I said in my last post that I would be blogging more...that never happened and I am ok with that. There has been just enough time in a day for class, homework, family, cleaning, sleeping and working that blogging just had to go.
The amount of information they have stuffed in our brains these first 16 weeks has been amazing. I have learned numerous tasky things (foley catheters, trach suctioning, hanging IV bags, passing meds, oxygenating patients, doing bed baths, ambulating patients...etc) plus how to do a full assessment on a patient. LOVE the assessment part. I still am a little shy about making my patients let me do an assessment...I am too nice and when they say/act like they aren't interested...I waffle. I get the required vitals, breath sounds, bowel sounds, heart sounds ect...but the extra neuromuscular stuff....I let them rest. I have to admit, the patients are soooo sick! Not one of my patients has been an easy case. They have multiple disease processes going on, dozens of meds, and multiple teams of doctors. I have loved seeing and learning more about how the healthcare machine works/doesn't work. Some of my favorite things are reviewing lab values, going through the chart and seeing the journey of the patient's health-where they have come, what has happened, how they have been treated, what has worked, what hasn't, and where they are going...the plans and goals for the patient. I have been on a Med/Surg floor this semester with one patient for 5 hours (with my instructor and an RN there if I have questions) and next semester I will be doing Psych and another Med/Surg rotation with up to 4 patients for 12 hours! I am also starting as a float tech at the hospital in a paid position working as a nurses assistant in various departments based on hospital needs and acuity levels. I will be doing that 16 hours a week. Next semester will be REALLY busy, but hopefully it will fly by like this semester has! I still do not know where my interests lie...hopefully being a float will help me see the ins and outs of different departments. The ED was ok. I don't think that I am supposed to be an ED nurse. With the MDs always there writing orders and discharges...there wasn't a lot of time for assessment by the nurse other than initial vitals...then they would just do IVs and meds...set a splint or two. I like the critical thinking part of it all, and it just didn't seem like it was there...lots of walking...yes...maybe I need to become an NP...hmmmm
