So the whole gang was here today, and I had a partner down my wing. Weekends are always low key, and with my particularly low-key patient, it was even slower than yesterday. It probably didn't help that I am Speedy Gonzalez when it comes to assessing my patient--probably because she was so easy to work with, and had her meds, I&Os, and assessment all taken care of before 10. I even got her up for a walk shortly thereafter.
I felt like I spent most of the day just twiddling my thumbs. Until my instructor told me she was going to have me pull a central line! How exciting!! A central line is a catheter of sorts that is usually placed in your right subclavian vein and fed to your superior vena cava--right above your heart. It is used for medication administration (which hits the body really fast since it's right there at your heart) and quick blood draws. I was disappointed, though, when it was time to pull it--because she promised it to another student AFTER she had promised it to me and my partner. Bummer. And, the other group she promised it to were kind of snotty about getting to do it, so I just let it be. I was grateful, though, that the patient was cool enough to let me come in and watch. I think she had five of us in there, haha. She was a retired nurse, though, and understood the importance of us all being in there to watch.
Almost as if to make up for the central line thing--my instructor had me pull an IV and put in a new one! I am just recently checked-off for this skill, and will be the first in our group to put in an IV! YAY!!
I was pretty nervous, because it is different doing it on an elderly lady instead of a plastic mannequin arm. And I had two of my group-mates come in to watch, but that didn't actually make me that nervous. I was more worried about doing it wrong. But the nurse came in to watch and assist, and she said I did really good, and the patient said it didn't hurt at all!! It will still take some getting used to, for sure, but I am excited to have the first one out of the way. Oh, and I learned later that she was a pretty difficult "stick" (if you'll pardon the medical jargon) because she is on prednisone, which apparently makes veins more difficult to access. Even more pride being felt on my part here!
This very exciting experience actually pretty much ended my day. I took my patient out for a walk after this, right before post-conference, which was nice. Post conference was nice--I got to hear about everyone else's experiences for the weekend, the surgical experiences, and we each talked about a different medication, which I like because I get to hear it from my classmates!
I went home to relax and have a nice dinner, only to fall asleep quite early around 1930. I didn't call my boyfriend because I knew he would be calling me and I wanted to catch a few Z's before he did. Bad idea. Apparently, I psycho-babble when I'm really tired and get woken up. My poor boyfriend had to deal with a barely coherent, barely cogent, babbling girlfriend. There are parts of that conversation that I don't even remember. Apparently, after the parts I do remember, I kind of fell into that half-asleep state and went into nurse mode, asked him if there was anything else I could do for him before I took off. Wow. I am thoroughly embarrassed by this. Yes, I surely am. The good thing I can pull from this is that the nurse in me is apparently becoming second-nature, since it comes out when I am half-asleep.
Today, I am thankful for my friends. I seem to have made quite a few friends within this class, and I am so thankful to have them. I have received a few invitations to spend the holiday with them and their families, and even though I think I will turn them down (for the sake of staying in town to relax, do homework, and catch some Black Friday sales), it warms my heart to have been the recipient of such kindness.
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