The hardest thing about finishing school is somehow losing all will power to tie the loose ends and just finish.
With graduation only a week away (Did you see that? ONE WEEK), I have four assignments to complete.
Four assignments to complete and submit via email between now and Sunday.
And I've sat in front of the computer tonight and nearly finished one of them and half heatedly started the second.
Oh....someone needs to get in me into gear....
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Boom Chicka Bam Bam
Guess who finally got an IV into a patient today?
I 'bout peed my pants I was so excited. I wanted to break into a dance at the bed side, but contained myself.
So here's how a little back ground: Currently doing my rotation at a pediatric ED. On my first day (night?), my preceptor said, "Do you want to do the next IV?"
I was all, "Really?! I can do that?! You know I haven't ever done that...we never even learned or practiced or anything..." (for some reason they don't teach us how to start/insert IVs in nursing school)
She said it was fine...and then 'taught' me how to insert an IV. We each took an IV needle out of a package and practiced in the air. That' right. I didn't get any practice sticking a plastic arm or my nurse's arm.
Amazingly, on the first night, I actually stuck the patient and had blood return. But when we went for the blood draw, there was no blood collecting in the tube. Somehow I blew that line. And this continued for five or six days...I would stick someone and something would happen: the tube would kink, suddenly I would lose sight of the vein, the vein would roll, or the vein would collapse.
To my credit I always tried. One day, I was feeling down and when my preceptor asked if I wanted to start the line, she saw my face and how I was about to sigh and then she said, "Let's do it! It's a three day old!" (as if that was supposed to encourage me).
Most of the times that I failed, my preceptor would then try and have to get another nurse to get the line. That made me feel a bit better sometimes, but still...I was beginning to feel like I was the devil nurse out to terrorize little kids.
Yesterday, towards the end of the shift, a nurse took me to a room and let me practice starting the IV on her. For one, she taught me how to tie the tourniquet. She taught me about where to enter the vein. How to thread the line. Oh my gosh, she taught me exactly how to get the IV line! I tried once in her hand, once in her forearm, and finally, once in the antecubital space (inner elbow). The third time was a charm. I got it!
Now today, towards the end of shift, we had a teenager who needed a line. I set up my supplies. My preceptor this time stood on the opposite side of the bed (every other time she hovered over me) and holy batman I GOT IT!
I saw the blood return, I pushed in a bit futher, threaded the line, locked into place, taped down, removed needle drew blood, flushed the line and taped down. Truth: once I was in my preceptor helped me connect some of the extras to get the blood draw and helped with the taping down.
But still! I did it! On a patient! And yes, that was me hopping and dancing outside the patient's room in the hospital.
I 'bout peed my pants I was so excited. I wanted to break into a dance at the bed side, but contained myself.
So here's how a little back ground: Currently doing my rotation at a pediatric ED. On my first day (night?), my preceptor said, "Do you want to do the next IV?"
I was all, "Really?! I can do that?! You know I haven't ever done that...we never even learned or practiced or anything..." (for some reason they don't teach us how to start/insert IVs in nursing school)
She said it was fine...and then 'taught' me how to insert an IV. We each took an IV needle out of a package and practiced in the air. That' right. I didn't get any practice sticking a plastic arm or my nurse's arm.
Amazingly, on the first night, I actually stuck the patient and had blood return. But when we went for the blood draw, there was no blood collecting in the tube. Somehow I blew that line. And this continued for five or six days...I would stick someone and something would happen: the tube would kink, suddenly I would lose sight of the vein, the vein would roll, or the vein would collapse.
To my credit I always tried. One day, I was feeling down and when my preceptor asked if I wanted to start the line, she saw my face and how I was about to sigh and then she said, "Let's do it! It's a three day old!" (as if that was supposed to encourage me).
Most of the times that I failed, my preceptor would then try and have to get another nurse to get the line. That made me feel a bit better sometimes, but still...I was beginning to feel like I was the devil nurse out to terrorize little kids.
Yesterday, towards the end of the shift, a nurse took me to a room and let me practice starting the IV on her. For one, she taught me how to tie the tourniquet. She taught me about where to enter the vein. How to thread the line. Oh my gosh, she taught me exactly how to get the IV line! I tried once in her hand, once in her forearm, and finally, once in the antecubital space (inner elbow). The third time was a charm. I got it!
Now today, towards the end of shift, we had a teenager who needed a line. I set up my supplies. My preceptor this time stood on the opposite side of the bed (every other time she hovered over me) and holy batman I GOT IT!
I saw the blood return, I pushed in a bit futher, threaded the line, locked into place, taped down, removed needle drew blood, flushed the line and taped down. Truth: once I was in my preceptor helped me connect some of the extras to get the blood draw and helped with the taping down.
But still! I did it! On a patient! And yes, that was me hopping and dancing outside the patient's room in the hospital.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Rant
There's beena lot that I want to rant about lately, but I've decided that those things weren't worth ranting about.
However....if you know that I worked an over night twelve hour shift that began at 8pm and ended at 8am and you want to know the time A Place closes, please call That Place, not me. chances are they can give you the answer. And I can stay asleep.
Thanks.
However....if you know that I worked an over night twelve hour shift that began at 8pm and ended at 8am and you want to know the time A Place closes, please call That Place, not me. chances are they can give you the answer. And I can stay asleep.
Thanks.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Mixexd UP
This week was the first week of my final clinical! I'm at a pediatric ED and worked my first shift this past weekend. I love the preceptor & the site...I'm less thrilled about the shift: midnights.
And there's no doubt that midnight shifts screw up your internal clock. The day of the first shift, I woke up around 7ish, and then went back to bed from 11:15 till around 4ish. But I wasn't hungry when I woke up and never really had dinner (I snacked instead...probably a bad idea). By midnight I was so tired that I felt drunk before we took a break to eat (lunch? dinner? midnight meal?). After that it was smooth sailing until 5ish when we finally had a chance to sit down. And true...I didn't work the entire twelve hours.
My nurse is this amazing woman who has such an incredibly (and refreshing) positive outlook on life and her profession. The day encompassed a lot of shadowing, but...I got to try and start my first IV! (classmates response: are we allowed to do that?! I have no idea if we're allowed, but she offered and I jumped at the chance). While I got in at the first try, and even got some blood return, the blood stopped flowing and wouldn't flow into the tubes (we were also collecting blood). My nurse then attempted to start an IV on the same patient with the same result before calling for someone else to attempt the IV.
I learned and saw A LOT in that one shift. There are about 7 more shifts that I need to complete, and hopefully I'll be seeing, learning, and doing a lot more!
After the shift, I slept until 2ish before running errands and meeting up with some friends, getting home at 1:30am, and then waking up at 9:30. I can see how nurses (or anyone working a midnight shift) can gain weight, as I've been eating and sleeping horribly this weekend and still in my pajamas lacking the motivation to attempt a 4 mile run. The 20-something degree weather, clouds, and winds aren't helping either.
Oh, someone give me a good kick in the rear!
And there's no doubt that midnight shifts screw up your internal clock. The day of the first shift, I woke up around 7ish, and then went back to bed from 11:15 till around 4ish. But I wasn't hungry when I woke up and never really had dinner (I snacked instead...probably a bad idea). By midnight I was so tired that I felt drunk before we took a break to eat (lunch? dinner? midnight meal?). After that it was smooth sailing until 5ish when we finally had a chance to sit down. And true...I didn't work the entire twelve hours.
My nurse is this amazing woman who has such an incredibly (and refreshing) positive outlook on life and her profession. The day encompassed a lot of shadowing, but...I got to try and start my first IV! (classmates response: are we allowed to do that?! I have no idea if we're allowed, but she offered and I jumped at the chance). While I got in at the first try, and even got some blood return, the blood stopped flowing and wouldn't flow into the tubes (we were also collecting blood). My nurse then attempted to start an IV on the same patient with the same result before calling for someone else to attempt the IV.
I learned and saw A LOT in that one shift. There are about 7 more shifts that I need to complete, and hopefully I'll be seeing, learning, and doing a lot more!
After the shift, I slept until 2ish before running errands and meeting up with some friends, getting home at 1:30am, and then waking up at 9:30. I can see how nurses (or anyone working a midnight shift) can gain weight, as I've been eating and sleeping horribly this weekend and still in my pajamas lacking the motivation to attempt a 4 mile run. The 20-something degree weather, clouds, and winds aren't helping either.
Oh, someone give me a good kick in the rear!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Vignette
In one month...
....put up a tree, awoke to a tree on the ground, picked up tree, accepted new job offer, signed paperwork for new job, opened presents, flew first class(!), visited family, celebrated xmas, stayed warm, drank tea, read books, shopped, flew home (econo class), visited more family, stayed home, was invited to sign up for a 1/2, debated on 1/2, postponed signing up for 1/2, spent New Year's with new friends, ate a Nu_tella sandwich at the start of the year (hope that's not a sign of weight gain to come), bought new shoes, bought more new shoes, finally bought cold weather running gloves, ran with new gloves and debated their effectiveness, saw a movie, shopped some more, went back to school, nearly missed being vomited on, turned in license application, put together presentation, presented presentation, got fingerprinted, went out for sushi, ran some more, signed up for 1/2, regretted signing up for 1/2, still ran some more, started class, ran some more, froze a bit....to be continued
:)
....put up a tree, awoke to a tree on the ground, picked up tree, accepted new job offer, signed paperwork for new job, opened presents, flew first class(!), visited family, celebrated xmas, stayed warm, drank tea, read books, shopped, flew home (econo class), visited more family, stayed home, was invited to sign up for a 1/2, debated on 1/2, postponed signing up for 1/2, spent New Year's with new friends, ate a Nu_tella sandwich at the start of the year (hope that's not a sign of weight gain to come), bought new shoes, bought more new shoes, finally bought cold weather running gloves, ran with new gloves and debated their effectiveness, saw a movie, shopped some more, went back to school, nearly missed being vomited on, turned in license application, put together presentation, presented presentation, got fingerprinted, went out for sushi, ran some more, signed up for 1/2, regretted signing up for 1/2, still ran some more, started class, ran some more, froze a bit....to be continued
:)
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