Starting my first IV

Last week, my clinical group was required to start IV's. I was a little nervous going into it, just like when I gave my first shot. I graciously let other students go ahead of me. Some made it on their first try, others it took up to 3 tries.

I (reluctantly) volunteered to be someone's guinea pig. My instructor helped the student find a good vein to use. Fortunately for me in this situation, I don't have good veins and my instructor wouldn't let her poke me.

I finally got the nerve to do it, and my friend volunteered to be my guinea pig. With good coaching, good fine motor skills, and conficence (which I lacked a bit), I was able to start her IV on the first try. It is a little tricky, getting it into the vein, but it was easier than I thought, but she did have good veins. Next time it will be on a patient, so I will be more confidence and will have to hide any doubt in myself.

Another test down

My exam yesterday covered mental health, cardiac and pediatric respiratory. I put a lot of study hours and it paid off. The test was taken on a computer, a change from last year. They are preparing us for state boards, which are taken on a computer. I was nervous going into it, worried that taking the test on the computer might negatively impact my test scores. I set high standards for myself to get 90%. I did not attain that score, but 88% will do just fine. There was a problem on the test I did not answer correctly, which surprised me. Apparently the number one mental health disease in the US is not depression, schizophrenia, or psychosis, but substance abuse topped the list. What is wrong with people?

Two tests down, 4 more to go!

Do you like-a-de-peppa?

Today at school, we had the opportunity to help decontaminate, transport and take vitals for Police Academy students. They were pepper-sprayed directly in the face, then they were required to fight an "assailant" (their partner) for a full 1-minute, handcuff them, put them into the squat car and radio for medic help. My job was to decontaminate them by assisting them to sumberge and rinse their face in water. Then after about 10 minutes of rinsing, while it feels like their flesh is burning, they are then transported to a medical room at school. A fellow student was so excited when she was chosen to drive the ambulance. After the first half of the students were taken away, I then did ambulatory care. I helped transport the student, take vitals and encourage them. Their pain was so intense, that it seemed like nursing school was a breeze. At least for now. Next Wednesday, I will be starting an IV on a student, and then I will be the guinea pig. I'm not looking forward to an inexperienced student poking me and placing a catheter in my vein.

I passed my math test today. I had to get 100%, and I only have 3 tries or I'm out. I stressed over it a bit more than I should have. Now I can focus my attention on reading my oodles of chapters for cardiac, mental health and pediatric respiratory. There goes my weekend!

My first post with photos from school!

More than half done

Officially I am more than half done with school. Yesterday was my first day of my second year of my RN nursing program. I have a good feeling about my teachers and hope that this is a good quarter. I am already behind in my reading. I have to drive to Bellingham 2 days this week for computer training. I have a math test on Friday I haven't studied for yet. Wow, I'm off to a good start! I am looking forward to my clinical adventures this quarter, although I am not looking forward to the 3 hour round-trip drive.

My clinical assignment

I have been placed to do my clinicals at St. Joe's Hospital in Bellingham. I was dreading this assignment because it is a 3 hour drive round trip. Luckily it is in the evenings and I can put the girls on the bus, so I don't have to pay for care in the morning. I hope that my clinicals goes by super fast this quarter and pray that I get Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon for the winter quarter.

School starts on Monday. I am looking forward to getting this year over with, but I am not looking forward to all the work that comes along with it. It's only 9 months of school, then I will be officially an RN...after I pass the state boards. :)

Don't you just love the music? I watched it on Scrubs a few seasons ago, and although it is a little crude, I thought it was very fitting for my nursing blog. Hopefully it makes you laugh as much as it made me.

I've been accepted

I finally found out that I have been accepted into Everett's Nursing Program. I had an interview this summer. It went well, but my voice was completely gone. I managed to get through it, and within a few days I was notified that I had been accepted. Unfortunately, because of the course syllabus provided of my previous courses, they did not match up entirely to their program. They stated that they would place me in second quarter, or if I take a test and score well, then I would be placed in third quarter. That won't help me much, because I have already completed three quarters of nursing school. I have decided it wouldn't serve my interests to transfer and basically repeat a quarter, so I should stay where I am at and complete my nursing program as scheduled. I am anticipating this next year and hope it goes by fast and I am able to be successful.

The first year behind me

I finally finished my 3rd quarter and now my first year is behind me. I studied hard for the final, between 4-8 hours a day for over 1 week. After I finished the final, I wasn't sure which way that would go. It would be okay or really, really bad. I finished the final at 10:30 am, and I wasn't able to check my score until 3:30pm. In the meantime, I was completely sick to my stomach. When I saw the score, I got above average, and it boosted my grade by 3%. Whoo hoo! The first year felt like an eternity. Although looking back it was a quick 9 months. I have an application into another school to start their second year nursing program. It is closer to home and would be more convienent. We'll see closer to September when school starts again. In the meantime, I will be relaxing and spending much needed time with my family. Goodbye until September.

In the home stretch

I am so excited knowing that I have less than 2 weeks left of my first year of nursing school. My last day of clinicals was on Friday. I had 3 clinical days back to back. It was the best week of clinicals by far. I continued caring for 2 patients and I felt really good about the whole experience, except for those few times I had to wipe one of my patients butt. Other than that stinky experience, I really enjoyed it. I was organized with my meds, assessments, labs, feeding, discharging, I&O's, charting & documenting. I was on FIRE!!! Yeah baby!

On Friday I had another "almost passing out" experience. Bear in mind, I ate at 5:30am, and it was 10am when I was asked to go into another patients room to watch a chest tube insertion. I really didn't know where the chest tube went and what it went into. Well, I soon found out. The surgeon cut a 1-inch incision between the 8th & 9th rib. She moved the tissue apart and then clamped a tube and inserted the tube into the left lower lobe. When she punctured the lung, I heard a loud burst of air come out of the lung. That's when it hit me. I started to feel funny and kind-of nauseous. I stepped out of the room heading straight for the break room. I downed a granola bar and a cup of orange juice. After 2-3 minutes I was fine and went back into the room. At that time the surgeon was taping and securing the tube and the procedure was just about done. The pt. was giving me a hard time for feeling woozy while he was awake for the entire thing! Next time I'll try to eat something before I watch something of that caliber.

Endoscopy

I had a one-day rotation at Endoscopy. I was able to watch many procedures. Some were interesting, some were not. That day, I watched 5 colonoscopies, 3 esophogealgastroduodenoscopies and one bronchoscopy.

I learned one thing: If you've seen one colonoscopy you've seen them all. They all look so similar...except for the one patient who didn't prep their bowels very well. There was sticky yellow feces that attached to the colon wall so the MD couldn't visualize any abnormalities in the bowel lining. I did see one pt. with diverticulitis. I did my research paper on diverticula disease and it was great to see it live on the screen. There were many pts. who had polyps and they were removed for lab testing to determine if it is cancerous. After standing on my feet all day I was ready to go home. Endoscopy is definitely not an area I am interested in. On to the next one....

My patient with the rod

It has been a while since posting last. I have been super busy. On the floor I worked on, most of my patients were post-op orthopedics, with hip replacements, knee replacements...etc. Nothing real interesting. Well after being on that floor for 4 weeks, I moved to another floor where patients with more needs were. The day prior, I had two patients. My instructor encouraged me to take 3 patients. Before I left I chose a patient with a diagnosis of "Urinary foreign obstruction". Before digging into his file I just thought he was passing stones through his urethra. Well, I was a little naive. My patient was an older middle-age man who had a friend insert an aluminum rod into his urethra and went into his bladder. It got stuck and had to be surgically removed.
He was being discharged the day I had him and I had to teach him how to care for his foley catheter for the week after he went home until his appt. with the urologist. He was a sick and perverted man. He was also rude to me and I just couldn't wait until he was discharged. I worked as hard as I could but he had no ride home for over 3 hours. I think he was going through some sort of alcohol or drug withdrawl, which could explain his rudeness. I don't think I'll be seeing another man ike that...or at least I hope not.