First, let me say Happy New Year to you! May 2011 be filled with peace, love and joy!
Ok...I know I've been SOOO bad! I can't believe I haven't posted since September! Bad, bad, BAD nursing student!! Lol! I can't even remember all that happened last semester but that's because it's been uneventful. LOL! After OB, I had my Psych rotation. I had a great clinical instructor that was really good at what she did.
There really is a thin line between sanity and insanity! I learned so much about depression, OCD, phobia, panic disorder, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and many other psychiatric diseases. We may joke about them but they are serious mental illnesses that not only affect the patient but also their families. It was so sad to see how mothers, fathers, children, grandchildren...were all affected by their loved ones disease. And medication helps, but doesn't cure them. In church, a lot of times we say we are grateful that we woke up in our right mind...just don't know how grateful we need to be!
Peds was rather boring. LOL. Maybe it was because my clinical group couldn't do ANYTHING..no medications or anything. Just vital signs and lots and lots of paperwork. BO-RING. And the clinical instructor wasn't the best. Kids are cute and everything..but, I think I'll leave them to other people. LOL.
We did get a chance to spend time in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and the Pediatric ER. THOSE days were fun..maybe because I work in the ER now as a tech (did I tell you? Yes, your girl has been promoted from wiping butts on the cardiac floor to drawing blood in the ER! lol! I LOVE working in the ER as a patient care tech. I get to see a lot and the nurses show me a lot. I don't know about working in the ER as a nurse - I don't know if I like the treat 'em-and-street 'em philosophy of the ER..I like following up with a patient -- see how they progress but we'll see). I liked the fast-paced of the ER and the intensity of the PICU. Man, if you have children in your life, whether yours or just those around you..be grateful for their health. What may seem like a little headache can be something so very more serious. Trust me..I've seen it.
Well, it's the first of the year -- graduation is in a little over 5 months!! Can you believe it?!?! My, time has flown BY! This semester is going to be a hard one -- back to med/surg..mainly the ICU. I'm looking to apply for nurse internships -- which are transition programs for graduate nurses -- help us go from student nurse to registered nurse. Things are vastly different between school and the real world. So, I'm applying to various ones. AND I'm looking to move to Texas. YES, TEXAS! Opportunities are a little bit better down there than up where I live (even though I would hope that I had a good chance at the hospital I work out..hopefully!). I'm just ready to leave Jersey and be on my way!
So, my new year's resolution (among other personal ones) is to complete school and land a great nurse internship in Texas! Guess those really aren't "resolutions" but I do promise to write more consistently! I'm sure I'll have lots to vent about! :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Babies, babies and more babies!
So far, my OB rotation has been going well. Each night, 2 of us go to L&D (Labor and Delivery) and 2 go to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) to observe and follow a nurse. With my last name being the first on the list, I got to go first, with another classmate.
My night in L&D was great...got to see 2 births! I was in the delivery room with a close friend of mine when she delivered her stillborn but that wasn't a happy occasion so that really didn't count as a delivery room experience. This time..we had reason to celebrate!
I followed "Amy" for the first half (since I go to clinical at night from 4-11, I am there during the shift change. Shifts are mainly 7a-7p and 7p-7a) of clinical. She was in the recovery room (there are operating and recovery rooms right there on the floor for the C-sections), recovering a recent C-section. This patient was 41 and also had a tubal ligation (got her tubes tied). I guess she figured at 41 with 2 kids now, the store was CLOSED! The baby had already been taken to the nursery but she had to recover first before being transferred to the mother/baby unit. I can't remember how many weeks of gestation (how may weeks pregnant) the baby was but I'm pretty sure he was born a full-term baby (born between 38 and 42 weeks). Otherwise, the NICU might have received him if he was a preterm (born before 37 weeks) baby, just to make sure everything was ok.
"Amy" assessed the mom to make sure her vital signs were ok and that she could move her extremities (legs) after the wear off of the anesthesia. After everything looked good, instead of waiting for the tech to bring mom over, we just took her to the mother/baby or postpartum (after birth) unit. Her family was all waiting by the nursery, which you have to pass to get to the rooms. Her parents and other family members were there to kiss and greet her. She was also able to see her baby for the first time, which is always a good feeling. Once we got that mom settled in her room and "Amy" gave report to the new nurse that would be taking care of mom, we headed back to L&D.
Overall, it ended up being a good night. I got to see 2 births, vaginally! The first one, I came in about 10 minutes before the baby was born. The mom had already started pushing and while she glanced over at me after I entered the room with "Amy", she was not paying any attention - she was concentrating on pushing that baby out. At one point, the doctor had to give her an episiotomy, which is an incision through the perineum made to enlarge the vagina to help with getting that baby out. Man..when I saw the doctor lift up those scissors, my toes curled. And that lady screamed..even though I'm not sure whether she had an epidural or was going totally natural. Lord help her if she was going natural. But, it's better that the doctor cut her than she tear naturally. But, the "best" part was when after the baby had came out and the baby (a girl) was on the mom's chest and she was now laughing instead of screaming...a gush of fluid rushed out of her! I don't know if all the amniotic fluid, or "bag of waters", hadn't emptied out by then or what..but it was like a hydrant had been opened in her nether region. Even the doctor commented that he almost drowned.
My 2nd birth was a little bit more "civilized". I was able to see it from start to finish, per se. From the first time she started to push (even held her leg) to when the baby boy came out. This mom actually was a bit early (at 34 weeks) so the NICU team came down to be there when he was born. The funniest part was the dad did not move from the head of the bed. He stroked and comforted his wife the entire time..even cracking jokes between contractions. But, did he want to see the head as it crowned...or cut the cord? No way..as he stated "I'm good!" LOL! It's amazing..some guys want nothing to do with that area when it's exposed and pushing out a baby..and others are all up in there with a video camera!
Overall, good experience in the L&D. I also got to see an epidural being put in. While I don't really have a pull to be in L&D like a lot of nursing students..it's definitely an option I wouldn't turn down.
I also had a night in the NICU. It's funny....before I went into nursing school, I always said I wanted to work in the NICU. But, as I started school and worked at the hospital, I became fascinated with other departments like cardiac and the ER. But, last night in the NICU...I am back to being interested in it!
The babies were so small...and sooo sick! A lot of them were born at 25, 26 weeks! Imagine going into labor and delivering that early! There are a lot of multiples in the NICU. A lot of twins..and I got to see one set of triplet girls...so cute! Some of the babies were on CPAP machines to help them with their breathing because a lot of babies are born with respiratory problems. I even saw a baby with an ileostomy! It's no biggie to seen an adult with one..but a baby?!? Hopefully, it won't be permanent and her little bowels will be fixed.
Now for the rest of my time in OB, I'll be in the mother/baby unit..which involves a lot of teaching....boring! LOL! But, I'll enjoy my easy time there for now. Because in a few weeks, things will get really crazy....literally! Psych rotation starts next month!
My night in L&D was great...got to see 2 births! I was in the delivery room with a close friend of mine when she delivered her stillborn but that wasn't a happy occasion so that really didn't count as a delivery room experience. This time..we had reason to celebrate!
I followed "Amy" for the first half (since I go to clinical at night from 4-11, I am there during the shift change. Shifts are mainly 7a-7p and 7p-7a) of clinical. She was in the recovery room (there are operating and recovery rooms right there on the floor for the C-sections), recovering a recent C-section. This patient was 41 and also had a tubal ligation (got her tubes tied). I guess she figured at 41 with 2 kids now, the store was CLOSED! The baby had already been taken to the nursery but she had to recover first before being transferred to the mother/baby unit. I can't remember how many weeks of gestation (how may weeks pregnant) the baby was but I'm pretty sure he was born a full-term baby (born between 38 and 42 weeks). Otherwise, the NICU might have received him if he was a preterm (born before 37 weeks) baby, just to make sure everything was ok.
"Amy" assessed the mom to make sure her vital signs were ok and that she could move her extremities (legs) after the wear off of the anesthesia. After everything looked good, instead of waiting for the tech to bring mom over, we just took her to the mother/baby or postpartum (after birth) unit. Her family was all waiting by the nursery, which you have to pass to get to the rooms. Her parents and other family members were there to kiss and greet her. She was also able to see her baby for the first time, which is always a good feeling. Once we got that mom settled in her room and "Amy" gave report to the new nurse that would be taking care of mom, we headed back to L&D.
Overall, it ended up being a good night. I got to see 2 births, vaginally! The first one, I came in about 10 minutes before the baby was born. The mom had already started pushing and while she glanced over at me after I entered the room with "Amy", she was not paying any attention - she was concentrating on pushing that baby out. At one point, the doctor had to give her an episiotomy, which is an incision through the perineum made to enlarge the vagina to help with getting that baby out. Man..when I saw the doctor lift up those scissors, my toes curled. And that lady screamed..even though I'm not sure whether she had an epidural or was going totally natural. Lord help her if she was going natural. But, it's better that the doctor cut her than she tear naturally. But, the "best" part was when after the baby had came out and the baby (a girl) was on the mom's chest and she was now laughing instead of screaming...a gush of fluid rushed out of her! I don't know if all the amniotic fluid, or "bag of waters", hadn't emptied out by then or what..but it was like a hydrant had been opened in her nether region. Even the doctor commented that he almost drowned.
My 2nd birth was a little bit more "civilized". I was able to see it from start to finish, per se. From the first time she started to push (even held her leg) to when the baby boy came out. This mom actually was a bit early (at 34 weeks) so the NICU team came down to be there when he was born. The funniest part was the dad did not move from the head of the bed. He stroked and comforted his wife the entire time..even cracking jokes between contractions. But, did he want to see the head as it crowned...or cut the cord? No way..as he stated "I'm good!" LOL! It's amazing..some guys want nothing to do with that area when it's exposed and pushing out a baby..and others are all up in there with a video camera!
Overall, good experience in the L&D. I also got to see an epidural being put in. While I don't really have a pull to be in L&D like a lot of nursing students..it's definitely an option I wouldn't turn down.
I also had a night in the NICU. It's funny....before I went into nursing school, I always said I wanted to work in the NICU. But, as I started school and worked at the hospital, I became fascinated with other departments like cardiac and the ER. But, last night in the NICU...I am back to being interested in it!
The babies were so small...and sooo sick! A lot of them were born at 25, 26 weeks! Imagine going into labor and delivering that early! There are a lot of multiples in the NICU. A lot of twins..and I got to see one set of triplet girls...so cute! Some of the babies were on CPAP machines to help them with their breathing because a lot of babies are born with respiratory problems. I even saw a baby with an ileostomy! It's no biggie to seen an adult with one..but a baby?!? Hopefully, it won't be permanent and her little bowels will be fixed.
Now for the rest of my time in OB, I'll be in the mother/baby unit..which involves a lot of teaching....boring! LOL! But, I'll enjoy my easy time there for now. Because in a few weeks, things will get really crazy....literally! Psych rotation starts next month!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I want a baby!
Well, no..not really..not exactly. Tonight was my 1st OB (Obstetrics) rotation and it was really cool. When we first got there, we had to get buzzed in by the security guard outside of the floor section -- gotta make sure no one tries to swipe a baby! When we got to the conference room, we each received a packet from the clinical instructor - "Mrs. P" about our rotation, newborn assessment and other things. That's when I found out that this rotation, I'm paired up with another student to have an evening following a L&D nurse and then the next clinical, following a NICU nurse. Hopefully, we won't be following the same nurse!
Then we took a little tour of the floor. We got to see the different rooms such as the delivery room (which were SOO nice! The rooms were huge..had huge bathrooms and showers). We even got to see a room with a jacuzzi for those that want a bathtub to either sit in, deliver in or both. I'm interested in having a water birth or atleast a tub to sit in before I deliver..but we shall see!
Then we watched 2 videos on newborn assessments and then it was off to the nursery! The babies were so cute..and little! There were 2 sets of twins that I ended up seeing during the night. A set of boy twins and a set of girl twins. We got to see "Mrs. P" do a newborn assessment and then we were paired up either with 1 or 2 other students and did our own assessments. Since "Morgan" and "Candace" are not in my clinical group, my other friend "Bianca" and I decided before school started that whatever we had to do in pairs, we would be each other's partners..and that started tonight!
The newborn assessment is really thorough..things you wouldn't even think of checking but would be really important to know! Some of the babies weren't really feeling us assessing them..and they were hungry! When we went to assess their sucking reflex, they were not happy at all to discover that what they thought was a nipple, was actually our gloved fingers! But, they were so cute. We also got to learn how to weigh them, take their measurement and change that lovely diaper full of first stool - meconium!
You know I have to cry atleast once a semester and today almost was that day! There was a first-time dad in the nursery and when his family came up, he went out to greet them and the woman who was clearly his mom was just in pure joyful tears. It's amazing how the life cycle continues and she was seeing her "baby" having his first baby. Brought tears to my eyes..almost! LOL! There was also a baby there that had literally just been born. He was breeched (entering the birth canal with his bottom or feet first, instead of the normal head first) so Mom had come in to have her abdomen externally rotated so to encourage that the baby switch positions. However, during that time, the baby became distressed and an emergency C-section was held. So emergent that the mom was put under general anesthesia (not conscious at all) and the baby delivered. Luckily, the baby was alread at 36 weeks so while he first scored a 5 on the Apgar scale (method to quickly and summarily assess the health of newborn children immediately after childbirth - different criteria given a score of 0, 1 or 2, adding all to total between 0 -10) a minute after birth, luckily he went up to an 8, 5 minutes later.
Speaking of the nursery, we were warned by our teacher and a nurse that no matter what we are discussing about in the nursery, since there are windows all around and families almost always there, just keep on smiling. Imagine looking at all these nursing students surrounding YOUR baby and all of their faces are looking grim, sad or shocking while surrounding YOUR baby! The windows are soundproof so you'll have no idea of why they are looking like that. Same goes for making faces while trying not to laugh at the baby's conehead. Just keep a smile on!
So, the first night in OB was great. I'll keep you posted on any fun things -- like a birth! OB seems cool but I can't see myself doing it, especially in postpartum. I need sick patients! And I'm sure there are different situations and I'm still interested in the NICU. But, for now, not too interested in little people that only eat, sleep and poop the whole time. Then again...add 80 years and that's the other population in the hospital! ;-)
Then we took a little tour of the floor. We got to see the different rooms such as the delivery room (which were SOO nice! The rooms were huge..had huge bathrooms and showers). We even got to see a room with a jacuzzi for those that want a bathtub to either sit in, deliver in or both. I'm interested in having a water birth or atleast a tub to sit in before I deliver..but we shall see!
Then we watched 2 videos on newborn assessments and then it was off to the nursery! The babies were so cute..and little! There were 2 sets of twins that I ended up seeing during the night. A set of boy twins and a set of girl twins. We got to see "Mrs. P" do a newborn assessment and then we were paired up either with 1 or 2 other students and did our own assessments. Since "Morgan" and "Candace" are not in my clinical group, my other friend "Bianca" and I decided before school started that whatever we had to do in pairs, we would be each other's partners..and that started tonight!
The newborn assessment is really thorough..things you wouldn't even think of checking but would be really important to know! Some of the babies weren't really feeling us assessing them..and they were hungry! When we went to assess their sucking reflex, they were not happy at all to discover that what they thought was a nipple, was actually our gloved fingers! But, they were so cute. We also got to learn how to weigh them, take their measurement and change that lovely diaper full of first stool - meconium!
You know I have to cry atleast once a semester and today almost was that day! There was a first-time dad in the nursery and when his family came up, he went out to greet them and the woman who was clearly his mom was just in pure joyful tears. It's amazing how the life cycle continues and she was seeing her "baby" having his first baby. Brought tears to my eyes..almost! LOL! There was also a baby there that had literally just been born. He was breeched (entering the birth canal with his bottom or feet first, instead of the normal head first) so Mom had come in to have her abdomen externally rotated so to encourage that the baby switch positions. However, during that time, the baby became distressed and an emergency C-section was held. So emergent that the mom was put under general anesthesia (not conscious at all) and the baby delivered. Luckily, the baby was alread at 36 weeks so while he first scored a 5 on the Apgar scale (method to quickly and summarily assess the health of newborn children immediately after childbirth - different criteria given a score of 0, 1 or 2, adding all to total between 0 -10) a minute after birth, luckily he went up to an 8, 5 minutes later.
Speaking of the nursery, we were warned by our teacher and a nurse that no matter what we are discussing about in the nursery, since there are windows all around and families almost always there, just keep on smiling. Imagine looking at all these nursing students surrounding YOUR baby and all of their faces are looking grim, sad or shocking while surrounding YOUR baby! The windows are soundproof so you'll have no idea of why they are looking like that. Same goes for making faces while trying not to laugh at the baby's conehead. Just keep a smile on!
So, the first night in OB was great. I'll keep you posted on any fun things -- like a birth! OB seems cool but I can't see myself doing it, especially in postpartum. I need sick patients! And I'm sure there are different situations and I'm still interested in the NICU. But, for now, not too interested in little people that only eat, sleep and poop the whole time. Then again...add 80 years and that's the other population in the hospital! ;-)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Summer is officially OVER!!
This post doesn't need any other type of introduction except for the title! Summer is out, school is IN! While I initially couldn't wait until school started, now that I've been back for a week..I have quickly gotten over my excitement!
Let's see..to re-cap my summer: I basically worked...and worked. Since I didn't get any externship, I basically just worked a lot. I was able to do doubles (2 shifts, 16 hours) a lot..which was TIRING but I was able to knock out a lot of shifts in lesser amounts of time. I spent a lot of time as a patient sitter..which has its advantages and disadvantages. It's exactly what it sounds like. Sitting with a patient. Mainly those that want to commit suicide. Making sure they don't injure themselves..or anyone else (for violent patients). Scary at some times but always interesting. I eventually got to sit and work on the Pysch floor..VERY interesting and different from a "regular" floor. I'll talk more when I get to my psych rotation. But, it was cool.
I also got a chance to volunteer in my hospital's ER..which was a cool experience. One of my nursing classmates actually got an externship in the ER and I hung out with her a lot in the ER, following her around and helping. The time there actually paid off because I actually got a transfer from my floor nursing assistant position to an ER tech position! No more wiping butts...well, some wiping butts..but most importantly, no more bedbaths! I absolutely abhor giving baths..I don't even know why. Maybe because it's time consuming..I dunno. I just hate it. So, I'm looking forward to the switch. I also get to do phlebotomy (drawing blood) and EKGs. Just waiting for my new manager and old manager to come up with a start date..hopefully sooner than later.
I also got to do a lot of fun things with my friends and some traveling. Nothing major..but enough to keep me sane a bit. But, now, it's all over!
We had orientation on Tuesday. This semester, we have OB (Obstetrics), Psych and Pediatrics. Very different from the 2 semesters of med-surg! We don't even have to do care plans *insert happy dance!* But, I'm not thinking this will be an "easy" semester at all. I still want to do well and we still have that crazy grading system..so I must stay on it. We lost a lot of good teachers after the BSN-takeover but the new teachers seem cool..so far.
Oh! I almost forgot..the worst part is that I'm separated from my Nurseketeers!! There are only 18 evening students left in the program. So, there are 2 clinical groups, 9 each. Of course "Candace" and "Morgan" are in one group, and I'm in another!! Soooo devastated! I even asked the program coordinator to switch me..and she said no!! The horror! I don't know what I'm going to do without my girls in clinical!! UGH!!! I mean, I do have some cool people in the group that I'm in now..but it's not the same! *sigh*
We got to take our graduation pictures early..like 9 months early! We did our yearbook blurbs as well. Check me out, the black Florence Nightingale!
Let's see..to re-cap my summer: I basically worked...and worked. Since I didn't get any externship, I basically just worked a lot. I was able to do doubles (2 shifts, 16 hours) a lot..which was TIRING but I was able to knock out a lot of shifts in lesser amounts of time. I spent a lot of time as a patient sitter..which has its advantages and disadvantages. It's exactly what it sounds like. Sitting with a patient. Mainly those that want to commit suicide. Making sure they don't injure themselves..or anyone else (for violent patients). Scary at some times but always interesting. I eventually got to sit and work on the Pysch floor..VERY interesting and different from a "regular" floor. I'll talk more when I get to my psych rotation. But, it was cool.
I also got a chance to volunteer in my hospital's ER..which was a cool experience. One of my nursing classmates actually got an externship in the ER and I hung out with her a lot in the ER, following her around and helping. The time there actually paid off because I actually got a transfer from my floor nursing assistant position to an ER tech position! No more wiping butts...well, some wiping butts..but most importantly, no more bedbaths! I absolutely abhor giving baths..I don't even know why. Maybe because it's time consuming..I dunno. I just hate it. So, I'm looking forward to the switch. I also get to do phlebotomy (drawing blood) and EKGs. Just waiting for my new manager and old manager to come up with a start date..hopefully sooner than later.
I also got to do a lot of fun things with my friends and some traveling. Nothing major..but enough to keep me sane a bit. But, now, it's all over!
We had orientation on Tuesday. This semester, we have OB (Obstetrics), Psych and Pediatrics. Very different from the 2 semesters of med-surg! We don't even have to do care plans *insert happy dance!* But, I'm not thinking this will be an "easy" semester at all. I still want to do well and we still have that crazy grading system..so I must stay on it. We lost a lot of good teachers after the BSN-takeover but the new teachers seem cool..so far.
Oh! I almost forgot..the worst part is that I'm separated from my Nurseketeers!! There are only 18 evening students left in the program. So, there are 2 clinical groups, 9 each. Of course "Candace" and "Morgan" are in one group, and I'm in another!! Soooo devastated! I even asked the program coordinator to switch me..and she said no!! The horror! I don't know what I'm going to do without my girls in clinical!! UGH!!! I mean, I do have some cool people in the group that I'm in now..but it's not the same! *sigh*
We got to take our graduation pictures early..like 9 months early! We did our yearbook blurbs as well. Check me out, the black Florence Nightingale!
Well, that's about it for now..I'm about to study...on a Friday night...welcome back to school! June 25, 2011 will be here soon!!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Where has the time gone!
I canNOT believe that it's been almost 3 months since I've last posted. I can't even think of where to begin..and I don't even feel like writing much of anything so let me make a short story even shorter:
I PASSED! Yes..the dreaded 2nd semester is far behind me! It was rough..ROUGH!!! Omg..so freakin' bad. I even failed 2 of the exams by like 2 points each but luckily, I started off the semester with high grades so it all equaled out. My GPA did go down but whatever. I passed and that's all that matters!
I also applied and interviewed for three summer externships...and I didn't get not one! I know..lemme give you a minute to recompose yourself. Craziness! But, even those have been affected by the economy...hospitals just don't have the money for these things so they are super choosy. Again..whatever. So, I'll be working at the hospital I've been working at since September. Which is crap too because I wanted an externship on my floor there but the hospital came up with some BS excuse of the nurses not seeing me as a nursing student..and still as a nursing assistant. Which is baloney because EVERYONE knows I'm a nursing student there..and they've let me do things that a regular nursing assistant wouldn't be able to do! But, my manager (who I think should have totally stuck up for me but say it with me now.."whatever") said I can work there any time I want over the summer. So, since I LOATHE waking up so early in the morning, I might be doing some extra 3-11 shifts. Right now, I'm doing my 2 shifts in 1 day by doing doubles, mainly on Fridays (M-Th, I'm substitute teaching). So, I may do 2 doubles a week and like a random 3-11 shift just to make it through the summer..we'll see. I'm also going to see if my manager will let me follow certain nurses in the summer..to get SOME type of externship feeling.
Right now, I'm in the middle of taking microbiology. I didn't have to do it as a pre-requisite because I can take in the summer. "Morgan" and I are in the class together..omg..it's the worst. M-Th 5p-9p (just like freakin' nursing school!) and the teacher is just ridiculous. The material is somewhat boring (do I REALLY need to know all of this stuff about DNA?) and he's giving us a bunch of busy work. The lab portions are kinda ok..but "Morgan" and I have no idea what we're doing..lol. Oh well..as long as I get the coveted C..I'm good!
That's about it for now. Oh..I got a scholarship for my last year. Not a full-tuition, but a good part..so that's helpful. So, for the next few weeks, I'll be finishing up micro, working, maybe do some traveling..and just getting myself relaxed before nursing school starts again in August.
Until then!
I PASSED! Yes..the dreaded 2nd semester is far behind me! It was rough..ROUGH!!! Omg..so freakin' bad. I even failed 2 of the exams by like 2 points each but luckily, I started off the semester with high grades so it all equaled out. My GPA did go down but whatever. I passed and that's all that matters!
I also applied and interviewed for three summer externships...and I didn't get not one! I know..lemme give you a minute to recompose yourself. Craziness! But, even those have been affected by the economy...hospitals just don't have the money for these things so they are super choosy. Again..whatever. So, I'll be working at the hospital I've been working at since September. Which is crap too because I wanted an externship on my floor there but the hospital came up with some BS excuse of the nurses not seeing me as a nursing student..and still as a nursing assistant. Which is baloney because EVERYONE knows I'm a nursing student there..and they've let me do things that a regular nursing assistant wouldn't be able to do! But, my manager (who I think should have totally stuck up for me but say it with me now.."whatever") said I can work there any time I want over the summer. So, since I LOATHE waking up so early in the morning, I might be doing some extra 3-11 shifts. Right now, I'm doing my 2 shifts in 1 day by doing doubles, mainly on Fridays (M-Th, I'm substitute teaching). So, I may do 2 doubles a week and like a random 3-11 shift just to make it through the summer..we'll see. I'm also going to see if my manager will let me follow certain nurses in the summer..to get SOME type of externship feeling.
Right now, I'm in the middle of taking microbiology. I didn't have to do it as a pre-requisite because I can take in the summer. "Morgan" and I are in the class together..omg..it's the worst. M-Th 5p-9p (just like freakin' nursing school!) and the teacher is just ridiculous. The material is somewhat boring (do I REALLY need to know all of this stuff about DNA?) and he's giving us a bunch of busy work. The lab portions are kinda ok..but "Morgan" and I have no idea what we're doing..lol. Oh well..as long as I get the coveted C..I'm good!
That's about it for now. Oh..I got a scholarship for my last year. Not a full-tuition, but a good part..so that's helpful. So, for the next few weeks, I'll be finishing up micro, working, maybe do some traveling..and just getting myself relaxed before nursing school starts again in August.
Until then!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
O.R nursing -- who knew!
This past week, I did my rotation in the Operating Room. I didn't really know what I was going to see and kinda thought it might be a little boring, even though I like the Discovery Health channel. Blood and guts are thrilling to me..haha. But, it wasn't boring at all.
"Candace" and I went on the same day. When the nurse manager/educator led us to the board (which showcases what operations were taking place and which nurse was in that room), there was a room that had some pediatric patients. Since "Candace" is interested in working in peds, I said she could take that room. I ended up in an ortho room, which was cool.
In the first case, it was a femur fracture that hadn't healed. They were just taking bone marrow from the patient's iliac crest, which contains a great amount of bone marrow. Bone marrow produces new red blood cells, which promotes growth. Growth promotes healing. So, hopefully, all will go well with that patient.
The next patient had a simple knee arthroscopy. Arthroscopy is a minimal invasive procedure in which they use an arthroscope, a type of endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision. He actually had a tear of the meniscus in the knee so they fixed that too. Boring, atleast to me.
I came into the middle of a surgery in which they were going in to fix a fractured humerus and walked into the arm split right open, flesh, muscle and all. They had to put in screws and everything.
But, the highlight of my day was a bilateral knee replacement. OMG! It was bone being sawed off, flesh that looked like chicken bits flying everywhere..it was AWESOME! I mean, when they lifted the leg up..it was like BAM!! Man..it was great. I can show you better than I can tell you so check out this video!
I never considered O.R as an option for nursing..but while I am still so in love with cardiac nursing, the O.R. is definitely an interesting option :)
"Candace" and I went on the same day. When the nurse manager/educator led us to the board (which showcases what operations were taking place and which nurse was in that room), there was a room that had some pediatric patients. Since "Candace" is interested in working in peds, I said she could take that room. I ended up in an ortho room, which was cool.
In the first case, it was a femur fracture that hadn't healed. They were just taking bone marrow from the patient's iliac crest, which contains a great amount of bone marrow. Bone marrow produces new red blood cells, which promotes growth. Growth promotes healing. So, hopefully, all will go well with that patient.
The next patient had a simple knee arthroscopy. Arthroscopy is a minimal invasive procedure in which they use an arthroscope, a type of endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision. He actually had a tear of the meniscus in the knee so they fixed that too. Boring, atleast to me.
I came into the middle of a surgery in which they were going in to fix a fractured humerus and walked into the arm split right open, flesh, muscle and all. They had to put in screws and everything.
But, the highlight of my day was a bilateral knee replacement. OMG! It was bone being sawed off, flesh that looked like chicken bits flying everywhere..it was AWESOME! I mean, when they lifted the leg up..it was like BAM!! Man..it was great. I can show you better than I can tell you so check out this video!
I never considered O.R as an option for nursing..but while I am still so in love with cardiac nursing, the O.R. is definitely an interesting option :)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Has it really been this long?
I can't believe it's been more than a month since I've been on here! That just goes to show you how busy nursing school is! Obviously, I can't re-cap everything that has been going on in the last month but I'll give a roundabout summary:
School is going well. Let's see..we've had 2 major exams and 2 pharm exams thus far. It's been cool. The 2nd unit of the semester was on Cardiac. Loved it...love the instructor (who is also my clinical instructor) but did not love the exam! I ended up with an 82, which in a normal school would be a B..but not at mine. That's a C. Which is totally fine with me since it's still passing. But, working on the cardiac floor as a nursing assistant and this unit has definitely got me interested in working in cardiac. My ultimate goal is to be a Nurse Practitioner, with a specialty in acute care (such as an ICU or ER). I may also want to work with a cardiologist in an office setting. But, no matter where I end up, I'm pretty certain at this time, I want to start in cardiology. The heart is such an amazing and fascinating muscle.
A few weeks ago, all the freshman in my program had to attend the NJ Student Nurses Association convention in Atlantic City. While the convention left more to be desired, it was nice to just get away. I went down with "Morgan" and "Candace" the night before and we had a...um.."nice" time before the convention..lol.
We also started clinicals on a new floor a few weeks ago - a respiratory floor. Which means that the patients are almost all vented, trached or both. The major joy of the respiratory floor is when you have to suction a patient. You're basically sticking a suction tube through the hole of the trach and pushing it all the way down the trachea until the patient starts to cough. They are essentially coughing up their secretions that they normally wouldn't be able to cough up. You then start to pull back the tube (slowly so that you actually catch the secretions) while working the suction aspect. This is a general, layman's view but believe me..it aint all it's cracked up to be. Lord help you if you have a really congested patient.
I've been having a really good time in clinical, though. I am a tube feeding Queen (atleast with the PEG tube). While we may seem to "only" be hanging the feeding or "food", it's important to check for the placement of the tube, if there is any residual and the patency of the tube. If you have any issues with any of these things, you have a problem. The tube is also used to give medications (pills aren't given whole but have to be crushed) and there's a method for that too.
Yesterday, I spend a day in the cardiac catherization lab. Working on a cardiac floor, I'm always sending and receiving patients back from cardiac cath but I had never been in one before and the experience was great. I was able to see the heart in all of it's glory! I also was able to see a patient's aortic aneurysm. Talk about scary! Next week, I spend a day in the OR and then sometime in April, I got to endoscopy. Considering how a classmate described her day in endo as viewing rectums all day, that should be interesting.
Right now, I'm just waiting to hear back from my applications for nursing externships. In between the 1st and 2nd year, I can do an externship at a hospital, working on the floor with a nurse preceptor. It's a great experience to spend a few weeks working with a nurse and to see her day on the floor. For all of my applications, my top choices were the ICU, Cardiac and Neuro floors. I have an interview in 2 weeks at a large teaching hospital and I'm excited. It's my 2nd choice (as of now) so I'm pretty psyched. I'll post later how everything turns out.
Well, it's off to study. Got an exam next Tuesday on Metabolism (which includes, all the Hepatitis diseases, the Liver, Gallbladder, Pancreas and that crazy disease called Diabetes). Don't we just love school?
School is going well. Let's see..we've had 2 major exams and 2 pharm exams thus far. It's been cool. The 2nd unit of the semester was on Cardiac. Loved it...love the instructor (who is also my clinical instructor) but did not love the exam! I ended up with an 82, which in a normal school would be a B..but not at mine. That's a C. Which is totally fine with me since it's still passing. But, working on the cardiac floor as a nursing assistant and this unit has definitely got me interested in working in cardiac. My ultimate goal is to be a Nurse Practitioner, with a specialty in acute care (such as an ICU or ER). I may also want to work with a cardiologist in an office setting. But, no matter where I end up, I'm pretty certain at this time, I want to start in cardiology. The heart is such an amazing and fascinating muscle.
A few weeks ago, all the freshman in my program had to attend the NJ Student Nurses Association convention in Atlantic City. While the convention left more to be desired, it was nice to just get away. I went down with "Morgan" and "Candace" the night before and we had a...um.."nice" time before the convention..lol.
We also started clinicals on a new floor a few weeks ago - a respiratory floor. Which means that the patients are almost all vented, trached or both. The major joy of the respiratory floor is when you have to suction a patient. You're basically sticking a suction tube through the hole of the trach and pushing it all the way down the trachea until the patient starts to cough. They are essentially coughing up their secretions that they normally wouldn't be able to cough up. You then start to pull back the tube (slowly so that you actually catch the secretions) while working the suction aspect. This is a general, layman's view but believe me..it aint all it's cracked up to be. Lord help you if you have a really congested patient.
I've been having a really good time in clinical, though. I am a tube feeding Queen (atleast with the PEG tube). While we may seem to "only" be hanging the feeding or "food", it's important to check for the placement of the tube, if there is any residual and the patency of the tube. If you have any issues with any of these things, you have a problem. The tube is also used to give medications (pills aren't given whole but have to be crushed) and there's a method for that too.
Yesterday, I spend a day in the cardiac catherization lab. Working on a cardiac floor, I'm always sending and receiving patients back from cardiac cath but I had never been in one before and the experience was great. I was able to see the heart in all of it's glory! I also was able to see a patient's aortic aneurysm. Talk about scary! Next week, I spend a day in the OR and then sometime in April, I got to endoscopy. Considering how a classmate described her day in endo as viewing rectums all day, that should be interesting.
Right now, I'm just waiting to hear back from my applications for nursing externships. In between the 1st and 2nd year, I can do an externship at a hospital, working on the floor with a nurse preceptor. It's a great experience to spend a few weeks working with a nurse and to see her day on the floor. For all of my applications, my top choices were the ICU, Cardiac and Neuro floors. I have an interview in 2 weeks at a large teaching hospital and I'm excited. It's my 2nd choice (as of now) so I'm pretty psyched. I'll post later how everything turns out.
Well, it's off to study. Got an exam next Tuesday on Metabolism (which includes, all the Hepatitis diseases, the Liver, Gallbladder, Pancreas and that crazy disease called Diabetes). Don't we just love school?
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