Not just a job. It's an adventure....

Well, to say last night was jumping might be an understatement. I had seven patients: 2 total care (1 of whom I took care of last week), and one very determined to leave man with senile dementia.

The last patient had a 1:1 companion, but she often needed assistance with him, because he was 1) very confused and wanted to go home, 2) pulling out all his IV's and 3) needed changing often because he was incontinent and our hospital is a no-diaper facility. Around 9:30 he became nearly uncontrollable. He was yelling for the police because he thought there were 55 gallon drums of acid burning him, kept asking me for a hammer, kept asking to be sent home so he could die.

The companion called out to me, and the man had hold of her fingers very tightly and was not about to let her go. So, I was trying to get his hands open enough so she could get free, when he kicked me in the stomach. Not very hard, mind you. But definitely enough to back me into the wall.

I acutally started laughing when it happened because all I could think of was Stewart from MadTV. "I don't wanna!!"

Things I learned last night:

1. always check in between the patient's legs to see if they did their business (I had been checking from the side to afford the patient some privacy. I am learning privacy is really hard to maintain in medicine.)

2. stay at least 4 feet away from flailing patients if there is no risk of them falling to the floor

3. PCT's tend to hide in empty rooms, so if you can't find one check the empty rooms first. (I was abandoned alone on the floor several times last night due to this fact. And being the only visible PCT, I was kept running all night, taking care of other tech's patients as well as my own.)

Saturday we had our first clinical at Big City Hospital. We are on an Ortho/Spinal Cord injury floor. After all our specialty rotations where our patient care was very limited, we were all very rusty and out of sorts. We found out that we will not be exploring different areas of med-surg and will be working this floor the whole semester. We were really hoping to see a variety of advanced med-surg (ER, ICU, burns, trauma, etc.), and are quite disappointed. However, the highlight of my weekend had to have been filling out my application for graduation. APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION!!!!!!!!!

Q. Will you be participating in the Spring Graduation Ceremonies?

A. YOU'RE DAMN SKIPPY, I WILL!!!!!

That really put a fire under my butt to get kicking with the reading.

The rest of the weekend was pretty tame. Friday night the Husbeast and I went to hang out at a friend's house and watch movies. Saturday after clinicals and groceries, I went to watch the VEU (very expensive university) Volleyball team trounce our sister university. Then went to hang out with Danielle.

And today, I am exhausted. I get home at midnight on PCT nights, and can't go right to sleep. So I was up till 0200. I wake up for work at 0630. TIRED. Tonight, school.

Got my second paycheck, and I am now half saved for trip to Vegas. Going to go for my birthday weekend. Can't wait!!!

W. :)