Coming up for a breath of air.....

I have been waist deep in books studying for my critical thinking/care plan exam on Saturday. Apparently, from what I understand, ours is the only school that tests this way.

So, Kim at Emergiblog sent out an internet tag for top five holiday songs. Here's mine.

1) A Charlie Brown Christmas - the entire album. (I'm with Kim on this one.) I hear those opening notes of Christmas Time Is Here, and I know that the holidays are officially here. (And last night it was on TV. Even though I have the VHS, it is still tradition to watch it on tv. I can NEVER make it through Linus's speech about what Christmas is all about without crying.)

2) Gabriel's Message - Sting from the first Very Special Christmas album. Actually, that would be my number one song choice.

3) It's Christmas, Baby Please Come Home - U2 from the same album.

4) The Little Drummer Boy - as sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Simply beautiful.

5) Blue Christmas - as sung in The Year Without a Santa Claus. The thought of a little child singing that to Santa just chokes me up. Darnit, I'm starting to cry just thinking about it.

Overall, Christmas is my most emotional time of year. A lot of things happen at this time of year. I cry at everything. Songs, movies, commercials (right now, the Disney commercial with the snowman is killing me). Anything will set me off.

Oh, well back to the books. We can have any sort of scenario for this critical thinking exam, and the only thing we have been told to expect is that in the situation the patient is FTD (fixing to die). Great.

W. :)

Ch-ch-changes

I quit my PCT job. I had to. It was all becomming too much. I was spread so thin, that I was probably see through.

I had to make a hard decision. Do I continue trying to do everything, and not do well in school? Or do I admit defeat, and realize that there are only so many hours in a week, and I need to finish school strong, and not half-ass it through advanced med-surg. 10 hours of study time is a lot to give up.

For clinicals this week, we worked a health fair at a gym in a poor part of town. I like working health fairs. We are done with the hospital for this clinical. We have this weekend off, then on 12/2 we have the BIG pass/fail critical thinking/careplan test. Then the following week is the comprehensive assessment test. Then finals, then pinning, then VEGAS!!!!!!

Where the heck did a whole year go?

Tonight is a HUGE test in kidney and hematology. I have been studying my butt off, not that you can tell by looking at it. And then, the last thought I had last night before drifting off to sleep was "I can't believe how much knowledge I have gained in the past two years." Sometimes, I feel like I can't possibly fit another bit of information into my brain. And yet somehow, someway, more gets in there.

W. :)

Life as a soundtrack

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Would the Soundtrack Be?

The Rules:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...

Opening Credits: "Fashion" - David Bowie

Waking Up: "Hazy Shade of Winter" - The Bangles

First Day at School: "Cuts Like a Knife" - Bryan Adams.

Falling In Love: "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" - The Power Station (No seriously, this is the song that came up.)

Fight Song: "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard

Breaking Up: "If I Were You" - kd lang

Prom: "She's a Beauty" - The Tubes (so not a good description for the taffeta terror that consumed me that night)

Life: "Still of the Night" Whitesnake (???)

Mental Breakdown: "Must Get Out" Maroon 5

Driving: "What a Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong (except when driving in Miami. We may possibly have the rudest drivers in the world)

Flashback: "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Want to Hurt Me)" - The Gap Band

Getting Back Together: "Stay" - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories

Wedding: "There You Go" - P!nk

Birth of Child: "Sweetest Perfection" - Depeche Mode

Final Battle: "Adia" - Sarah McLachlan

Death Scene: "Pretty Vegas" - INXS

Funeral Song: "The Long Day is Over" - Norah Jones

End Credits: "The Right Thing" - Simply Red

Hey, Kim! This one's for you!

So last night, as the change of shift was coming on, guess what I saw.....



What is that in the background? Whatever could that white speck be on the top of her head?

Why, it is nurse Lorna, and her beautiful white cap. And boy doesn't she look sharp? It is amazing to me that you can wear even the most basic outfit, and how the right headwear can make or break an outfit.



I asked her to Please, please, please let me take her picture for my blog, and she was quite obliging.

So how does she rate on the cap scale, Kim?
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Last night at the hospital was interesting. The hospital is switching to 12 hr shifts for the PCT's, however, some per diem PCT's, like myself, are still working 8's. And also being a per diem, I am not permanently assigned to one floor, so I get floated A LOT, and sometimes between 2 floors a night. Which has been the case for the past 2 weeks.

So last night, I got floated to a floor that I had never worked before. And I hope I never have to work PCT on that floor again. It was disgusting. I don't know what the tech I relieved did all day, but I went in to find linens and gowns all over the place in every room. The wastebaskets were overflowing, all the linen bins were full, the patients were dirty, the foley bags were full and no intake had been recorded for the whole morning (so much for shift I&O's). There were no gloves, towels, or perineal cleanser on the floor. I worked my a$$ off my whole 4 hours I was there, and didn't get to chart my vitals until 1845. Then I had to run back to regular floor for the start of the 1900 shift. I got down there 10 minutes late waiting for my relief, only to find her hanging out in the breakroom after the shift had started. (Hello, report?!?!?)

I get back to 3west, to be sent to ICU. I was a 1:1 for a gentleman, and we got to play "Let's not pull on that" until 2330. He was S/P CVA, and had right sided hemiplegia, and was aphasic (can't speak). However, the one hand that did work was going all the time. He fell asleep for about an hour, and then I heard a familiar voice calling for help.

I look around the curtain, and there was a patient that I had worked with when I first started, and then for several consecutive weeks. She is high need, and most people don't like to work with her because of it. But I like her. She is a sweet lady, and I feel so bad for her. She has HORRIBLE arthritis, and is immobile due to it. She is in pain most of the time. She asks to be repositioned quite a bit, or she wants a sip of water, or to use the bed pan, or her pain medication. I have worked with her a total of eight days, and she does not bother me in the least. So, I took her, too, last night.

I was grateful when it was time to go home. I am not working next weekend, and I am really looking forward to the time off. Husband and child are away from home, and I am going to have a bit of freedom! Woo hoo!

Today is part 2 of the sex class. I will leave you with the Final Jeopardy answer.

Hep B, HIV, Herpes and HPV are all this.

Play safe. Stay safe.

W. :)

This is Jeopardy!!!!

Today I taught lesson one of my semi-annual sex class. Today was pregnancy and childbirth. In Jeopardy format. I usually just lecture, but today I wanted to switch things around. And the game got quite heated. However, it would have been much nicer if they had acutally read the material.

Monday is part 2. Double Jeopardy. Contraception and STD's.

I actually really enjoy teaching this class. The first time I taught it a year ago, it was just 3 girls. And I was a nervous wreck. The second time, it was 5 baseball players, and that was a hoot. They were just absolutely mystified with pregnancy and childbirth. But they were eager to learn and understand.

This time, it is a mix. 2 guys, and 6 girls. Several of them are student athletes. One of the girls is a child tennis prodigy from Russia. Poor girl is only 16 years old, speaks only a little English, and there she was in class with her little English to Russian pocket translator, trying to figure out what 'lightening' means.

This evening I went to our new floor at the hospital for clinicals and got my patient info. Now we are on a neuro floor. At the time of admission, the patient had lots of stuff to work with. NG tube, Miami J collar (developed by 2 nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Would have liked to have seen their royalty checks.), ventilated, paralyzed. Now, she is on her way out, but has a sacral ulcer that needs a wet-dry dressing. That's it, and one sq injection. Everthing else with this patient will be PCT work. Bathe, assist with toileting, set up food tray. I am so disappointed. I know that if I were actually a nurse, I would love a patient like this. Not much to do. However, as a student and a PCT, it is just more of the same. Sigh.

I really need to work with kids. I am fascinated with kids and babies. Adults...not so much. Sometimes, I feel terrible saying that. I mean, everyone needs care. I just prefer kids/babies. Ah, who am I kidding? It really is all about the babies, for me.

On my way to the hospital, I dropped off my best friend at the airport. She is flying home to Canada for the weekend. How jealous am I? Very, very. We were talking about my coming up there in the summer, but thanks. I already have hot weather here. So we're thinking maybe over the winter we may go up. I am so psyched. I so need to get my passport renewed (thanks Homeland Security). Actual weather. I don't know what I'd do with myself.

Oh, well. I should quit rambling, and get to looking up the other 13 PO meds my patient is taking. Sigh. I am suffering from severe senioritis. I am chomping at the bit to be done with school already. I looked at my transcript, and I declared my major in 2001. 6 years to complete this degree. An ASN, at that. Do you think I am ready to be done with school? There I go again.

Peace out.

W. :)