Bye-bye nursing 3.5.0.

So the semester is finally done. Last week we took our finals and waved goodbye to Nuring 350 (351) and other classes that we were taking (for me this was a nursing research class). I'm not going to lie, the exams were challenging but I did good enough to pass on to the next course. Tuesday I had the exam in my nursing course and Thursday I had the exam in my research class. Overall it has been a good semester. Professors were nice and classes were mainly interesting. Clinical seemed to go well.

Nursing 420/421 are next, along with my psych clinical rotation and another general med-surg rotation. But what I think makes me the most happy is finally being able to see that end is so close. Only two semesters left! The next semester doesn't start until January 10, so I'm going to love the break that we have while I have it and will be updating again once the new semester starts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

One more clinical done...and the semster is wrapping up.

So I am sad to say that our pediatric clinical rotation is now done. I really enjoyed working with this population, so I am sort of bummed. Last week Thursday was the last day at the hospital and we each had two patients the entire shift so that was a little different. And Friday was more of a fun day that consisted of mainly our evaluations with our clinical professor. My next clinical is the psychiatric rotation which will start in January and should be pretty interesting. So without having clinical on Thursday and Friday I have two days that opened up without any school until the new semester starts again in January. But for this past rotation I had 3 other students that were in my awesome nursing 315 class, so that was cool!

This is our last week in out theory class (topics include Abuse and Victimization, and Trauma). Then next Tuesday is our final exam...which is kind of scaring me.

I think that even with two semesters left, it is super cool that end is finally insight. I am so ready to be done. Another one of my awesome nursing 315 friends got this sweet idea and made a chain of how many days we have left until we are done with school! Here is the picture- Props to LG!

Eeny meeny miney mo!

Question of the week!......what do Furosemide, Hydrochlorothiazide, Spironolactone, and Mannitol have in common? They are all diuretic medications! Which one is used to decrease intracranial pressure? Eeny meeny, miney mo....Mannitol! This is what I have been busy doing, finishing up medication modules (basically quizzes) over different medication that affect different body systems.

Theory class has been interesting lately. We have talked about the child with cystic fibrosis, the child with upper GI alteration, and the child with lower GI alterations. My experiences in clinical are helping to make this info sink in! The GI (gastrointestinal) stuff has just been interesting! We have our third exam this coming Monday so I am hoping that I am able to get some studying done this weekend. I need to do better than I did on the last exam.

Clinical has been going okay. Last Friday was a little bit challenging, but I got through with some much needed encouragement! Today (Thursday) was a great day! I had a wonderful patient that seemed to like me better than any of the other health care people that came into the room (that made me feel good!). Anyway I will have this patient again tomorrow morning so I'm looking forward to that, and might ask for second patient.

Research continues to be pretty boring, but we have a project coming up that each group has to present so hopefully it will get a little more interesting the next couple of weeks. And my LEI projects is done and turned in for the semester. So glad that is out of the way! It's hard to believe how fast this semester has gone by.

As The Time Flies By....

SO first off I should just apologize for not keeping up with the weekly update. I was doing great for a while and then I hit a busy run and forget to update. So my time at Helen Devos Children's Hospital has been pretty great. It's hard to already believe that we are halfway through this rotation. I have had number of great learning experiences and have gotten to work with a variety of ages of children. And most of them have had very different issues which I think has been great to enhance the learning. Most of the nurses have been great, once and while you may have one having a bad day and they sort of shrug you off but I don't think its intentional (or at least I'll give them the benefit of the doubt). AND my clinical professor is awesome! This coming Thursday I get to spend the day in the pediatric intensive care unit which I am excited for!

Theory class (just a reminder- theory class is like a normal classroom setting with a professor who teaches us about certain topics) has been okay. Since the 2nd exam, which I didn't do as well on as I hoped to, we have been talking about a lot of psych stuff like: mood disorders (depression, bipolar), eating disorders, and children with mental health problems. These weren't as interesting as I hoped, probably because I already knew a lot of the info with working at pine rest. This week our classes were on the child with respiratory alterations and the child with cystic fibrous. With cystic fibrous we watched a short video which was really frustrated me (I just had a hard time getting past the thinking of the mother, but I guess as a nurse I am just going to have to be able to get over this kind of thing). We also had a paper due this week on Monday. We had to write on a professional nursing issue, so I chose to write about nurse-patient ratios. It was actually really hard to write about considering the amount of varying research results that I found, but I got it done!

Besides all the learning and what not, I think the part of school that I enjoy the most is getting to see all my friend on both Monday and Tuesday (and Thursday and Friday if your in my clinical group), as well as someone special a little extra! But I thank God everyday for bringing me to this place in my life where I have been able to meet some pretty amazing friends and professors and have them as part of my life.

Yup, KCON still owns my life...but not for much longer.

To all my avid readers, thank you! We are now HALF WAY through the nursing program! Woohoo! Last week Thursday the second clinical rotation started for the semester. I am at Helen Devos Children's Hospital. We aren't in the new building yet because it is quite done but that building is so sweet looking. Anyway, Thursday was mainly an orientation day and somewhat of a tour. Friday was our first day with a patient. We were actually partnered up a another student from our group and we both took care of that patient. It was really helpful in learning the whole charting system and what not. The day went extremely well and I enjoyed it...I can't go into too much detail about it because of HIPPA.

One great thing is NO MORE LAB! Our lab classes are done for the semester which gives us a lot more time to focus and study on other theory and clinical work so that is nice.

This week Monday we had our 2nd theory test over a variety of topics including: CAD (coronary artery disease), heart attacks, heart failure, PVD, musculoskeletal issues, GI alterations, the hospitalized child, and female and male reproductive problems. Yeah tons of information...the test was tricky, some questions weren't worded well, and I struggled with being motivated to study...so I didn't do as well as I would have liked but I passed.

Then for the rest of class on Monday and today we have been talking about mood disorders. One of the nurses that works at Pine Rest is actually teaching the lectures. It's sort of boring because I already know a lot of the info, but I act as though I am paying attention!

Super Duper Sweet!

Rocked it out! Oh yeah baby! Of course that would be the test out we had today. We had to know how to perform two skills: NG tube (nasogastric) insertion and removal and a central line dressing change. So I went in the little test out area with the professor and she hands me two alcohol swab packages (and I'm thinking to myself what do you want me to do with these. We don't use these in the skills...oh no I'm going to fail), but she informs me that I have to pick one of the two and on the bottom it will say the skill I need to perform. So I picked and I get NG tube. Nailed that testout on the head! And so now for the rest of the semester we don't lab class. YES!!!

Let me fill you in a little bit about last week since I didn't write about it. On Monday we had lab that was on gastrointestinal care so we learned how to insert the NG tube. Then our theory class on Monday was about care for the adult with musculoskeletal alteration. Tuesday's lab was on orthopedic care so we got to play around with crutches, wheelchairs, ace wraps, ect. It was actually quite fun, and out theory class was about care of the hospitalized child. Then yesterday in lab we had a practice day for the skills were were going to be tested out on and in theory class we talked about the child with birth defects. Then today we will be talking about male and female health issues.

Research class has been boring. Last week was super boring. This week we have a test which I'm kinda nervous about because I don't really understand too much that she talks about in class. In other news a nursing friend classmate, has now become my girlfriend! (Crazy fun pic below!)

Catheterazation Test Out

Let me tell you...this week has been amazing. Since we ended our clinicals last week by going three day instead of two all I had this week was classes. This made my week a lot less busy, and I have the same situation this coming week.

Monday we finished our series of lectures on heart alterations by talking about heart failure and PVD. I am really interested and fascinated by the way the heart works so I'm kinda bummed for the lectures on the heart to be done but I think the test over this part is going to be challenging. Then Tuesday in our theory class we moved on and discussed the adult with gastrointestinal alterations (this included things like GERD, gastritis, GI bleeds, ulcerative colitis, and crohn's disease).

In lab, on Tuesday, we had our test out on inserting catheters. So Monday was a practice day. We had to know how to insert either a Foley catheter or a straight catheter in either a female or male patient while maintaining sterility. All that means is we had to know how to insert a catheter into the urethra while being sterile. The Foley catheter is the one that is inserted and stays in while draining into a bag, and the straight catheter is only inserted for a few minutes to empty the distended bladder. For our patients we use manikins with switchable urinary/reproductive parts. So on Tuesday we had our test out in front of a professor. We went into the room and where given a senerio in which we learned the gender of the patient and had to determine which catheter that needed to be inserted. I had a male patient that needed a straight catheter and I passed!

Wednesday and Thursday we did not have clinicals so I had those day off, which was extremely nice. I did my first LEI (longitudinal elderly initiative) visit for the semester and that went well.

Time Out....in the Operating Room

Sorry I am a little late in my weekly post. I had a busy weekend with work. So let me fill you in. Last Monday we had our first test in our theory class. Honestly I didn't get as mush studying done as I would have liked hence after completing the test I didn't feel so good about it. I did better on it than I thought so that made me happy. After the test we started a series of lectures on heart alterations which continued on Tuesday.

Wednesday and Thursday were awesome because I got to be in the OR (operation room) watching different procedures and surgeries. It was interesting to see what a nurse does in the OR. Also found a lot of interest in what the CRNA does (certified register nurse anesthetist). This may be an appealing option for a career later in my nursing experience (it includes a lot more school and right now I just want school to be down). But it was a very interesting and fun time. Friday we had to meet with the professor for an evaluation of our clinical and then the group went out for lunch.

My clinical time at Zeeland Hospital is now down and a few short weeks I be starting my pediatric rotation at Devos children's hospital which I am very excited about. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have our first test out on insertion of a catheter. I feel pretty good about. I just have to remember to maintain sterility because it's so easy to break the sterile field.

Hold on TIGHT!

After my last post I feel bad about not being more descriptive or enthused. But this week was a much better week and I hope to make for the slack in the last one with this post right here. So HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS...cause its going to be a great one! Monday in our theory class we had a lecture about the pain assessment, and honestly it was better than I thought it was going to be. We talk about pain medication all the time but I think its easy for use to forget about comfort care measures that we can take to help reduce pain as well. Our professor did this little experiment with us in which we put a clothes pin on part of the skin of our hand. Then we placed a little ziploc bag of ice in different locations to see what helped with the pain the most. We put the ice distal (more towards the fingers)to "the injury," proximal (more on the wrist/lower arm) to " the injury," and on the opposite hand. There wasn't one method that worked best so it goes to show we can try many different positions/place to help relieve pain. Then also on Monday we had our diabetes lab. The first lab in which we actually got to make another person bleed! (I know it sounds strange but when we are finally able to practice a skill on a real human- that's exciting!) Anyway we talked about different types of insulin and how to count carbs and what types of insulins can be mixed with which. Its all rather confusing but I'm getting it. Then we got to poke each other and measure our partners blood sugar level (hence the blood).

Tuesday I had lab for 3 hours bright and early. The topic for this lab was respiratory alterations. They had 6 stations set up in lab and we were splint into groups of 5 or 6. Each group had a station. For example I was in the group with the chest tube station. Then we had to read about it and learn with some help from the professor all about out topic and how all our material worked. Then after about 1/2 and hour or so each group taught the rest of the class about their station. So we learned about different inhalers and nebulizer treatments, different ways to help loosen mucous secretions in the lungs, different types of suctioning, endotracheal tubes, chest tubes, and different types of supplemental oxygen. For our theory class we had a lecture on respiratory alterations which went perfectly well with our lab early in the morning. And the lecture was packed full of information on pneumonia, COPD, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. After that class I have my nursing research class and we got to play JEOPARDY! However, my team lost in the end, although we still gave it a really good effort and we all got candy in the end!

Wednesday I had clinical at Zeeland Hospital. My patient was a rock star. Not literally a rock star but probably one of the most fun patients I have worked with yet, and I have had some other really great ones too.


I'm excited for my last two day of clinicals next week because I get to be in the OR (operation room for those of you who didn't know)!

That's the end of the ride. I hope everyone is still fastened securely in their seat. You may now unfasten your buckles and exit by clicking on the "X" or back arrow button. Thanks for reading!

Probably the most boring post you will read...if you even read it

Crazy Busy, that describes my life lately in nursing school. Last Monday included a lab with more practice in setting up IV bags and tubing and then we practiced positioning and moving patients. Tuesdays lab included stations that we went through with simulations to discuss the perioperative care and treatment for the patient. Our theory class topics were on diabetes management in both the child and adult. We had a meeting about the 3 visits we have to do with our LEI clients this semester, and then I also had my nursing research class.

Clinicals went very well last week on Wednesday and Thursday. I got to learn so stuff that we haven't have a chance yet to talk about in out lab, so that was both nerve racking and a good learning experience at the same time. My patient was extremely friendly and was always presenting opportunities for me to practice and learn. Not too much to say...just not real into writing this post. Maybe after this week i have more enthusiasm about school.

FUN, FUN, FUN!

So this week we got a little break from classes. GVSU had classes of on Monday and Tuesday because of Labor Day, and thankfully all my classes fall on Monday and Tuesday! However, we still had clinical on Wednesday and today (Thursday). And all I have to say is that clinical was WAY better this week. Both days I was able to work with nurses and aides that were extremely helpful and very willing to teach us new things. Wednesday I got to take care of a patient that had some things in common with me so we got to some small talk, and not only that, he was extremely nice. Today I got to work with a patient who was also extremely nice and had fun joking around with anyone that walked into his room. I got to see the occupational and physical therapy aspect of care for the patient. I also got to help the nurse with the discharge. Then my professor let me go down to the ER. This was a sweet experience, although there was not much going on, and the nurse I was following was the best yet! So lets just say clinical turned around this week. It was great!

Week one of 350/351

So on Monday school started again and all of us nursing students got back into the swing of things after about a 2 week break which seemed to go by way to quickly. So last semester was nursing 320/321 and this semester is nursing 350/351. The numbers don't hold a lot of meaning, just the fact that they continue to go up means that I am progressing through the program! Our weeks are extremely busy. Mondays I have class from 1-6 which includes a 2 hour lecture class and a 3 hour lab class. Tuesday is my long day of classes. I'm at school from 8 to 5. From 8 to 11 I have a 3 hour lab, then from 11-1 I have a seminar class (thankfully this class doesn't always meet every week), then from 1 to 3 I have a lecture class, and finally from 3 to 5 I have a nursing research class. Wednesday and Thursday I am in my clinical rotation. For the first part of the semester I am at Zeeland Hospital from 7 to 3. We had an orientation on Wednesday to go over computer stuff, paperwork, tour of the building, ect. Our clinical professor is very nice. Then Thursday we got to be with our first patient. It was an extremely challenging day and I would rather not go into the details. Having to be up so early to be at the hospital at 6:45 didn't help matters either. Hopefully the next couple of days will go better. Since Friday is my day off from class I will be working every Friday because it is the only day during the week that I have open.
I have been very impressed with how organized the course has been presented by the professors. A much needed change from 320/321, and I believe that this semester is going to be a good in which we learn a lot.

Wrapping up the semester!

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to say that the semester is finally over! Wow....what a semester it has been. I don't think I have ever done so much work in my life. It's been tough but I have managed to get through it. So now I have break until the next semester starts on Aug. 30, and about a year from now I will be done and graduated!

Let quick me quickly wrap up the the last week and a half of the semester for you, cause it ended up being pretty exciting. Last Tuesday was the last day of theory and seminar classes. In theory we talked about primary care for the preschool and school age child. And then in seminar we did our group presentations for our webquest projects. My groups' topic was eating disorders. Thursday and Friday were the last two days that I spent in my OB clinical at the hospital. Thursday...I think the most fun part of that day I had was when I got to teach the dad how to change the baby's diaper! Friday I went in pretty bummed because I was thinking that I wasn't going to be able to see a birth...but guess who was wrong....me! When I got there my instructor put me with a labor and delivery nurse and I got to see a birth! It was an amazing experience. Lots of people would think it gross to see an experience like that but for me it was phenomenal! Just amazing even with all the gross stuff, I thrive off it!

Saturday was my birthday so I didn't spend any time study for the final. And I had to work on Sunday and Monday so I squeezed as much studying in when I could. Tuesday was the final and overall it went pretty good considering the amount of studying that I got done. And I passed....yiiippppppeeee!

So now I can look back on everything that happened in this short period of time throughout the semester: 3 hour or more lectures on prenatal, labor, postpartum, complications, care for older adults, middle age, adolescents, preschool and toddlers every week; med calculation testing, med administration, learning to give injections and sites, sterile technique; virtual prenatal neighborhood, webquest, care plans; ethical essay; health fairs in the grocery store and children's center; 4 LEI visits and the paper that went along; primary care clinical, and 7 days on the childbirth floor in the hospital, plus 5 test (the last being cumulative)......and I SURVIVED IT ALL! I'll continue to update the blog when the next semester starts and always always remember, never condone or condemn but PANTS UP, AND SKIRTS DOWN! (inside joke!)
(Yes this is what I feel like!)

SNAPSHOT

Aren't you so proud of me, I have been doing a better job a keeping this updated weekly! So let me tell about nursing school this past week. Tuesday is the day we have class all day long. Our theory class was on primary care of the infant and toddler. Then after class we got our ethical essays back that were due two weeks ago. I did pretty well on mine so I was happy about that. For seminar we have a really lame project due called Webquest and my group has the topic eating disorders. We have to create a teaching tool and presentation along with a bunch of other stuff. This past tuesday we had to do three annotated bibliographies (fancy term for summary) on research articles for our topic. So I worked on that before class started. Wednesday I had off but I ended up doing something but I can't remember. Then Thursday and Friday were back in clinical in the OB. I still haven't gotten to see a delivery yet which is a huge bummer. But I did get to work with some really awesome moms and babies. Friday I actually got to do a lot of stuff and was really busy (which is all good because I am learning lots, but wasn't able to get any paperwork done so now I have to do that this weekend). But yeah that was a quick snapshot of my week. We are so close to being done. We have one week left of regular classes, and I only have more days left in the hospital for this rotation. Then the following week we have our final exam. Then we are done...only for about 2 weeks though. :(

Bring on the BABIES!

As you all know unless you don't read my blog frequently, I am in my OB rotation...and it has been a huge joy. I get to see little tiny bodies working to provide life...only God could have created something as complex and beautiful as this! This week on Thursday and Friday we have been on the unit in the afternoons. So far I have only gotten to work with postpartum moms and their babies (postpartum means a mom that has recently given birth). It has been an amazing experience. I'm sorta bummed that I haven't gotten to see a delivery yet or a c-section. I'm not going to lie, it is sort of awkward and hard for me to be one the unit for eight hours and not see another male (unless its the doctor). Its just a different setting but I still think it is fun. Probably sure the moms are surprised when they see me walk in the door and find out that I'm their student nurse for the day! However, they have been great. Yesterday was awesome. The baby was so cute and I got to hold him and everything. The baby didn't like it when I had to take his clothes off to weigh him and then the only way I could keep him quiet to count his respiration and heart rate was to hold him. And I got to give my first shot to the mom! I did so much better than I thought I was going to do.


Tuesday we had our 4th exam which was a disaster. I think that everyone did bad. the professors all ended up going over the test with each other because the scores where so bad and they ended up throwing out like 10 questions so that made things a lot better. Then we talked about mental health and grieving in pregnancy. We had to watch a video in class that was so sad. I had actually watched it earlier not in class and cried. I provided a link to it. It is a sad video but its a reality that people have to deal with. Just a warning I you have any kinda feelings for other people this will probably make you cry. All you need to do to watch the video is click on the title of this blog at the top "Bring on the Babies".

Moms and babies!

Yesterday was my first day of clinical in the OB (labor and delivery, postpartum, infant nursery, like kind of stuff). Its a little bit of an awkward place for a male nurse to be but I really enjoyed the time we got to spend on the floor. Since yesterday was the first day we had to go through a lot of orientation type stuff like documentation, getting badges, a tour, ect. Then we got to spend about an hour and a half on the floor with a postpartum mom and her baby. We got to do a head to toe assessment on both of them. The baby was so precious! The diapers were smaller than the size of my palm. What a precious gift of life God has created. We have a test on Tuesday over the past three weeks of theory class and I have an inkling that this one is going to be tough.

OB clinicals starting soon!

So sorry I haven't been very good updating this weekly. Hopefully things will tone down a little bit and I won't be so busy. Seriously this past week I have either been doing homework (writing papers), working, or sleeping. And sleeping has not been very much. Don't feel jipped because I haven't written anything lately...I had a few days were I accidently missed a meal because of this huge workload. I had to do all my primary care rotation paperwork and LEI folder. It was all due on Tuesday so now I feel so much better because I have it all turned in. Last Tuesday we had our third test which was really tricky but I did really well on it! It covered care of the middle to older adult and ethical/moral issues. Then after the test we had a class on care of the adolescent. This past Tuesday we had are class on pregnancy complications. Tomorrow I have OB simulations and then the following week I will be starting my OB rotation at Metro hospital. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming experience. Other side news I got my new vehicle today!...2005 chevy equinox! Now on to finishing this ethical essay. Yup, on top of all our other work we have to write an essay on the Tuskegee Syphilis study. :(....

Client....Crash...Clinicals

Let's push this into overdrive...that's what my life has felt like this past week and a half. I have to leave off from my last post and to make things less confusing I am going to list it out day by day!

Wed. June 16- I had my first LEI visit for the semester. (LEI is the project we do with our elderly person throughout the nursing program) Basically I had to finish asking my guy about his health history and then I evaluated my partner doing the same to her LEI client.

Thurs. June 17- This day was awesome. A group of us got to do a health fair at the children's enrichment center. My group taught the kids about sun and water safety and the other group taught about from the farm to you. We had to teach our lesson twice; once to a group of kids aged 2 1/2 - 4 and then like 4 to 6. It was really fun to get to interact with the kids and get to ask them questions and play games with them that promoted health and safety.
Friday June 18- I did my second visit for the semester with my LEI client. For this meeting I did a physical assessment of my client. I checked out his head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, lung and heart sounds, skin, reflexes, ect. From all of this information that was gather we are then required to create a teaching care plan for our person geared toward something we could teach them that relates to them and could benefit their health.

Weekend I had off. Saturday included nothing related to school. I was able to take the day and kayak with friends and relax. Sunday consisted of a lot of paper work for the things I had completed and the upcoming tasks plus it was Father's day.
Monday June 21- I got to sleep in a little bit and did more homework. Then I had to work the rest of the day.

Tuesday June 22- NOT A GOOD DAY. On the way to class I was in a car accident. I was t-boned on the drivers side by another car that didn't stop at the light. I hit my head pretty hard on the driver's side window (thank goodness it didn't break) and had to go to the ER to be monitored for a concussion. I didn't have a concussion so that was good. I don't like drawing a lot of attention to my self but when you're told it would probably be good to get checked out, and you agree, and then a fire truck and and ambulance drive up....that draws a lot of attention. After I was released from the hospital I had my dad bring me back to school and I went to school for the rest of the day. Then my sister picked me up at 6pm to drive me home. It stinks to not have a car, but you work with what you got.

Wednesday June 23- I had my third visit with my LEI client. For this visit I was to implement my teaching plan. I taught my client about diabetes and nutrition. He seemed to be pretty receptive to the information, so now I just hope he can apply some of it to his life. They also invited my LEI partner (who was doing the second evaluation on me) to have banana cream pie with them. If you know me at all you know I can't tolerate fruit, and I hate bananas. I didn't want to decline and look like a jerk. I have know idea how I was able to eat it without gagging...it must have been the whipped topping and the fact that as soon as I put it in my mouth I swallowed right away. I left it to my stomach to start the digestion.

Thursday June 24- Today was the first day of my clinical rotation where I got to spend the day (9 to 4) in the doctor's office. It was OB day so I got to be with a doctor that was doing check-ups with pregnant woman. I saw woman from 8 weeks pregnant to 41 week pregnant and everything in-between. I got to watch vaginal exams and pap smears as well as see an inflamed and healthy looking cervix. I observed the doctor checking fundal height and feeling the abdomen for the baby's head. Then the doctor let me measure the fundal height and feel for the head and also use the equipment to find the fetal heart tones. That was really cool!

And last but certainly not least, today Friday June 25- I had my second clinical day in the health care office and I got to mostly follow around the pediatrician. This was a great opportunity and I loved every moment of it. Infants from 2 weeks to kids 10 or 11. Most of them came in for a well-child check up or because they thought they were sick. Great day!

A Bunch of Everything.

Again, I have failed at posting within the last week...but better now then never, right! And yes, my excuse is the same, I have been busy. With work this weekend and studying for the test we had today I just didn't get a chance to update. But lets see, where to start...How about last week Tuesday. Tuesday was a normal Tuesday in class all day. In theory we talked about the care of a prenatal client. Then in seminar we talked about culture and watched a part of My Big Fat Greek Wedding which displayed differences between two cultures very well. After that class I had to get re-certified in CPR so I had to be at school from 8:30 in the morning until 9pm...yup long day. Wednesday we don't have lab anymore so I spent the day getting all my paperwork and assignments and dates to turn things in all organized. Thursday I worked on finishing up SOAP notes and the reflection from simulation as well as get things ready for my first LEI visit of the semester which will be tomorrow. And Friday we had our first health fair at a Family Fare. It was actually quite interesting. We mainly did blood pressure screening and talked about making good nutritional choices with customers that were willing to talk. Got to meet a lot of nice people. It was interesting to see health mixed into a setting where people don't think about health a lot but make a lot of choices that affect there health. After that health fair my group met up to talk about and plan a health fair that we have we kids this coming Thursday. I'm really looking forward to that. It should be a good time! And then today we had our second test which went alright and then talked about care of the middle aged and older adult.

Lab is done.....and clinicals start.

Crazy....the single word that describes my week. Tuesday we had our first written test in theory class over STI, contraception, pregnancy, ect. They post the right answers right after class so you know how you did right away. I'm glad to say that I got a solid score. I got some wrong but it nice knowing that now going into the rest of the semester I have a decent score to work with. Then Wednesday I had medication adminstration and injection testing. This was one of those tests were you are in a room, one-on-one with a professor, demonstrating your skills with a given scenario (with heart racing and feeling ready to vomit). Passed that!!! So now all the lab testing is done for the semester!!!! But now clinical start. Thursday I had off and then all day today we had primary care simulation and orientation. Talk about being thrown into things. Basically we walked into class, were told we had five minutes with a patient (real person but created scenerios) to take vital signs and figure out the main reason they were there and then go report to the PA (physicians assistant), were given a room number slip, and told to go. Even though it seemed really chaotic at the time when it was done, I thought it was really a fun experience. Then we had primary care clinical orientation, really boring and overwhelming...I'm going to have a lot of work on my hands (and that's an understatement).

T.E.S.T.I.N.G.

Sorry this post is so late in the week. What can I say I have been busy. We have had so much testing this week it was kind of overwhelming but at the same time it seemed like the week was much easier. Tuesday we had a medication calculation test which we had to get 100% on to pass, which I did as well as everyone else in my lab. We also had our theory class on caring for the postpartum woman (the woman who has just given birth). These past couple of lectures have been really interesting. Who knows why, I guess the material is just interesting in itself, and I do have to say the prof who has been lecturing makes the three hour class quite fun. Wednesday I passed out sterile technique testing which was really nerve racking. Standing in room with just you and a professor demonstrating your skills without any mistakes so you pass...yeah felt like i was going to throw up. But I did well and passed that too. Thursday we had a practice testing for medication administration which included injections. I thought I had this one down better than sterile technique but I guess I was wrong. I was so thankful it was only a practice. We had 20 minutes to do everything that was required of us (checking the MAR, identify the patient, asking all the right questions, doing the med checks three times on all the medications, drawing up the injection, administering the injection, and doing the followup and teaching). Well I ran out of time so I wouldn't have passed if it was the real test, but I couldn't get the bubbles out of the syringe when I preparing the injection and it took me like 10 minutes. They taught us all these little tricks to help get the bubbles out but none of them worked. I was ready to put down the syringe and run out of the run yelling "I can't do this, I can't do this." So I know what I need to practice and my final real testing is on Wednesday so say a prayer for me, that would be great! We also have our first theory test on Tuesday and I'm real nervous about that too because I don't know how hard the questions will be and that sort of stuff, plus its the first test. So testing

Baby in my pants!...and playing with needles.

Fun week! Tuesday in our theory class we had a lecture on labor and delivery given by one of our professors who has had a lot of experience in that area. I think it was one of the most interesting 3 hour lectures I have ever listened to. She had so many stories to tell. The professor was telling us how many women experience very different labor. Some take a long time to deliver the baby and other occur quickly. She told of a story in which one woman had her baby so quickly she had pushed the call button to tell the nurse "there's a baby in my pants." I also learned that if a woman in labor feels like they have to poop, check to see that it's not the baby first because usually poop = baby! And I learned that when the baby comes out they look like little aliens.

In lab we have been doing a lot of practice on sterile technique and medication administration. Thursday we learned how to give injections. (We got to play with needles!) Well, I wouldn't actually call it playing. It was more like learning through hands on experience. We learned about all the different sites and different types of injections and then we practiced drawing up sterile water from ampules and vials. We got to inject into this fake section of a leg for practice. We practiced with long needles (1 1/2 inches) and smaller needs and big gauges and smaller gauges. I don't know, there was something cool about being on the other side of the needle for once!

After Week 1.

Let me tell you right now, its the end of the week and I feel much more comfortable about the upcoming rest of the semester than I did on the first day. I'm not completely sure why that is, probably cause I jumped right in and told myself that I keep worrying about everything I'm not going to get anywhere. So Lab on Wednesday was interesting...the computer in our lab class wasn't working so we joined the other lab....OLD LAB 101 BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!!! (-2).....and we discussed documentation and calculating medication. So then yesterday we got to lab knowing we were going to learn sterile technique and we played JEOPARDY from the reading we were suppose to do. Then we watched the professor demonstrate sterile technique with gloving and preparing to change a dressing, and then we got to practice. There are so many tiny little things you need to make sure you do correct to not contaminate the sterile field. The hardest part for me is remember to keep my hands above my elbows. Then today we took our med calc pretest and practiced sterile technique some more. So now I get to read 4 chapters from my gigantic textbook about giving birth for Tuesday...at least it's interesting!

Hi students....welcome to a semester of Hell.

Yesterday was the very first day of the spring/summer semester for my nursing 320/321 classes. The day was long and on Tuesdays I am at school from 8:30 to 5:30, in which I have three classes. For each class I was in, and each new professor I listened to, I felt like they kept placing heavy bricks on my chest making it harder for me to breathe. Yes that was how overwhelming my day was. Let me explain to you some aspects of my day. (oh and by the way, I still have a hard time keeping my schedule straight, so if you get confused you know how I feel.) The start of my day was at 8:30 for my theory class. This class contains all 64 nursing students who entered the program the same time I did. This class is three hours long. And get this, the class has five different professors, and each one teaches about a certain topic. So now the issue of trying to figure out a professor, how they teach, how they test, and what they are like is multiplied by five. In this class the professors did an introduction and then we discussed sexuality, STIs and contraception. Then we had a short break and headed to our Lab class which is another 3 hours. If you thought 5 professors was bad we have been told that lab is taught by seven or eight different professors (not all at the same time). And to make things more difficult this part of class is split into about 4 weeks of work in lab, another 4 week in a primary care clinical rotation, and another 4 week in OB clinical rotation. For now we have learning labs four days a week and each class period is 3 hours long. Today we got out early so that was nice but we will be learning things such as documentation, some medical calculations, preparing a sterile field, med administration and injections. Then finally on Tuesday from about 3:30 to 5:30 we had a seminar class (in this class I think for the most part our professor stays the same, key words "I think"). So I have Lab four days a week and my theory and seminar are only one day a week.

To make all of this even worse is the way blackboard is set up. Blackboard is a online site that professors can use to post announcements, information to read and print, post quizzes, ect. Well the info for these nursing class is all over the place and in like a thousands of different folders (yeah I exaggerated at little bit). But it is extremely confusing and some info you need to have seems hidden within these folders. I spent an hour and a half the other day just printing off material that I would need to try to get it organized and I didn't even print everything.

All in all info is all over the place, there are numerous professors, and classes I can't keep straight. Within all the negative thoughts and complaining I can be make one positive statement....I know I have a big God that will help me get through it all!

BITTERSWEET

Yesterday (Friday) was the last nursing class that I had have this semester which ends the semester of my very first nursing class. It feels great to have completed this class and have it under my belt but at the same time I wish that it hadn't come to an end. I have this wish for several reasons: My lab class is the best and now for the next semester some of us are going to be split up for lab and I really don't want that to happen, our lab professors were the best and I am going to miss them, and most of the time I don't like change and this switch is going to be a big change.

Wednesday was our last day of seminar and we basically reflected on the semester and how far we have come as student nurses. For our lab on Thursday we had a Standard patient experiences with kids. Basically we had kids come in to volunteer for us to be patients and we were able to do our general assessments on them. I loved it! For lab on Friday we had the same thing, except we had adults to do the assessments on.

After our Friday experience we presented gifts to our lab professors for all of their support and encouragement throughout the semester. I think that they really enjoyed that. Tears were shed and then we look lots of pictures so we could always remember our amazing lab group. I'm going to miss this awesome group of people a lot. Even though I will still be able to see them, I'm going to miss being together with this group in lab.

Breakfast and Mr. Built

This week was fantastic. On Thursday our nursing lab group put together a fantastic breakfast potluck at the beginning. Oh my goodness, there was so much food- donuts, bacon, pancakes, stickybuns, monkey bread, fruit, blueberry muffins, orange juice, milk, coffee and lots more. It was just a great day in general, it was sort of laid back because we just practiced our modified assessments for adults and children. I always knew our two professors were cool...but after this lab let me tell you...they are cool. There was lots of laughing and jokes going around this lab period! And then today we got to practice our assessment skills with clinical simulations. This included doing an assessment on a manikin. These things are really cool because they have mechanics in then so that some of them can breath, have a heart beat and pulse, you can take their blood pressure, ect. We were put in groups of 4 and we did assessments on 4 different situations. One was a baby, an woman, a pregnant teen, and and older gentleman (Mr. Built). As we rotated through each manikin our position changed (each student took turns being the nurse, student nurse, observer, or voice of the manikin). I was the nurse when we did the assessment on Mr. Built. It was an eye opening experience even though it was on a manikin. So to sum it all up in two words- GREAT WEEK!

What happened....?

So this week was extremely easy, uneventful, and not busy....very unlike how busy every week has been thus far. what happened...I didn't know what to do with myself. Wednesday we did not have seminar because we were given compensation time for our LEI project. Thursday we had lab and went over the full body assessment of the infant/child. And then Friday we are were given compensation time for our LEI project, so I didn't have class until 1. Besides that I don't have to work this weekend so I am hoping to spend some quality time with my girlfriend. Oh and we got our grades back from our Nursing WWII paper and I rocked it out!!!

Jasonetta....whoa what?

Jasonetta, yeah that's right...funny story actually. Today we had our third practicum...and I passed!!!! (side note- we had to know how to do assessments on 11 different body systems. We went in the room with our partner for the practicum and the professor and picked one of 11 envelopes which held the fate of the assessment we had to show the professor. I ended up getting abdomen which is one of my most favorite assessment to do. So as I was the student nurse my partner was the patient.) Then it was my partner's turn to pick, and she picked the envelope with the breast assessment. So I had to pretend to be a woman so she could do the first part of the assessment and then provide the voice for a manikin with woman features so she could finish the assessment. However, my professor named me Jasonetta for the assessment. When my partner asked me to state my name I said Jason, and the professor was like actually it is Jasonetta.

But huge stress relieved after this practicum was over, mainly because there was so many things to remember. Plus I had about a million other things going on in my life. Late nights studying occurred a lot this week. And that meant large bedtime snacks to keep my brain working. To get a image of this I have provided a picture of one of these times. Lucky Charms- best snack ever! Especially when it's in a huge bowl! Oh and I know the picture is kinda creepy, but don't let it scare you!

...And Today I almost decided to just Give Up.

This past week, this weekend, and this coming week are going to be the busiest in my life ever. Today I almost decided to give up because I'm burned out and tired and don't feel like I can keep doing this. With the help of a short nap, I felt a little better and decided to stick with it through. Let me give up a little image. Last weekend I had to work so I wasn't able to get much of anything done. Wednesday our group in my nursing seminar class had to do our group presentation. Thursday I had class downtown at 8:00am meaning I have to get up at 6:15 to get ready and make it there on time (and for this lab we had over 50 pages to read). Then had a class back in Allendale with a short paper assignment due, and then right after that went to work and didn't get home until 12:15. Studied for my pharmacology exam on Friday (or today), went to bed at 2am, got up at 6:15 to get to my lab at 8 again. then back to Allendale to take my pharmacology exam (which didn't go very good). Now I have to fit in a 6-page paper due next Friday for another class, study for a test on Thursday, study for my huge practicum III which is also on Thursday, and finish my LEI project. All of this while celebrating family birthday's tonight with immediate family and on Sunday with the rest of the family. Thank the Lord I don't have to work this weekend. So I should probably close this post that is only creating more stress and anxiety as I write it and start to work on something. Oh, and check out the amazing video that our group made for our culture awareness project. Just copy the website and paste it in browser. http://www.youtube.com/user/jackasasdafdasfd?feature=mhw4#p/a/u/1/osChslPCEho

And it all begins again

Well Spring Break was nice, back to life of a busy college student with like a million different things due during the same week...hence the short post.

PASSED!

Well, as you probably were made aware of in the title of the post, I passed practicum II!!! Not too much else to say for the week, except I'm glad it is over and I no longer feel like I am going to vomit. Seminar on Wednesday was really quite fun with a lot of laughs but I'm really not suppose to talk about it, sorry to leave you wondering on that one.

Practice, Practicum, Pyramid, and Party!!!

The end of the week was pretty busy....but ended pretty awesomely. We have are second practicum next Thursday over thorax, cardiac, and skin assessments. So we have been practicing on each other to help define our skills to kick butt at the practicum. There are a lot of steps to each assessment that we have to remember to do in a considerable amount of pressure to preform well. One thing is for sure, we have learned to become comfortable with each other half naked and in awkward situations. (In case you have no idea what I am talking about let me explain quickly.) When we are in lab we practice our assessments on each other. So we work in pairs. One person is the nurse, the other is the patient. Because are assessments have moved to body regions usually not visible because of cloths (such as thorax, heart area, arms, legs, back, ect.) when we are the patient we wear a hospital gown ( and for me a pair of loose fitting shorts underneath). The person in the nurse role goes through and does all the steps of the assessment.

But anyway, my nursing lab class is amazing. The gals put together a nursing party on Friday night for a lab class. We had dinner together (oh there was so much great food...gummy bears, meatballs, chips, ham and cheese roll ups, rice(surprise), tater-tot casserole, pig-in-a-blankets, cake, ice cream, brownies...and so much more!). We played some games including nursing bingo!!! Our catch phrase match got pretty intense when my team made the comeback of the century to win the game!!! And for the people that were still there (I only think 2 our lab classmates were missing) we formed a nursing pyramid! Take a look at the amazing picture that resulted! That in itself displays the awesomeness of our class!

Communication...or the lack there of.

So I found it kind of interesting that lately in seminar we have been talking about communicating, and yet I couldn't keep this thing updated...sorry I must be a bad communicator! But this week you might just get two post...so watch out and be ready! And I am treating you all with a picture. You know how like in kindergarten on the first day of school you had to have your picture taken getting on the bus with your new backpack and stuff, well the first time I got to put on my uniform for nursing school the same thing happened. So here is a picture of me all ready for my first practicum! Such a nerd, ya I know. In Nur 315 we start our Longitudinal Elderly Initiative project (also called LEI). Every nursing student that starts the program is matched with an elderly volunteer somewhere in Michigan. Throughout our nursing school career we meet with them several times and get to know and all that sort of stuff. I got to meet my LEI client this past Wednesday. That was fun. We took a set of vital signs, started a health history, and did a genogram and eco-map with them. Then last week thursday and friday of course we had a ton of reading for labs. But we got to practice and learn how to do assessment of the lungs and thorax. Fun times!

Life starts to get hectic

Whew...what a week. Let me tell you about it. Monday= good, Tuesday = good, Wednesday through Friday = ahh, what I am I doing? The end of the week got very stressful and busy. Wednesday we had our nursing seminar which was fine. We discussed the power of communication. Thursday and Friday labs were good and I leaned a lot. However prior to lab there is a lot of prep with reading texts and such. For each day we had to read at least 60 to 70 pages, and I tried to work ahead but it was very challenging. So Thursday I went to school (downtown GR) for class at 8, I had to be up at about 6. If you know anything about me, you know I am not a morning person. After that class I had to go back to Allendale for another class, and from there straight to work. I didn't leave work until midnight because I had to stay late to chart. Once I got home I had to take a shower, eat, and then read a ton of pages from the text book. I was up until 2:30 and then I had to get up at 6 again to make it to lab this morning at 8, and didn't get out this afternoon until 3. I tried to drink a monster to help me stay awake during classes...didn't work so well. But anyway now I have the weekend to rest up, so I'll take that as a positive thing. This is something positive I learned about myself in my nursing classes this week, when you think your inadequate to do a task, you don't find out how adequate you are at it until you start doing it!

Position Races

What an extremely interesting day we had in learning lab. It was full of learning how to percuss (on ourselves and a partner...mind you we were tapping on a cheek full of air...fun times). Percussing is when you tap on parts of the body using a certain striking method and listen to sounds it gives off. I know what you think...you got to hit your partner!...no sorry your wrong...striking in this case is only a tap with one finger. We also learned some strategies for doing other parts of a physical assessment and learned about how to conduct a mental status. After that is got really fun. We practiced patient positions for examinations. In the learning lab there are several examination tables set up like the examination tables you sit on at a doctors office. We picked a partner put on hospital gowns and the professors took us through some of the more common different patient positions and how to drape the patient. My partner was the patient first so he got to try out the positions as a patient, while I as the student nurse, guided and draped him after following instructions from the professors. Then after we went through them all we got to switch roles. Now I was the patient, but this time the professors threw in a fun little twist...she was going to shout a position and it was a race to see what group could get the patient in the right position fastest and be properly draped. Just imagine people flipping over on exam tables from the supine position (flat on back) to prone position (flat on stomach) to the knee-chest position where you are on the table on your knees and forearms with your butt up, all as quickly as possible, and add the blankets flying everywhere to be the first one correct. That's what you would have saw! Good fun times...all while learning at the same time. I wonder what someone who walked by the class and looked in the door window thought while all this was going on! :)

"If we all did the things we are capable of,
we would astound ourselves." - Thomas Edison

Don't talk about it...

Yesterday in lecture we discussed HIPPA. HIPAA is an Act put in place by the government that allows for patient rights and patient confidentiality. The main point is that nurses giving care to a patient needs to keep that information private from everyone that is not it the direct line of providing care to that patient. We also discussed boundaries that a nurse needs to have and be aware of while working with patients, their families, and other professionals. We also discussed why nurses are known by first names but doctors are always identified by last name. I had never though about that perspective before, and how nurses unintentionally accept less importance of status by going by the first name.

Today in learning lab we got to practice health histories on actual patients. Well, they are people that volunteer to come in and act as patients to help us (the nursing students) become more comfortable with asking really personal questions to complete strangers. It was a great experience and an amazing learning opportunity but because of HIPPA rules I can't go into too much more information! :)

3 Weeks In....

Wow, it hard to believe that it has already been three weeks since I actually started the nursing program. I made this blog (getting the idea from a fellow nursing student!) to help capture the journey of my experience through the nursing program. So since it already been three weeks let me get you caught up to what has brought me to this point and the time that I have already spent in the nursing program.

Getting me this point...
1. Spent about two years going for a degree in education
2. Changed my mind
3. Decided to pursue a nursing degree instead
4. Tons of prerequisite classes needed to be complete before I could apply to the nursing program
5. Applied to the college of nursing and got accepted!!!
6. Paid over $500 in books just for my first semester class in nursing only (I had never paid more than that for one semester, let alone a single class)
7. All the forms where filled out and all my supplies was purchased.
8. Tons of patience and encouragement from my family and friends

I'm in the nursing program now!...
The class I am in this semester is titled Nursing Health Assessment. For this class we have both a seminar class and a learning lab. I have seminar on Wednesday and Learning Lab on Thursday and Friday mornings from 8 to 11. In seminar over the past couple of weeks we had an intro to the class and have talked about culture and communication. The professor seems to be nice and I find the class interesting. We usually have discussions in small groups and the professor had used media to present the class with some great examples.

Learning Lab is a lot different because it more of a hands on experience, except the pop quizzes and all the reading that has to be done. You know how usually when you go to the first day of class and no one really talks to each other because you don't really know who anyone is; well that was the case for the first five minutes of my learning lab class until we all kinda figured out that for this class we are going to need to be really comfortable with each other. (this was made obvious to me when the professor noted the course syllabus which states " students are to wear attire that will facilitate ease of assessment practice. Males: loose fitting athletic shorts." ) So yeah, we have to real comfortable with each other and quick, and I believe the two professors we have for learning lab did a great job in starting to facilitate that process. My fellow nursing students are great, and so far we all seem to get along with each other really well!
So in learning lab over the past three weeks we have learned to wash our hands with the appropriate technique, to take vital signs and document them appropriately, and have just started taking health histories. We already had our first practicum in which we had to take the vital signs of our partner while being watched closely by a professor to make sure we were correct on things like temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. We could only be a certain number off which added more pressure, because if you weren't you failed that part of the practicum. If was so nerve racking. I was in the lab waiting to be tested and I could not stop pacing. All in all it the practicum went really good. The professor got really excited while I was taking my partners vitals because a good learning opportunity presented itself but I was thinking she wasn't going to pass me. In the end I did fine and passed Practicum 1!!! Stress relieved. And that about catches you up til now.