semester. It's happening. One semester almost down.
I think my biggest struggle this semester has been having very limited people I can talk to. I crave conversation; and not just conversation about nursing school. Just a real-life, sit-down conversation. I haven't had one of those in a long time, and it'd be much appreciated. I'm alone so much of the time, and holding a one-sided conversation is plain boring. Maybe one day.
Not really.
My comps, a demonstration of the skills I have learned this semester are officially "up there" as one of the most terrifying moments of my life. For one, I suffer from stage fright something awful. And when this happens, up goes the heart rate, breathing pattern, hands begin to shake, and my memory becomes cloudy.
So while I'm trying to demonstrate to my mannequin the skills I will be performing on her today, simple words evacuate my mind, and I'm left standing there, throwing any words out that I can remember from class. "S1 and S2 sounds ausculated! Clear, crisp! Lung sounds clear, no adventitious sounds, equal chest rise and fall, eupneic, capillary refill less than three seconds, equal bilaterally, brisk."
On and on it went; my hands shaking throughout, desperately trying to recall, and demonstrate that I am a worthy first semester student.
And, it went fairly well, until the foley catheter demonstration, where I forgot about this handy thing called sterile gloves. You need those babies in order to insert a catheter without introducing bacteria. I saw them, and removed them from my catheter kit, and got busy removing the betadine swabs from the kit, until my instructor made a dreaded buzzer sound (can't you hear it in your head?) and pointed out to me my fatal error. I mean, really? Catheter without sterile technique? Sarah!
She was gracious, and did not dock off every point I deserved.
In fact, she told me I did everything else almost perfectly, and she initially thought I just may be one of those 100% students (until the catheter incident of 2014.)
I passed, with an A.
The rest of the week included a pharmacology test (96%!) and a culture presentation (my group earned an A!)
I signed up for second semester. It's happening. One semester almost down.
I think my biggest struggle this semester has been having very limited people I can talk to. I crave conversation; and not just conversation about nursing school. Just a real-life, sit-down conversation. I haven't had one of those in a long time, and it'd be much appreciated. I'm alone so much of the time, and holding a one-sided conversation is plain boring. Maybe one day.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Semester One, Week Twelve
"Do you enjoy putting makeup on women?" I asked the mall kiosk man who somehow managed to grab me, start applying makeup and telling me how old I'll look if I don't buy his special makeup, utilizing an ultra magnified mirror.
He showed me the results. I saw none. What I did see is a tired looking woman, with really dry lips. Said salesman tried his best to persuade me to purchase his product, but the best answer is "I can't afford it, even if I wanted to. I'm a full-time student."
This led into what I'm studying, which led into how he's a firefighter (and you sell makeup on the side??) and then he asked, "Why nursing?"
Why not nursing? Why not this field that has so captivated my heart, left me heartbroken when I couldn't work in it, always dreaming of the day that I could change a life.
I completed my clinical requirements for first semester on Wednesday. I worry about the residents I leave behind, the ones I came to enjoy, and get to know personally. What will happen to them? One asked me to come and visit, and with every good intention I plan to, but I also know life. How it gets in the way, and the people and places that meant everything to us in the moment simply dissipate overtime, till it's like "Oh so-and-so? Yeah, I remember them..."
As an aside, I began a short dose of steroids this week due to my ever increasing joint pain. I didn't realize it until it began working how much pain I've actually been in. For one, I felt as if I had lost 10 pounds. I've forgotten how nice it is to walk, not feeling like you're sludging through water. Being able to stand, sit, go up and down stairs, move without pain, well, that's like a modern day miracle. The steroids were a last ditch effort, but once my doctor suggested it, I took it. And now I see why steroids were once hailed as a cure for arthritis (before all the horrible side effects were discovered, that is.)
Unfortunately, steroids lower your immunity, so that fantastic cold I had last week that stole my voice is still present. I think I have a sinus infection. Just call me the mucous maker. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss what next, pain wise, and perhaps get some antibiotics for this infection of mine. Being sick makes you value your health all the more. Kids, don't take for granted how nice it is to live pain free, because once you're stuck in that world, all you can dwell on is the pain. I have spent (unconsciously) most of my time formulating ways to not have to bend down, move, go up or down stairs, coming up with plans on how to get back up. This week has been miraculous, if only to realize what life is like when you're not planning your next [agonizing] move.
I took a math test this week and did awful. I forgot everything I had learned. I couldn't round, couldn't calculate, nothing. So, my straight-A score has been erased, but I did meet with my math professor, and all hope is not lost. I can still pull off an A in the class if I do well on my final. I was devastated about my poor grade, but I did feel like crap during the exam, so that served as a distraction. Not that this is my excuse. My poor grade was due to the fact that a) I didn't round and b) didn't show my work. For some reason, I've gotten into the habit of scribbling down my numbers without showing how I did it, or writing down the units. For the final, I'll be better, I promise.
Next week is dubbed "hell week." We have comps; demonstrating a head to toe assessment (I keep dreaming that I totally mess this up), vitals, and either a foley catheter insertion or sterile dressing change. One-on-one time with a panel of my instructors, demonstrating my skills. This counts as a test score, and is a big deal, apparently.
I will write after I've gone through hell and back.
He showed me the results. I saw none. What I did see is a tired looking woman, with really dry lips. Said salesman tried his best to persuade me to purchase his product, but the best answer is "I can't afford it, even if I wanted to. I'm a full-time student."
This led into what I'm studying, which led into how he's a firefighter (and you sell makeup on the side??) and then he asked, "Why nursing?"
Why not nursing? Why not this field that has so captivated my heart, left me heartbroken when I couldn't work in it, always dreaming of the day that I could change a life.
I completed my clinical requirements for first semester on Wednesday. I worry about the residents I leave behind, the ones I came to enjoy, and get to know personally. What will happen to them? One asked me to come and visit, and with every good intention I plan to, but I also know life. How it gets in the way, and the people and places that meant everything to us in the moment simply dissipate overtime, till it's like "Oh so-and-so? Yeah, I remember them..."
As an aside, I began a short dose of steroids this week due to my ever increasing joint pain. I didn't realize it until it began working how much pain I've actually been in. For one, I felt as if I had lost 10 pounds. I've forgotten how nice it is to walk, not feeling like you're sludging through water. Being able to stand, sit, go up and down stairs, move without pain, well, that's like a modern day miracle. The steroids were a last ditch effort, but once my doctor suggested it, I took it. And now I see why steroids were once hailed as a cure for arthritis (before all the horrible side effects were discovered, that is.)
Unfortunately, steroids lower your immunity, so that fantastic cold I had last week that stole my voice is still present. I think I have a sinus infection. Just call me the mucous maker. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss what next, pain wise, and perhaps get some antibiotics for this infection of mine. Being sick makes you value your health all the more. Kids, don't take for granted how nice it is to live pain free, because once you're stuck in that world, all you can dwell on is the pain. I have spent (unconsciously) most of my time formulating ways to not have to bend down, move, go up or down stairs, coming up with plans on how to get back up. This week has been miraculous, if only to realize what life is like when you're not planning your next [agonizing] move.
I took a math test this week and did awful. I forgot everything I had learned. I couldn't round, couldn't calculate, nothing. So, my straight-A score has been erased, but I did meet with my math professor, and all hope is not lost. I can still pull off an A in the class if I do well on my final. I was devastated about my poor grade, but I did feel like crap during the exam, so that served as a distraction. Not that this is my excuse. My poor grade was due to the fact that a) I didn't round and b) didn't show my work. For some reason, I've gotten into the habit of scribbling down my numbers without showing how I did it, or writing down the units. For the final, I'll be better, I promise.
Next week is dubbed "hell week." We have comps; demonstrating a head to toe assessment (I keep dreaming that I totally mess this up), vitals, and either a foley catheter insertion or sterile dressing change. One-on-one time with a panel of my instructors, demonstrating my skills. This counts as a test score, and is a big deal, apparently.
I will write after I've gone through hell and back.
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