studystudystudy.

Another week gone, and no posts. Oops!

This past week was utterly insane. My stress levels were on high all week, and still are. From classes, to friends, work, and planning for the future...It all came on in one big heap.

I have been bogged with studying: I have two killer midterms this week - Microbiology and Physiology II. Both are excessively time-consuming, and require stupid amounts of flash cards and highlighters.

Then I have a Clinical reflection, Lab paper, Psychology midterm, Communication presentation, and Nursing assignment all due within two weeks. So just as two hectic weeks come to a close, two more begin.

Then there's my social life. SHESH. One of my friends is in an arranged marriage, and another passed out at a party. And I haven't seen my high school friends in 4 weeks. I also must mention that Halloween brought a host of interesting characters to residence, and really amped up the fact I am not part of the 'partying' lifestyle.

So will all of this in mind - and so much more - I'm just focusing on doing the best I can, one step at a time. Thankfully, I brought back a bunch of Mom's cookies to get me through. Let's hope they help!

D.

snow!

Today it snowed! I love love love it. I think I need to live in a place that is cold all the time. Like 10 degrees and below. Right now, I'm listening to some gold old Christmas tunes with a cup of tea, enjoying the snowfall. Joy!

Today was yet another clinical day! All day I was at the hospital, again shadowing another nurse throughout her routine. My nurse today was great - she just went over everything from last day and emphasized all the key points during her care.

I like to think I'm somewhat alert at 7am, however I don't think I was this morning. One of the first things I did today was shower a patient. So I got all the towels laid out, let the water run, and put my shower gown on. The whole thing went well, and afterwards I led her back to her room. From there, my nurse and I went on to our other patients, did vital signs, talked with various therapists, organized charts, etc. It wasn't until 45 minutes AFTER my previous shower that I realized I STILL had the shower gown on! So I was walking around my unit without a clue in the world that I wearing it. I probably looked like I was wearing a massive spill-guard. Lovely.

But besides that minor incident, everything went smoothly. Having clinical on Monday makes the week go by so quickly! And this upcoming month will be absolutely nuts: midterms - which are never ending, assignments, presentations, reflections, etc, etc... I don't think the list will be smaller anytime soon!

D.

THOSE body parts.

Yesterday, in lab, we learned how to clean body parts... yes, THOSE body parts...

It was wonderfully awkward, to say the least. We started off the class by watching a 'how-to' video that used real actors. I hope they paid those people good money because nothing, not a thing, was left to the imagination. Then, after viewing those lovely educational videos, the instructors let us practice our new-learned skills on the dummies in class.

Our class isn't a typical classroom - it's a modified multi-bed 'hospital' room with about 10 beds along the edges with table and chairs in the middle. So the idea is for us to learn, then go do.

The dummies, as high-tech as they are, have a few issues. First, not everything is realistic. For example, the mouth doesn't close and the fingers don't flex (but it can vomit!). And secondly, the mannequins are gender-neutral. This means that certain 'parts' are removable and exchangeable. This caused the biggest problem.

At one station, we had to turn our dummy /patient to a side-lying position. As my group and I turned it over, we must have jarred him (or it?) too hard cause the 'he-part' fell right off, onto the floor. It fell through the incontinence brief and gown, clattered to the ground and rolled under the next bed.

At another bed, the same thing happened! We lifted up the gown of our patient and viola! Nothing there - just a wide gaping hole where something gender-specific should have been. We searched for this missing body part - it's sorta necessary to know if you are dealing with a he or she. After a few minutes, we found it under the stretcher. It was a he. It was hilarious trying to reattach it...

Yesterday was a good day.

D.

The 'nursey-ness' continues!

Yesterday my first FULL shift at the hospital. Since we haven't learned much past washing our hands and making beds, we were assigned to just 'shadow' our nurses as they went about their duties.

At 0650 we were told to meet in the report room and be ready to go. So, being the hopeless keener that I am, I was outside the room by 0640. But there were no students, and no instructor!

0645: instructor shows up and waits with me until the other arrive.

0650: 4 (out of 8) arrive.

07-freakin-00: the rest arrive.

So here we are, on the very FIRST day we work with the nurses, walking in LATE to the report room, interrupting the shift-change report, shuffling through the seated nurses, trying not to trip while we attempt to squeeze like sardines into this teeny-tiny room. Did I mention they were LATE which made everyone else - including me - LATE? I felt like I was walking into that room with a giant blinking L on my forehead. I suppose it could have stood for loser too. At that point, I didn't really care. Did I mention how much I hate being late???????

So anyways, after that minor frustration, we got paired up with our buddy nurses and sent out for the day. But seeing how something is always awry on the first day, the nurse I was supposed to shadow called in sick. However, my instructor volunteered her services in the mean time. So, her and I became a team and attempted do our rounds without a clue in the world of what to do.

Tangent: although she is a wonderful, caring person and always means well, my instructor is a little 'funny'. For example, when she was quizzing our clinical group about the warning signs of a stroke, I answered her question. I was standing on her right side, yet she looked to her left at another student and said, 'Yes Carmen, you are correct!!' Like, WHAT THE HECK?! I wasn't even over there. Seriously? Perhaps she has been working for too long.

So anyways, we set off to do our rounds and it turned out to be pretty great: she let me do a lot of hands-on work that we hadn't covered in lab yet. She knew of my previous experience at DP so she gave lots of opportunity to do care. She did vital signs, walked me through the steps, and explained the proper procedures even though that lab doesn't come for another few weeks. There were several casts, braces, etc. to apply, so she let me figure those out too. Despite the fact that we didn't know any of the patients, we managed to get everyone up and properly cared for in time for breakfast.

When the nurse who was called-in showed up, I was then her 'shadow' for the remainder of the day, which turned out to be SO SO great! She was still a graduate nurse, meaning that she had just written her RN exam but hadn't received her final mark yet. So she was able to show me how everything is done according to 'best practice' and not according to shortcuts. Even during our down time, she walked through absolutely everything on the ward: where to find this, where to find that, what happens with this, etc and etc. It was like being paired with a walking dictionary! So great. She also sat down with me and went over the client charts, which are a tad overwhelming if they are just plunked on your lap without direction. She went through literally every division and every paper, explaining it's relevance to the big picture. That was probably the most helpful - the amount of papers shoved into those binders is incredible!

It's too bad she won't be back next Monday, cause she really knew her stuff. But it was still a terrific day. Mondays are now officially my favorite.

D.

thursday night.

Bible Study time!

ADL lab.

ADL stands for Activities of Daily Living, which includes things like dressing, bathing, hygiene, feeding, etc. For patients, it means that a nurse (or nursing student!) will be helping you along with all these things. But in lab, where we practice on each other, it translates into 'gong-show'.

In lab this morning, we had to practice our bed-bath and teeth-brushing skills. So in partners, while one of us flopped on the bed and pretended to be sick, the other had to fill up a basin with water and 'wash' their patient. We only cleaned arms and legs, but still - it was quite the site. But even funnier was brushing each other's teeth. That was a skill that DP did not prepare me for. I felt bad for my partner - I'm pretty sure I hit the back of her mouth 5 times. Plus, it didn't occur to me that she may need to spit until AFTER her tooth-paste drool was in her lap. I don't think I'd make a very good dental hygienist.

The lab next week deals with feeding - we are supposed to bring yogurt/pudding to class to practice with. I'm really hoping they supply bibs.

D.

You know those moments,

where you just feel overwhelmed and ALL your issues must be solved at once? Yup. Those lovely moments. I had one this evening. And I did what I always have: I called my mom.

But I'm sure that I'm getting too old to do that. I'm an adult now, not living at home anymore. I'm learning how to be a responsible caregiver and I'm expected to handle 'overwhelming' situations. Shouldn't I just be able to take a deep breath, relax, and sort my thoughts through?

Apparently I can't. After numbering off my outrageous worries, shedding a few tears, and getting a reality-check from my mother, I felt much better. A bit embarrassed, but better.

According to my her, I'm an adult now - surprise, surprise! But at times, or most the time, I certainly don't feel like it.

Often I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of being a teenager and an adult - it's like that annoying time of being a 'tween': stuck between a child and teenager. Can I still read Harry Potter? Should I keep my stuffed bear on my bed? Is eating an entire pie childlike? (I doubt it... just fattening. :) )But how much responsibility should I take on? Should I be living at home? Should I be in an apartment of my own? Should I be looking for a hubby to settle down with? (oh dear, I certainly hope not...)

Regardless of my worries, at the end of the day, I am an adult. So I really need to learn how to behave like one... I just hope there isn't an age-limit to keeping your mom on speed dial. Just in case.

Love, D.

I'm thankful for...

On a happier note, I thought I'd share some things I'm thankful for this season:

• number one: family! always and always.
• my friends - the ones from high school, the ones from camp, the ones in my class, the ones I live with and the ones in the future.
• God, and how His plans fall into place just in time.
• being able to get an education.
• fall colors, especially the reds and yellows from the falling leaves and trees.
• the cooler weather, because now I can wear a sweater, scarf, & drink coffee all at the same time!!
• the smell of my house : candles and baking.
• my puppy.
• pie. Oh goodness me - do I need to explain?
• PSL's @ Starbucks. PTL!
• booksbooksbooks.
• our neighbors who made us chili!

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

D.

thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a beautiful time of year: the leaves are falling, the air is cool, and the food is good. I completely remember this exact time last year. I had flown back home for the long weekend and changed my mind about school. It was a huge huge decision, with a lot of ups & downs - not just emotionally, but logistically as well. But somehow, with a lot of heavenly help, I made it back home and switched universities.

I am so thankful for that switch! My family is so precious to me, and I wasn't about to let 4 years go by without being close enough to come by for a visit.

(I apologize in advance - the rest is not a very cheery post for this holiday, but this has been weighing heavily on my heart. )

But for a few, Thanksgiving has taken on a different meaning. A married couple in my church gave birth to a baby with serious birth complications this week. It was announced this morning that their little baby is surviving only on life support, and that a decision about his life must be made. By the context of the announcement, either today or tomorrow the parents will be seeing him for the last time. Hearing about this baby was tough - but seeing the face of the mum, as she went up to the front for prayer, broke my heart. Never before have I seen someone in so much pain and anguish. I almost wished I hadn't looked because I won't be able to forget it.

I'm at a loss for words now... I can't even imagine what they will be going through in the days to come. I suppose that only endless prayer and faith will be their guidance over these next few weeks.

So with this in mind, I'm even more thankful for my family and the blessings of health and vitality we've been given. I don't know where I'd be without them.

D.

being sikh.

I have become friends with a rather interesting girl. We have become good study partners and time-wasting buddies. Once or twice a week we go for a Tim's run then hunker down in the library for a serious study session. We are also lab partners! So over the past few weeks, we've gotten to know each other.

She is interesting because she wears a turban. Until today, we had never talked about our differences. I though it might be rude if I leaned over in the middle of Micro and whispered, "Excuse me friend, but why is there a turban on your head?" So I waited until time came. And today it was! The talk of Thanksgiving brought us to discuss observed holidays, backgrounds, and religious beliefs. She told me she is Punjab, and a Sikh. Then the conversation started! We talked about her native language (Punjab), her beliefs as a Sikh, and her 'Bible' - a name I don't have a hope of pronouncing!! And I'm amazed at how we became friends despite the obvious differences between us. She is required to wear her turban at all times, keeping her hair up and out of sight. This practice goes with the '5 K's' of Sikhism: keeping uncut hair, carrying a small comb, also carrying a small dagger, wearing an iron bracelet around the wrist, and wearing a special undergarment. I've only seen noticed her tied-up hair, comb, and iron bracelet... if she actually carries her kirpan (dagger), I'd love to see where she hides it!

I did some Googling on the significance of her turban. From what I understand, it's worn to set a Sikh apart from other people. The idea is to get noticed! I guess it's important to be able to identify a Sikh from other people - to stand out for what you believe in. There are other factors for the turban, such as preventing temptation/keeping oneself pure, etc., but I must admit - she must be very confident in her faith because I know she is not oblivious to the looks she gets.

Besides our differences, Aman and I get along so so well. I know we'll have lots more to talk about in the future. And plus, I'm really hoping she eats curry... wouldn't that be sweet?!

Have a goodnight,

D.

talking.

I really do try to post more than once a week. Really, I do try. I think to myself "Ok, after this flash card set I'll post something..." then it's "Before I go to bed I'll post something... ". And before you know it, a week has past gone! But you know what that means - school is busy!

But it is going so so good! I've already tackled two big midterms: Physiology II and Microbiology. No marks back yet, but maybe tomorrow? Fingers crossed.

And clinical: yesterday I did my patient interview! I think it went well. I was a little jittery, but nothing compared to my nursing-student-buddy. Unfortunately, we were paired up for our patient interviews. I am not a very good group person, especially when I know the mark/credit/etc I worked for gets shared around. Selfish, I know, but I have been in oodles of situations where I've been ripped off. Yesterday wasn't much of an improvement. My partner was white as sheet and nauseous before her interview. I was supposed to just sit and listen to her talk with her patient who was a lovely old lady - grandmas are so sweet! - but my partner had the hardest time thinking of things to say. At one point, mid-interview, she turned me to and asked: 'What should I ask now?' I had to feed her questions - actually spell out the question, word for word. What bugged me the most was that her patient was right there, listening, completely observant - talking 'around' a patient is so disrespectful, especially when they are fully competent!! Good grief. By the end of it, I closed the interview for her and got us out of there. I suppose there is a first time for everyone, but now I can see why we have Communication class and are forced to learn about talking to people.

But anyways, next Monday's clinical should be FABULOUS: we are getting paired with a RN/LPN for the day and are basically their shadow. I can't wait! I think I may be a good shadow - possibly annoying - but good. I may become one of those students who asks questions non-stop... I am just so excited! And it sure beats learning out of a text book.

That's all for now. Cheers!

D.