Clinical #3

My last clinical was a bit frustrating. My patient did not want to cooperate with the full body assessment or really anything. If I needed to look in his mouth, he'd stick out his tongue. When I listened to his bowel sounds he sucked his stomach in and out like a belly dancer.. I'm also having a very hard time last week and this week leaving comments on everyone's profiles. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Just feeling a bit stressed out to be honest. Feel like I need to rush this to keep up with my reading too... :( If anyone has a suggestion on posting comments please let me know! :)

Clinical #2- Think before you enter! :)

Well, the second clinical is behind me! I always get nervous about the clinicals until I'm actually there. As soon as I get involved with helping the patients and the nursing staff the nervousness melts away. I was pleased that Raquel and I were able to shadow the on duty RN and see medication administered to the patients. I felt that was one of the most exciting things I saw that day. Our CNA was very competent and helpful. We had several contact isolation patients which was good for me to be exposed to. I realize when a patient is on any type of isolation you really need to plan what you need to do and be very efficient before you even enter the room. It was a good experience!
I've read a few blogs and it seems everyone is nervous about their studying habits. I have to say I'm in the same boat also. When I begin to read it becomes a little overwhelming because the chapters are soooo long. But it isn't until I take the chapter quiz that I begin to understand what the book wants us to understand and what is emphasized as important. So, I'm getting off the computer to finish reading! LOL

Week #5

This week flew by but was pretty stressful. The midterm was harder than I expected. I feel like I need to put in a few more study hours every week. Looking forward to my second clinical this comming week. I hope it will go as well as the first one did. I can't wait to find out which culture my group gets in class tomorrow. The assignment sounds like it will be alot of fun! See you guys tomorrow! :)

Clinical 1- WMO

I was very nervous about my first clinical. It was such a rushed morning and I wasn't used to driving in the dark so early. But by the time I got to WMO and met my patient all of my nerves went away. The minute I went into his room he was just chatting away about his childhood and then went on to show me all of the degrees he has earned. He has continued his education through 2007. I was impressed! I think it's wonderful to keep your mind sharp like that. When it came time for us to leave he was stalling reading his poetry and I think he was upset to see us go. It made me a little sad. I think I'm going to have a problem getting very attached to my patients and when something goes wrong I know I"ll have a hard time dealing with it. At least now I shouldn't be quite as nervous for clinical #2!

Learning New Stuff!!

So, this week has been pretty awesome so far...I'm learning how to check a radial pulse, listen to heart sounds and check blood pressure. But I still need a lot more practice..any volunteer's?? :-) haha Oh! I'm also so thrilled that I passed my math quiz! I can't believe it- i used to be terrible in math but the older I get the more it "clicks" for me. God is definatley the one helping me through this and I'm so grateful! :)

Nursing Assignment #1- How I feel about nursing

At a young age I knew I wanted to be a nurse or a veterinarian. The idea of attending to people and animals who were injured and needed help was very appealing to me. Initially I did not follow my childhood dream career. It wasn't until I became older and realized that paying the bills and pursuing something with more meaning became more important to me than art and design.

So here I am, almost thirty years old and back in school to pursue a second career. I believe nursing is more than a degree, it very much involves the heart and genuine care and concern for others. It also takes an extensive understanding of science and the body's physiology to piece together how to prevent contamination of wounds, spreading of disease and understanding what may be going on inside a patient internally.

At this point I am not completely sure which field of nursing I would like to go into. The idea of working with children has always been appealing to me. I also find surgical procedures fascinating (especially after watching Dr. G. Medical examiner). I know she performs autopsy's but it is interesting to me that so many deaths could have been prevented with people being more educated about various hazards and symptoms of illness. As a registered nurse I know it will be my duty to inform and educate people about prevention of disease and how to boost their general health and get the most out of life and their bodies.