CAUGHT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My boyfriend has been harassing me about not being caught up on my blog, and has given me reminders of how far behind I am. Of course, he was behind on READING for about a month, but just caught up the other night. So, since he got caught up, I figured I should get caught up, too. Plus, I wanted to be caught up before clinicals, so I could spend a fair amount of time working on writing about my experiences!
Tomorrow (well, I guess later today) is my first actual clinical, so I'm very excited about that. I get to be on a telemetry floor again, with mostly cardiac patients and some pulmonary patients, which will be exciting. I am in the right place for the surgical rotation to possibly see an open heart (how amazing would that be?!?), but if that falls through, I will at least get to see a cardiac catheterization and help place IVs.
So, enough about what is to come -- let's get down to today.
The exam was intense. I studied, but I felt so unprepared when I was reading the question. It was NCLEX-style questions, which have like 3 right answers but you have to choose the best right answer. In some cases, though, I felt that all the answers were wrong, so I was choosing the best, least-wrong wrong answer.... if that makes sense. It was tough and definitely made me think a LOT about where I would put my priorities and how much more I need to think about the question before choosing an answer. And, not to read into it too deeply, because I think that screwed me up a lot today.
Then, we had 4 hours of lecture on the endocrine system. Wow. I didn't think we could have spent any more time on it than we did last term in TWO classes. Add four more to it, and wooo-- you've got a LOT to know about it! However, I do see the reasoning behind it, because diabetes is such a huge issue and one that is fairly common.
And, since we were lucky and class got out early, I was able to spend some time with my partner for community health so we could put together our teaching plan for next week (we have to teach school-age children about handwashing), as well as cover some of the presentations we need to put together. Good stuff. I feel a lot better after having met.
I have an idea about teaching handwashing to kids, and I want to see it work. I saw this teaching plan that talked about having Glitterbug Potion that has stuff that shows up under a black light. I would LOVE to do something like that but not have to spend $20.00 for the "potion". I could make something like that by myself, right? Uhmm, no, not so much. Not yet, anyways. But my boyfriend gave me a few new ideas to try, so I will give those a go tomorrow after clinicals.
And now that I am caught up, I am going to bed. Wish me luck, tomorrow!!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Oct. 25-26, 2011
Tuesday was nice, with nothing to do except relax, study at my leisure, and work some more on finding articles for my community assignments. Each one requires at least one journal article. And believe me, trying to find an article that speaks to religion and medicine and how they interact in Bhutanese culture is not that easy.
Besides studying, I spent the day chilling and catching up on sleep. Well, mostly that was the morning, because I slept in.
Wednesday was the first day of Pharmacology with our actual professor. She is from China and has an obvious accent, although her English is better than I think most of the class was expecting. It took a few minutes to get into her rhythm and get used to her idiosyncrasies, but overall lecture wasn't too bad.
I think I was one of few who thought so, though, because a lot of people were complaining afterward about how difficult the class is going to be. Now, I don't think they have the right idea. I think it's going to be difficult because the professor originally had 6 hours per week to teach us, then it was cut to 4, and now it's down to 3. So, with how much the lecture is limited, we have even more to do on our own at home. Yeah, the hybrid idea for this class was not a good idea. I would rather see the community lecture be a hybrid class, because for the most part, what we do feels pointless to spend 6 hours a week on. There is so much downtime, we could donate time from that class towards Pharmacology and still be in good shape.
And, speaking of community health lecture, we had that right after Pharmacology, with another quiz, group quiz, and group activity that took up a lot more time than was necessary. The class concluded a little early (like, 1630) thanks to the guest speaker from the Public Health Department. I felt bad, because I was so far gone by that point that I just could not give her the attention I wanted to give. Interesting presentation, although I don't think public health is for me.
I ran home to take a quick shower before open lab, to try to wake myself up and freshen up for the last hour and half I would be spending at school. I grabbed a small bite to eat and headed right on back. Open lab wasn't too bad. I am getting better and more confident about starting a saline lock (insert the catheter to the vein, attach the pigtail line that is filled with saline, which can then be connected to the IV line). Now, I need to work on hanging the bags.
I did the IV simulator thing, too. The point of the assignment is to take a clinical situation, assess what tools we need, and then practice the entire procedure with a combination of the computer program and the attached fake insertion site with a fake needle insertion thing that detects angle, speed, advancing the catheter part, etc. I sat near my friend, who failed a few times before getting frustrated and letting me sit. I tried and passed on the first go, but I still had to do two more attempts. I let my friend try again, and she took a few more tries before she passed, but she had her minimum of three attempts with one passing. I then did two more attempts and missed the 100% by a hair!
So, all is well with that. We had until Thanksgiving break for that, but I'm glad it's done early!
The night concluded with some studying for the exam in the morning. Blech, very long day. Oh well -- onward and upward!!
Besides studying, I spent the day chilling and catching up on sleep. Well, mostly that was the morning, because I slept in.
Wednesday was the first day of Pharmacology with our actual professor. She is from China and has an obvious accent, although her English is better than I think most of the class was expecting. It took a few minutes to get into her rhythm and get used to her idiosyncrasies, but overall lecture wasn't too bad.
I think I was one of few who thought so, though, because a lot of people were complaining afterward about how difficult the class is going to be. Now, I don't think they have the right idea. I think it's going to be difficult because the professor originally had 6 hours per week to teach us, then it was cut to 4, and now it's down to 3. So, with how much the lecture is limited, we have even more to do on our own at home. Yeah, the hybrid idea for this class was not a good idea. I would rather see the community lecture be a hybrid class, because for the most part, what we do feels pointless to spend 6 hours a week on. There is so much downtime, we could donate time from that class towards Pharmacology and still be in good shape.
And, speaking of community health lecture, we had that right after Pharmacology, with another quiz, group quiz, and group activity that took up a lot more time than was necessary. The class concluded a little early (like, 1630) thanks to the guest speaker from the Public Health Department. I felt bad, because I was so far gone by that point that I just could not give her the attention I wanted to give. Interesting presentation, although I don't think public health is for me.
I ran home to take a quick shower before open lab, to try to wake myself up and freshen up for the last hour and half I would be spending at school. I grabbed a small bite to eat and headed right on back. Open lab wasn't too bad. I am getting better and more confident about starting a saline lock (insert the catheter to the vein, attach the pigtail line that is filled with saline, which can then be connected to the IV line). Now, I need to work on hanging the bags.
I did the IV simulator thing, too. The point of the assignment is to take a clinical situation, assess what tools we need, and then practice the entire procedure with a combination of the computer program and the attached fake insertion site with a fake needle insertion thing that detects angle, speed, advancing the catheter part, etc. I sat near my friend, who failed a few times before getting frustrated and letting me sit. I tried and passed on the first go, but I still had to do two more attempts. I let my friend try again, and she took a few more tries before she passed, but she had her minimum of three attempts with one passing. I then did two more attempts and missed the 100% by a hair!
So, all is well with that. We had until Thanksgiving break for that, but I'm glad it's done early!
The night concluded with some studying for the exam in the morning. Blech, very long day. Oh well -- onward and upward!!
Oct. 24, 2011
Sooo, today was interesting. I was supposed to wake up at 0600 or so for class at 0800. Oh no. My alarm didn't go off at 0600, and I didn't wake up until 0815. Yeah, that made for an interesting morning. Did I mention there was a quiz? Yeah. I e-mailed my professor to ask about how I would make up the quiz and that I would be there in about 20 minutes. I threw on clothes and rushed in to class. And, lucky for me, they did a bit of review before the quiz, so I made it in time! Come to find out, I set my alarm to go off at 1800. Yeah, I never do that on days that aren't important. Only on days with a quiz or presentation or something. Because I'm special like that, haha.
After being exceptionally grateful for not missing the community health quiz, which was challenging, we had to do a group quiz and then activity with our clinical groups. We had to do a presentation on the National Health Objectives. I have nothing against presentations, but this is just one of about 10 that it seems we have to do for this class. And this was just an impromptu 10-minute one. Good grief.
I spent my lunch hour reviewing the IV administration videos, because that was the quiz for med/surg lab. The quiz was much easier than before, mostly because of less content to cover. Then, we began practicing starting an IV. Scaaarrrryyyy!!!!!!!!!! Not really, but still a little nerve-wracking.
Once again, I am not fast enough to get in for open lab, but I am signed up for 10-26 and 11-03. Plus, I got my IV simulator time on 10-26. Apparently, this is a computer program that we have to navigate to simulate putting in an IV, which should be interesting. But, Wednesday is going to be a very long day. I will be at school until 2000.
After being exceptionally grateful for not missing the community health quiz, which was challenging, we had to do a group quiz and then activity with our clinical groups. We had to do a presentation on the National Health Objectives. I have nothing against presentations, but this is just one of about 10 that it seems we have to do for this class. And this was just an impromptu 10-minute one. Good grief.
I spent my lunch hour reviewing the IV administration videos, because that was the quiz for med/surg lab. The quiz was much easier than before, mostly because of less content to cover. Then, we began practicing starting an IV. Scaaarrrryyyy!!!!!!!!!! Not really, but still a little nerve-wracking.
Once again, I am not fast enough to get in for open lab, but I am signed up for 10-26 and 11-03. Plus, I got my IV simulator time on 10-26. Apparently, this is a computer program that we have to navigate to simulate putting in an IV, which should be interesting. But, Wednesday is going to be a very long day. I will be at school until 2000.
Oct. 22-23, 2011
Weekend, glorious weekend. I spent most of it relaxing and cooking up pumpkins. That's right, pumpkins! I have a recipe for making pumpkin pie from scratch (except the crust, although I'm sure I could learn this, too). Since a lot of people in class have brought in treats, I felt it was my duty to make pumpkin pies, because it is the one baked good I know I can do really well and is totally unique. Did you know that the so-called pumpkin in cans is not actually pumpkin? I KNOW! It's butternut squash, which has a similar taste and texture to pumpkin. Fascinating!
So, the weekend was spent cutting and scooping and baking the pumpkin, scooping out the cooked meat, pureeing it and then putting it away in the freezer!! Wooo!! The hardest part is done, though, which is awesome. All that remains is adding the spices and yummy stuff and putting it in a crust to bake. Yum!
I did spend some time relaxing along with cooking up the pumpkin, and a little bit of time looking over some of the assignments I have for community/public health. There are quite a few presentations and such to work on. So, I will get going on those, even though I don't have to have them ready until the middle of November. But, better to get it done now than have it all pile up at the last minute!
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering about the party bus, it was interesting. I never really got into the whole drinking and partying thing, so it was a bit uncomfortable. Dinner was nice and I made some new friends, which was cool. Then, the drinking commenced on the bus (I took a few sips, but that was all for me for the night). And oh my goodness, I would have thought people would have gotten through the drinking/partying phase the first time around in college. I guess not, because I saw things I cannot un-see, haha. I imagine they were hurting pretty bad the next morning.
Oh, oh, oh! And on Saturday morning, I went to get a massage, because I figure I will need some calm before the storm of this term. Then, I went to this adorable country orchard, which is where I got the pumpkins. Cute place!! It halfway makes me want to have an orchard someday!!
Ahh, but one note of disappointment. We were supposed to do flu vaccines on Tuesday, but it fell through. Sad day! But, hopefully they will be able to reschedule that clinic for us.
In any case, a nice restful weekend. Bring on the week!!!
So, the weekend was spent cutting and scooping and baking the pumpkin, scooping out the cooked meat, pureeing it and then putting it away in the freezer!! Wooo!! The hardest part is done, though, which is awesome. All that remains is adding the spices and yummy stuff and putting it in a crust to bake. Yum!
I did spend some time relaxing along with cooking up the pumpkin, and a little bit of time looking over some of the assignments I have for community/public health. There are quite a few presentations and such to work on. So, I will get going on those, even though I don't have to have them ready until the middle of November. But, better to get it done now than have it all pile up at the last minute!
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering about the party bus, it was interesting. I never really got into the whole drinking and partying thing, so it was a bit uncomfortable. Dinner was nice and I made some new friends, which was cool. Then, the drinking commenced on the bus (I took a few sips, but that was all for me for the night). And oh my goodness, I would have thought people would have gotten through the drinking/partying phase the first time around in college. I guess not, because I saw things I cannot un-see, haha. I imagine they were hurting pretty bad the next morning.
Oh, oh, oh! And on Saturday morning, I went to get a massage, because I figure I will need some calm before the storm of this term. Then, I went to this adorable country orchard, which is where I got the pumpkins. Cute place!! It halfway makes me want to have an orchard someday!!
Ahh, but one note of disappointment. We were supposed to do flu vaccines on Tuesday, but it fell through. Sad day! But, hopefully they will be able to reschedule that clinic for us.
In any case, a nice restful weekend. Bring on the week!!!
Oct. 21, 2011
Check-offs went well today. Of course, I had the professor. Yeah, that one. But, she wasn't so bad. I had to give my patient (a mannequin) one oral medication and one parenteral medication, which turned out to be Demerol (when I was expecting insulin because of the more complex procedure for drawing up two types of insulins in one syringe). Then, I had to go over the side effects of the medication, explain what it would do, and then chart that I administered the med.
Overall, not too bad. I got marked down 0.5 points for not cleaning the injection site. I'd rather mess that up here in check-offs than actually out in the field.
And now, off to go get ready for the party bus tonight! It should be interesting. One of the guys in class organized dinner and the bus for anybody in the class who wants to come. A great opportunity to see and interact with everyone outside of class.
Overall, not too bad. I got marked down 0.5 points for not cleaning the injection site. I'd rather mess that up here in check-offs than actually out in the field.
And now, off to go get ready for the party bus tonight! It should be interesting. One of the guys in class organized dinner and the bus for anybody in the class who wants to come. A great opportunity to see and interact with everyone outside of class.
Oct. 20, 2011
Class began at 8 today. Toooooo earrrrrllllly, haha. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day, and it's only week one. Theory lecture again for med/surg, although much less somber. Today was about pain and the perioperative period. So, we learned all about what the nurse's role is prior to surgery and after surgery, and the various roles nurse can have in the operating room. As surgery is something that interests me (among a few other things), I found this pretty good information, although if I were to choose a role, I would choose anything BUT the circulating nurse. They don't actually get to scrub in it seems, but they just run and grab whatever the surgeon needs, scratches his nose if he needs it, etc. An important job, I'm sure, but not something that I would find challenging and interesting every day.
That is the beauty of nursing, though -- if you don't like what you are doing, you can move into another field.
More dimensional analysis today, too. More complicated than the last time, though. It was more about IV fluids and figuring milligrams per kilogram and how many milliliters that equates to. It's good information, although I'm not sure we really need to devote 4 hours to it; most of what the instructor teaches is right out of the book. They could perhaps just assign readings and homework assignments to turn in, since the biggest part of what we do on dimensional analysis days is practice problems.
Medication check-off tomorrow at noon!! I think I'm mostly ready!
That is the beauty of nursing, though -- if you don't like what you are doing, you can move into another field.
More dimensional analysis today, too. More complicated than the last time, though. It was more about IV fluids and figuring milligrams per kilogram and how many milliliters that equates to. It's good information, although I'm not sure we really need to devote 4 hours to it; most of what the instructor teaches is right out of the book. They could perhaps just assign readings and homework assignments to turn in, since the biggest part of what we do on dimensional analysis days is practice problems.
Medication check-off tomorrow at noon!! I think I'm mostly ready!
Oct. 19, 2011
Pharm, Pharm, Pharm. Today we had a substitute teacher instead of our regular professor, because she is apparently out of the country doing a conference in China. And I probably didn't mention this before, but I am nonetheless intimidated by the fact that she is an MD, PhD. Yeah, wow. I regard her already as a very educated woman who will know her stuff and will be an excellent resource.
But, the lecture today was great by our stand-in professor. She was really knowledgeable and pinpointed the most important pieces of information to cover. It's a lot of information, though. And, the best part is, pharmacology is a hybrid class, meaning half of it we are supposed to do outside of class on our own. So yes, it is somewhat intimidating and overwhelming at this point. But, it is doable. If classes before have been able to do it, so, too, can I.
And after lunch, more med/surg lab was in order. Because we didn't have enough fun the first time around! So, more practice on parenteral medication administration. So, three IM sites, three subcutaneous sites, and usually one intradermal site. Practice, practice, practice. I'm not really worried about the intradermal, which is like giving the tuberculin test (testing for TB). Come to think of it, I can't really think of any other uses for intradermal injections....
Oh well, so a few different techniques for each and special considerations for finding each appropriate site. The only part I'm worried about is selecting the size and gauge of the needle. I'm still a little fuzzy of how that works, although it's coming together bit by bit. And, open lab was helpful for practicing the actual procedure for how check-off was going to work, which was really nice.
But, the lecture today was great by our stand-in professor. She was really knowledgeable and pinpointed the most important pieces of information to cover. It's a lot of information, though. And, the best part is, pharmacology is a hybrid class, meaning half of it we are supposed to do outside of class on our own. So yes, it is somewhat intimidating and overwhelming at this point. But, it is doable. If classes before have been able to do it, so, too, can I.
And after lunch, more med/surg lab was in order. Because we didn't have enough fun the first time around! So, more practice on parenteral medication administration. So, three IM sites, three subcutaneous sites, and usually one intradermal site. Practice, practice, practice. I'm not really worried about the intradermal, which is like giving the tuberculin test (testing for TB). Come to think of it, I can't really think of any other uses for intradermal injections....
Oh well, so a few different techniques for each and special considerations for finding each appropriate site. The only part I'm worried about is selecting the size and gauge of the needle. I'm still a little fuzzy of how that works, although it's coming together bit by bit. And, open lab was helpful for practicing the actual procedure for how check-off was going to work, which was really nice.
Oct. 18, 2011
Busy day today. Kind of a depressing beginning to the day. It was med/surg theory, which is actually the lecture. In any case, it was on elder care and end-of-life care. It was made all the more somber by the fact that our professor just lost her husband about 19 months ago, and it was a very sensitive topic for her. But, she did really well with the information and, as unfortunate an experience as it was, she was able to provide some very good, first-hand experience from the perspective of a family member receiving care.
After lecture, the Dean of the School of Nursing brought in ice cream (apparently our school has a major that requires the students to make ice cream and cheese and stuff! Cool!!) and presented very briefly on the history of school. It was interesting to see how the school was founded and how it developed and how the nursing program emerged.
Then, I had lunch and went to one of the local hospital offices to do my training for their electronic medical record system. Thankfully, I was able to get a lot of training and preparation done for that the night before and didn't have to stay for the full four hours, but was done in two. Already, I feel exceptionally overwhelmed with so many things to do that I just don't even know where to begin!!
After lecture, the Dean of the School of Nursing brought in ice cream (apparently our school has a major that requires the students to make ice cream and cheese and stuff! Cool!!) and presented very briefly on the history of school. It was interesting to see how the school was founded and how it developed and how the nursing program emerged.
Then, I had lunch and went to one of the local hospital offices to do my training for their electronic medical record system. Thankfully, I was able to get a lot of training and preparation done for that the night before and didn't have to stay for the full four hours, but was done in two. Already, I feel exceptionally overwhelmed with so many things to do that I just don't even know where to begin!!
Oct. 17, 2011
Happy First Day of Term 2 Day!! Or something like that....
Anyways, the day began with orientation to our clinical instructors and discussing how clinicals were going to be and what was expected of us and going over all the paperwork associated with clinicals. Except, it was only our Tuesday clinical, which is community / public health. Our instructor seems nice and laid back. She said she wouldn't make the term any more difficult for us than it already is, so that is nice to hear.
Remember that professor I may have mentioned before who doesn't teach very well? Yeah, she is our professor for med/surg lab. Yay. She actually seems better now than for the IPR teaching she did before. I think perhaps she just hasn't been a professor in a while and needs to get reorganized and reoriented to it. But still, it makes learning difficult when I just can't get a straight answer.
Oh yeah, and we had a quiz today. It wasn't too bad, but there were a LOT of videos to watch to prepare for this one. In any case, I missed out on open lab sign-ups, but I did get signed up for Wednesday to practice more of giving shots and administering oral medications. After all, we have to check off on it on Friday. Yeah, I don't feel unprepared at all!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Oct. 14-16
So, Yellowstone was amazing and gorgeous! It was chilly, though! I realize I should not be surprised by the cooler weather in that region in the middle of October...
In any case, it was an amazing visit with my boyfriend, and we had such a good time together (as always). We got to do lots of walking around and hiking, so I at least am quite sore. Did I mention it was absolutely gorgeous this time of year? Yeah, it was. The coloring was beautiful, although it would be interesting to go back at another time to compare the water levels (it looked a bit dry?).
Here are some of the highlights:
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| Beautiful Bull Elk |
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| I think I figured he was about 6 points; him and one of his girls |
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| Waterfall |
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| Barely visible!! |
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| I just love the water!! Look how clear it is!! |
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| This was called "Red Spouter"; very appropriate name.... |
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| The steam was just blowing at us; it was amazing, like a sauna! |
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| It's like a mummified or petrified dragonfly..... Not really sure what it's called when it is preserved in hot water...? |
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| I am still amazed by how crystal clear the water is... |
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| Such an amazing big splash... |
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| ...followed by an adorable little splash.... |
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| The tail-end of Old Faithful |
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| Water, water, water |
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| BUBBLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| I just love the colors..... |
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| Look at that baby's face!! So cute!! |
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| This is Dragon's Mouth Spring... it really does look like there's a dragon living there..... |
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| And it was a gorgeous sunset in this valley!! |
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| It's a little fairy land!! That's what we both thought, anyways. It's this little green happy place in the middle of all the brown surrounding it (of which there was a lot!) |
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| So... the sulfuric acid must have corroded this grate..... Hmm..... |
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| Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone; I think the water looks kinda fake because it was getting dark.... digital cameras don't do well with poor lighting, apparently.... |
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| Just a pretty shot of the valley and the mountains beyond |
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| I love the water action shots and the variation in color surrounding the geyser! |
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| And yet another gorgeous waterfall; this one we almost would have missed if we didn't stop and look back! |
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| The road surrounded by those funky rocks looked cool.... |
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| The Terraces at Mammoth.... such interesting formations, no? |
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| Here's some more of the terraces... |
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| I have a fascination with clouds.... GORGEOUS! |
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| It just amazes me how different the landscape is in certain areas, and how normal it looks all around it! |
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| So much constrast and juxtaposition here... light, dark, normal, abnormal. Lovely!! |
So, those are some of the best of 200+ pictures I took. Yes, I go a bit shutter crazy, but I just want to get the best possible pictures. Aaaanyways, so I am home safe as of 1730 my time! I am happy I got to see my sweetheart, but sad at the same time for having to do the whole goodbye for now thing all over again.
AMENDMENT:
I was home safe. There was something in my window well this evening. I heard some movement as I was unpacking and after I took my shower, but I was too scared to open the blind, for fear it was something creepy. Like a peeping Tom. Or something... I finally got up enough courage to pull up the blinds, and I shone my flashlight out the window to better visualize what was out there. Not a thing... No movement, no person, no animal. Nothing.
So, I went back to studying for the quiz I had (yes, homework before the term even started.... awesome). I heard more rustling, but wrote it off as the wind. I then cracked open my window and heard patterned scampers and saw movement. So, I grabbed up my flashlight yet again and shined it right onto a rodent!! It must have been hiding right along the wall below the window, so I wouldn't have seen it.
I went upstairs and asked my landlord how he is with rodents. He thought I meant there was one in my room, but I told him there was, in fact, a mole-like creature in my window well. He grabbed his son, and we all went out to investigate. When we got to the window well and shone our flashlights in.... nothing. Elusive little beast, if I do say so myself!!
Then, I saw the little drain pipe to drain off water from the window well. I asked if it could have gone down there, and my landlord said that it probably did and that he should have taken care of the covers for it before. His son jumped down and looked into the drain and sure enough saw the rodent. He spent a good 15 minutes or so trying to decide if it was a bunny, a mole, or a rat. If it was a bunny, he wouldn't have been willing to kill it. So, he finally figured that it couldn't be a bunny and was probably a mole or a rat.
He shot it and then it took him and his father another 15 minutes to pull the creature out of the hole. In the end, it was win-win for us humans, as I didn't have the rustling rodent in my window well anymore and my landlord would have one less mole destroying his lawn.
I have now had enough fun for one weekend and am going to bed.
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| So, here's the little beast in the drain pipe.... |
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| And here is the post-mortem shot.... see the hands? Yep, mole. |
Oct. 13, 2011
The Communication final was easy, as predicted. The little studying I did do was unhelpful; most of the test questions aren't really things that are in the notes. It's more, as I said, common sense. Don't be an idiot when you communicate with your patients. Although, I admit for me, sometimes this is difficult; there are times when I get so dang nervous and I experience the word vomit phenomenon. Words just come out without any conscious thought. I am working on improving the connection between my brain and my mouth, haha!
Anyways, I went home after the final, made myself beautiful, finished up the last minute packing, and relaxed a bit before picking up a friend (who was flying to the same place I was flying to!) and off to the airport we went!!
We made our first connect just fine, but the second connection was delayed for like an hour. So my poor boyfriend had to wait even LONGER than he did before. But, it was definitely worth the wait for me to get a chance to see him. :D
Now, we are off to Yellowstone for a mini-getaway! Yay!!
Anyways, I went home after the final, made myself beautiful, finished up the last minute packing, and relaxed a bit before picking up a friend (who was flying to the same place I was flying to!) and off to the airport we went!!
We made our first connect just fine, but the second connection was delayed for like an hour. So my poor boyfriend had to wait even LONGER than he did before. But, it was definitely worth the wait for me to get a chance to see him. :D
Now, we are off to Yellowstone for a mini-getaway! Yay!!
Oct. 12, 2011
The patho final was rough, but definitely doable. I only had a few questions that I was unsure of and had to go back to. It's probably the best test strategy I have: answer the questions I know, mark the ones I don't and come back to them later. Then, try to reason why each answer is wrong, and if I can't reason an answer as wrong, it is more of a possibility that it is the correct answer.
In any case, it was such a relief to have that exam done. It was the big one I was the most worried about, although I had a lot of leeway in terms of how many points I could miss and still maintain a good grade.
After the exam, I went home for lunch and then came back at 1300 for the presentations in Professional Nursing. And, of course, we were next to last. I would have had us go first, if I had a choice, just to be done with it. The other presentations were really interesting, though. One was about animal-assisted therapy, and another was about violence against nurses in the workplace. Our presentation was about perceptions of nurses, both public perceptions (to include stereotypes) and perceptions by other health-care workers. I feel we did really well, but I am happy to say that it's done.
Now, I would love to say that I came home and studied, but in all honesty, I came home and packed for my short trip to see my sweetheart :) I did do a bit of studying, though, but for the final tomorrow in Communication, there really is only common-sense preparations to be made.
So, packed and ready to go, except for a few minor things that can be packed in the morning. Wahooo!!
In any case, it was such a relief to have that exam done. It was the big one I was the most worried about, although I had a lot of leeway in terms of how many points I could miss and still maintain a good grade.
After the exam, I went home for lunch and then came back at 1300 for the presentations in Professional Nursing. And, of course, we were next to last. I would have had us go first, if I had a choice, just to be done with it. The other presentations were really interesting, though. One was about animal-assisted therapy, and another was about violence against nurses in the workplace. Our presentation was about perceptions of nurses, both public perceptions (to include stereotypes) and perceptions by other health-care workers. I feel we did really well, but I am happy to say that it's done.
Now, I would love to say that I came home and studied, but in all honesty, I came home and packed for my short trip to see my sweetheart :) I did do a bit of studying, though, but for the final tomorrow in Communication, there really is only common-sense preparations to be made.
So, packed and ready to go, except for a few minor things that can be packed in the morning. Wahooo!!
Oct. 11, 2011
First final down!! It was Health Assessment, which was a fairly easy final. I still hate being one of the first two people done (it's always me and this other girl), because it makes me second-guess myself and wonder if I actually knew the material as well as I thought I did.
So, I hung out after the test to wait for my clinical group for our short meeting before the presentation tomorrow. Once we all finished and got together, we sat down and reviewed what we had for the presentation up to that point. Everyone seemed satisfied, and there were only a few minor things that needed to be changed.
I went home and made the few adjustments, added a few pictures, and voila! A presentation was finished and sent out to the group for final approval.
Then, I spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing my notes for pathophysiology, taking time to handwrite the most important pieces of information from each section. It takes time, but it really helps me in a few ways. First, I am reviewing all the notes but only pulling out the most important points and writing it in my own words, essentially explaining it to myself in my own terminology. Second, handwriting stuff always helps me remember it better.
So, one final down (94%, by the way!) and two more to go.
So, I hung out after the test to wait for my clinical group for our short meeting before the presentation tomorrow. Once we all finished and got together, we sat down and reviewed what we had for the presentation up to that point. Everyone seemed satisfied, and there were only a few minor things that needed to be changed.
I went home and made the few adjustments, added a few pictures, and voila! A presentation was finished and sent out to the group for final approval.
Then, I spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing my notes for pathophysiology, taking time to handwrite the most important pieces of information from each section. It takes time, but it really helps me in a few ways. First, I am reviewing all the notes but only pulling out the most important points and writing it in my own words, essentially explaining it to myself in my own terminology. Second, handwriting stuff always helps me remember it better.
So, one final down (94%, by the way!) and two more to go.
Oct. 9-10, 2011
Long, restful weekend. Sort of. I am glad there was a holiday, but at the same time, the long weekends really throw me for a loop.
In any case, it has been a weekend filled with much studying for finals! Hooray for finals week! I can't believe the term is already almost over. It really doesn't seem like it has been two months already, but I suppose time flies when you're having fun. Or at least when you are busy!
I did some studying this weekend at one of the college libraries in town, and it was so quiet, I could have heard a pin drop. Imagine that, a library that is quiet on a Sunday morning. Who would have thought?
I spent time studying and preparing the presentation for this week, as well as putting together my professional portfolio. It looks awesome, although I really wonder if we ever have use of these? I've never been in an interview where a professional portfolio has been used, although perhaps a nursing career is different. I'm not really sure, but I look forward to adding more to it throughout the year.
So, that's that. Time for finals week!! Bring it on!!
In any case, it has been a weekend filled with much studying for finals! Hooray for finals week! I can't believe the term is already almost over. It really doesn't seem like it has been two months already, but I suppose time flies when you're having fun. Or at least when you are busy!
I did some studying this weekend at one of the college libraries in town, and it was so quiet, I could have heard a pin drop. Imagine that, a library that is quiet on a Sunday morning. Who would have thought?
I spent time studying and preparing the presentation for this week, as well as putting together my professional portfolio. It looks awesome, although I really wonder if we ever have use of these? I've never been in an interview where a professional portfolio has been used, although perhaps a nursing career is different. I'm not really sure, but I look forward to adding more to it throughout the year.
So, that's that. Time for finals week!! Bring it on!!
Oct. 8, 2011
Last clinical day!!! And let me say, it was amazing.
I was the 6th of 8 people to arrive for clinicals, and because we didn't have assignments given to us, we apparently got to choose the patient we wanted. First come first serve. I looked over the remaining three patients, and opted not to choose my patient from last week, figuring I'd try someone new. I chose a patient who was in for rule out MI and was just transferred out of the ICU.
And it was a good choice. Although, I admit, I wasn't really sure what to do with such a nice, quiet patient who wanted nothing more than to be nice and polite to me. Goodness, I was wondering why he wasn't yelling at me!
Then, later on in the course of the morning, we had our evaluations with our instructors. They both told me they wanted to take a copy of the concept map and care plan I had done, because it was the most perfect one they had seen. They only took off one-quarter of a point!!
I was very excited and humbled, though, when they told me that I have been a pleasure to have in clinicals. They told me that I respond well to their advice and apply it immediately to the clinical setting (as opposed to arguing and grumbling about it), as well has maintained a very positive attitude even with very challenging patients and duties to perform. They then told me they had two options on the evaluation form, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory. But, they felt it would not do to lump me in with the rest of my classmates by selecting satisfactory, so they put "highly" next to it and created a new category.
HAPPY!!!!
Don't worry -- I'm not letting it go to my head; I'm incredibly humbled and grateful that I did as well as that. I knew that I couldn't have done poorly, but I honestly did not think that I did THAT well.
In any case, it was an amazing, fulfilling clinical experience this term, and I look forward to more next term!!
I was the 6th of 8 people to arrive for clinicals, and because we didn't have assignments given to us, we apparently got to choose the patient we wanted. First come first serve. I looked over the remaining three patients, and opted not to choose my patient from last week, figuring I'd try someone new. I chose a patient who was in for rule out MI and was just transferred out of the ICU.
And it was a good choice. Although, I admit, I wasn't really sure what to do with such a nice, quiet patient who wanted nothing more than to be nice and polite to me. Goodness, I was wondering why he wasn't yelling at me!
Then, later on in the course of the morning, we had our evaluations with our instructors. They both told me they wanted to take a copy of the concept map and care plan I had done, because it was the most perfect one they had seen. They only took off one-quarter of a point!!
I was very excited and humbled, though, when they told me that I have been a pleasure to have in clinicals. They told me that I respond well to their advice and apply it immediately to the clinical setting (as opposed to arguing and grumbling about it), as well has maintained a very positive attitude even with very challenging patients and duties to perform. They then told me they had two options on the evaluation form, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory. But, they felt it would not do to lump me in with the rest of my classmates by selecting satisfactory, so they put "highly" next to it and created a new category.
HAPPY!!!!
Don't worry -- I'm not letting it go to my head; I'm incredibly humbled and grateful that I did as well as that. I knew that I couldn't have done poorly, but I honestly did not think that I did THAT well.
In any case, it was an amazing, fulfilling clinical experience this term, and I look forward to more next term!!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Oct. 7, 2011
So, there has been a wild wind happening for the past few days, which is pretty exciting. I didn't sleep as soundly as I would have liked last night, but I am feeling much more human today.
I have finished up my professional portfolio!! Yay!!! All I need to do is revise the tabs I have in there.... they are hidden by the plastic sheets I have all my papers in... Oh well. I also have been piecing together the powerpoint presentation for my group presentation next week. So far, I have received pieces from two classmates, and I have my portion mostly complete. So, just waiting for 5 more pieces, which I should have by Monday morning, and then we will be good to go for presenting next week!!
Aaaand, we don't know what we're in for in clinical tomorrow. Apparently there aren't very many patients, but there should be more coming in from the ICU in the morning, so we all have mystery patients right now!! I am a bit nervous to see who I will have tomorrow, because I did tell my instructors to keep giving me the difficult patients.... I'm sure I was going for having more opportunities to learn... but really, what was I thinking?
Oh well; tomorrow should be great. It will be the last day of clinicals for this term, and I will get my evaluation tomorrow (I hope). Then, it will be time to study, study, study for finals next week! Wahooo!!!
Good night everyone!!
I have finished up my professional portfolio!! Yay!!! All I need to do is revise the tabs I have in there.... they are hidden by the plastic sheets I have all my papers in... Oh well. I also have been piecing together the powerpoint presentation for my group presentation next week. So far, I have received pieces from two classmates, and I have my portion mostly complete. So, just waiting for 5 more pieces, which I should have by Monday morning, and then we will be good to go for presenting next week!!
Aaaand, we don't know what we're in for in clinical tomorrow. Apparently there aren't very many patients, but there should be more coming in from the ICU in the morning, so we all have mystery patients right now!! I am a bit nervous to see who I will have tomorrow, because I did tell my instructors to keep giving me the difficult patients.... I'm sure I was going for having more opportunities to learn... but really, what was I thinking?
Oh well; tomorrow should be great. It will be the last day of clinicals for this term, and I will get my evaluation tomorrow (I hope). Then, it will be time to study, study, study for finals next week! Wahooo!!!
Good night everyone!!
Oct. 6, 2011
Braaaaiiinnnnnsssss........ BRRRAAAAIIIINNNNSSS..............
That's about how I felt this morning. I slept horribly last night, and I halfway wonder if it was the crazy wind going on all night. Possibly....
In any case, Communication class started at 0800, and to nobody's surprise, finished at 1100. I don't know why we start so early to have a two-hour lunch. It just kind of throws off my rhythm. Oh well....
Today we lectured on anxiety, grief and loss, and conflict. Very quick day, followed by evaluations. Not too bad, although the content was a little straight-forward and kind of common-sense.
The "lab" for this class followed lunch at about 1300, and we did a few activities and skits and watched a movie about conflict and anxiety and how to be assertive when faced with conflict. We then took a few quizzes about our experiences with death, so we know where we stand when it comes time for us to handle it in our working environment.
The day ended with a 1.5-hour lecture from a Thanatologist, or someone who studies death and specifically grief associated with death. It was an interesting enough lecture, although I started feeling like a zombie again.
Some of the highlights:
That's about how I felt this morning. I slept horribly last night, and I halfway wonder if it was the crazy wind going on all night. Possibly....
In any case, Communication class started at 0800, and to nobody's surprise, finished at 1100. I don't know why we start so early to have a two-hour lunch. It just kind of throws off my rhythm. Oh well....
Today we lectured on anxiety, grief and loss, and conflict. Very quick day, followed by evaluations. Not too bad, although the content was a little straight-forward and kind of common-sense.
The "lab" for this class followed lunch at about 1300, and we did a few activities and skits and watched a movie about conflict and anxiety and how to be assertive when faced with conflict. We then took a few quizzes about our experiences with death, so we know where we stand when it comes time for us to handle it in our working environment.
The day ended with a 1.5-hour lecture from a Thanatologist, or someone who studies death and specifically grief associated with death. It was an interesting enough lecture, although I started feeling like a zombie again.
Some of the highlights:
- Bereave originates from the old English word, berafian, which means "to rob". So, to be in a state of bereavement means to be in a state of having been robbed. An interesting way to think of loss.
- Handling grief or difficulty in the animal kingdom:
- During a storm, a turtle will hole up in his shell and wait until it passes. Often, humans do this, too, figuratively speaking; we withdraw into ourselves and wait for the hurting to pass.
- During a storm, a bald eagle will fly high above the storm and just hang out until it passes. Humans who don't withdraw often do this; instead of working 40 hours, we work 60+ hours to keep ourselves busy enough to not handle the grief.
- During a storm, a tatonka (yes, this is the actual term the thanatologist used; a buffalo) will turn into the storm and walk into it. This is how we SHOULD handle grief -- just deal with it head on and get it over with sooner rather than later.
Interesting day, although a bit of a downer at the end of the day and end of the term (for lecture, anyways).
After class, I went home and gave in to my zombified feelings and took a nap. You thought I was going to say that I ate brains, didn't you? Ha! No, just took a nap to recover some sleep.
Then, I watched some TV and will very soon be heading to bed for hopefully a full night's sleep! No more zombie me!
Oct. 5, 2011
Last Lecture in Patho.... EVER... I think I'm actually sad about this, although I am excited to move forward with my learning. We did Reproductive system disorders today, and it was a very short, 1-hour lecture. Then, we filled out the professor evaluations and had an early lunch.
After lunch, we had our last lecture in Professional Nursing, too. This class is just too much fun, and I really wish we would have met more often. This is only the third time this class meets, and the last time we meet next week will be for giving presentations and doing professor evaluations. We took a group examination today, then worked on defining the scope of practice for different levels of nursing. This ties in with education for nursing, and we learned that many hospitals are no longer hiring RNs without a BSN. It's becoming the preferred education, and when I did a job search just recently, I noticed that every job listed for an RN says BSN preferred, required after 2018.
After class, I hunkered down at home and watched Inception. I really, really like that movie. I studied a bit for the quiz in Communication and then off to dreamland. Only one more day of actual class, and then it's over and done with for this term! Amazing!!
After lunch, we had our last lecture in Professional Nursing, too. This class is just too much fun, and I really wish we would have met more often. This is only the third time this class meets, and the last time we meet next week will be for giving presentations and doing professor evaluations. We took a group examination today, then worked on defining the scope of practice for different levels of nursing. This ties in with education for nursing, and we learned that many hospitals are no longer hiring RNs without a BSN. It's becoming the preferred education, and when I did a job search just recently, I noticed that every job listed for an RN says BSN preferred, required after 2018.
After class, I hunkered down at home and watched Inception. I really, really like that movie. I studied a bit for the quiz in Communication and then off to dreamland. Only one more day of actual class, and then it's over and done with for this term! Amazing!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Oct. 4, 2011
I ended up staying up until about 0200 last night (this morning?) to finish up the concept map and care plan I needed to finish up. It took me FOREVER to find an article from a nursing journal about GI bleeds. But, I finally did, and was able to finish up that assignment and turn it in around 0145. I try not to do late nights like that, but I figured since class wasn't until 1300, I could afford to stay up a bit later and sleep in a little bit.
And yes, it was Tuesday so Patho Exam day. Today was Examination 3, and was the last exam before the final!! I didn't do as well as I usually do; the sensory system always gives me trouble. I didn't do terribly (82%), but that's much lower than I have been getting (96%). I will just have to get at least an 84% to maintain the A letter grade I have in there.
Anyways, enough about grades. Lecture was pretty interesting. We were supposed to just do a lecture about blood diseases (anemia, leukemia), but the professor decided to add in bleeding disorders. So, we stayed the full time of class, and get to start class an hour later tomorrow.
After class, I came home and relaxed. I have turned in just about everything I need to turn in for this term, and all that's left is examinations and a group presentation, which we will probably work on this upcoming long weekend.
So, let me just say, Thor is such a great movie. I think it could possibly be my favorite of all the Marvel films so far, although Captain America is a close second. Perhaps it is my love of mythology that influences how much I like Thor? Maybe... Oh well. Did anyone notice Odin's horse? 8 legs--straight out of mythology! It was such a small detail, but so cool. Anyways, that's all for now!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Oct. 3, 2011
CAUGHT UP!!!! So, let me apologize for being a bum about keeping up with my blogging. However, I just churned out two weeks of content within a few hours, so I'm feeling pretty good about that!
Anyways, I should be covered from Sept. 19 up to now.
I spent most of yesterday (Sunday) doing homework. I finished my Denver write-up (I found a question that I hadn't answered), read an assigned article for discussion and posted my thoughts, and finished up the IPR analysis. I tried to work on my concept map, but I have been having a hard time finding an article that speaks to the main medical diagnosis my patient had. Not too eventful of a day until I was just about to go to bed.
I noticed something dark on the floor as I was walking through my semi-lit living room back to my bedroom. I turned on the light and saw the biggest, scariest spider I have ever seen in my life (except the ones at the zoo that have glass between us). Now, I have this terribly irrational fear of spiders, and I rely on my boyfriend to dispose of any spider, no matter how big or small. Unfortunately for me (but probably fortunately for him) he isnt' here to take care of my spider issues. So, I had to handle this one on my own. But first, I did what any rational human does and took a few pictures of it. And yes, I threw down a quarter next to it for size reference. Something I didn't think through very well, because I realized afterwards that I may never see that quarter again....
See? Killer spider.....
Anyways, I grabbed some of the indoor bug poison I had and gave it a direct spray. It didn't like it very much and took off down the hallway towards my room. I sprayed it again and once more for good measure. Then it just kind of stopped moving. I figured I had won, but then gave it some thought.... Should I leave it there until morning? What happens if it's not actually dead but just pretending to be dead so it can come into my room and eat me while I'm sleeping? (I know, irrational....)
So, I opted instead to grab a few pieces of paper to pick it up and put it in the toilet. I made sure to keep the maximum amount of paper between me and this killer spider, and when I tried to pick it up, it was still about 40% alive. So it moved.... a lot..... At this point, my NyQuil was kicking in, so I was trying to be as clear headed as possible, but I'm sure I made the process of picking up this spider much more difficult than it actually needed to be.
I finally got it on the paper and the dropped it into the toilet. It sunk, which was weird to see. Then, I flushed it away, thinking about what I would need to do in the morning, which would include a thorough inspection of the area around the toilet, in case it somehow came back up the pipes to attack me when I was most vulnerable. I realize this is irrational, but I can't help but be afraid of the vengeance of killer spiders.
So, after that fiasco, I went to sleep. I spent the night in a NyQuil-induced coma. Awesome. I had a good day in lecture. It was about sleep and then the reproductive system and how to assess for both. We were supposed to stay until 2, but we finished up at 12, so that was great. I got to come home and take care of some laundry. I then proceeded to pass out for a 3-hour nap. I awoke with such energy that I cleaned my place and organized a bunch of stuff and then decided to get going on catching up on my blog!
So, that's where we are now. I am excited to be done with this term. I just got the calendar for next term today and it's BUSY! Bring it on!!
And, a few days ago, I got a care package from my mommy, and today I got a care package from my boyfriend. I have such an amazing family! They send me such fun and interesting things!! I love them all very much!
Here's the Halloween lanterns my mom sent me! I think Halloween is my favorite holiday.....
Anyways, I should be covered from Sept. 19 up to now.
I spent most of yesterday (Sunday) doing homework. I finished my Denver write-up (I found a question that I hadn't answered), read an assigned article for discussion and posted my thoughts, and finished up the IPR analysis. I tried to work on my concept map, but I have been having a hard time finding an article that speaks to the main medical diagnosis my patient had. Not too eventful of a day until I was just about to go to bed.
I noticed something dark on the floor as I was walking through my semi-lit living room back to my bedroom. I turned on the light and saw the biggest, scariest spider I have ever seen in my life (except the ones at the zoo that have glass between us). Now, I have this terribly irrational fear of spiders, and I rely on my boyfriend to dispose of any spider, no matter how big or small. Unfortunately for me (but probably fortunately for him) he isnt' here to take care of my spider issues. So, I had to handle this one on my own. But first, I did what any rational human does and took a few pictures of it. And yes, I threw down a quarter next to it for size reference. Something I didn't think through very well, because I realized afterwards that I may never see that quarter again....
See? Killer spider.....
Anyways, I grabbed some of the indoor bug poison I had and gave it a direct spray. It didn't like it very much and took off down the hallway towards my room. I sprayed it again and once more for good measure. Then it just kind of stopped moving. I figured I had won, but then gave it some thought.... Should I leave it there until morning? What happens if it's not actually dead but just pretending to be dead so it can come into my room and eat me while I'm sleeping? (I know, irrational....)
So, I opted instead to grab a few pieces of paper to pick it up and put it in the toilet. I made sure to keep the maximum amount of paper between me and this killer spider, and when I tried to pick it up, it was still about 40% alive. So it moved.... a lot..... At this point, my NyQuil was kicking in, so I was trying to be as clear headed as possible, but I'm sure I made the process of picking up this spider much more difficult than it actually needed to be.
I finally got it on the paper and the dropped it into the toilet. It sunk, which was weird to see. Then, I flushed it away, thinking about what I would need to do in the morning, which would include a thorough inspection of the area around the toilet, in case it somehow came back up the pipes to attack me when I was most vulnerable. I realize this is irrational, but I can't help but be afraid of the vengeance of killer spiders.
So, after that fiasco, I went to sleep. I spent the night in a NyQuil-induced coma. Awesome. I had a good day in lecture. It was about sleep and then the reproductive system and how to assess for both. We were supposed to stay until 2, but we finished up at 12, so that was great. I got to come home and take care of some laundry. I then proceeded to pass out for a 3-hour nap. I awoke with such energy that I cleaned my place and organized a bunch of stuff and then decided to get going on catching up on my blog!
So, that's where we are now. I am excited to be done with this term. I just got the calendar for next term today and it's BUSY! Bring it on!!
And, a few days ago, I got a care package from my mommy, and today I got a care package from my boyfriend. I have such an amazing family! They send me such fun and interesting things!! I love them all very much!
Here's the Halloween lanterns my mom sent me! I think Halloween is my favorite holiday.....
Oct. 1, 2011
Happy first day of October!! I actually just forewent all my catching up so that I could accurately capture the mood of today. Not that when I miss a day or two (or a week or two) of writing I forget how I felt on a particular day. It just takes some thinking, and right now, in this moment that I'm writing, today is still pretty fresh.
So, clinical day today. Wow. It started with a bang... Actually it started with nothing at all. Yeah, no alarm that is. I looked up at my clock, wondering what time it was, and it was 6:35. After a few seconds of stunned silence, I shot out of bed like a rocket, thinking, "I needed to leave five minutes ago!!!" There were also a few expletives in there, but I will let you use your imagination on where those appropriately go. I will say that I briefly investigated the reason for the faulty alarm, and I found nothing wrong with the volume (which I checked the night before), and I did not push the snooze button while half-asleep. Radio broadcasting issue is all I can think of.
In any case, I was grateful that I had set out my stuff the night before, because all I had time to do was throw on my scrubs, grab my bag (which has my wallet, textbook, stethoscope, ID badge, clipboard, etc.) and my lunch. I left my house at around 6:44, and arrived at the hospital at around 6:56. I had just enough time to RUN to the elevator to get up to the floor in time for 7:00 morning report. Yes, I probably could and should have booked up the four flights of stairs (yes, four; the bottom floor is considered Ground, the next floor up is Floor 1), but I figured I wanted to be able to breathe when I got upstairs.
Lucky for me, morning report was a bit late, so I had a few moments to compose myself and tell my bladder to quit harassing me for just a few moments. So, morning report was successful, and then I learned how to do a measurement for a patient with a PICC. Then, off we went to go gather vitals.
My patient today was a rather large fellow, although was pleasant enough for most of the shift. I was happy that he was as cooperative as he was, because everything else was very, very tough with him. Because he had a fistula (for dialysis) in one arm and a PICC in the other, blood pressures had to be taken in a leg, which was a new experience for me. I barely was able to take his vitals and chart them before I needed to get back into the room for bed bath and changing dressings. Oh, and the room was contact precautions--so gown and glove up!!
I required some help with bathing the patient, as he had lots of tissue to move to get to fungal infections and because he had a hard time rolling to one side for us to scrub his back. Thankfully, I had a classmate who was willing to help, and I truly don't think I could have managed alone. It was a great day for the "TEAM" in "health care team". After spending most of the morning changing a dressing, doing his bath, helping him move up in bed a few times, and doing a brief assessment on him, I finally got a moment to sit down at around 10:45. At this point, my bladder had given up hope that I would respond, so I took an opportunity to take care of that little hiccup. Then, I had some water--I was parched from a lack of breakfast! No sooner did I enjoy some water and sit down for a few moments to begin writing down my assessment findings then my instructor walked in to tell me I needed to do a blood glucose on my patient. He was about ready to have lunch and needed the glucose taken beforehand, so we would have enough time to feed him before taking him down to dialysis.
As I was preparing to enter the room to do the glucose test, he called for a bedpan. I snagged a classmate to help me, and once again, I was incredibly grateful that she was willing to help. When he was finished, I went back in to do the glucose test, get him off the pan and clean him up, do a hemoccult test on the stool, clean the bedpan, and then assist 3 other nurses to put the patient in his dialysis chair. After we got him comfy there, he had his lunch, and then I took another set of vitals and wheeled him down to dialysis. Once there, it took 4 of us to move him up in his chair so he was comfortable (he tended to slide down a lot). At this point, it was around 12:00 or so, and I got to put in the second set of vitals and start eating my lunch.
Lunch was interrupted twice for me so I could respond to the care my patient needed (move up in the chair, scratch his back). Today was the day that I truly began to understand what our professors have been talking about when they say that nurses don't really eat meals, they sort of graze throughout the day.
So, that pretty much concluded the care of my patient for the day, because dialysis was a 3-hour process and that about finished my day! He actually just got rolled back into his room when I was leaving for the day.
I spent some time doing my charting and finishing my lunch, and then we had some post conference meetings and a quiz. We reviewed our concept maps and care plans individually with the instructors. My instructors said that I did very well on my homework, taking first place in the "least red ink" contest. They also made a point to tell me that I am doing very, very well on the floor and that I'm a huge help. This made me feel pretty good, because I haven't really felt like I've been doing much. It seems like we are so limited on what we can do because we haven't learned it all yet, so I tend to feel useless or like I'm just sitting around doing nothing.
The one instructor also said that the patient they gave me today is a patient they never give to students unless they are very short on patients. So, apparently they think I am capable enough to handle a rough patient. This also made me feel good, and I told them to keep the tough ones coming, because I am loving the opportunities to learn.
After clinicals today, I had to rush home, shower, and change, because I had a Denver II test to administer to a 3-year-old. It was fairly simple to do, especially considering that I hadn't really looked too intensely into what I was going to be doing with her. But, she did really well and was exactly where she needed to be developmentally. She got a little shy when I was asking her questions, so there were things that I couldn't pass her on; I just simply stated that she didn't do them, which isn't to say that she can't.
Afterwards, my friend who set this up and I sat around talking for a good hour or so, and then she invited me to stick around to study with her. I didn't have anything to study with, so I offered to go home and gather what I needed, as well as pick up some dinner for us, and then we could have dinner and study together. She appreciated the company, as her husband and children were out of town, and I was happy to have someone to hang out with and study with (otherwise there may not have been any studying happening).
So, we completed the Denver II write-up and got a good way into the IPR write-up. I didn't get done everything I wanted to get done, but I feel like today was a good, productive day.
And, my thought for the day, after a wild crazy day, is: It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell. ~Buddha
So, clinical day today. Wow. It started with a bang... Actually it started with nothing at all. Yeah, no alarm that is. I looked up at my clock, wondering what time it was, and it was 6:35. After a few seconds of stunned silence, I shot out of bed like a rocket, thinking, "I needed to leave five minutes ago!!!" There were also a few expletives in there, but I will let you use your imagination on where those appropriately go. I will say that I briefly investigated the reason for the faulty alarm, and I found nothing wrong with the volume (which I checked the night before), and I did not push the snooze button while half-asleep. Radio broadcasting issue is all I can think of.
In any case, I was grateful that I had set out my stuff the night before, because all I had time to do was throw on my scrubs, grab my bag (which has my wallet, textbook, stethoscope, ID badge, clipboard, etc.) and my lunch. I left my house at around 6:44, and arrived at the hospital at around 6:56. I had just enough time to RUN to the elevator to get up to the floor in time for 7:00 morning report. Yes, I probably could and should have booked up the four flights of stairs (yes, four; the bottom floor is considered Ground, the next floor up is Floor 1), but I figured I wanted to be able to breathe when I got upstairs.
Lucky for me, morning report was a bit late, so I had a few moments to compose myself and tell my bladder to quit harassing me for just a few moments. So, morning report was successful, and then I learned how to do a measurement for a patient with a PICC. Then, off we went to go gather vitals.
My patient today was a rather large fellow, although was pleasant enough for most of the shift. I was happy that he was as cooperative as he was, because everything else was very, very tough with him. Because he had a fistula (for dialysis) in one arm and a PICC in the other, blood pressures had to be taken in a leg, which was a new experience for me. I barely was able to take his vitals and chart them before I needed to get back into the room for bed bath and changing dressings. Oh, and the room was contact precautions--so gown and glove up!!
I required some help with bathing the patient, as he had lots of tissue to move to get to fungal infections and because he had a hard time rolling to one side for us to scrub his back. Thankfully, I had a classmate who was willing to help, and I truly don't think I could have managed alone. It was a great day for the "TEAM" in "health care team". After spending most of the morning changing a dressing, doing his bath, helping him move up in bed a few times, and doing a brief assessment on him, I finally got a moment to sit down at around 10:45. At this point, my bladder had given up hope that I would respond, so I took an opportunity to take care of that little hiccup. Then, I had some water--I was parched from a lack of breakfast! No sooner did I enjoy some water and sit down for a few moments to begin writing down my assessment findings then my instructor walked in to tell me I needed to do a blood glucose on my patient. He was about ready to have lunch and needed the glucose taken beforehand, so we would have enough time to feed him before taking him down to dialysis.
As I was preparing to enter the room to do the glucose test, he called for a bedpan. I snagged a classmate to help me, and once again, I was incredibly grateful that she was willing to help. When he was finished, I went back in to do the glucose test, get him off the pan and clean him up, do a hemoccult test on the stool, clean the bedpan, and then assist 3 other nurses to put the patient in his dialysis chair. After we got him comfy there, he had his lunch, and then I took another set of vitals and wheeled him down to dialysis. Once there, it took 4 of us to move him up in his chair so he was comfortable (he tended to slide down a lot). At this point, it was around 12:00 or so, and I got to put in the second set of vitals and start eating my lunch.
Lunch was interrupted twice for me so I could respond to the care my patient needed (move up in the chair, scratch his back). Today was the day that I truly began to understand what our professors have been talking about when they say that nurses don't really eat meals, they sort of graze throughout the day.
So, that pretty much concluded the care of my patient for the day, because dialysis was a 3-hour process and that about finished my day! He actually just got rolled back into his room when I was leaving for the day.
I spent some time doing my charting and finishing my lunch, and then we had some post conference meetings and a quiz. We reviewed our concept maps and care plans individually with the instructors. My instructors said that I did very well on my homework, taking first place in the "least red ink" contest. They also made a point to tell me that I am doing very, very well on the floor and that I'm a huge help. This made me feel pretty good, because I haven't really felt like I've been doing much. It seems like we are so limited on what we can do because we haven't learned it all yet, so I tend to feel useless or like I'm just sitting around doing nothing.
The one instructor also said that the patient they gave me today is a patient they never give to students unless they are very short on patients. So, apparently they think I am capable enough to handle a rough patient. This also made me feel good, and I told them to keep the tough ones coming, because I am loving the opportunities to learn.
After clinicals today, I had to rush home, shower, and change, because I had a Denver II test to administer to a 3-year-old. It was fairly simple to do, especially considering that I hadn't really looked too intensely into what I was going to be doing with her. But, she did really well and was exactly where she needed to be developmentally. She got a little shy when I was asking her questions, so there were things that I couldn't pass her on; I just simply stated that she didn't do them, which isn't to say that she can't.
Afterwards, my friend who set this up and I sat around talking for a good hour or so, and then she invited me to stick around to study with her. I didn't have anything to study with, so I offered to go home and gather what I needed, as well as pick up some dinner for us, and then we could have dinner and study together. She appreciated the company, as her husband and children were out of town, and I was happy to have someone to hang out with and study with (otherwise there may not have been any studying happening).
So, we completed the Denver II write-up and got a good way into the IPR write-up. I didn't get done everything I wanted to get done, but I feel like today was a good, productive day.
And, my thought for the day, after a wild crazy day, is: It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell. ~Buddha
Sept. 30, 2011
My partner and I agreed to meet about an hour before the examination so we could take a real set of vitals to put on the paperwork (instead of making something up) and do a verbal walk through of what we plan to do. Since we were there a bit early and were prepared, we got to start a bit early, which was really nice. My partner examined me first, and did a really good job and was like 27 minutes. She only forgot like one or two things.
Then, it was my turn. I did the best I could to try to remember everything, and I only forgot to check her sinuses for pressure or pain! Yay!! I did go over by like 30 seconds, but because the professor didn't know when the timer she was using reset, she let it slide. After we both did our assessments, we had to sit down and chart our findings. That took all of 30 minutes to make sure it was thorough and that I had everything I needed on there, both positive and negative findings.
Interestingly, the night before the assessment, my partner noticed the back of my throat was really red, and this morning, she noticed the same thing, and that my tonsils were enlarged. I cannot get sick, but I have been coughing all day. I cannot be sick tomorrow!! I don't want to share with my patient!!
I spent the rest of the day working on my assignments and my portfolio for Professional Nursing. Early night to sleep tonight -- I'm going to need as much rest as I can give myself to get well!
Then, it was my turn. I did the best I could to try to remember everything, and I only forgot to check her sinuses for pressure or pain! Yay!! I did go over by like 30 seconds, but because the professor didn't know when the timer she was using reset, she let it slide. After we both did our assessments, we had to sit down and chart our findings. That took all of 30 minutes to make sure it was thorough and that I had everything I needed on there, both positive and negative findings.
Interestingly, the night before the assessment, my partner noticed the back of my throat was really red, and this morning, she noticed the same thing, and that my tonsils were enlarged. I cannot get sick, but I have been coughing all day. I cannot be sick tomorrow!! I don't want to share with my patient!!
I spent the rest of the day working on my assignments and my portfolio for Professional Nursing. Early night to sleep tonight -- I'm going to need as much rest as I can give myself to get well!
Sept. 29, 2011
So hooray for the IPRs today. I got to sleep in a smidge, as I had already done preschool. Lecture began at 1200 today, and it was on culture and how to communicate in a culturally competent way. It's going to be difficult to get rid of some preconceived notions I have; not that I consider myself a particularly racist or prejudiced person. However, we did a brief exercise before beginning lecture, and it made me realize that I need to keep a more open mind and take some time to learn about other cultures so I can consider more than one reason.
One of the situations was a young woman coming in with welts and circular burn-looking marks on her back. My immediate reaction was that she was abused, but the actual situation was that she was of a culture that believed in cupping. I have never heard of this practice, but apparently a cup is heated up and placed on the ill person's skin to draw out evil spirits.
Another situation was a women not wanting to see her baby right after he was born. My first thought was an undesired pregnancy, perhaps a rape. But, the situation was again a cultural belief that there must not be any bonding with the child until it has reached a certain age, because it may be susceptible to learning evil ways.
So, point of the story is that I would like to spend some time learning about other cultures and religious practices so I can be more culturally competent and have a more open mind to not just jump to conclusions.
After lecture, we had the IPR experience. I had a strange situation. The scenario was set in a busy walk-in clinic that was understaffed. I had to go in to see the patient to find out what brought her in and to tell her that it was going to be at least an hour before the doctor could see her. The client was avoidant and made eye contact maybe once. I basically just took care of what the objectives were on the scenario sheet, and then went to write down every word that was exchanged to analyze later. It was really nerve-wracking and I don't think I did anything correctly. I felt like there wasn't much opportunity to be therapeutic.
In any case, I am glad it's over. That was one stressor I am happy to have behind me.
My lab partner came over one more time tonight so we could practice for our exam tomorrow. We were both under 25 minutes and only forgot a few things. Overall, though, I think we are super prepared and are going to do really well.
One of the situations was a young woman coming in with welts and circular burn-looking marks on her back. My immediate reaction was that she was abused, but the actual situation was that she was of a culture that believed in cupping. I have never heard of this practice, but apparently a cup is heated up and placed on the ill person's skin to draw out evil spirits.
Another situation was a women not wanting to see her baby right after he was born. My first thought was an undesired pregnancy, perhaps a rape. But, the situation was again a cultural belief that there must not be any bonding with the child until it has reached a certain age, because it may be susceptible to learning evil ways.
So, point of the story is that I would like to spend some time learning about other cultures and religious practices so I can be more culturally competent and have a more open mind to not just jump to conclusions.
After lecture, we had the IPR experience. I had a strange situation. The scenario was set in a busy walk-in clinic that was understaffed. I had to go in to see the patient to find out what brought her in and to tell her that it was going to be at least an hour before the doctor could see her. The client was avoidant and made eye contact maybe once. I basically just took care of what the objectives were on the scenario sheet, and then went to write down every word that was exchanged to analyze later. It was really nerve-wracking and I don't think I did anything correctly. I felt like there wasn't much opportunity to be therapeutic.
In any case, I am glad it's over. That was one stressor I am happy to have behind me.
My lab partner came over one more time tonight so we could practice for our exam tomorrow. We were both under 25 minutes and only forgot a few things. Overall, though, I think we are super prepared and are going to do really well.
Sept. 28, 2011
Sensory system continued! There is soooo much information on the sensory system!! It's almost more information than there was on the heart! It's kind of overwhelming and there is going to be so much to remember!! But, after today, there are only two more lectures. I'm actually kind of sad, because I love this class so much. It is so interesting, I wish there was like a refresher course or something later on. Maybe there is something like that for continuing education when I actually get done and get a job.... Hmm.... Must look into that....
I think what I find most interesting in Patho isn't really in class. I am enjoying seeing in clinicals what I am learning in class. There are so many more interactions that we can possibly learn about in class, but I am just fascinated to think about how everything pieces together and how it sums up into a patient's presentation.
Anyways, back to class. After lunch was the second time we meet for Professional Nursing. What a fun class this is! We did this activity where we had to write our answers to a "Would You Rather _____ or ______?" quiz. It was kind of fun and kind of serious, and made me really think. It revealed so much about us, as we were standing up for each answer and giving explanations about why we chose that answer.
The point was that each of us is unique and it is that uniqueness that will make each of us a good nurse. We can be the smartest people in the world, but it is our personalities that make us great nurses. And, we must embrace our individuality and never forget that each patient is an individual also. It was a very thought-provoking and amazing day in class.
And, once again, class got out early and we were able to bump up our open lab times. My partner and I were able to get into an exam room to practice with the otoscope and ophthalmoscope and adjust the bed a bit, so we were satisfied. We opted not to do a practice exam on each other, deferring it until the next day.
If anyone is interested in that "Would you Rather ____ or ______?" quiz, I will post it here. It's kind of interesting to think about why you choose each answer, and even more interesting is that you will think more about the question and how you would justify your answer as you go along. By the end, you may want more information about each question. Enjoy!!
1. Would you rather go to the doctor or to the dentist?
2. Would you rather eat carrots or broccoli?
3. Would you rather listen to music or watch TV?
4. Would you rather own a lizard or a snake?
5. Would you rather go on a beach holiday or a mountain holiday?
6. Would you rather BE a banana or an apple?
7. Would you rather have the ability to read minds or be invsible?
8. Would you rather be hairy all over or be completely bald?
9. Would you rather be the smartest person or the most popular?
10. Would you rather be in a newspaper headline for saving a life or for winning the Nobel prize?
11. Would you rather go the rest of your life without having fast food or without having TV?
12. Would you rather have permanent constipation or permanent diarrhea?
13. Would you rather be very handsome or beautiful and very dumb, or ugly and very smart?
14. Would you rather be always hot or always cold?
15. Would you rather not be able to hear or not be able to see?
16. Would you rather eliminate hunger and disease worldwide, or create long-lasting world peace?
17. Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you don't like?
18. Would you rather see the future or be able to change the past?
19. Would you rather be three inches taller or three inches shorter?
20. Would you rather fight a lion or a shark?
Some interesting facts, in case you might be interested:
I think what I find most interesting in Patho isn't really in class. I am enjoying seeing in clinicals what I am learning in class. There are so many more interactions that we can possibly learn about in class, but I am just fascinated to think about how everything pieces together and how it sums up into a patient's presentation.
Anyways, back to class. After lunch was the second time we meet for Professional Nursing. What a fun class this is! We did this activity where we had to write our answers to a "Would You Rather _____ or ______?" quiz. It was kind of fun and kind of serious, and made me really think. It revealed so much about us, as we were standing up for each answer and giving explanations about why we chose that answer.
The point was that each of us is unique and it is that uniqueness that will make each of us a good nurse. We can be the smartest people in the world, but it is our personalities that make us great nurses. And, we must embrace our individuality and never forget that each patient is an individual also. It was a very thought-provoking and amazing day in class.
And, once again, class got out early and we were able to bump up our open lab times. My partner and I were able to get into an exam room to practice with the otoscope and ophthalmoscope and adjust the bed a bit, so we were satisfied. We opted not to do a practice exam on each other, deferring it until the next day.
If anyone is interested in that "Would you Rather ____ or ______?" quiz, I will post it here. It's kind of interesting to think about why you choose each answer, and even more interesting is that you will think more about the question and how you would justify your answer as you go along. By the end, you may want more information about each question. Enjoy!!
1. Would you rather go to the doctor or to the dentist?
2. Would you rather eat carrots or broccoli?
3. Would you rather listen to music or watch TV?
4. Would you rather own a lizard or a snake?
5. Would you rather go on a beach holiday or a mountain holiday?
6. Would you rather BE a banana or an apple?
7. Would you rather have the ability to read minds or be invsible?
8. Would you rather be hairy all over or be completely bald?
9. Would you rather be the smartest person or the most popular?
10. Would you rather be in a newspaper headline for saving a life or for winning the Nobel prize?
11. Would you rather go the rest of your life without having fast food or without having TV?
12. Would you rather have permanent constipation or permanent diarrhea?
13. Would you rather be very handsome or beautiful and very dumb, or ugly and very smart?
14. Would you rather be always hot or always cold?
15. Would you rather not be able to hear or not be able to see?
16. Would you rather eliminate hunger and disease worldwide, or create long-lasting world peace?
17. Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you don't like?
18. Would you rather see the future or be able to change the past?
19. Would you rather be three inches taller or three inches shorter?
20. Would you rather fight a lion or a shark?
Some interesting facts, in case you might be interested:
- If you chose carrots over broccoli, you have a higher likelihood of having a sweet tooth.
- Invisible vs. Reading minds -- there is a gender disparity and not really what you would think (or at least not the way our class seemed to think). Men typically want to read minds, where women typically want to be invisible.
- The extreme stereotypes of ugly and smart vs. beautiful and dumb brings to light trust. One's appearance is directly related to how professionalism is perceived. If you walk into a patient's room well-groomed, good hygiene, the patient will see a professional and will trust you.
- The choice between not seeing and not hearing is often the choice that has the most disclaimers and explanations.
Sept. 27, 2011
Tuesday means what?! Yep, you guessed it, Patho Quiz/Exam day! Today was a quiz, the last quiz of the term!! And guess what? I just couldn't focus while studying. I really hate it when I have a million other things on my mind and no matter how hard I try, I just can't stay interested and study.
So, needless to say, I felt really crappy about the quiz. There were about 8 questions that I had to come back to. Which was about 1/3 of the test. I was able to reason through most of them. I find that if I look at each answer and write out why I think it's wrong, it is a better way of doing the process of elimination, because I'm actually recalling information. Blech, I just felt so bad about it though.
I couldn't even bring myself to look at the key the professor posts on the wall. BUT -- I only missed one!! Hooray for my reasoning skills and for my dumb luck for guessing!!
Lecture was on the sensory system, but once again, I struggled with staying focused. Usually I can shift gears pretty easily, but I was fixated on how unprepared I felt for the test. There is a lot to know about the sensory system, though, and it's all very intense. It just blows me away how something so small can cause so many problems downstream. I guess this shouldn't still amaze me, but it does.
This evening, I had my lab partner over so we could practice for our Physical Assessment exam. We did pretty good. She's really fast. We have a 30-minute time limit to get a full head to toe assessment done. She was consistently under 25 minutes, and I'm about 27 or 28 minutes. We each did two run-throughs and will practice again on Thursday evening. I'm not really nervous about doing the exam; I'm just worried I'm going to forget something big, like listening to the heart or something!
So, needless to say, I felt really crappy about the quiz. There were about 8 questions that I had to come back to. Which was about 1/3 of the test. I was able to reason through most of them. I find that if I look at each answer and write out why I think it's wrong, it is a better way of doing the process of elimination, because I'm actually recalling information. Blech, I just felt so bad about it though.
I couldn't even bring myself to look at the key the professor posts on the wall. BUT -- I only missed one!! Hooray for my reasoning skills and for my dumb luck for guessing!!
Lecture was on the sensory system, but once again, I struggled with staying focused. Usually I can shift gears pretty easily, but I was fixated on how unprepared I felt for the test. There is a lot to know about the sensory system, though, and it's all very intense. It just blows me away how something so small can cause so many problems downstream. I guess this shouldn't still amaze me, but it does.
This evening, I had my lab partner over so we could practice for our Physical Assessment exam. We did pretty good. She's really fast. We have a 30-minute time limit to get a full head to toe assessment done. She was consistently under 25 minutes, and I'm about 27 or 28 minutes. We each did two run-throughs and will practice again on Thursday evening. I'm not really nervous about doing the exam; I'm just worried I'm going to forget something big, like listening to the heart or something!
Sept. 26, 2011
After spending most of the day yesterday working on the concept map and care plans that I have to do for my clinical experiences, I realized I had some missing information from my patient for the first one, so I woke up extra early to go to the hospital to gather that last bit of information to put in and complete the first one. Lucky for me, I didn't need as much time as I allotted, so I got a good parking spot at school and got to class plenty early, which is always nice! And, today the lecture was really easy, just a few hours with a video. It was the last really important lecture for health assessment, because it pulled together all the body systems into how to do a full head to toe assessment. And yeah, there is a physical assessment examination that my partner and I are going to do this week on Friday.
Class was done at 1200, and they bumped up the open lab times. We had originally signed up for 1600, but because they moved up the times, we got to go in at 1300. My partner and I got there early and nobody else was waiting outside, and as people started to gather, we mentioned to some people that we would like an examination room to get the general layout and practice with a few things because we were the very first group to go in and do our exams. A few people rolled their eyes, and there were a few groups who bolted right past us to the examination rooms.
I am frustrated about how rude people can be. This was a competitive program to get into, but now that we are all in, I don't think we need to be competing with each other anymore. It's not like we are graded on a curve. But, the way I see it, what goes around comes around, and those people who were so inconsiderate will get their own.
My partner and I then were forced to going behind the curtains, which is a bit awkward, and after our hour was up in lab, the two groups in the examination rooms still hadn't come out. I at least wanted an opportunity to adjust the exam table and to look at the wall-mounted ophthalmoscope and otoscope... Oh well; we blocked out some open lab time on Wednesday, too, so hopefully we can get in for just 10 minutes or so then.
Class was done at 1200, and they bumped up the open lab times. We had originally signed up for 1600, but because they moved up the times, we got to go in at 1300. My partner and I got there early and nobody else was waiting outside, and as people started to gather, we mentioned to some people that we would like an examination room to get the general layout and practice with a few things because we were the very first group to go in and do our exams. A few people rolled their eyes, and there were a few groups who bolted right past us to the examination rooms.
I am frustrated about how rude people can be. This was a competitive program to get into, but now that we are all in, I don't think we need to be competing with each other anymore. It's not like we are graded on a curve. But, the way I see it, what goes around comes around, and those people who were so inconsiderate will get their own.
My partner and I then were forced to going behind the curtains, which is a bit awkward, and after our hour was up in lab, the two groups in the examination rooms still hadn't come out. I at least wanted an opportunity to adjust the exam table and to look at the wall-mounted ophthalmoscope and otoscope... Oh well; we blocked out some open lab time on Wednesday, too, so hopefully we can get in for just 10 minutes or so then.
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