Finding My Groove…

The past two clinical days have been very exciting and fun. Tuesday’s mental health clinical introduced me to that side of nursing that I didn’t expect to like… I always associated nursing with tasks like doing IVs, passing medications, etc… but the mental aspect of it is just as vital. Todays’ medsurg clinical was just as fulfilling as I remember it to be. I’m glad I am with this group (most of us were together last semester), which makes all the difference in the world.

Andrew, David, Carlos, Marissa, Vivian, and Cindy

I look forward to next week’s clinicals…

Getting through the past two days have helped me find my groove again. I feel more focused and more “in the zone” again, and I hope that I only get stronger as the semester progresses. I know I’m going to learn a great deal from my professors, and I have a feeling this semester’s going to help me see what direction I might want to take within the nursing field.

Plus, with people like the ones in the picture above, it’ll be one hell of a good time.

Rabbit Ears Never Get Old…

It’s crunch time. Finals are just around the corner and I’m feeling the squeeze. I’ve been hitting the books (kinda) hard… distractions a-plenty around here. I also had my braces tightened. Ouch. Been quite the week so far, and it’s only Wednesday. I have SIM lab tonight… should be fun. I enjoyed the last one, and as long as I don’t ask the patient if they’re hungry during an MI, I think I’ll be ok.

Man alive there’s so much to cover for finals. I think the hardest part for me is knowing where to start. There’s SO much information… I know I can’t read every single word in the textbooks… I’ve just got to figure out how to cram it all in my head AND be able to access it when the time comes.

My Health Assessment lab final is tomorrow morning at 7:45am. WHY did I choose that time slot????  Well, as long as I don’t have a major brain fart, I should be ok. My big problem now is getting ahead of myself during the exam. I have 45 minutes… I just need to breathe, take it easy, and oh yeah – don’t mess up.

So considering how much material there is to cover –  for the next week or so, this is pretty much what I think my classmates and I are going to be doing:

I think the Pope could walk by and nobody would notice.

We’re all staying positive, though. There’s no use in getting down about finals… they’re inevitable… just like death and taxes. So to end this post on a happy note, here’s a bit of this:

Rabbit ears NEVER get old

8 Hours Later…

Wow. I slept for a long time last night. I don’t think I’ve slept like that since the beginning of the year… felt good and my body needed it.

Now comes the time when I need to really buckle down and study. Finals are coming up in a couple of weeks and I plan to Ace Ventura them. This means that for the next few weeks, I’m not going to do ANYTHING but study, study, study.

Ah, the life I lead.

You’re probably thinking, “Dude, there is no way you’re going to study that much!” and you know what? You’re right! So during my breaks, I’m going to play some Grand Theft Auto… hmmm… that does sound like fun right now. I’ll be right back.

**** 8 hours later ****

Ah, that hit the spot.

So I was looking through some photos I took during clinicals and came across a few that caught my eye. I thoroughly enjoyed working with this group. I still remember the first clinical day… I think I can speak for most of us when I say that we were terrified. We’ve sure come a long way, indeed.

 

Was a good day for Killarney

Denise with Professor Gilmore in the backgroud

From L to R: Denise, Killarney, Vivian, Cindy, Marissa, Stacy

You know what? It’s hard to study when you don’t have actual assignments to do. I guess this is what separates the men from the boys, though… wish me luck!

A-Researchin’ I Will Go…

The past few days have been pretty eventful. Yesterday was a good clinical day… I got an “A” on my care plan (yay!), which just goes to show that I can learn something new. I also discovered this kind of all-in-one shower cleaning cap for patients. It works like this – you just warm it up, plop it on your head, massage it in for a few minutes, then take it off and KABLAMMO! You got clean hair.

Pretty snazzy. Dave and I were amazed. We both decided to go pick up a few at Walmart and see if we can’t go a whole month without ever stepping into a shower.

Yeah, you probably don’t want to hang out with us at the end of that month.

Here’s a picture of my clinical group, along with Professor Gilmore:

Good lookin' group, huh?

So that was Wednesday. Today (Thursday) I spent the entire day at the main campus for Research Day. Yes, Research Day was filled with research presentations… it was actually quite interesting. My cohortmates and I got dressed up and enjoyed each presenter, along with some good food and company.

I'm the one sitting at the table looking all researchy

Here’s a pic of the entire cohort…

Top Row (L to R): April, Marissa, Vivian, Stacy, Demi, Killarney, Cindy, Christie, Andrew, Soloumeh, Dave, Me. Bottom Row (L to R): Erica, Angelica, Denise, Laurie, Molly, Carlos, Genii

Yes, I learned a great deal on this day of days… and to prove it, take a lookie here:

I'm sooooo cool.

I told Molly that I wasn’t planning on studying tonight… but I’m afraid I’m going to have to because now I feel guilty.

Thank GOD for Adrenaline…

I woke up early this morning with a nagging thought in my head… something was telling me that I had incorrectly done my health history paper. It was 5:30am. I tumbled out of bed and stumbled to the kitchen, poured myself a cup of ambition, yawnin’, stretchin’, tryin’ to come to life…

Finally making it to my study desk, I checked the rubric for the paper and CRAP IN A BAG I WAS RIGHT.

At first I thought it was some cruel April Fool’s joke I was playing on myself, but then I asked myself, “Self? Why are you doing this? It ain’t funny, man!” And then myself assured me that it was NOT a joke. At that moment, I really wished it were.

So I spent the majority of the morning rewriting the paper. I made it to class with about 10 minutes to spare… handed my paper in and thanked GOD that now, I could at least get a “B” (but I’m pullin’ for an “A”).

Mornings like these make me grateful for things like adrenaline.

Health Assessment lab was a good time, though. We have now just about finished the entire physical assessment process and had a chance to practice it on each other. Here’s a picture of some of us doing just that:

 

Carlos, Andrew, Marissa, and Demi with Professor Gettings looking on

As you can tell from Carlos and Andrew, we were going over the nose and sinus material. Incidentally, Carlos showed us the iPad2 and man alive I want one now. Not because I really need one, but because I want to be cool.

Demi and Marissa were singing the “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” song… you can probably guess what line Marissa was at when I snapped the picture.

The day isn’t complete without Cindy getting into the midst of things. I was trying to get another picture of Carlos and Andrew, but Cindy wouldn’t have it.

 

"I don't know what I'm reaching for, but I need it NOW!"

It was a good day. I’m grateful for my classmates… they definitely help the medicine go down.

Is Your Cranial Nerve VII Working?

I came across this picture in my phone and it reminded me of how fulfilled and productive I feel at the end of every clinical day. Makes me wonder how I’ll feel after 3 consecutive 12-hour shifts…

Cindy, Marissa, and Saloumeh at the end of a good day

Look at them… smiles all around.  That’s the way your day should always end – and if it doesn’t end that way, then obviously something is wrong with your cranial nerve VII, because there can’t be none no other reason as to why you ain’t smilin’.