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.