Foleys

My last lab was all about catheters. Catheters scare me. They're the first invasive thing we're learning, and it's not on a place that is "modest". Couldn't they teach us something less embarrassing first!? Of course not... that would take the fun away from being a nurse educator. As we sat there watching in a bit of horror how far that tubing goes into someone I kept thinking to myself there is no way I can do this. I just can't. It's gross. Why can't I just put them on a diaper. I don't mind cleaning those. Our dummies went back and forth between male and female. It's quite interesting to have a female genetelia on a dummy without breasts. It kind of throws you off a little.
After all the demonstrations I thought it was doable, and then I started thinking of what it would be like to do it on a real person. That got me excited. Yes it's gross, yes it's awkward at first, yes I may fall over backwards when I first attempt to do it, but it's actual nursing stuff! It's not something I can delegate to my tech. It's a sterile procedure. It's beautiful.
I'm going to try to be the nurse that doesn't embarrass the patient to death, after all this is probably more humiliating to them than it is to me. I'm going to practice so I know how to do it correctly and my patients will be at a lower risk for and UTI. I'm going to keep them modest as much as I can. I'm going to make this invasive procedure as comfortable as possible.

And now a little student nurse humor:
(click on it to make it bigger)

Deer caught in headlights

Today was my first day of clinicals. I ended up waking up late because who on earth wakes up at 5am???? I made it on time to my hospital and chatted with my peers and professor. We were informed we'd be getting tested on BP so we needed to find a patient to do it on. Great!

I get on the elevator go up to my floor and get assigned to a nurse. She was very quiet, but nice. She had four patients and one admit coming in. We got there they were doing reports and I have absolutely no idea how they can remember half of the things that are said in report. For the first four hours of the day I felt like a deer caught in headlights. She didn't question my knowledge but I was having a hard time keeping up with the different patients and this one had nausea, and the other was a 10/10, and who again had bloody stools? Who wanted their morphine? What time is it? Where in the world AM I!? I felt A/O x1 for a good part of the day.

Lots of medications to get done and so easy to make a mistake. At one point my nurse forgot one pill sitting at the patient's bed side. As we're leaving I pull his tray over and see his little pill sitting there still in the package. I asked her what it was and she looked at me wide eyed, her turn to be the deer I guess, she asked me where I found it. Checked her MAR and she hadn't given the pt. the medication. No problem... it was only his heart medication and after all he was only there for a MI.

We had post conference and a lot of my peers got to do a lot more hands on stuff. My patients were very easy and somewhat boring. I was slightly jealous of my peers who got to help their nurses with catheters and baths and turning people. I really didn't touch any patient.

But moving on! Next week it'll be buddy up with a peer day and after day I'm on my own! My time will come and I will absolutely rock it (cross your fingers)

Why do you want to be a nurse?

About one month prior to school starting we went through two days of orientation. On the first day we did the awkward introductions. They actually made us get up, individually, and introduce ourselves. Our criteria was our name, whether we worked, family history, and the dreaded "why do you want to be a nurse?" question.

I was sitting in the middle front row, so I had some time to think about it. I sat there a little concerned because I really didn't want to sound like an idiot on my very first day. After all I am going to be with these 40 people for the next 16 months. I couldn't quite put my finger on it that day. I got up and just said that I just always wanted to be a nurse. I am the second youngest student in our class, I've always been a nursing major since I started college. Even though the answer satisfied my professor and peers, it just didn't satisfy me.

I kept thinking about it and the truth is... I didn't want to be a nurse for a while. I remember in high school during my Junior year I took the ASVAB. They announced it on the intercom and me being the nerd I am decided I was going to take it! The school was paying for it and I was curious. They "advertised" it as a career test. So I went through 4 hours of the ASVAB test. When I got my results I was not happy! First career that fit me was teacher, second nurse, third I don't even remember. Nowhere did it say "successful CEO" or "stock market broker". I was supposed to be a business woman! I disregarded the ASVAB completely. I'm not sure when it was that I decided that nursing was it. But by senior year it was done. I applied to all the schools that had great nursing programs. I worked hard in high school and graduated with high honors and a scholarship that I was told I could not use so off to the community college I went (whole other story).

I started college as a nursing major. Nursing just felt right. I still can't quite put my finger on it. All I know is that I want to take care of people. I want to make a difference, even as small as it may be in this huge world. I want to be the one nurse that holds a dying person's hand. I want to be the nurse patients are glad to have because they know I care about them. I want to be the nurse who is a patient advocate and is not afraid to stand up for them when they can't do it for themselves. I want to serve humanitarian mission trips and help those in poor areas. I want to be the best nurse I can be. And I truly believe that means I'm going to be one of the best. I'm not in nursing for the money, career stability, flexible shifts. I am in nursing because I love it. I am in nursing because I care.

Introduction

I am a stressed out nursing student and I decided to post stories from nursing school so I can have all the memories about it written down. I am in an Associates Degree in Nursing program and will be graduating in May 2009. It has taken four years to get here, but here I am!

I've been loving every minute of it. Week seven of school starts next week. So I better get going on past weeks!