the end is near!

I handed my last assignment for year 1 yesterday - my last assignment!! Holy cow. An entire year almost in the books.

I have been feeling so so blessed lately. Through clinical and working at DP, I have realized that nursing is the right path for me. Although nursing may not be where I stay forever, I do believe it's the right direction. I feel like I can finally just pause and take a deep breath because I want to embrace every moment. I'm beginning to discover what makes a 'good' nurse, and it certainly isn't getting A+ in every subject. I need to remember this because far too often I get caught up in achieving the perfect grade and forget that nursing is a 'people' driven profession, not 'academic' driven profession. Don't get me wrong - getting good grades in nursing is very important, however I am beginning to see that nursing is a lot more than an A+ in Microbiology.

I find that Nursing has also influenced me tremendously as person. When I applied for Nursing, I was hoping to just deal with the blood and guts of the job, overlooking the 'people' aspect of it entirely. But I was mistaken - the entire curriculum is based on patient-centered care: how they feel, how they respond, how they interact within their environment.... 100% focused on patient-nurse relationship. That perspective, combined with my experiences, has really changed how I see people and view life.

It's interesting now, because after clinical on Monday, my desire to become a doctor has shifted. I was paired with the charge nurse and I tagged along with him as he went with the physicians for patient rounds. And you know what? The NURSES were at the head of patient care: they knew all the trivial details about their client and what needed to be done. The NURSES advocated for a change in medications, a change in diet, etc. The NURSES told the doctors what should be done. I was just astounded: after a zillion years in medical school, the doctors relied almost entirely on the nurses to make their judgement calls. And after all that, all the doctors did was scribble an order for insulin then went on their way. I'm not too sure all those years in school is worth it to have the power to prescribe medication.

The charge nurse I was with was incredible - he was SO efficient that I felt incompetent even just walking with him. His position is definitely something I'd like to strive for in the future. He is the 'mediator' between the doctor and patient, and also the coordinator of every patient's care and interactions with the various team members: physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, etc. It's hard to understand how entirely massive his responsibilities are! But he does is job very well. It certainly gave me a greater understanding and appreciation for nurses!

So anyways, I'm just truckin' onwards to the end of year 1. Finals are in less than 3 weeks, so I've begun the long-haul of studying. But it's still great - my roommates are fabulous and Timmy's always has coffee cheap and ready to drink. So with those two things, I should be just fine.

Have a great Wednesday!

D.

christmas time.

Christmas is the most beautiful time of year.

Singers croon out the christmas carols, lights are strung, snow is falling.

Nat King Cole. Elvis. Canadian Tenors. Tony Bennett. Diana Krall.

Every year I feel so much joy just at the thought of the season.

It may even be a bit much. But that's OK: I wait 11 months for my favorite season. I think I deserve to go a little overboard.

What a difference a year makes. This time, last year, I was serving latte's and folding jeans, just hoping, praying, that I would get into Nursing and back to school. Celebrating the season was overshadowed with the uncertainty of school. Now, a year ahead, I'm finishing up my first year and have been blessed in more ways than I can count.

Although, I must say that getting accepted into Nursing on Christmas Eve was the sweetest thing ever.

D.

work!

Almost every weekend I work at shift at DP, and there is always something to make me laugh.

During my evening shift last night, I was closing the blinds in the multi-purpose room where activities are held. There was a pile of papers on the table, so I thumbed through them to see what events where happening. On a Healthy You! paper, healthy eating tips for seniors were listed, along an explanation of food groups. But written on the bottom of the page, in an old-fashioned handwriting, was: "The average man's thumb is the size of his penis." UM, WHAT?! I just burst into laughter.

Have a good Sunday!

home sweet home!

There's nothing better than coming home after a week of school.

It's so nice just to get away, relax, enjoy home-cooked food. Delish!

I still have one midterm left... one more test. Good grief, they are still dragging on! Then, after a couple weeks, finals! I'm already beginning to pull out my hair. Haha, no, not really - I just know that it will be crunch time before I know it and it's best to be ready for it. As ready as possible, that is.

So far there has been no snow here - I find this really awful. It's awkward to play Christmas tunes and sip Christmas lattes without the fluffy white stuff. The highs have been in the plus 5 range all week. Please, go away sunshine!

D.

mistakes.

Clinical was an enlightening experience today. I learned that regardless of how much education a nurse has, they can still make stupid judgement calls.

A patient was not given her proper medication during breakfast. My nurse and I figured an error had been made when the patient was acting way out of character an hour later. Eventually my nurse tracked down the source of error - the patient's primary nurse - and met with the charge nurse who was then required to call the doctor.

However, logic apparently does not accompany 4-year degrees. The charge nurse told us she was intimidated by the doctor and didn't want to call him - so she didn't. Instead, she reasoned that the medication would wear off eventually and that since death wasn't a likely outcome, the patient should just be left as is.

Even with my limited knowledge of medications, it was apparent to me that a simple order from the doctor could have fixed this mistake. A simple 5 minute phone call would have drastically improved the current condition of the patient, who is already suffering from a stroke and a mental disability. I know that the mess-up wasn't life threatening, however it was detrimental enough to cause a serious shift in personality. In my mind, that is serious.

However, being a first year nursing-student makes it tough to call people out on their mistakes. Our role in the hospital is to simply observe and help with basic tasks as needed. It's a tad frightening that our 'role models' pull stunts like this, especially when we are supposed to be learning from them.

D.

happier!

Since my last post, I am feeling much happier! I was definitely feeling the stress for a bit there. Glad that's improved :)

One midterm down today - 2 more to go! It feels as if I have been writing midterms since September! Most of my classes have two midterms, so just as round 1 finishes, round 2 begins! Thankfully, the hardest one is finally over. Microbiology is a bruiser of a class. The material isn't necessarily hard, it's just the professor who is crazy - her smarts are off the charts. The tests are unbelievable. Even with crazy amounts of studying I find myself bewildered at least once while writing it.

Clinical on Monday was great! I love talking with the patients, learning about their health, and trying to get in on cool procedures. Just watching the whole 'health care' process between professionals is nuts - there are so many people working together to rehabilitate these folks, it's great.

I suppose the most interesting thing I saw that day was the infected stump of an amputee, and skin rot from a fungal infection. You can only guess where THAT rot was... Just remember, clean under your breasts!!!!

On another note, Kat and I broke our toilet. It no longer flushes which is just fabulous. So for now we have to run across the apartment and quickly sit on the other one. It's just weird! Hopefully maintenance come soon. Kat suggested that I just run over the the hospital and grab some bed pans. Ha, yeahhhhh right.

Have a good Tuesday night!

D.