We finally got our preceptor assignments today! I don't think I mentioned that my Plan A went totally out the window d/t a bunch of changes at the hospital I wanted to preept at. Plus, over the summer I thought a lot more about what sort of nursing I want to get into and realized that working on a telemetry floor would be a great start to either the ER or the ICU...and maybe someday a heart transplant unit (a girl can dream).
So, I ended up getting assigned to a "tele" floor at a big hospital about 20 miles from my house. The drive will stink, but I am hoping it will all be worth it. Plus, this hospital is new-grad friendly. Yippee!
I have not had any clinical rotations at this hospital so I know absolutely NOTHING about how things work over there. And yay...I get to learn yet another charting system....my favorite stress-free activity. Ha! Luckily we get a 2-day class on how to use the system...so hopefully that will be beneficial and I won't feel like a complete moron my first day.
Oh, and did I mention I'm working the NIGHT SHIFT?!?!?!?!?!? If anyone has tips for transitioning between days/nights, let me know! Somehow I have to get on a day schedule for Thursdays and Fridays...good times are ahead!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Ashtanga Day 1
In my quest to be less fat and more awesome, I am exploring Ashtanga yoga. Yes, I've been doing yoga for something like ten years now, but I've never full heartedly committed to one type of practice or another. And Ashtanga is pretty darn cool. Plus, and I hate to say this because it's very un-yoga-ish, but it's great for those of us who are rather goal oriented. By doing the same practice over and over and over, you can easily see where you are improving and, as such, there is always something to work on. I like that aspect of it very much. It is, however, very difficult....especially when you look at doing the whole primary series with all the jumping forward and jumping back. I do not have anywhere near the strength needed to do a proper jump back, and my forward jumps are rather clumsy (in my opinion)...exhibiting none of the floatiness of David Swensen or other Ashtanga gurus. Sigh.
But today, I was reading my Asthanga Practice Manual (Swensen), and in it he says he could not make it through the primary series at first. So, that is my motivation...because obviously, if you keep at it then it will get better...right? I have been going to a yoga studio to practice with Bill Counter (who is awesome!!!), but my lack of a job makes it difficult to go as often as I'd like. So, I am going to try very hard (notice the lack of the word "commit") to doing an Ashtanga practice daily and supplementing that with one or two trips to the studio each week. Now, when I say that I will do an Ashtanga practice daily, I do not mean I will do the entire series each day. I know me, and I know that I cannot commit to 1.5 to 2 hours of yoga every day. I will, however, at least do one of the short forms that Swensen outlines in his book, and will commit to a full series one or twice a week.
So, to report on today...I practiced in my office using Swenson's audio CD and book as guides. I left out the jump backs in the seated series and did "take-it-up" instead, hoping that this will help me gain the requisite core strength for those gorgeous floaty jump backs. Even with that adjustment, I only made it up to Supta Konasana and then decided that I was beat. I also decided that the office is no good for this practice, as there really isn't room to do a good Supta Konasana and the floor is rather dirty. So, I need to find a better spot that has more space and less dust. Maybe the living room if I move some stuff around. I really look forward to the day when I can have an entire corner to devote entirely to yoga...that will be awesome! I hate having to move things around...it's just one more barrier and excuse to keep me on my duff and off my matt.
Also, I have had NO CHOCOLATE so far today. Really trying to make it all day!
But today, I was reading my Asthanga Practice Manual (Swensen), and in it he says he could not make it through the primary series at first. So, that is my motivation...because obviously, if you keep at it then it will get better...right? I have been going to a yoga studio to practice with Bill Counter (who is awesome!!!), but my lack of a job makes it difficult to go as often as I'd like. So, I am going to try very hard (notice the lack of the word "commit") to doing an Ashtanga practice daily and supplementing that with one or two trips to the studio each week. Now, when I say that I will do an Ashtanga practice daily, I do not mean I will do the entire series each day. I know me, and I know that I cannot commit to 1.5 to 2 hours of yoga every day. I will, however, at least do one of the short forms that Swensen outlines in his book, and will commit to a full series one or twice a week.
So, to report on today...I practiced in my office using Swenson's audio CD and book as guides. I left out the jump backs in the seated series and did "take-it-up" instead, hoping that this will help me gain the requisite core strength for those gorgeous floaty jump backs. Even with that adjustment, I only made it up to Supta Konasana and then decided that I was beat. I also decided that the office is no good for this practice, as there really isn't room to do a good Supta Konasana and the floor is rather dirty. So, I need to find a better spot that has more space and less dust. Maybe the living room if I move some stuff around. I really look forward to the day when I can have an entire corner to devote entirely to yoga...that will be awesome! I hate having to move things around...it's just one more barrier and excuse to keep me on my duff and off my matt.
Also, I have had NO CHOCOLATE so far today. Really trying to make it all day!
Rainbow Cupcakes
This is the sort of trouble I get into when school is not in session:
I used the Basic Vanilla Cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, then got fancy with food coloring. They are just so precious, I had to take a pic. Took a dozen to a friend's house for dinner and all but one got devoured, but only because I practiced restraint and only had one cake. Gotta get less fat, and all this baking is NOT HELPING!
I used the Basic Vanilla Cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, then got fancy with food coloring. They are just so precious, I had to take a pic. Took a dozen to a friend's house for dinner and all but one got devoured, but only because I practiced restraint and only had one cake. Gotta get less fat, and all this baking is NOT HELPING!
Monday, June 07, 2010
It's time to cook!
Just like last summer, I am bored. And this boredom leads to lots of time in the kitchen making really good food that makes my booty not so awesome in white scrub pants. Today I made some delish Black Bean Burgers (they were great even though I completely left out one of the ingredients...oops!) and I also made these awesome cookies...
They are Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles! They have a nice chocolate flavor with a 'kick' of cayenne that comes in at the end and says "Howdy!". Sooo good! The cookies were from "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar", and the burgers are from "Veganomicon." Two really awesome cookbooks.
If you are interested, the link to the recipe is here:
http://www.theppk.com/2009/09/mexican-hot-chocolate-snickerdoodles/
Other than that, I pretty much did nada. Summer is here.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Peanut Butter Cookies
I made the PB cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I used the wrong molasses, so they turned out kind of dark and I may have cooked them too long b/c they have a slightly burnt or toasty flavor that I'm sure was not intended. So, my verdict with these is they are so-so if you use the wrong molasses. I'll pick up some of the light molasses today and give them a do-over sometime.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Curried Carrot Dip
I just received what some call the Big Kahuna of vegan cookbooks...Veganomicon. Though I am not famous for following through on projects (note the aborted Callanetics experiment), I am going to try very very hard to cook everything in that book and post my reviews of the recipes here for my pals and anyone else who loves vegan cooking.
So, without further ado...today I made the Curried Carrot Dip. Normally, I would not choose a dip for my First Ever Veganomicon recipe, but I had a bunch of carrots to use up, so the recipe caught my eye. It was either that, or end up tossing them out. I am so glad I made the dip! I did, however, learn that I really need to invest in a food processor or a VitaMix b/c my blender suuuuuucks. I ended up mashing the remaining chunks with a fork, so I'm sure the texture would be much creamier with the proper equipment.
I would also probably use a bit more garlic than the recipe calls for...but I may be speaking too soon as I did not wait the suggested 30 mins before devouring the dip on a whole wheat pita. No worries...there is still a substantial portion left in the fridge, so I'll see how it tastes after the flavors have begun to meld.
All in all, it was an easy recipe to make and I could see using this spread to kick sandwiches up a notch...or simply enjoying on a pita is pretty yum, too. It's also a gorgeous color! Since my version is lumpier than what it should be, I didn't take a picture...but if I get a food processor, I'll make it again and post the photo...it's so pretty!
So, without further ado...today I made the Curried Carrot Dip. Normally, I would not choose a dip for my First Ever Veganomicon recipe, but I had a bunch of carrots to use up, so the recipe caught my eye. It was either that, or end up tossing them out. I am so glad I made the dip! I did, however, learn that I really need to invest in a food processor or a VitaMix b/c my blender suuuuuucks. I ended up mashing the remaining chunks with a fork, so I'm sure the texture would be much creamier with the proper equipment.
I would also probably use a bit more garlic than the recipe calls for...but I may be speaking too soon as I did not wait the suggested 30 mins before devouring the dip on a whole wheat pita. No worries...there is still a substantial portion left in the fridge, so I'll see how it tastes after the flavors have begun to meld.
All in all, it was an easy recipe to make and I could see using this spread to kick sandwiches up a notch...or simply enjoying on a pita is pretty yum, too. It's also a gorgeous color! Since my version is lumpier than what it should be, I didn't take a picture...but if I get a food processor, I'll make it again and post the photo...it's so pretty!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Another one bites the dust...
Yippe-kye-yay...another semester done and only one more to go! I ended up with a 95% in OB and a 96.4% in Peds...why do I know this? Because I have a great app called GradeCalc on my iPod. Because of this fantastic application, I walked into my Peds final knowing I only needed a 65% in order to get an A...talk about taking the pressure off!
The other two classes I had were skills labs and were credit/no credit. Pretty sure I got credit...at least I hope I did, because I sure as heck did all the BS-y assignments and running around I had to do.
Not much else of excitement to report. I've got about 8 days off and then summer school starts. I opted to take a writing intensive class this semester instead of in the fall. I figure if I end up working nights I will be really really glad to have this 18 page paper out of my hair. Plus, all my favorite peeps are taking it, so it won't be too terribly bad. I am also in the process of applying for an internship with Kaiser...there were about 40 people at the orientation for 4-8 spots...so not super great odds (and sadly, they are not basing it on GPA). I will know in about two weeks if I got that sweet little gig or not...otherwise, my only plans for the summer are to celebrate my birthday, work on my bestseller, do some gardening and spend lots of time experimenting in the kitchen. Fun fun!
Good luck on finals everyone!
The other two classes I had were skills labs and were credit/no credit. Pretty sure I got credit...at least I hope I did, because I sure as heck did all the BS-y assignments and running around I had to do.
Not much else of excitement to report. I've got about 8 days off and then summer school starts. I opted to take a writing intensive class this semester instead of in the fall. I figure if I end up working nights I will be really really glad to have this 18 page paper out of my hair. Plus, all my favorite peeps are taking it, so it won't be too terribly bad. I am also in the process of applying for an internship with Kaiser...there were about 40 people at the orientation for 4-8 spots...so not super great odds (and sadly, they are not basing it on GPA). I will know in about two weeks if I got that sweet little gig or not...otherwise, my only plans for the summer are to celebrate my birthday, work on my bestseller, do some gardening and spend lots of time experimenting in the kitchen. Fun fun!
Good luck on finals everyone!
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
And the Winners Are...
1) Trauma Nursing Unit at a Level 1 trauma center
2) Organ transplant
3) Vascular/GI
Oh...and I may have to work nights. Not sure how that's going to work since I have daytime lectures and community health clinical, but if others can do it, I can too.
I'll find out in July which one I get...so, for now I wait.
2) Organ transplant
3) Vascular/GI
Oh...and I may have to work nights. Not sure how that's going to work since I have daytime lectures and community health clinical, but if others can do it, I can too.
I'll find out in July which one I get...so, for now I wait.
Only two more weeks!
Well, the end of the semester is upon us folks. Only two more weeks and then I'm FREE for about a week and then summer school starts. Don't get too excited..I'm only taking one class and it's a theory type class for which I have to write a 5,000 word paper about a clinical case I had. I get the feeling there's going to be some creative license taken with this one. But anyway...
The good news of the day is that clinicals are finished for this semester! Had my last day in OB last night in the L&D unit. I saw one vag and one C/S...I have to say I prefer watching the C/S than the vag births. Let's just say I'm one of those people who is very sensitive to odors. I really have to get over that...anyone have any good tips? And no, breathing through my mouth does not work because then I can taste it. Or at least I think I can.
What else? Oh, I have my meeting today about preceptorship and I'm pretty sure I've come up with a game plan. I don't think I'm going to go with the ICU and there are a few reasons for this. 1) I need to go to the unit that will make me the most marketable for the highest number of jobs. M/S wins that one hands down. 2) I really feel like I need to learn the basics before I jump into the complicated stuff. I am serious when I say I am a baby stepper...if you saw the way I learned how to do a backward dive, you'd understand (I stood on the pool ladder and dove back from there, gradually going up each step of the ladder until I could do it from the side of the pool)...that's pretty much how I approach big scary things and so far it's worked well for me...i could do a backward dive like nobody's business!. M/S definitely wins on that one as it's a great way to get a solid foundation in nursing. 3) I feel that if I do M/S first I can branch off from there and go anywhere, and at this point I am very undecided about what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe ICU, maybe ER, maybe a transplant unit. Sigh...I wish there were three of me. 4) I seriously need to learn how to be more organized...I honestly feel that learning to juggle a full patient load on a busy unit will be one of my greatest challenges...If I can do that, I can do just about anything!
Ok, small confession...I sometimes wonder if I like the ICU because it doesn't make me feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Yes, I dig all the complicated pathophysiology, nifty gadgets and the ability to watch my patients like a hawk...but I also like not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I kind of feel like I need to get past the chicken head stage before I'll feel confident enough to move to more critical patients. Does that make any sense at all? Besides...who's to say I can't read my text on Critical Care Nursing regardless of where I work? Hmmm?
Meeting today at 3:30...stay tuned to see where I've decided to go!
The good news of the day is that clinicals are finished for this semester! Had my last day in OB last night in the L&D unit. I saw one vag and one C/S...I have to say I prefer watching the C/S than the vag births. Let's just say I'm one of those people who is very sensitive to odors. I really have to get over that...anyone have any good tips? And no, breathing through my mouth does not work because then I can taste it. Or at least I think I can.
What else? Oh, I have my meeting today about preceptorship and I'm pretty sure I've come up with a game plan. I don't think I'm going to go with the ICU and there are a few reasons for this. 1) I need to go to the unit that will make me the most marketable for the highest number of jobs. M/S wins that one hands down. 2) I really feel like I need to learn the basics before I jump into the complicated stuff. I am serious when I say I am a baby stepper...if you saw the way I learned how to do a backward dive, you'd understand (I stood on the pool ladder and dove back from there, gradually going up each step of the ladder until I could do it from the side of the pool)...that's pretty much how I approach big scary things and so far it's worked well for me...i could do a backward dive like nobody's business!. M/S definitely wins on that one as it's a great way to get a solid foundation in nursing. 3) I feel that if I do M/S first I can branch off from there and go anywhere, and at this point I am very undecided about what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe ICU, maybe ER, maybe a transplant unit. Sigh...I wish there were three of me. 4) I seriously need to learn how to be more organized...I honestly feel that learning to juggle a full patient load on a busy unit will be one of my greatest challenges...If I can do that, I can do just about anything!
Ok, small confession...I sometimes wonder if I like the ICU because it doesn't make me feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Yes, I dig all the complicated pathophysiology, nifty gadgets and the ability to watch my patients like a hawk...but I also like not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I kind of feel like I need to get past the chicken head stage before I'll feel confident enough to move to more critical patients. Does that make any sense at all? Besides...who's to say I can't read my text on Critical Care Nursing regardless of where I work? Hmmm?
Meeting today at 3:30...stay tuned to see where I've decided to go!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
I hurt all over...
Just checking in to say that the Callanetics video kicked my bootie. My body hurts from head to toe...well, from neck to thighs. Went on a bike ride today for 90 minutes and thought that would help...I suspect I will be even more sore in the morning.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Peds almost done, OB here I come!
This coming week is a week of lasts...my last week in Peds, my last week EVER of having to go to the hospital to pick a patient, and also my last week EVER of doing pre-clinical prep. And you can bet your sweet tookus there's a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge to celebrate the moment I finish my last write up. I am soooo excited to be done with all that prep work...we don't choose patients the day before in OB and we don't do it with preceptorship either. This is the end of an era folks...the end of the stress, the concept maps, the sick feeling that I surely missed something. I. Can't. Freakin'. Wait!
So, let's see....school is going well. Got a 96 or so on my first peds exam and a 95 on my second OB exam. Woo hoo. We've got a Peds test coming up this Friday and I really should be studying for that instead of listening to 5-0 radio (police and fire scanner app on the ol' iPod) and updating this blog. But I am seriously suffering from senior-itis and all I want to do is jick-jack around and pretend I'm a "normal person."
I've been thinking a lot about my ICU vs. M/S dilemma for 4th semester and I really really really want to go the ICU route. I love it too much to even think about doing anything else, and even though the job prospects aren't as plentiful I also have to remind myself that I will never have this opportunity again and I should take it. Besides, I plan on kicking total booty during my preceptorship, so I am hopeful I'll make some connections that will help me land my dream job. After all, I throw down like nobody's business :-)
Any other news? Guess not...just finishing up some group projects and looking forward to Spring Break. Believe it or not I am actually going somewhere this time...heading to Oregon to spend 5 days on the beach. It's going to be quiet and lazy and beautiful. Just what Nurse Mo ordered.
So, let's see....school is going well. Got a 96 or so on my first peds exam and a 95 on my second OB exam. Woo hoo. We've got a Peds test coming up this Friday and I really should be studying for that instead of listening to 5-0 radio (police and fire scanner app on the ol' iPod) and updating this blog. But I am seriously suffering from senior-itis and all I want to do is jick-jack around and pretend I'm a "normal person."
I've been thinking a lot about my ICU vs. M/S dilemma for 4th semester and I really really really want to go the ICU route. I love it too much to even think about doing anything else, and even though the job prospects aren't as plentiful I also have to remind myself that I will never have this opportunity again and I should take it. Besides, I plan on kicking total booty during my preceptorship, so I am hopeful I'll make some connections that will help me land my dream job. After all, I throw down like nobody's business :-)
Any other news? Guess not...just finishing up some group projects and looking forward to Spring Break. Believe it or not I am actually going somewhere this time...heading to Oregon to spend 5 days on the beach. It's going to be quiet and lazy and beautiful. Just what Nurse Mo ordered.
Callanetics Experiment Part II
The reason I thought the "Great Callanetics Experiment" sounded familiar was probably b/c I keep stopping and starting these "experiments." Not sure why I do that since I am notoriously bad at finishing things...great at starting things, crap-tastically cruddy at finishing them.
Anyway, I am once again embarking into the world of Callanetics. I always peter out right when I'm starting to see results AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY!!! Probably some weird psychological weirdness, but that's for my future therapist to figure out.
So this experiment entails completing 50 Callanetics workouts by my birthday in 15 weeks. That's 3-4 workouts a week. And because I love rules (as long as I'm the one that makes them), I have come up with some rules for this experiment...I'm calling it the "Fabulous by Forty" experiment. Catchy, eh?
1) If I do 4 workouts in a week, then 1 of them can be one of the short 15-minute workouts (hips or legs) and one of them can be one of the Bar Method videos...don't want to get too bored!
2) Stick as closely to my vegan diet as I can...I'm at about 80% compliance (it's the darn cheese that gets me!)
3) Drink 64 oz of water each day...this is probably a 50 oz increase over my usual water intake.
4) 3 glasses of wine each week (instead of 2 glasses each day...can you say hellloooo to herbal tea?). I expect this little rule by itself to result in a few pounds of weight loss all on its own.
5) Use my whitening toothpaste 2x a day.
6) Never ever ever go to bed with makeup on. Ever. (this is a tough one for me)
7) Deep condition hair once a week (also a difficult one for me to stick to)
8) At least 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day (this one is also tough for me)
9) 2-3 cardio workouts each week...either a walk or bike ride. Running is out d/t my old lady hip issues I've had off and on since I was 30.
10) Measurements and pics after each block of 10 workouts. Oh the shame. Oh the humiliation.
Week 1, Day 1, Callanetics 1:
I did the original Callanetics video today. Not so bad, except I petered out on the first leg exercises and the blasted, evil pelvic rotations. I also had to support my neck during about half of the ab exercises, but I suspect I'll only have to do this for the first 4-5 workouts or so. I was supposed to go on a bike ride, but my friend cancelled and since I can't be trusted to do anything like that on my own, I went shopping instead. Plan for tomorrow is either a bike ride or a walk in the morning. Leaning torward an hour long walk, b/c I have got to get back home and start studying for my Peds exam coming up on Friday. Oh, and I measured...but I'm not posting the numbers until they shrink a little. It's too horrific and this is a family show (ha!).
Anyway, I am once again embarking into the world of Callanetics. I always peter out right when I'm starting to see results AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY!!! Probably some weird psychological weirdness, but that's for my future therapist to figure out.
So this experiment entails completing 50 Callanetics workouts by my birthday in 15 weeks. That's 3-4 workouts a week. And because I love rules (as long as I'm the one that makes them), I have come up with some rules for this experiment...I'm calling it the "Fabulous by Forty" experiment. Catchy, eh?
1) If I do 4 workouts in a week, then 1 of them can be one of the short 15-minute workouts (hips or legs) and one of them can be one of the Bar Method videos...don't want to get too bored!
2) Stick as closely to my vegan diet as I can...I'm at about 80% compliance (it's the darn cheese that gets me!)
3) Drink 64 oz of water each day...this is probably a 50 oz increase over my usual water intake.
4) 3 glasses of wine each week (instead of 2 glasses each day...can you say hellloooo to herbal tea?). I expect this little rule by itself to result in a few pounds of weight loss all on its own.
5) Use my whitening toothpaste 2x a day.
6) Never ever ever go to bed with makeup on. Ever. (this is a tough one for me)
7) Deep condition hair once a week (also a difficult one for me to stick to)
8) At least 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day (this one is also tough for me)
9) 2-3 cardio workouts each week...either a walk or bike ride. Running is out d/t my old lady hip issues I've had off and on since I was 30.
10) Measurements and pics after each block of 10 workouts. Oh the shame. Oh the humiliation.
Week 1, Day 1, Callanetics 1:
I did the original Callanetics video today. Not so bad, except I petered out on the first leg exercises and the blasted, evil pelvic rotations. I also had to support my neck during about half of the ab exercises, but I suspect I'll only have to do this for the first 4-5 workouts or so. I was supposed to go on a bike ride, but my friend cancelled and since I can't be trusted to do anything like that on my own, I went shopping instead. Plan for tomorrow is either a bike ride or a walk in the morning. Leaning torward an hour long walk, b/c I have got to get back home and start studying for my Peds exam coming up on Friday. Oh, and I measured...but I'm not posting the numbers until they shrink a little. It's too horrific and this is a family show (ha!).
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Torn between two lovers....
For some reason that song pops into my head when I think about putting in my preferences for precepting next semester. I am torn between the ICu (which I love but am not likely to get a job in right away d/t the horrible hiring situation here) and good old fashioned M/S (which will get me a good solid basis, invaluable time management, organizational skills...and maybe a job). UGH!
It seems whenever I talk to the seasoned nurses they tell me to go the M/S route, but then I talk to others who went straight into the ICU, and those people tell me to follow my heart. Torn torn torn. I also kind of like peds, but I think the reason I've liked it so far is that I haven't had to do anything with a child that really requires their total and complete cooperation. For instance, I haven't had to put an NG tube in a child or a Foley...I certainly haven't tried an IV or even given an injection to a tiny little tot. I know how "not patient" I am, and I also know that causing pain to someone who doesn't understand why I'm doing it would be really really hard. So, even though the kiddos are cute as heck and don't have nearly the same degree of smelliness as their adult counterparts..I just don't think I can go into peds (at least not right away).
I really need to figure out what I'm going to do...I am sure I want to work in the ICU...I am 100% certain of that. I love all the gadgets and technology. I love the pathophysiology and ability to totally focus on one or two patients. I love things that are complicated and challenging, but at the same time I am absolutely scared to death. The idea of being "the nurse" for any patient (critical or not) freaks me out to no end. Right now I can take some comfort in knowing that if I can't figure something out, I just go get "the real nurse." I am reminded every time I go to clinical how NOT READY I am to take care of patients. At all.
Again...torn, torn torn. Sigh...
It seems whenever I talk to the seasoned nurses they tell me to go the M/S route, but then I talk to others who went straight into the ICU, and those people tell me to follow my heart. Torn torn torn. I also kind of like peds, but I think the reason I've liked it so far is that I haven't had to do anything with a child that really requires their total and complete cooperation. For instance, I haven't had to put an NG tube in a child or a Foley...I certainly haven't tried an IV or even given an injection to a tiny little tot. I know how "not patient" I am, and I also know that causing pain to someone who doesn't understand why I'm doing it would be really really hard. So, even though the kiddos are cute as heck and don't have nearly the same degree of smelliness as their adult counterparts..I just don't think I can go into peds (at least not right away).
I really need to figure out what I'm going to do...I am sure I want to work in the ICU...I am 100% certain of that. I love all the gadgets and technology. I love the pathophysiology and ability to totally focus on one or two patients. I love things that are complicated and challenging, but at the same time I am absolutely scared to death. The idea of being "the nurse" for any patient (critical or not) freaks me out to no end. Right now I can take some comfort in knowing that if I can't figure something out, I just go get "the real nurse." I am reminded every time I go to clinical how NOT READY I am to take care of patients. At all.
Again...torn, torn torn. Sigh...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
3rd Semester is Underway
Just a quick note to say hey...just finished 3rd week of 3rd semester and so far so good. I don't want to jinx myself, but I am nowhere NEAR as stressed or freaked out as last semester at this time. Basically this semester I have only TWO classes (more or less). I have OB and Peds...technically each of those have a skills class associated with it but we don't meet every week so I tend to not even count it. Peds skills does have a community health component to it, so yes...I am still driving to the ghetto to provide nursey stuff to under-served populations. This is something my school is very into...and I think I end up with some kind of certification in community health nursing as well...honestly, I don't even know. I'll see what my diploma says when I get it. Ha!
I started this semester in Peds rotation...kinda glad to get it over with for a couple of reasons. 1) clinical preps are such a pain in the neck...only four more to do! 2) kids don't take a deep breath whenever you ask them to, they don't hold still for their BP or temp, and they generally wiggle pretty much all the time. They are, however, much more cheerful than adults (for the most part), so that's a nice change of pace. The downside is that you can't have a meaningful conversation with them, and we all know how chatty I am.
This past week I was in pediatric oncology and next week I get to do two clinical days (joy joy)...both are basically observation days and the first day I'll go to an endocrinology clinic in the morning, and urgent care in the afternoon...on Wednesday I go to the NICU in the morning and the PICU in the afternoon. The bonus to this week is no clinical preps and I won't be in charge of anyone...can kind of take a mental break which is perfect timing since I have a Peds exam on Friday. Gah.
After this first Peds exam, the semester gets into its normal routine and I am hoping really hard that I'll be able to take one day off a week. I spoke to a 4th semester student the other day who said she was able to take the entire weekend off....can you imagine???? That would be absolutely INSANE!!! Just thinking about it makes me all giddy and squishy inside.
Off to study kiddie-sized respiratory disorders with a schmummy glass of Jeff Runquist wine. In the den. With my feet up. Chillaxin. To see the irony of this statement, refer back to some of my first semester posts to see what a head case I was:-) Not sure if this new attitude will last...but I'm embracing it for as long as I can.
I started this semester in Peds rotation...kinda glad to get it over with for a couple of reasons. 1) clinical preps are such a pain in the neck...only four more to do! 2) kids don't take a deep breath whenever you ask them to, they don't hold still for their BP or temp, and they generally wiggle pretty much all the time. They are, however, much more cheerful than adults (for the most part), so that's a nice change of pace. The downside is that you can't have a meaningful conversation with them, and we all know how chatty I am.
This past week I was in pediatric oncology and next week I get to do two clinical days (joy joy)...both are basically observation days and the first day I'll go to an endocrinology clinic in the morning, and urgent care in the afternoon...on Wednesday I go to the NICU in the morning and the PICU in the afternoon. The bonus to this week is no clinical preps and I won't be in charge of anyone...can kind of take a mental break which is perfect timing since I have a Peds exam on Friday. Gah.
After this first Peds exam, the semester gets into its normal routine and I am hoping really hard that I'll be able to take one day off a week. I spoke to a 4th semester student the other day who said she was able to take the entire weekend off....can you imagine???? That would be absolutely INSANE!!! Just thinking about it makes me all giddy and squishy inside.
Off to study kiddie-sized respiratory disorders with a schmummy glass of Jeff Runquist wine. In the den. With my feet up. Chillaxin. To see the irony of this statement, refer back to some of my first semester posts to see what a head case I was:-) Not sure if this new attitude will last...but I'm embracing it for as long as I can.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
3rd Semester Starts Tomorrow :-) or :-( ?
School starts up again tomorrow and I can't say I'm happy about it. On the one hand, I'm ecstatic that I've made it to the halfway point, but on the other...it's only halfway???? Seriously?
I've spent the past few days grocery shopping, cleaning, doing laundry, and getting organized. I was supposed to be studying, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to do much. I'm sure I'll pay for it later. But even the fear of impending immense stress cannot tempt me into opening up my books. I guess that's the difference between the first semester me and the me that I am now....tired, stressed, broke...the list goes on.
Frontloading starts tomorrow...Monday and Tuesday are an all-day lectures for OB...Wednesday morning is a breastfeeding workshop, then we have Wednesday afternoon off! Bliss! Thurs and Fri are all-day Peds lectures. Fun Fun. The rest of the frontloading (which takes up the first two weeks of the semester) is more-or-less the same, with some hospital orientations thrown in for good measure. Then our regular schedule kicks in with lectures on Friday, labs on some Thursdays and clinical 1-2 days a week. We also have to do a boat-load of community health and service. So I guess that will get sprinkled in here and there.
As for clinical, I'm starting out in the Peds rotation which is Wednesdays for 12-hour shifts. I've never done a 12-hour shift before, so we'll see how that goes. OB is my second clinical rotation...and one of the great things for this is"no patient prep!". So, technically, I'll be done doing patient preps in 8 weeks...as in DONE FOREVER! Yayayayayay!
Another positive is that I have heard that this semester isn't nearly as bad as 1st or 2nd...so I'm hoping that holds true. I could use a break.
I've spent the past few days grocery shopping, cleaning, doing laundry, and getting organized. I was supposed to be studying, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to do much. I'm sure I'll pay for it later. But even the fear of impending immense stress cannot tempt me into opening up my books. I guess that's the difference between the first semester me and the me that I am now....tired, stressed, broke...the list goes on.
Frontloading starts tomorrow...Monday and Tuesday are an all-day lectures for OB...Wednesday morning is a breastfeeding workshop, then we have Wednesday afternoon off! Bliss! Thurs and Fri are all-day Peds lectures. Fun Fun. The rest of the frontloading (which takes up the first two weeks of the semester) is more-or-less the same, with some hospital orientations thrown in for good measure. Then our regular schedule kicks in with lectures on Friday, labs on some Thursdays and clinical 1-2 days a week. We also have to do a boat-load of community health and service. So I guess that will get sprinkled in here and there.
As for clinical, I'm starting out in the Peds rotation which is Wednesdays for 12-hour shifts. I've never done a 12-hour shift before, so we'll see how that goes. OB is my second clinical rotation...and one of the great things for this is"no patient prep!". So, technically, I'll be done doing patient preps in 8 weeks...as in DONE FOREVER! Yayayayayay!
Another positive is that I have heard that this semester isn't nearly as bad as 1st or 2nd...so I'm hoping that holds true. I could use a break.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Here's the deal...
2nd semester was a bitch. Like a total and complete bitch. I have never in my life been so busy and gotten so completely sick of school! Buuuuuut, the good news is....it's OVER! And, all my obsessive hard work paid off!!! Ended up with a 98% in Mental Health, a 96% in Advanced Med Surge, a ridiculous 100% in Nursing Research (thank gawd for extra credit and a humongo-curve on one of the midterms) and an A in Gero...(don't know the percentage, which is driving the OCD side of my brain crazy!). You can be rest assured I've already emailed the instructor to ask :-)
Like a moron, I went into this semester thinking I was going to be LESS busy than the previous one. HA! It was insane. Not only did we have two clinical days a week, but we had this ridiculous one-to-one mental health assignment that took about 6-8 hours every Friday. Add to that all the classes, clinical prep, huge-ass projects and exams and it was one busy busy semester.
This past two weeks have been back-to-back marathon study sessions for our 6 finals...four exams and two ATIs. When I hit the "submit" button on my Med Surg ATI my heart was about to pound right through my skin...I have never been so tense in an exam! Luckily I passed on the first try because I seriously don't think I could re-study for that test...by far, the hardest test I've ever taken. It's really sad when a score in the 70's puts you in the 98th percentile...now that's a hard test!
Ok, off to go do something decadent and lazy. Like watch a movie!!!!!
Like a moron, I went into this semester thinking I was going to be LESS busy than the previous one. HA! It was insane. Not only did we have two clinical days a week, but we had this ridiculous one-to-one mental health assignment that took about 6-8 hours every Friday. Add to that all the classes, clinical prep, huge-ass projects and exams and it was one busy busy semester.
This past two weeks have been back-to-back marathon study sessions for our 6 finals...four exams and two ATIs. When I hit the "submit" button on my Med Surg ATI my heart was about to pound right through my skin...I have never been so tense in an exam! Luckily I passed on the first try because I seriously don't think I could re-study for that test...by far, the hardest test I've ever taken. It's really sad when a score in the 70's puts you in the 98th percentile...now that's a hard test!
Ok, off to go do something decadent and lazy. Like watch a movie!!!!!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Mental Health...a little less crazy.
Ok, I promised to pop in with an update. I got a 94% on the exam, but I'm pretty sure she's going to toss out at least one really bad question. VERY happy about this! I have a shot at getting an A, and not the dreaded A-.
Yippeee!
Yippeee!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
No, I'm not dead...
I have just been absolutely freakin' buried. I did the math the other day and realized this semester is about 98 hours a week of work. I am one tired kitty.
So far things are going well...I'm doing great in all my classes (knock on wood), except that I am on the cusp in Mental Health. The school has a new lecturer who is HORRIBLE, so I can't say my enthusiasm for the class has been high. Oh well...I am basically approaching it as a self-taught course at this point, so we'll see how I do on the exam this Friday. How many college professors do you know that not only read the PPT slides word-for-word, but call on students to do the reading for them? And no, I am not making this up.
Anyway, after the exam in MH this Friday then I am looking at a more mellow schedule for the rest of the semester. Not really "mellow", but all of my big projects will be finished and all I'll have to look forward to are exams and two ATIs. Med/Surg clinical ended yesterday with a couple of highlights...I got to see two codes (one successful, one not) and do my first Foley. I realized immediately doing a Foley in the ER isn't quite the same as doing one in the lab with your drill-sergeant professor critiquing your every move. It was actually not stressful at all! Yay!
I also got to go to the MICU and the NSICU this semester, plus spent three weeks on the cardiology floor. I can definitely say I like taking care of ONE patient a whole heck of a lot more than I like taking care of multiple pts...but boy was I nervous when my ICU nurse when on her lunch break, leaving me with a vented and coughing patient. STRESS!
For this next clinical rotation, I go back to Mental Health, and for this segment we focus on community health. I'm pretty sure Ih have to go to a 12-step meeting of some kind and give a presentation about a health topic. That's about it. Mental Health rotation is SO MUCH easier than Med/Surg (but also not nearly as fun!)
I am also now the proud owner of a superbly craptastic 22-page gerontology paper that is the most repetitive pile of poo I have ever written. The grading rubric is such that the repetitive nature of the paper was completely unavoidable so it's not my fault! The really sad thing is, I can sum up the whole idea of the huge pile-of-doo-paper in a few words...oh, I did...it's the title!! Anyway, I am extremely bitter about this project...not only because it is so lame, but because it took about 30-40 hours...and get this...it's a 2-unit class! (Insert scream of despair and frustration here). I swear this class is making me not even like old people. Ok, not true, but I am extremely bitter!
OK, that's enough kvetching...sorry again for the humongous delay...I guess that's what 2nd semester does to you!
I'll try to remember to pop my head back in here to let you know how the Mental Health exam goes!
So far things are going well...I'm doing great in all my classes (knock on wood), except that I am on the cusp in Mental Health. The school has a new lecturer who is HORRIBLE, so I can't say my enthusiasm for the class has been high. Oh well...I am basically approaching it as a self-taught course at this point, so we'll see how I do on the exam this Friday. How many college professors do you know that not only read the PPT slides word-for-word, but call on students to do the reading for them? And no, I am not making this up.
Anyway, after the exam in MH this Friday then I am looking at a more mellow schedule for the rest of the semester. Not really "mellow", but all of my big projects will be finished and all I'll have to look forward to are exams and two ATIs. Med/Surg clinical ended yesterday with a couple of highlights...I got to see two codes (one successful, one not) and do my first Foley. I realized immediately doing a Foley in the ER isn't quite the same as doing one in the lab with your drill-sergeant professor critiquing your every move. It was actually not stressful at all! Yay!
I also got to go to the MICU and the NSICU this semester, plus spent three weeks on the cardiology floor. I can definitely say I like taking care of ONE patient a whole heck of a lot more than I like taking care of multiple pts...but boy was I nervous when my ICU nurse when on her lunch break, leaving me with a vented and coughing patient. STRESS!
For this next clinical rotation, I go back to Mental Health, and for this segment we focus on community health. I'm pretty sure Ih have to go to a 12-step meeting of some kind and give a presentation about a health topic. That's about it. Mental Health rotation is SO MUCH easier than Med/Surg (but also not nearly as fun!)
I am also now the proud owner of a superbly craptastic 22-page gerontology paper that is the most repetitive pile of poo I have ever written. The grading rubric is such that the repetitive nature of the paper was completely unavoidable so it's not my fault! The really sad thing is, I can sum up the whole idea of the huge pile-of-doo-paper in a few words...oh, I did...it's the title!! Anyway, I am extremely bitter about this project...not only because it is so lame, but because it took about 30-40 hours...and get this...it's a 2-unit class! (Insert scream of despair and frustration here). I swear this class is making me not even like old people. Ok, not true, but I am extremely bitter!
OK, that's enough kvetching...sorry again for the humongous delay...I guess that's what 2nd semester does to you!
I'll try to remember to pop my head back in here to let you know how the Mental Health exam goes!
Friday, September 18, 2009
My butt has been kicked and handed to me in so many new and innovative ways...
I have come to the realization that nursing school administrators believe students operate in a dimension where time stands still. The amount of work that I have had to do in the past few weeks (and namely this week and the weeks to come) is mind boggling. After spending two weeks on "frontloading" which is a nice way of saying "cramming as much information down your throat as we possibly can", clinical started this week. Some folks are starting in Mental Health where they get to go sit and chat with a mentally ill person for 2 days a week (did I mention the no-prep-work part of the mental health rotation? I am soooo looking forward to that!), and other folks (like yours truly) started in Med/Surg. Among that group some lucky ducks got to start in the ICU where they got to take care of one really sick patient and do all that super cool, super OCD ICU nursey type stuff, and others (like yours truly) got to start on the Med-Surge floor. Insert heavy sigh here.
Our professors were nice and apparently realized we hadn't taken care of two patients except for one weekend last semester, so they let us ease into it by taking care of one pt on Tuesday and then picking up another one to take care of on Wednesday, so that we'd end up with 2 on Wednesday. Can I just say that the evil part of this plan was the TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW of doing my clinical prep. OMG.
For starters, I'm at a new hospital this semester and know next to nothing about the electronic charting system. So, it took me almost 4 HOURS to get all the pt info I needed to even start my prep. Don't ask my how it took that long, but I think I just spent a lot of time searching for stuff on the EMR, getting all paranoid that I was going to miss something! Oh, did I mention my first patient had 39 meds??
Clinical the first day wasn't bad, except I'm pretty sure I was charting my assessments in the wrong place all day (oops), but the RN I worked with figured it out and all is good. I did better by the end of the day, thanks to the aforementioned awesome RN I was working with.....but still...a more thorough and detailed training on how to use the EMR is definitely in order.
So, after taking care of one pretty demanding pt all day, I had to pick a second pt, then go home and write that patient up. I do not do well on 4-5 hours of sleep...I just DON'T. By the time end of day Wednesday rolled around, I felt like I'd been abducted and probed by aliens for the past three days. I logged 42 hours of work for ONE class in those three days. ONE CLASS! I have three other classes, and one more starting this week. WTF and I going to do???? Clone myself????
Anyway, that's enough bitching and moaning...now on to the good stuff....clinical was awesome! I definitely got into more of a rhythm on the second day, and was able to "almost" keep up on all of my work. I got to do my first suppository (ok, maybe "got to" isn't the proper way of putting it), hung two piggybacks (my CI had to help a lot for the first, and only a little for the second, so I'm hoping to get checked off on that completely next week). I learned I am a really slow bed-bath giver and how to say 'thank you' in Russian. I learned that some patients SLEEP WITH THEIR FREAKING EYES OPEN, and that some people just want to be heard. All in all, a good week.
Our professors were nice and apparently realized we hadn't taken care of two patients except for one weekend last semester, so they let us ease into it by taking care of one pt on Tuesday and then picking up another one to take care of on Wednesday, so that we'd end up with 2 on Wednesday. Can I just say that the evil part of this plan was the TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW of doing my clinical prep. OMG.
For starters, I'm at a new hospital this semester and know next to nothing about the electronic charting system. So, it took me almost 4 HOURS to get all the pt info I needed to even start my prep. Don't ask my how it took that long, but I think I just spent a lot of time searching for stuff on the EMR, getting all paranoid that I was going to miss something! Oh, did I mention my first patient had 39 meds??
Clinical the first day wasn't bad, except I'm pretty sure I was charting my assessments in the wrong place all day (oops), but the RN I worked with figured it out and all is good. I did better by the end of the day, thanks to the aforementioned awesome RN I was working with.....but still...a more thorough and detailed training on how to use the EMR is definitely in order.
So, after taking care of one pretty demanding pt all day, I had to pick a second pt, then go home and write that patient up. I do not do well on 4-5 hours of sleep...I just DON'T. By the time end of day Wednesday rolled around, I felt like I'd been abducted and probed by aliens for the past three days. I logged 42 hours of work for ONE class in those three days. ONE CLASS! I have three other classes, and one more starting this week. WTF and I going to do???? Clone myself????
Anyway, that's enough bitching and moaning...now on to the good stuff....clinical was awesome! I definitely got into more of a rhythm on the second day, and was able to "almost" keep up on all of my work. I got to do my first suppository (ok, maybe "got to" isn't the proper way of putting it), hung two piggybacks (my CI had to help a lot for the first, and only a little for the second, so I'm hoping to get checked off on that completely next week). I learned I am a really slow bed-bath giver and how to say 'thank you' in Russian. I learned that some patients SLEEP WITH THEIR FREAKING EYES OPEN, and that some people just want to be heard. All in all, a good week.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Math Test? Nailed it!
Ok, so maybe I should study with wine more often. Got 100% on the math test!!!! Yippee skippy!
After the test we had 4 lectures back-to-back...talk about a looong day. We had two lectures on respiratory disorders, one on mechanical ventilation and one on the communication needs of the ICU patient. Lots of info really really fast. So tonight I am typing up my respiratory notes...we'll see how much of that I can get through. Tomorrow is ABG lecture along with central lines and drains...and that's the end of the "frontloading" lectures for M/S. Whew!
Next hurdle: soft check-off on 7 skills this Thursday, then mental health exam in three weeks.
More wine anyone?
After the test we had 4 lectures back-to-back...talk about a looong day. We had two lectures on respiratory disorders, one on mechanical ventilation and one on the communication needs of the ICU patient. Lots of info really really fast. So tonight I am typing up my respiratory notes...we'll see how much of that I can get through. Tomorrow is ABG lecture along with central lines and drains...and that's the end of the "frontloading" lectures for M/S. Whew!
Next hurdle: soft check-off on 7 skills this Thursday, then mental health exam in three weeks.
More wine anyone?
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