aaahhhh my feet

Thanks to new Nike Air walking shoes and a pair of ted hose, my feet are no longer killing me after work. Thank you god. And thank you grandma!!!

I'm now functioning as a tech independently. And as always, it's like walking a tight rope with all these other techs and nurses who talk talk talk about each other. I don't like to get involved in all of that he said she said crap.

come out come out wherever you are

Today a patient asked me if I was gay and I said yes, and she said she was too, and launched into a long story about her first partner dying in a car crash with their 10-year-old son, and having to come out to her parents that same day. And then she told me just to be happy, to never care about what others think about me because it's irrelevant. I nearly cried.

I like evening shifts SO much more than morning shifts. Seriously, I'm a much happier person later in the day. And it's not as crazy hectic in the evening, I even had time to check email and study for a minute.

learning about ECGs

My new hobby is trying to learn how to read ECGs. It's not coming naturally to me, let me tell you that. But at least I can pick out the really deadly patterns, like V tach.

By the way, what on earth is the difference between cardioversion and defibrillation? Especially if both are synchronized?

more clinicals

I went to the NICU and met with my preceptor. She seems ok but secretly I'm not crazy about her. But I will do my best and hopefully it'll be fine. She works all 12s and hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in enough of them to get close 100 hours. I guess that would be 8.

Also, I'm getting pretty good at the tech thing on the cardio/thoracic unit. I had a really fun preceptor the other day which made the day go by. It's just answering the lights, I/Os, vitals, and baths. Oh and bedmaking, which I really hate. Anyway I think I'll like the job so that's what's important. Oh, and the money!

My feet were really killing me though. I hear the secret is embolic hose, so I will try to get some of those, and better shoes. When I actually have money, of course.

getting started

Yesterday was my first clinical on the ortho/trauma unit. We shadowed a nurse and got familiar with the unit, but we didn't have our own patients. The unit is super-friendly towards students and I felt really welcome there. My nurse even *gasp* washed her hands before and after every patient! Miracle of miracles. My clinical instructor, who is also the lecturer, is very reasonable as well. I think I will enjoy this one.

I am terrified of my Essentials professor. She really can make us squirm in our chairs and doesn't mind doing it. I spend the whole class period frantically trying to think of an answer she'll approve of, rather than the real answer. For this clinical I was placed in NICU at the hospital I did my OB rotation in before. So at least I've been to that unit and enjoyed it. I was jealous that a few other people got L&D though... why not me? Anyway my preceptor works three 12s a week and she's going to be off for 10 days, which does not bode well for me and getting all my hours in.

And lastly, my first day on the cardio/thoracic floor was supposed to be today (this is the only place I actually get paid) but once there I had the chills and started vomiting. So they sent me home. Honestly, how embarrassing. Let's hope tomorrow goes better shall we?

level four nursing

So after a long hiatus it is back to the grind. I am now a level four nursing student, as well as a new tech on a cardio thoracic floor. I have a med-surg clinical on an ortho-trauma floor and another clinical that hasn't been assigned yet, but my request was for 1) Labor/Delivery 2)Postpartum or 3)NICU. So in any case I'm hoping to be around babies and do something a little different than on my other two sites.

And exactly how I'm going to manage two classes, two clinicals, and work? I don't know. Because I'm supposed to work 32 hours at the hospital, the med-surg clinical 8 hours a week, and the other clinical 100 hours before the semester's end. That's 12.5 hours per week. Add 2 karate classes, and things like eating, bathing, and sleeping, and that's pretty much going to be my life. I'm already bumming about having to cut down on my karate by one day.

So far I have just been in central nursing orientation at the hospital. It's the same orientation I went through as a nursing extern, so needless to say I'm quite bored. AND I had to take yet another CPR course. It was through the hospital, but the one I had through Red Cross was much better. In fact one nurse failed the hospital one, she missed 7 questions. If you haven't been certified recently through somewhere else, I think this two hour mini review would be inadequate for anyone.

I've met a few nice people, including some new nurses who will be on my floor. That's nice because I've heard a few really scary things from someone in my clinical who works there too. Like, the nurses abuse the aides and take advantage of them, they never schedule her for hours, etc. I'm just hoping it's different for me.

From now on I'll probably be venting in here a lot, so as not to bore readers of my regular 'touchy feely' journal to death with medical details. Anyway, I think this is really going to be the semester that makes me into a 'real' nurse. It's really going to push me to grow and challenge me to learn as much as I can.