SharonBissett.com

Doing pretty well in school…said to be the hardest test of the whole program is past me, and I got an 86.  Relieved, happy but not letting up.  There’s too much yet to learn, absorb and assimilate!  We started clinicals last week and even though it had a rocky start…instructor’s car wouldn’t start one morning, lots of students out sick, etc…it’s off and running.  Today I did my “med pass” and got signed off on giving oral medications and subcutaneous injections.  Not at all scary.  Helps to follow others and watch them first…and listen to any critiques the instructor gives.  Normally, we have to do 2 med passes with the instructor before she signs off on our competency, and turns us loose with a nurse.  I’m signed off as of today and she told me she didn’t need to see me do another.  Yay!

Anyway, the point wasn’t to brag or anything, just to check in and say I’m surviving and doing well (and isn’t that what you’d want to hear from your nurse if you were a patient in the hospital?!).  Just came to the ol’ blog to kick on some music and crank out a care plan on my patient that is due tomorrow.  Again, no worries.  Last semester’s was a lot longer and more involved than this one and I got a Pass on it, the first time through and it was the only one I had to do all semester. Typically, you have to keep doing them until the instructor feels you understand how and why to do one…people typically get hung up doing it like they would a paper for an English or Comp class…doesn’t work here.  It’s all about Critical Thinking and taking care of the patient.

Oh, we have our share of drama queens who are “just sure they’re going to fail this semester”.  Ha, we couldn’t get so lucky…yes, yes…harsh I know, but seriously – get over yourself and have some confidence.  They aren’t expecting us to have all the answers or know everything…that is why we are nursing STUDENTS!  Okay, rant over…I do have to put my paper together!

Cue music…

Is off and running.  Everything is status quo…nothing earth shattering to report.  I do have to say however, that it finally feels like “Nursing” school.   Several of us have opinions on “how to structure a nursing program”…and maybe one of us will come back and do just that.  In the meantime though, there are lab values to (re)memorize, pathophysiology and disease of various systems to learn about, drugs to know and commit to heart, etc.  We have new instructors this term, so a new way of looking at things and figuring out what they want us to know on quizzes and tests.  That milestone has been passed so we’re now focused in and always asking ourselves “What do I, as the nurse, need to know?”  The nurse.  As in us.  Me.  For real.  Ahem…um…wow.  It has become real.  Armed with that awareness, as well as all the knowledge we’ve observed to this point, and working in the hospital I see it all come full circle.  This is me now…doing this job as a Nurse Intern, in this role (CNA) to the best of my ability…and that RN over there…that job is where I will be in just over 16 months.  There is so much I am looking forward to about that.  I’m enjoying now – especially the learning and applying what I am learning.  But I can’t wait for some normalcy in my life!

Ramble, ramble, ramble!

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Enter – you’ll be glad you did!

We’ve lost one more person in between exam 1 and exam 2…might be a grade-related thing, or a personal life thing.  We never really know.  Another one found out she was pregnant just before clinicals started – typical in a nursing program – so we’ll have THAT experience included in our education.  Could be cool – next semester is Adults and Maternity – so we’ll see how she feels then about all of us wanting to listen to her belly!  There is drama…among the students and their personal lives.  One is newly separated and going through a divorce.  Others deal with spouses and young children.  It’s this constant pull and tug, struggling to find a balance.  Fortunately, the drama among the students themselves is pretty low.  We all seem to get along well even outside our own little circles.

And then there are clinicals and the patients we see each week.  They change, the circumstances change but our humor and attempts to help care for them as compassionately as possible are the same.  Within our circle, we try to care for our patients as if they were our own family.  We’re working on the quickly and efficiently part…and for the most part our efforts are appreciated, not only by the patients but by the nursing staff.  Even if they themselves are too wrapped up in their own “stuff” to vocalize it.

Some things we’ve learned:

1. What NOT to do!  Sometimes by staff that aren’t even full-fledged nurses yet, but also by those that should probably move on or out of the nursing profession.  Not going to be THAT nurse!

2. That people do truly reap what they sow with their lifestyle habits.  You may be lucky enough to escape some or even all of the effects, but you would be a minority.  It catches up.  Your mind may be perfect, but that’s the cruel part as your body systems begin to fail and shut down.

3. That some situations call for creativity, quick decision-making and a pair of bandage scissors!

4. Sometimes a touch, listening ears, and some kind words offer healing and relief as much as all the poking, prodding and interrogation & pills can.

5. Love lasts.

6. Humor is almost always appropriate when applied correctly.

7. And more…I’m sure!

So we started the class with 28…more than the usual 24 (on each of 2 campuses) because there are 12 total of us in the hospital sponsorship.  By the second day, we had one person drop due  to conflicts with her family responsibilities.  At the start of week 2 (this past week) we’d lost another, this time a guy.  No reason was given to us, but many are guessing that he decided nursing wasn’t really what he thought it might be.   My guess at the beginning was that we’d lose 2 or 3 along the way, but not right off the bat!  So, we’re at 26…our first exam in Tuesday.  We’ll see if we lose more after that or as the semester goes on.  They really seem like they want us all to succeed and do well, so if we lose any, most likely it will be for personal reasons.

Back to studying!

You’re welcome!  What for? Well, there was a question on our exam that was incorrectly written.  It had to do with interpersonal communication…but the correct answer was incorrectly keyed for the test.  So, if you chose postoperative pain, it scored it as incorrect, when in fact, that is the correct answer.   I questioned it with the instructor in the post-test review.  And upon review, it was discovered that there was indeed an error.  So, those that were scored wrong for the postoperative pain, got that 1.33 points added to their score.  They did not take away points if you got it right (even though it’s really a wrong answer) according to the keyed error.   YAY!!

The test went well…I think most everyone got an 80 and above.  There may have been 1 or 2 that did not, but not everyone likes to share their scores…yes, I am one that does not “kiss & tell”…except with my partner Kare.  We have a pact.  And I’m sorry I stole your line – we had just discussed it, and it just rolled off my tongue! It’s a good one:  “I’ve got a good shot at getting an A for the class.  But I still made a few stupid mistakes”.

Today’s lab:  Personal Protection Equipment

Enjoy!

Names have been creatively altered to protect the not-so-innocent!  Well, sort of, anyway!

So, this Wednesday, in lab we are going over transferring patients, re-positioning them, etc. and we’re in small groups 4-5 at each bedside.  Kat, to no one in particular says “you know, you just look at some people and can picture them in scrubs, as a nurse.”  Pause.  Looks at my partner Care and continues “like you, and Share”.  I’m sitting in a chair, slumped and slouching because my nurse left me (Care)…I’m totally in character and barely hearing this because I’m pretending to drool and ask for my nurse. And I’m sitting behind everyone, so I sadly missed this next part.  So, LA pipes up “what about me? do I look like a nurse?”.  Kat looks her up and down, and finally says “nope, you’re more like a Candystriper!”   Insert dagger-eyes at Care and I (which I was oblivious to)!

Care relayed this last part to me on break.  I almost fell out, I was laughing so hard!

LA is the one (in every class – heaven forbid there are ever two of them – we have another that is trying) who asks questions that the instructor just answered, corrects the instructor or answers for the instructor and generally her know-it-all attitude is making the entire class want to disassociate from her.  Unfortunately, she is in our clinical group.  Sigh.  Good thing we all paired off early…some of us “knew” her from the information sessions and had her pegged early.

Ah, nursing school…

As in breaking down the semester by week/test intervals, so as to not get overwhelmed and/or wrench your back lugging all these books/handouts around!  Seriously, the syllabus/lecture/handouts were $40 and fit in a 4″ 3-ring binder.  Yeah.  Now, it’s in 4 – 1.5″ binders (only needed 3, but it said to keep our clinical papers separate).  Much more manageable.   We have 6 books for this class, not including the reference books (medical dictionary and Lab/Diagnostic Tests w/ Nursing Implications or RN Notes!).  Thank goodness we don’t need all of them on a single day and they let us know what we need to have for the next day.   It’s going to be interesting getting through this semester…I hear it gets much better after this first semester.  At least then we won’t feel so “lost”!

Must go read/skim a few chapters and then get everything prepped and laid out for tomorrow.  Clothes, lunch, backpack, etc.  9am – 4pm this week and next.  At least today I’m not as exhausted!

Every new journey starts with a first… and today would be that “first day of” Nursing School.

And this is what I came away with.  Seriously.  Sage advice. 

And now it’s almost 7pm and I need to head to bed.  No lie.  I am exhausted in more ways than my body & mind can count.  I’ll skim the remaining chapters when I wake up at 3am!

Nursing school that is.  I’m working on my attitude and cementing my mindset.  No more doubts.  I know I can do anything I set my mind to do and I will do it to the best of my ability.  The plan has been set in motion and small goals were achieved and now it’s time for the next set of goals.  Exciting and scary all at once.

I’ve spent the last week or two totally having fun and relaxing.  Reading – for fun, going tubing on the Rainbow River, hanging with friends, riding the roller coasters at Busch Gardens, eating…eating…eating!  Now it’s time to start switching gears and getting ready for school.  Mentally, for now.  As soon as I get the green light on my sponsorship money, I can get my books/uniforms/supplies and prepare my space.  My boss gave me a desktop computer – this time for Adam…as our laptops both decided to flake out at the same time.  As long as we have internet and the software to do what we need to do, the desktops will be fine.

Here I am feeding a kangaroo, or a wallaby (whatever) at Busch Gardens last week.  So, stinkin’ cool!

Okay, back to whatever I was doing before I randomly decided to start blogging again.  I know…right?!  LOL