Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Adventures in Nursing School

I know, I know, you think I don't love you, but I do.....just been busy trying to pass stuff, get through clinicals, ect. To say it's been crazy has been putting it mildly. My first week of school we were required to do two days of skills to be checked off on. I made it through the foley cath check off just fine. The trach care and suctioning...not so much. I ended up redoing that one. I also missed one on my med calculation test that we had to do for Pharmacology, so I repeated that one, too. But it's all good. That stress is over. Last Friday, I completed my IV check off skills, and that was successful. We had to do 5 skills: initiate the IV, insert a bolus medication, add a piggy back IV,  convert it to a saline lock, and then...discontinue the IV. All within 30 minutes. It wouldn't have been so bad, but they always teach you the old fashioned way to do it, manually getting a drip rate. That wasn't near as much fun, but I got through it. Check out my make shift IV pole! Hey, you have to use what you have or what you can get to learn on. It's really a pole to put in your yard and hang flowers or a birdfeeder on. That's what I told Hunnybunny we could use it for, anyway, after I purchased it from Hobby Lobby. And maybe you can see the "fake arm" I made. I got tired of waiting to use the manikins at school as there are so many of us, and not as many of them. So, I took a candle, width of my wrist; some modeling clay-rolling it out super thin to make the veins to lie on top of it. And then I put some spongy paper-like material on top for the "skin" Can you see the "veins" under the "skin"? Well, it worked for me so I guess that's all that counts. At least it smelled good from the candle.
As far as the other classes go, I'm doing fine. Intro to Med-Surg may kill me, but I'm still there. It's a 6 hour class and a 12-hour clinical. The clinical is going .....okay. Definitely need to bare in mind that you have to be more flexible than you ever thought you would be. I managed to get points taken off the first day! I had this patient with 20 meds to give and completely blew it. Not to mention that our instructor takes off points for diary-type nursing notes that we had to write. I know she wants us to be clear and concise, and I guarantee you, I will be by the time our last clinical is over.
What I've noticed most is that I don't have the "what if I don't make it" attitude that I had last semester. Don't misunderstand, I work HARD! I feel like I have to study twice as much as my under 25-year-old classmates. But I guess I've gotten to the point where I know I'm trying my best, and that's all anyone can ask. Even of myself.

7 comments:

  1. Good attitude Beth! That was a difficult semester for me to get through and all I can say as that it gets better. At least this semester for me has gotten a little better, less skills on manikins and more skills on real people. Better instructors for our class this year and that helps tremendously. Hang in there you're doing great!

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    1. Zaz, you're my hero! Thanks for the imput. Sorry it's taken me so long to get back on here.

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  2. you're so creative! very awesome :)

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  3. Hi Beth, I too am a midlife nursing student. I start my "real" nursing classes this Monday and I'm really excited. I've enjoyed reading your blogs so I decided to start one of my own. I don't think it will get much attention but it will be a great place to vent and I won't have to worry about boring my family and friends! Good luck, I'm looking forward to reading more!

    Kelley

    ps - I'm very new at this blogging thing and couldn't figure out how to comment as anything other than anonymous :-)

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    1. Hi, Kelley!
      Send me your email addy and I'll correspond that way.

      Beth

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  4. Very good attitude and perspective of a student nurse, eh. I'm sure you have a long way to go, yet that road will always be a learning to you. Keep up the good work.

    Take care,
    Peny@dickies uniforms

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