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Nursing School week 4/#10
Happy Easter, for those who celebrate it! I did go to church this morning, but we celebrated TableTop Game day yesterday and had whole tons of food with some friends, so....just leftovers today. I even dialed back my jellybean consumption (compared to recent days)!
At any rate, another week done! I'm trying not to have a countdown in my head, but that's getting more difficult.
We began the week with an exam on the endocrine system, blood disorders (mostly anemias), and oncology basics. I felt pretty good going into the exam, but felt less confident after it was over. And we don't have our scores yet because one student was absent. We're supposed to get them tomorrow. Waiting a week is a long time! On Wednesday in our theory class we began learning about some autoimmune disorders (MS and ALS, mostly). We'll continue that unit on Tuesday.
Clinical went pretty well this week, I thought. I had 3 patients for only my second time, which was definitely daunting but I got through both days with no major hangups. Of course, it helped that 2 of the patients were pretty independent for all of their self-care. Nothing slows things down like an incontinent, bed-bound patient! Our clinical instructor for this rotation is very different from many of the other instructors. I can't decide whether this is good or not. She's much less strict and intimidating, but I'm also not entirely sure she's completely paying attention. On the one hand, we're really supposed to know what we're doing by now--and that includes asking for help or advice when we're not sure what to do. So, maybe we don't need someone watching us like a hawk (as some of the other instructors do). On the other hand, we're still pretty new at this, and I'm sure each of us misses things...not that I think anyone is providing unsafe care, but maybe we forget to document our assessment of how a pain medication worked, or we don't think about how two medications might interact. I like to think I'm conscientious enough that I do go to her when I need something, and in the meantime it's a relief to feel like every action isn't under quite so much scrutiny.
Bedtime! Well, after the dishes and some other tasks...
At any rate, another week done! I'm trying not to have a countdown in my head, but that's getting more difficult.
We began the week with an exam on the endocrine system, blood disorders (mostly anemias), and oncology basics. I felt pretty good going into the exam, but felt less confident after it was over. And we don't have our scores yet because one student was absent. We're supposed to get them tomorrow. Waiting a week is a long time! On Wednesday in our theory class we began learning about some autoimmune disorders (MS and ALS, mostly). We'll continue that unit on Tuesday.
Clinical went pretty well this week, I thought. I had 3 patients for only my second time, which was definitely daunting but I got through both days with no major hangups. Of course, it helped that 2 of the patients were pretty independent for all of their self-care. Nothing slows things down like an incontinent, bed-bound patient! Our clinical instructor for this rotation is very different from many of the other instructors. I can't decide whether this is good or not. She's much less strict and intimidating, but I'm also not entirely sure she's completely paying attention. On the one hand, we're really supposed to know what we're doing by now--and that includes asking for help or advice when we're not sure what to do. So, maybe we don't need someone watching us like a hawk (as some of the other instructors do). On the other hand, we're still pretty new at this, and I'm sure each of us misses things...not that I think anyone is providing unsafe care, but maybe we forget to document our assessment of how a pain medication worked, or we don't think about how two medications might interact. I like to think I'm conscientious enough that I do go to her when I need something, and in the meantime it's a relief to feel like every action isn't under quite so much scrutiny.
Bedtime! Well, after the dishes and some other tasks...