planning...

Gotta love practicing those IV's! Youtube makes procrastination fun.

Saturday I went up to school and finished some of my NCLEX questions-we get roughly about 1500 to do and hand in at certain points throughout the semester (about 25ish practice NCLEX tests on various subjects and some integrated tests). So I only have 300 more questions to do! YIPPEE!

Today I am (supposed to be) studying neuro for an exam tomorrow, and can I just say, it bores me to death. I think neuro and endocrine are my least favorite subjects. Love cardio. The rest is just ok for me. I am just not much of a med/surg junkie I suppose.

Then I have two clinical days (the dreaded 3 patient day!) and lecture as well as my last big project which is a health fair booth at an urban high school. The school wouldn't let us address things like bulimia and sexually transmitted diseases. We are reduced to the lame topic of "healthy eating." B.O.R.I.N.G.

After this week, I plan to get a jump on studying NCLEX questions and material for my finals. I'll have 5 weeks w/ "just" lecture and one exam, so I'll have ample time to get started on all that stuff. Plus, I need to start looking at my old OB notes.

Oh, and Christmas! I have a million projects I want to get done, so the sewing machine is definitely coming out...as well as the scrapbook stuff. Can't even think about that yet.

Are you bored yet? Not much else to say. You see, I have no life. I am a nursing student, after all.

mean patients

<<<---Mean Muppets-tehe!









This was the 1st week I've ever had to deal with a truly angry, mean patient. Granted this person is actively dying of metastatic duodenal gastric cancer--yet it was strange to see someone so angry. My experiences so far have been with people dying who are very peaceful. Not this patient-he was vacillating between anger and denial, I think. And taking things out on me. It undermined my new found semi-confidence and every time I walked into this persons room I got really nervous--and prayed a lot. I've just never had a patient yell at me like that, over and over. I experienced first hand caring for someone I just didn't like--and I can always find something likable in people. Guess I am an idealist? It sucked. It made ME feel bad about nursing.

New for me is that I stuck up for myself and firmly told this patient NOT to yell at me anymore because I was trying to help them. They yelled back, "DON'T YELL AT ME." Oh my. I wanted to drop kick someone...But I just smiled and walked out of the room. I come from a very customer-service oriented background and I am learning while there is an aspect of customer service to healthcare, abuse from patients should not be tolerated. And yes, patients can abuse nurses, I am learning. My clinical instructor told me to stay out of the room unless absolutely necessary. So the patient lost out on all thebells and whistles" of nursing care that I could give him as a student-therapeutic communication, some extra TLC. You cant force people into that.


What else did I learn? That reality dictates I am not going to like/please everyone. So how can I prevent miserable patients from ruining my day and ultimately my career? Not sure. Also, I wont ever, ever, ever be like that-EVER! May God help me to be kind no matter what I am going through.

The other clinical day my clinical instructor farmed me and another student out to cath lab. She decided we could leave the floor without a problem, I guess. We are the only two from our group that got some time off the floor. Hm. People weren't too happy about that. I felt like teachers pet.

This next week is my last clinical week of nursing school--I'll have three patients one day and I'll shadow a nurse with a full case load the next day. While I want to learn as much as possible. I am so burnt and crispy that I just want to get things over with. I am just done, done, done.

I am at 6 weeks left of school then finals week and I graduate. Trying to get some weight off as always and eat better. I'll have some time the next few weeks to concentrate on getting things in order before I start my new job after the holidays. Seriously, I have been eating the worst crap. My good eating habits have gone out the window. Ugh. Cant wait to paint my nails!

Ok, off to clean then study for yet another exam. My instructor felt so bad for us on Thurs that halfway through the quiz he started giving us the answers. He said we all look exhausted. So, got a 100% on that! ;)

How are you guys doing? Think I'll go read some blogs today. Take care! :)

Axed

Looks like we lost a couple students to the axe this week--well deserved failures, it seems, as they really shouldnt have made it this far for lots of reasons. Amazing that each of these students werent failed before--one has been on clinical probation for every clinical we have been in, the other couldnt even asses bowel sounds on their patient today (they didnt know how at this level?). So, they are gone. Sad for them but glad for all the patients out there who would have possibly been endangered by them.

Went to cath lab rather unexpectedly today and had a lovely if not cold/boring time there (just observed). My stomach was all freaked out so it was a good day to lay low. Tomorrow I deal w/ j-tube feedings/meds for the 1st time so pray for me.

Ok, off to bed. Not feeling so hot.

1 more clinical week after this! WHEEEEEEE!

Time for a longer post...

I have a whole weekend of "almost" no school work. Yes, I have a quiz to study for and some reading to do, but ultimately I get to have some rest and family time. Oh, and I am going to cook and clean and do laundry! Who ever thought I would want to do those things so badly?

Yesterday was "write up day" at school. Lots of people were walking around with probabtion sheets from the instructors--either their grades are below 80% or they have missed a clinical day or they are not "up to par." So, lots of unhappy faces and profanity going on. Managed to stay out of that--my grades are sitting at high B's and I am getting everything accomplished that needs doing. Honestly, I have great support at home and God is good. I couldn't do this by myself!

Clinical was shortened this week and we only had one day. I had my liver abscess patient and a new MVA (car accident) patient. Every day I care for patients I run around feeling like I am forgetting something. I constantly check the MAR, Kardex and chart. It is that whole confidence thing. I just wont be confident for a long time--that's the nature of the beast. The enormity of what I clearly don't know has seeped into my dreams and I have nightmares now about missing meds or doing something stupid to my patient. (One dream had me tell my non-weight bearing pt to go to the bathroom w/out my help-I just yelled it to them??) This week we move to three patients. Oh crap.

We continue to have a tech mutiny on our hands-big time. At one point in the day, all the techs (3 of them) were sitting at the N. station and the head honcho tech pointed at me--I heard her say, "Yeah, they are all lazy except for that one-she actually works." *gulp*

My tech that went MIA last week was found hiding in the equipment room at one point. The student nurse asked what she was doing and she said, "Hiding from you." So, delegation is not going so well...but I just kept my head low and worked my butt off to get all the vitals, accuchecks and ADL's done on top of the RN stuff I am doing now. It wasn't bad...

Oh my, I am really talking to Docs and PT and RT and Dietary like I know what I am saying. It is so wierd. Because we are in a huge teaching hospital, these people actually listen to me?

For example, my patient needed to get OOB (out of bed) with PT (physical therapy). The previous day the doc had ordered a one time dose of Flexeril before the pt did this to relax her muscles (my pt was pretty vocal and what the floor nurses/techs called a "screamer"). So, PT came around and the pt asked if they could have the Flexeril again. The doc was called and orders were written for it to be giver t.i.d. (3 times/day). But PT was there and wanted to do stuff with her immediately. I stuck up for the lady and said she needed to have her med BEFORE PT. They werent happy about this and told me they didnt have time to fit her in later. I told them we would get her up for lunch if they would just go away. Tehe. They liked that idea. So they went bye-bye probably thinking I was nuts and there was no way I would be able to get this lady up w/out them...

Proved them wrong and when PT came by later and saw my happy patient up and eating lunch, they were all congratulatory towards me and said I was going to be a great nurse. Yeah, so both my patients said the same thing and my RN for the day...so, I am doing ok.


On the Grey's front:

This poor man deserves better...but not Lexi, please. I actually kinda enjoyed last nights episode. No more Izzy and George, I hope. And Ava is coming back which should make things interesting. So, still a fan, here. My vote is for the show to kill Meredith off. muhahahaha!

One more week down...

Things are flying by. Got my (not very) cute nursing school picture back and look like Jabba the Hutt.

Had a midterm yesterday in my fluff class and it wasn't so fluffy. I'm not real keen on the management side of nursing. But delegation is definitely something I need to learn more about. Like working with techs on the floor (CNA's, PCT's). Yeah, you kinda have to tell them what to do in a nice way. And they definitely dont like to be directed by nursing students. Um. We are supposed to "use the techs" for baths, vitals, etc. I always help out and do baths/vitals/adls with the techs.

Had a tech completely mutiny on me this wk. She *evaporated* and didnt do any of the things she said she would do, and I found her in the break room 4 times in the 6 hrs I was on the floor (had to track her down 'cuz she was emptying urinals and hats, removing trays and cups, but not charting the strict I/O). I almost felt like she was sabotaging me.

The point is, ultimately I am responsible for my patients. So while techs are usually a godsend and very hardworking, I am finding that I need to have my own sets of vitals and a back up plan for when my patients are getting ambulated, bathed, etc. Techs can make your day much easier OR make your day hell. (Thank you to all the amazing techs out there who I know work their butts off for the patients!)

Lets see, clinical went very well other than that...but there is a student in my group having massive problems. He tried to cover his patient up with a draw sheet instead of a warm blanket, didnt know what SCD's were and couldnt figure out how to put them on (we are seniors!), and this poor patient he took care of, who had just fallen off of a ladder and was in excruitiating pain, had to endure this student DIGGING for femoral pulses and timing them for a minute each?

I was in the room trying to help the train wreck when the doc walked in, looked at me and said, "What exactly is he going for" as she watched this student dig his hands into the patients groin. "Um, ask him?" I said. Then the doc asked where the MAR was. The student told her he hadnt seen it all day. "I'll find it, " I said. Went hunting through the nurses station, the med room, the nurse server...no MAR. Doc and residents waiting for me...

WEnt back in the room, and in front of all the docs, found the MAR UNDER A DIRTY PILE OF LINENS IN A CORNER CHAIR. The student had left it there since 0900 meds. It was 1PM. Had the patient even gotten his PRN pain meds yet? I handed the MAR off and bolted from the room. Then, in post conference, the student fell asleep, and was YELLED at, 4 times. He also showed up at clinical with NO PAPERWORK. I dont know how he is even in the program. I mean, I only spent 10 minutes helping the guy and I was freaked out. At this point, we are IV pushing meds (ie we can KILL people if we screw up) and this guy cant find a blanket or the MAR? What in the world????????????

Otherwise, I had a great couple of days--found that liver abscesses smell REALLY bad when they are drained and that perineal flap surgery is akin to FRankenstien. Hung some more piggybacks, gave lots of injections (including Heparin)and actually interacted quite a bit with Docs and such giving my opinion on things which was a first.

Must go study-another exam approaches. Wish I could have a casual weekend. Have to work tomorrow night as well. Ugh!

Paperwork

I have a love-hate relationship w/ clinical paperwork. Tonight is my 1st night w/ two patients worth and it is pretty extensive. Anyway, I love having the information all organized and knowing what I am doing, but I hate the hours I have spent working on this stuff. At least now it takes about 4-5 hrs as opposed to the 8-9 hrs it used to take me.

Today my CI tracked me down to tell me my patient from last week passed away the day after I cared for her (I was supposed to be reassigned to her tomorow). She was a gastric cancer patient and things went quickly. All I know is she was a very graceful person...I hope I'm as kind and peaceful at my end. Amazing the things you learn from those you care for when they are dying. She is the second CA patient I have had who has passed away shortly after my caring for her. I can see how rewarding, if sad, oncology can be. Say a little prayer for her family if you think of it--I'm not sure they were really ready to say good-bye.

Tomorrow: more cancer (this time hepatic) and an MVA. Bring on the broken bones!

Midterm

Next week is midterm--and with that comes a leadership exam, clinical, and yes, the dreaded wet-dry recheck-off. Ah.

This semester is flying by. Clinical went really well this week. I am slowly getting more organized. Hung my 1st bag of fluids via a pump which is odd that I havent done that yet. Also pulled blood off a powerport, gave lots of meds via injection and generally just enjoyed taking care of my patient--who had gastric cancer w/ mets. Hard to belive I only have 7 more clinical days-thank goodness!

People are daily getting new grad jobs. It is nice to see the fruits of everyones labor paying off with jobs in the areas they want to be in!


Tomorrow I turn...35!!! Happy birthday to me. It has been a crazy year! ;0)

4:23 AM

Up and ready for clinicals. Leave @ 5AM to meet up with classmates in order to navigate the downtown parking w/out getting a 100 buck fine from the hospital we will be at.

Yeterday was a bad day at school for me. A bad day with ok outcomes--got a 90% on my cardiac exam and managed to do that after having a major confrontation w/ my instructor...long story. Suffice it to say he told me and others in my group that we would be checking off on our failed skills immediately after lecture???? Originally we were checking of next week. Yeah, panic ensued. I kept it together through the test and then everything went downhill after that--but I am checking off next Monday as previously told. Advocated for myself and others and it worked. Had some tears, went to stupid sim man which is a waste of time, and then to my new clinical site where I had three patients discharged on me before I found one I could take for tomorrow-w/out help from my instructor who could not be reached by anyone. (She finally returned my page at 2130 last night. uhoh)

I dont like who I am or what school is doing to me. Have a constant headache/stomache and the anxiety reared its ugly head last night. Just laid in bed and prayed until I fell asleep for a couple hours.

My pt today has metatstic gastric cancer. Through all of this, I hope I can help her in some small way. Ultimately, this hell is about service to others. I am having trouble remembering that, but I'm doing my best.

Hope you all are well out there. I turn 35 this week! ;)

mission

Tomorrow I go on my community clinical day to a mission for the homeless. I will be giving meds, TB shots, wound dressings, help w/ colostomies, and do some education. A lot of these guys have been involved in shootings/stabbings/violence and apparently have battle wounds? I don't know, but I do know that I have used mapquest a whole heck of a lot since starting school. It seems everywhere I go is inner city and I am driving around at 5AM, lost and in the worst part of town. So hopefully I wont get lost again, but its always possible.

Had loads of nightmares about my job interview yesterday. How is someone supposed to endure this level of stress? I am always freaking out about something. Of course, it makes everything else seem so easy--tests, clinical days, papers are all a breeze.

Havent even had time to worry about clinicals coming up on the trauma floor. After everything I have done, I cant believe that I will fail to handle that ok. Maybe I am naive? I feel like you could stick me pretty much anywhere now and I would cope. I'm not saying I wont screw up everything--just that I can deal with the screw-ups. Its all about survival now. Good, right?

Wish I had time to shop, clean my house, cook, read, hang out w/ the hubby, etc. 3 more months--12 weeks. Just get me past competencies, God.

orientation

Strange how you can get use to a certain level of stress--have the old "stressed out" feeling back. Feels like an old friend. Oreientation this morning was not too overly horrible--just the usual threats and loads of work piled on, which I am used to from past semesters. They always have to throw in some ridiculous surprises that makes our schedules look completely undoable.
Went to the hospital and found out they changed our floor to a trauma floor (alas no cardiac or oncology!). Once again, I am in an inner-city hospital and will be caring for patients who have been shot, shot themselves, fallen off buildings/construction equipment, and had other violent things happen to them. Learned all about "denial names" and we are once again on a lock down unit. We have some surgical overflow from patients w/ newly placed colostomy/ileostomy bags and some plastics where patient's who have tried to blow their heads off have had a "flap repair," whatever that is. Our max will be two patients (other groups will have up to 4) because of the acuity of this floor. Plus we get all the high profile stuff from the news--people hurt in police chases, gang violence, people that are assaulted/abused, criminal stuff. The floor looks like something out of a movie w/ people wandering around in bandages, residents everywhere, and lots of noise. A fellow student looked at me and said, "Wow, I actually feel like I am in Grey's Anatomy or am on ER. This is surreal."

Add to that a butt load of paperwork and all the usual stress of clinical and I am...uh. Speechless. Don't even want to THINK about clinical right now. It is scary.

Off to make note cards. How is your week going?

so you are about to start nursing school (part 2)

Have a moment before leaving this morning to post this second little tidbit for all you new nursing students out there. Here is what STAYS in my clinical bag:



-pocket nurse drug book
-brunner med surg nursing handbook
-collection of black pens and pencils
-replacement badge holder (had mine break a couple times so this is good to have)
-calculator
-gum
-little kit with tape, stapler, staple remover, etc
-pocket planner
-handful of alcohol swabs
-couple pair of (clean) glooves
-tape
-lipgloss
-ink pen eraser (not to be used on charting, people! i use this for paperwork)
-ponytail holders
-note cards
-nail file
-penlight
-reflex hammer
-couple pairs of bandage scissors
-hand sanitizer/lotion from B&B works (cant live without this!)
-scope w/ flashlight/penlight thing on it

Not pictured:
clipboard (mine opens up so I can hide stuff inside-got it at walmart for like 4 bucks--it is FAB)
paperwork folder
brain
extra pair of socks (yuck)

Need:
hemostat

the calendar and babies

We have to bring a "pocket size calendar" to orientation...hm. Methinks my calendar will be well used this semester. Spending an hour putting dates into my calendar yesterday basically means that I am offically busy again.

It's pretty exciting to be going into a new facility this semester--plus it is a hospital I have heard amazing things about. Clinicals have taught me so much, and last semester I lost some of my confidence so this time I am going to try to "act" more like I know what I am doing.

I get to teach an abbreviated childbirth class this week which it so exciting--being a CBE (childbirth educator) is what got me into the nurse mindset all those years ago when I started this trip towards my degree. (I would say "journey" but am beginning to hate that analogy.) My next step is to get certified through DONA or some other organization so I can teach "for real." I can't imagine making $ doing something I love so much.

So on my schedule are some birthdays and a baby shower which I haven't hosted in a zillion years-shows ya how old my friends and I are! The hubby and I have talked about "trying" for kiddo number three after I grad, but I dunno. Can't imagine adding a baby to the family and all that entails.

Trying to think of how to incorporate my experience as a doula and CBE into my resume? I also volunteered and taught some childbirth classes at a crisis preganancy center a long while ago. Oh, and I need to buy an interview outfit. Hopefully I'll get an interview to wear the thing to?

How many RN's does it take to...

Had a really sick patient last week who was very unsteady on her feet. She had TPN, a Power PICC, and was on 5L of O2. She also had to be transfused w/ a HGB of 7.1. It was all she could do to get up and make it to the bathroom. Had an interesting moment:

After getting her up and into the bathroom at one point, I quickly changed her linens, which meant my putting her bed in high position so as not to strain my back. She waited patiently for me to get her back up and out of the bathroom, and I said:

"Ok, lets get you back into bed--it's all nice and clean."

I turn to lower the bed and it won't go down--it will go up, though, and raises to be about 5 feet in the air. All kinds of "lock" lights are blinking, but I can't get the bed to unlock for anything. I turn to patient:

"Well, we will have to get you into a chair while I go find the nurse and try to figure this bed out."

Patient tells me she has had issues with the bed as well. Get patient into chair, go find RN, she comes to the room and also can't figure bed out. At this point, it is about 5.5 feet off the ground and at its highest position. I turn to patient, and with a deadpan face, say:

"I am sorry ma'am, but we are going to have to ask you to get up, walk to the other side of the room, and run and make a flying leap into your bed."

Nurse looks at me in horror, patient looks at her IV pole in horror, and it takes them a minute to realize I am joking--they both crack up and patient laughs so hard she starts to cry. I go get a tech (and techs know EVERYTHING, so this was a good nursing intervention) and she shows us that you have to hold down three buttons all at once to get the bed down.

Get patient back in bed and all is well.

Other highlights of clinical: had a doc snip at me (jerk), had a horrible time with the pyxis and basically decided that I hate computer charting. Oh, and did 8 hrs worth of paperwork and a teaching project. Have never been so tired in my life and almost threw in the towel, again. Thankfully my MIL and husband talked me through it--and my classmates are all in the same boat...

Back to the books.

The good, the bad, and the OR

Had an interesting 1st med/surg clinical week--a VERY long week, for sure.


Because of my grades in theory, I was selected to have observation 1st in my clinical group, so I was sent to OR right off the bat--and took with me the evil eye from my classmates, but oh well.

I watched a prostatectomy done with a laser and a laproscopic hysterectomy gone bad that was converted to a total abdominal hysterectomy with bladder repair and bilateral ureter stent placement. All really cool and I actually feel like I made an impact on one of my patients care when in post op!

The prostate guy was fairly nervous in pre-op, so I chatted a bit with him and his wife and told him about how I used to live in West Texas. A few moments after he woke from surgery, he said, "Where's Prisca from West Texas?" Later his wife told me I have a "wonderful bedside manner." I think she was contrasting me with the rather hardened OR nurses. I thought they were great but they were kind of brusque--gotta love that OR humor (half of which I didn't "get" because there were lots of inside jokes). If I ever burn out on floor nursing, maybe I'll end up there?

During the hysterectomy, the whole OR ganged up on me and tried to convince me to go into anesthesiology--too funny. I was shown ALL the equipment IN DEPTH by a doctor with a cool name--something right out of a famous book. He also let me visualize some vocal cords while intubating and explained all the meds he was using, the monitors...he was just really great!

The laser guy was pretty funny too--he said he doesn't know a thing about surgery--he just drives the laser from place to place. I asked him what he does when the laser screws up, and he looked at me blankly and said he doesn't even know how to fix the thing--so I told him he could always give the machine a kick and see if that works, or call the 800 number on the side of the machine. He looked truly thankful for my advice. Oh boy.

Then, at the end of the surgery, the laser head fell off into the patients pelvic cavity--the doc lost it, basically.

The doc looked at the laser guy and said, "This ever happen before?"

"Uh, no..." the laser guy replied, stunned.

"Um, ok, gotta find it..." the doc mumbled. Into the OR walked two other urologists to see what was happening. Doc said, "You guys ever have this happen?" and points to the tip of the laser catheter that is missing its head.

"Uh, no..." they both responded simultaneously. Doc looked a little freaked at that moment. But, after about a half hour of exploring, he found the tiny head of the laser in the patient and somehow managed to grasp it with some weird tool and get it out. You could tell he was just a tad bit worried!

The converted hysterectomy was exciting. After nicking the patients bladder while trying to do things laproscopically, they called in a GU surgeon and had to open the lady up. In the end the nurses showed off the woman's removed cervix (which looked turkey-neckish) and fibroid filled uterus.

So yesterday I had the hysterectomy as my patient--and it was pretty horrid. Ya know that first day on a unit where you are completely discombobulated and don't know where anything is, etc? Well, I felt totally disoriented and add to that the HUGE learning curve and I was a bit of a mess. I know my clinical instructor thought I was truly "slow" in more ways than one. I was oriented to the pyxis, a new computer charting system, plus doing total patient care with meds and everything. It was NUTS!

By the end of the day, truck driving school was looking REALLY fantastic.

Got home and had two calls on the machine--one from the hospital I interviewed with in Dec asking me if I wanted a job (again--I said no once already) and the second from the OB Dream Nurse Tech Job people wanting an interview. Gonna turn down the first--but how nice that they remember me and still want me--and go interview for the 2nd. Apparently the OR people from my observation called the OB Dream Nurse Tech Job hospital and gave me a recommendation. Groovy!

Off to write two papers and study for an exam. Blech.

Meeting a Real Dummy...

Just found out this week that a plastic man will be my new best friend for part of clinical in my Senior year this Fall.

SimMan is a $30,000 wonder that will challenge me to make critical patient care decisions and if I screw up I won't have the unfortunate opportunity of killing my patient. SimMan dies, but he is easily risen from the dead with the touch of a computer mouse.

(BTW, I love how nursing school rumors get blown way out of proportion. I was told SimMan cost the school 300,000 bucks. Tehe, he was a mere $25,000 without all the software. I was also told there are three fake men in the lab but I heard there is actually only one from another source, so we will see. Also, friends that have gone before me tell me SimMan is quite fun. So the horrified looks on my classmates faces were very over-the-top-dramatic, it seems.)

Anyway, I start my last clinical of this semester next Wens with computer training that lasts until noon and then I pick up my 1st patient assignment. We actually get to have a partner the first week which sounds interesting. Thankfully one of my study group members, who is an ER tech and just plain smart and fun, is in my clinical group and we have already paired up.

Today I am organizing and studying as well as getting some house stuff done. I am really tired, too?

Ok, gotta go be productive!

PS--I was looking at some of my posts from last semester and I honestly don't know how I made it through the whole thing. Last semester was the hardest thing I have ever done--so glad I wrote it all down. I think I have mentally blocked it from my mind.

I know I've said it before...

...but the thing I hate most about nursing school is the drama.

This week, for example, was Peds clinical wrap-up. Everyone is supposed to be happy because we all, assumedly, passed. My group has done pretty well, so none of us were too worried about suddenly failing out.

This clinical rotation only saw one incident that could have failed someone so far. One student left the hospital sick because she thought the CI (clinical instructor) told her to "go home" when the instructor really said "you should probably go home." The student didn't hand her paperwork in and just left the facility--this all happened on the day I wasn't there due to illness, so at least I got to miss that whole drama! If our CI felt like it, she could have failed this student, but the CI worked it out w/ her and had her bring the paperwork back up to the hospital, docked the student some points, and that was that. The student wasn't even written up. So, I was pretty impressed that my CI was so flexible when a misunderstanding occurred...

So, THIS week, on Thurs, we all brought in snacks and put together a HUGE gift for our CI (we went WAY, WAY overboard--I don't know what happened, but it was too much and kinda embarrassing). One classmate showed up looking kinda miffed and acted VERY strangely all day towards everyone. This girl is normally very talkative and fun, but she was biting peoples heads off all day and being VERY rude in general. We thought it had something to do with the gift or maybe she fought with her hubby or something? Nope.

I gave her a call yesterday morning to ask if she was okay because she left clinical crying after post conference on Thurs. She told me a pretty shocking story: Basically, on Wens, the clinical instructor told this student that she should choose another profession besides nursing because she just isn't cut out for it.

Now, I have always "heard" of instructors saying this kind of crap, but just thought it was another stupid nursing school rumor? I mean, that's pretty harsh, even if it IS true in some cases...

Anyway, this particular student had a couple more run-ins w/ the CI on Wens, and no one really knew anything about what was happening cuz we were all working our butts off w/ our own patients. Then we all went home after a short post-conference that was tense.

On Thurs morning, the CI called this girl at home and told her she had been written up for "surfing the internet on the floor, being unprofessional, and refusing to suction her patient 8 times." The student was informed that the CI called the director of the program Wens night and both had contemplated failing her, but they decided to give her one more chance. The student had to show up early before her last clinical to read her probation sheet, sign it, and then spend the day proving that she was fit to be a nurse someday. Ouch.

This whole thing shocks me a bit--my CI is so reasonable that I can't see her doing this kind of thing for no reason. Of course, my classmate is going to fight the probation, and if she fails clinical, she will take it to the school board.

I guess I feel like I don't know who to "believe" in the situation and it kinda messes w/ what I think of both of them. Trying to let the whole thing slide in my mind 'cuz it doesn't involve me, yet at the same time it makes me nervous. Like what if something like that happened to me? My classmate says this just kind of blindsided her, and honestly, this is my worst-case-scenario in school--that my CI will suddenly decide I just can't do this nursing thing and I will be GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all have our evaluations and find out if we pass/fail on 3/5/07. Oh boy.

BUH-BYE Peds Clinical...

Ahhhhh, the week is over and I survived it all! Had a quiz Mon (got a 100%) and a med surg exam on IV Therapy Tues (got a 92%) and then finished off my week with my last two days of Peds clinical. I am really tired today and have to work on my clinical make up which is about 8 hours of assigned paperwork that is really monotonous. I'll tell some stories later...gotta get to work!!

Sicky-Poo

Well, I didn't make it to clinical today--I can't believe it! I went yesterday feeling kinda bad but ok and just thought I was tired. Progressively got achier and started coughing lots. Got home and felt like I had been run over by a truck. Called my CI at 7AM to see what she thought I should do and she was actually very, very nice. Couldn't get myself medicated enough to push through--my back aches too much and I have chills w/ a fever.

My patient for the day was in isolation, so my CI left it up to me whether or not to try the day. Because I would be wearing a mask and gown, etc, I wouldn't be much of a threat to him was the reasoning. Still, why risk it for him or me? Plus he has rotavirus, RSV and pneumonia. I don't really need to catch any of that stuff.

Coughed up a whole bunch of stuff and gave in to sleeping all day. Need to go to the doc so I will try to get in tomorrow--had to sleep today and just couldn't drag my butt out. Now I will have a "clinical make-up" where I basically have to write a paper. Kinda sucks but these things happen.

My clinical instructor, though VERY TOUGH, is really a very reasonable, kind person. Thank God I have her this semester. Oh, got another 100% on my paperwork last week. Hard work is paying off. Off to get my kids from school then back to bed...

VD?

Happy Valentine's Day.

DH gave me a pretty necklace and this DVD. I love the soundtrack to it and think it's pretty appropriate for this holiday! One of my kids made me a valentine that had him in jail on the front and it said, "I am trapped in love." Tehe.

Hope you have someone to love today--even if it is just someone in your life who you just really appreciate and care for. Romance ain't the end-all, be-all, kids. It's a fleeting nicety and it's the people that stick with you for years and years and years through life's dullness that count. Being married to a best friend is rad. Constancy is a good thing. Anyway.

Trying to figure out what to take to clinical with me to write up my paperwork. I need my lab book, my nursing diagnosis book, my pediatric med book, and I need something with some Patho in it, but I don't want to lug my textbook there (it has 2000 pages because it is a combo Peds/OB book). Plus I have to find a big enough bag to bring it all--my new clinical bag would break with the stuff.

I don't know how today is going to work because I spend so much time writing my stuff up--how much time is she going to give us, I wonder? Most likely I will have a lot to bring home and do tonight and tomorrow morning. I hope she gives me a somewhat interesting patient, ya know?

I am still coughing and feeling kinda yucky. I am on antibiotics, and this has lasted since Christmas!!!!! Kick me. Plus I went off Diet Coke for a few days and now I have the withdrawal headache.

Gotta pick the house up a bit and get my scrub-on. Have a good day!

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea! No nursing exam today--I'll take snow over nursing exams any day-haha. So now I have a whole EXTRA week to study for this test which is AWESOME.

My CI also called and said we don't have to pick up a patient assignment today for clinical tomorrow. Instead, we will get our patients when we go to the hospital and we will have to do our paperwork there before we do any care. Yuck. That will NOT be fun.

So I guess I'll do some studying and house work today. Exciting stuff.