Nursing 4 Life

Registered Nurse. Future Family Nurse Practitioner. 24 Years Of Age. Dog Lover. Singer. Dancer. Writer. Dreamer. Wisher. ~Daily happenings in life as a Filipino/Chinese-American Nurse working in the Emergency Department and living the student life of a...

[mahiru926]

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Always my go to song whenever I feel down.

"There's one thing that still the same, in my heart you have remained, and we can fly, fly, fly, away."

[mahiru926]

~Welcome Back Home~

(Caption: top left is my current Nursing class I snuck a pic of, top right is my bestie who I spend most of Summer with, bottom right is someone who I also spent a majority of summer with/talking to who made me smile and taught me that it was okay to have flaws that needed to be fixed, bottom left is my family who has always been my support and my rock throughout difficult times)

Hey everyone! I know it's been an incredibly long time since I wrote anything in here, but let me keep you updated with what happened:

On January 2013, I started my second semester of Nursing School. Coming back from the Christmas break, I was glad that I got to see my friends and nursing buddies again, and of course, who can miss that work load and sleepless nights that came with the semester *cough cough*.

About half way though the semester, I learned that I was not passing one of my classes: Pharmacology. I was told that on my next test, I would have to score 88%+ in order to pass with a C. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't study for the other tests, but Pharmacology was a 8-9 week class consisting of only 3 tests.

So, two weeks before the test, I studied and dedicated my life and sacrificed my blood to studying. Day of the test came: I got an 86%. You can imagine what happened next. Yes, ashamed to say, I cried in the office building of my school. Because my teacher's write their own questions, there was still the option of fighting for that 2 questions I needed to pass. Luckily, one question got overturned, but I was still not fortunate to pass.

And, as policy by my school, if you fail one class, you are "administer withdrawn" from all classes. I was halfway done with my semester, and I was kicked out of all my classes until August 2013. I can't begin to describe the heart break I felt after. It literally was painful to wake up everyday and realize that I don't have school. Although I was able to smile and talk, everyday I would self-blame myself and find things that I could have done different. The only reason why it was so painful was because I'm a person who doesn't fail. But, over the long 4 month break I had, I had to accept that failure is real. That it is an option that can happen. As smart as I think I am, there is still always that possibility.

During that break, I slowly began to get back into studying. I mainly worked most of the time, caught up with friends, but also thought what needed to change so that that heartbreak wouldn't happen again. I knew that once I get back, I had to dedicate a huge majority of my time to school. That small time I would have would be for work, family, and for me (because I need time to sleep and just be by myself). I also spent my summer preparing myself for the new class I was going to be with.

Presently:

It's not been a week since school started and I am happy to say that it literally feels like home again. From the first lecture about diabetes to going to the hospital again on the Pediatrics Ward, things began to click. I realized how much I actually missed Nursing school and how much I missed being in the ward. It's to the point where now I can happily dedicate even all of my time to school.

As for my new classmates, I'm so surprised. They welcomed me with welcome arms instead of the judgmental "why did she repeat" look that I expected or the feeling of being ostracized. I'm glad to have and be apart of such a warm and just a "family-feeling" kind of class.

It's been only one week of school so far, and of course I still feel the stress, but it's been a week of events so far.

Again, I'm sorry I've been MIA for a couple of months. Been suffering with a broken heat so to speak. But, a word of advice to those in nursing school or in general, failure is not always bad. Of course it may feel like it in the beginning, but it's also a learning experience. It'll always make you stronger in the end and you begin to realize how strong you are for coming back and accepting the mistakes you made in the past.

I guess what I'm trying to say is "Never Give Up." As cliche and cheesy as that sounds, it's the one thing that has always kept me going.

As always you guys, stay healthy and be happy. Make everyday count.

[meme4u]

[dallymally-deactivated20130826]

okay no this is really fucked up you guys no

[citriel]

this is actually really cool?? Would make a great addition to neighborhoods on halloween night or something, since that’s a night that people EXPECT to see creepy shit. But doing it on a random day to purposely fuck with others is yeah, wrong

[mahiru926]

Second Semester Nurse

(Top Pic: My friend took a picture of me and the creepiest doll we got to practice our skill on, behind me.)

It feels good to be back!

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a great winter break spent relaxing or having fun with family and friends. I know that it's been a while since I actually posted on my tumblr (I'm so sorry!), I didn't even write when I had finals; then again, it was finals.... ;_; regardless, I'm sorry fellow followers. This semester, Imma change some things. For one, I won't write everyday, but I will write at the end of the week a review of what's happened. :)

So, on with the first week of Semester 2:

Monday: Pharmacology

I'm not really happy that I start my week with my least favorite subject, but nonetheless, I actually enjoyed Monday. Mainly it's because I got to see all my classmates again (also, it helps that lecture is only 3 hours long).

It's too bad that I didn't really retain much from lecture though, I spent it texting friends during class to catch up, hahahaha.

Tuesday:Medical Surgical clinical

So, in semester 2, my class is split into groups with half going to Peds/OB for the first 8-9 weeks and the second half going to Med-Surg. Halfway through the semester, the groups would switch clinical sites.

Fortunately, I'm in the group for Med-Surg in the first half of the semester. :) 7.5 hours of lecture was spent learning how to give insulin injections and insert foley catheters for males and females.

I have to admit, 7.5 hours of lecture and little skills practice: i really hate. It just made me want to put on my uniform, go to the hospital, pick a patient, and actually practice the skills and give insulin shots or foley catheters. *sigh* At least next week is actual clinicals.

Wednesday:Medical Surgical clinical

Ugh.... another 7.5 hour day of lecture and minimal skill. Lecture consisted of NG tubes and stoma care. I did have a DDCC test (drug dosage calculation competency); basically it's 20 math questions and to pass, I can only miss 3 questions. And to admit, that test was harder than I expected.

But, at the end of the day, my clinical group and I passed! Passing drugs for clinicals next week, here we come!

Thursday: Maternal-child and Med Surg Theory

Not bad. I spent most of lecture taking notes and admiring the baby's in the Maternal-child powerpoint. I don't know why, but I love babies! I seriously cannot wait to go into Peds/OB! Dealing with mothers is one thing, but it'll be all worth it to care for infants! :D

Well, that's it for the first week. Hopefully it'll be more exciting next week. Till then, stay healthy and avoid people who are sick (especially since I've been sick for a week and a half now.)

[mahiru926]

Tests, Clinicals, and Halloween

Hey everyone! Sorry there hasn't been much updates this week (even though a lot has happened this week), it's just been crazy busy! One test on Monday, one quiz on Thursday, and just odd clinical days. Fortunately, before the test day on Monday, my friend -Taters- and I met up at a asian tea place for some coffee and good toast. :D

Monday: Test day

Early morning started out good I guess I could say. Woke up at, I think, 2am to study bc I literally did not study for the 50 question test. My mind was preoccupied with other things over the weekend (my car, tuition $, and paying for my car)- just a whole lot of financial issues. On top of that, I had to deal with some insurance company issues. So the above picture with all my notes and books sprawled out- that was my 2 am cram session. At 7, I took the 50 minute test and was not confident at all in that test. At that point, yes, I was praying that I at least passed- At least!!!

The day just got progressively worse. During lecture, the insurance company called me. I managed to call them back during my break and got all the information regarding the accident. Just to sum it up- it wasn't good at all. So, yes, I did end up tearing up a bit at school. Just all the pressure and stress got to me that day. And as Forest Gump said, "That's all I've got to say about that."

At least there's a silver lining. My nursing friends texted me right before school ended and told me that they were at a Panera near where I live to write Clinical worksheets. So I met up with them and they cheered me up that day. A nice day of getting things done and clearing my mind of "stuff." :) Thank you you guys.

Tuesday: Clinical day #1

Monday, I picked up my patient's info and prepped for the day. Yes, yes, I know that I can't violate HIPPA- so all I can say is... WOW. My patient that day was the most cooperative and nicest one yet. Of course, because I'm leaning toward being a trauma nurse, I got a trauma patient (car accident). But the poor primary nurse that I was with. She was so busy, she rarely got the chance to see my patient. I managed to report everything to her, but there were some issues between my patient and my nurse- making me the buffer. I did explain things to both of them, and my patient apologized to her for being so "difficult" when she was giving him pain meds (1st semester students can't distribute morphine).

My patient was so cooperative that I decided to use him/her for my next nursing care plan. So I interviewed him and man, did he/she open up! I stayed an extra hour after clinicals listening to him/her talk about their life-story. It's great to know that there's that instant connection between patient and student nurse. :) So the day ultimately ended with me happy and tired.

Wednesday: Clinical day #2

On Tuesday, things were going so well with me and my patient, I thought that Wednesday would be an easy day- but I should never assume anything. I was at the hospital at 7 and ready to care for my patient at 7:30am. When I got to my patient's room, he/she wasn't there. My patient's room is also shared with another patient, and he/she also wasn't there. I had the same primary nurse as the day before, so spoke with her and she told me that both of the patient were out smoking. During that time, I decided to clean the room (changed the beds, organized/put away medical supplies lying around the room, etc). By 8am, the other patient came into the room. Although he/she is not my patient, I still am obligated to do what he needs help with (applied lotion to his feet, massaged his/her feet bc he/she said it felt better with a little massage/pressure, elevated their legs, called nurse for pain meds).

During this time, my patient finally walks in around 9am. Unfortunately, as hospital protocol, I was unable to perform a Head-to-Toe assessment on him/her bc it needs to be in the computer before 9. So when I saw him/her, I thought things would be good. Unfortunately, I noticed right away that he/she was slightly agitated. And thus, the "Hell" day began. From my patient, he/she was having pain and wanted pain meds. So i told my nurse who watched me give the meds. Next, the other patient complained of more intense pain and wanted pain meds. Again, called my nurse and watched her give the patient morphine. Then, my patient still complained of pain because he hates the pain meds in pill form. So, I called my nurse AGAIN and gave him a different type of pain med as approved by the doctor. After, the patient next to mine still complained of pain even when I elevated their legs (no relief). This back and forth happened for a while- up until 10:30 am when I had to leave for an IV workshop at my school.

It's never happened to me before, but by 10:30am, I was already exhausted. Taking care of both patients is tough! I dont know how nurses manage 4-5 patients a work day! I was glad to be out by 10:30 though. And now after taking the workshop, I'm able to give simply IV fluids and flush saline locks. :D

Thursday: Halloween Dress up day!

(My halloween costume as a Geisha, and I did my hair. Above pic is of brunch-left over "salad" from a Pho place my parents went to. Middle pic is of my dinner- starbucks and some spaghetti. Below pic is of breakfast today-french toast with corn flakes and fresh strawberry's/bananas).

Since Halloween falls on a Wednesday, and it's a clinical day, my school decided to have Halloween dress-up day on Thursday. The day started out good with a bomb-a** breakfast (thank you btw for making it for me. :D). But then school started with a 15 question/15 minute quiz. And what makes a quiz more exciting with Math questions included! I'm sorry, but 15 minutes to take a quiz with math questions? that's just ridiculous.

After the quiz, it got better. As yearbook person for my class, I took lots of pics of everyone who dressed up. There was even a booth set up in the lobby where we put out some treats like cookies, candy, water, etc. My class' ASB also met up for the first time for an official meeting. It was great to hear some ideas and everything being tossed around.

What made that day hilarious was when I had to go to the bank dressed in my costume. I did get a lot of double-take looks from people and even when driving. Could be from the chopsticks in my hair.... Overall, the week started out bad, but ended in a good note.

Today: it will consist of catching up on everything. So far I already cleaned my room, had breakfast with my sister, went to the bank again, and took a long walk with my dog. Let the studying for next week's exam begin!!!

[mahiru926]

Got my Baby (car) Back! :D

(Ran a little late to clinical one day so used my phone in the break room as a mirror to tie up my hair. Top pic is breakfast and patient notes before clinical. Bottom picture is of Temple city at 4:30am while picking up my friend for Clinicals)

Hey everyone! Hope things have been good. Before I go into detail about anything else, the title means that I got my car back from the repair shop! As previous posts stated, I was in a car accident. Still dealing with all the problems associated with it, but at least my car is now ok! Unfortunately, I paid for it.... goodbye $....

Anyways, on with Wednesday news. I managed to get my grade from my mailbox! It took some time, but stressing over what I got for the overall class was slowly killing me. I managed to pass with a grade higher than what I expected! So happy/excited! :D

Afterwards, I went to the hospital to see my patient. I can't identify or say anything specific about him/her, but all i can say is that he/she was really great! He/she was very cooperative with me doing a head-to-toe assessment and it was such a great opportunity to teach him/her about medications bc he/she had SO many questions about what he/she had and what each med did and symptoms that may occur with each med. And the RN nurse that was responsible for my patient was the best! She literally let me do everything for my patient while she watched bc "the only way to learn is to do it yourself." So now, I can call pharmacy to confirm meds and page a doctor/nurse practitioner to follow up on my patient.

Wednesday was also spent going between 3 patients. One was the primary patient I had to take care of, second was my old patient-to visit and see how he/she was since he/she has been there for such a long time as it was, and the third was another one of my nurse's patient (needed help changing linens and washing him/her). That day was just a busy day.

On top of the busy day, for my clinical group, our nursing care plan was due on Wednesday- meaning, I spent the whole night writing the care plan (I was up 24+ hours). Coffee and an extra shot of expresso got me through the day, but it didn't stop me from being a little cranky. After clinicals, I just went home and took the longest nap ever (15-17 hours?)- I know that's not a nap, that's technically slipping into a coma.

Such a busy week, along with an up-coming test on monday. All-nighter's here I come! XD

Hope your week/weekends are spent better than mine! For those with tests/midterms, good luck studying! We'll all get through this eventually!

[mahiru926]

3 Hours of Sleep and a Flu Shot!

(Picture to the left is me, practicing to put on the "duck-face" mask in preparation for my patient tomorrow-failed in putting it on in less than 5 sec, lol. Picture above was my desk for today. Paid absolutely no attention to the lectures and just wrote out my Nursing Care Plan. Picture below is of my dog being adorable for the first time ever! :D)

Hey everyone! Hope people are staying healthy and well! Today was just one of those rare/odd days. Started out the day with 3 hours of sleep and super giddy/ happy. Could be from the lack of sleep, but who was I to not utilize the moment of being super wide-awake. So instead of listening to the lectures, I hand wrote my nursing care plan. This template for the care plan is approximately 6-8 pages long. Spending the night and all of lecture day today, my nursing care plan is 12 pages long! And I'm not even done with it yet.... >:D

The only moments that I did pay attention in class was when one of the clinical instructors came into the classroom holding my class' grade for our first completed class. I thought she was to just going to pass out the papers, but instead she put it in our mailbox. I had already forgotten to bring my ID/Badge to school and now, I didn't have my key to my mailbox either. So I will have to wait in order to find out my official grade in the class.

The second moment I paid attention was the announcement for Flu shots. I have never gotten one before since I believe that it doesn't prevent anyone from getting the flu. But, if I didn't get one, I would be forced to wear a mask to the hospital starting November 1st. So, my choices were get a shot that I have never gotten before, or literally become duck-face starting November 1st.

I took my chances and got the shot. Unfortunately, I don't think the lady did it correctly at school because my deltoid hurts whenever I move it!! One of my other friends, Mr. Late, absolutely rejects the idea of mandatory flu-shots- he signed the form saying that he's refusing the shot. But I just know that the moment I get sick (1 week after the flu shot), I'll here him in the back of my mind saying "I told you so" with his smirk. lol.

Hopefully the pain will go away and I wont get sick! Anyways, back to writing my clinical worksheet and nursing care plan. T_T

O! Almost forgot! I visited my patient from last week (the Filipino, :D) and her whole family was there along with full on Filipino food! Again, I got offered rice and fish for lunch, but had to decline. I did notice that one of her relatives kept starring at me. When I looked him straight in the eyes and said hello, his first response in Tagalog was to comment on how I look like Jessica Sanchez (American Idol contestant). Me, having the lowest self-esteem ever, just smiled and said "aww, salamat-po" (aww, Thank you). His compliment did make me smile though. And it was more heart-warming to hear my patient ask me to visit her again tomorrow. I for-sure will visit her! :D

I hope you guys also had a giddy/happy day minus flu shots! Keep on going and don't give up! It'll all be worth it in the end. :))

[mahiru926]

Congrats! Midterm Evals and Nursing Role Class: Complete!

(only one picture of the day, sorry. It's my bed, taken over by nursing care plan and study material at 0100. It's been a loooong two days.)

Hey Everyone! Today's been a lovely day filled with, well mostly good. First of all, it rained!! I'm loving the rain (even wore a sweater dress to school today because I felt warm- no, i'm not febrile, hahaha). Unfortunately, it was one of those dresses that doesn't look professional (and yes, it does hike-up the knee). But hey, three out of the four days we have school, I'm in uniform. At least let me feel like a woman by dressing up a bit. XD

Ironically, although I say today was a good day, my facial expression did not express that. I did something terrible (which i hope NO NURSING STUDENT ever does), I procrastinated in studying. My final today was based on two information filled lectures and reading- legalities of nursing and therapeutic communication. Communication, I was fine with. But the legalities, ever time I opened that book to read I just fell asleep. So, yesterday, was the first day I started to study for the test..... >_>

Yup, an all-nighter. So though I felt really happy about the weather, I looked like i wanted to murder people (as what my friends told me today, hahaha). Fortunately, after the test (which I have NO idea how I did), the teachers ran the scantrons through the machine and told the class that everyone passed!

EVERYONE PASSED!! That means no one repeats, no classmate left behind!

Man, I really love my class. No atmosphere/feelings of competition, no intimidation of those who are smarter. We all help each other out and that is something that is rare. I'm so lucky to have such great classmates! :)))

I'm really glad I passed though! 5 hour mass studying of all the material and no time for breakfast.... Never again! lol.

O! and as for yesterday's clinical midterm-evaluations. PASSED! Everything! All my skills (with the exception of some assignments that are pending and due in the future) such as SubQ shots, isolation techniques, irrigating a wound, Head-to-toe assessment, drug administration, bed making, patient bathing, etc- are all checked marked and "satisfactory." (grading is based off a S or U for clinicals). She even commented in how well she observed me communicating with all my patients that I had! It put a huge smile on my face. But it was nice to hear where I'm at in clinicals and what to expect in the future. :))

Well, I hope others had a great day also. Those living in Los Angeles area, be careful! Flash flood warnings and many car-accidents! So drive safely and enjoy the cool weather! :)

Good luck fellow nursing students! I'm half-way through my first semester as a student nurse and I'm finally seeing some results of all my efforts! It'll take time, but things will get better, so don't give up. :))

[mahiru926]

Fun Times at Clinical...

(picture on the left is of the food that my patient's family wouldn't let me leave without, picture on the right is what I always have in my pockets from clinical: alcohol pads and lubricant, hahaha.)

Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well! :D

Today started out great, and ended up being bad. But hey, it's only 1600!

So, yesterday was the first day that I got to pick out a patient without the instructor picking one out for me. It was nice to have that kind of freedom, but....I really know how to pick them! Lots of meds to study up on and a pretty medium list of diagnoses to learn their pathophysiology about. Luckily, I managed to get to bed at around 10 and up by 0430. And since my dad was taking my car to get an estimate today (since the car accident), I got to drive the Mercedes. Don't get me wrong, I love that car, but it is something that I had to get used to driving again.

After picking up my friend, Taters, and getting a caffeine buz, we went to the hospital super early to get more info on our patients. By 0700, my instructor arrived and asked about the basic information on our patients. Since mine was NPO (nothing by mouth), I was unable to distribute meds. :( However, I was able to do a head-to-toe assessment. At 0730, I got report of how my patient was overnight and what to do for today. Smiling and ready, I went to the patient's room to introduce myself, and the first thing I get asked....

"Are you Filipino?"

Of course, I would choose the patient of my age and my culture! I got lucky! Disadvantage: the moment I said I was, both the mother and patient began to speak to me in tagalog. Granted, I could understand them with some english mixed in there, but I can only respond in English. Overall, because the pt had a caring mom and was very honest with me, I was able to gather a lot of info for a Nursing Care Plan (also because I sat there for a good 45 minutes just talking with the both of them)!

So what made this a great day: got to do my first head-to-toe assessment with my instructor, got to use a doppler-machine to check pulses, was offered a lot of filipino food from my patient's mother, and got to spend a lot of time just talking and connecting with my patient.

What made this day bad: dealing with the insurance company and the reality of what's wrong with my car. ;_;

Entertainment of the day: My instructor asking me, with her jersey accent, if I brought some KY jelly to the patient's room. LOL. She could have asked for the lubricant (seeing as the picture above is clearly not KY jelly).

**Lubricant was used in conjunction with the doppler machine to amplify the sound for pulse.

[mahiru926]

Columbus Day!!

(Brunch for champions! Lol, above are pictures at about 6-7am. Everyday for clinical, I have to walk down the eerie tunnel to the basement of the hospital. But, panera afterwards is so worth the long walk and long day at the hospital. :D)

Hey everyone! Hope things are well! It's finally fall, meaning that it's colder and brisker in the morning- my type of weather. Luckily, today is Columbus Day! And for some reason, I have no school!

I would think that means no clinical also, but there's always a way around that. So instead of lecture, the day was spent waking early and going to the hospital to pick a patient and get their information for my clinical worksheet.

I didn't think that picking a patient would be that hard, but I'm so choosy!! I literally went though every chart until I found a good one ("Good one" meaning that her chart was THICK). And the best thing about it, she's my age!! Tomorrow will be one interesting clinical day. :))

On a side note, I decided to change up my hair a bit. Today, i literally just rolled out of bed and went to the hospital, hahaha. But I shoved all my bangs to one side- i guess it's that typical asian hair style.

AND, on a more side-er note, I have to talk to a lawyer about the car accident. -_- Ya, I already reported it to the insurance company, but to make an official statement, I need to talk to a lawyer and have him/her deal with the insurance company for me. Thankfully, I have a great friend with all the hook-ups. I'm so thankful for him- my parents are making me deal with everything for the accident, leaving me in the wide-open abyss of "i dont know what to do." So thank you....er, can't say the name.... for helping me step by step of what to do.

[mahiru926]

Nursing School Day(s): Clinical Days, Busy, and Car Accident

(WHOA! this picture is huge, lol. Anyways, that is me at 2 am studying away for the major Cumulative exam. And of course, coffee from starbucks- it's to the point where the employee's at 5am know my name, lol).

Hey everyone!! I know, I know.. It has been a LONG time since I've written in here. All i can really say is that I've been crazy busy! I never knew how much time clinical worksheets/drug cards/Nursing care Plans could take!! Mondays-Wednesdays, I literally get an average of 2-3 hours of sleep per day. Thursdays are spent recovering from everything. So please forgive me if I don't have the time to write everyday as i used to.

The past three weeks were spent studying for tests. We had at least one major test every week: one exam worth 43% of our grade, one 100 question test that was cumulative, and I think there was a quiz in there also. And the most painful part: all those test were either the day before clinical or the day after. Meaning, there was very little time spent studying for the tests. But, I'm just thankful for passing all of them. (And no C received yet!) :)  *knock on wood, knock on wood!!*

Clinicals, more or less, always want to make me cry at the end of the day. It's not because my instructor is hard on us, and its not because of the criticism she personally give me when she see's a mistake, but it's more because of the patients. Out of the 3-4 weeks that I've been in the hospital, i've had an average of 6-7 patients. This is because the patient that is assigned to me is discharged the next day of clinical (clinicals are two days a week, meaning we get to see our patient twice). And no matter how short the meeting is, there is always a "connection" formed between me and the patient. When my day/ "shift" is over, I always say goodbye and they always say how thankful they are for caring for them today. It's heartbreaking to know how such simple tasks can make someone feel so thankful. Week after week, it's been easier: improving my skills and not being so emotional, hahaha. But it's still very touching to be thanked and helpful to the patient.

As for my instructor's criticism, the real trouble I got into was not writing drug cards my first week of clinical. I thought that the information in the clinical worksheet was enough, but it wasn't. So she made it a point that I show proof that i've done them every week of clinical. Surprisingly, I don't take her criticism harshly/personally. I just accept it and tell myself that she's helping me become better. I was actually surprised by my reaction to her criticisms since I thought I would feel incompetent and ill-prepared.

Overall, I'm really thankful to my friends and fellow nursing students. We all offer great advice, stress-relieving outings, and a listening ear when someone needs it. I'm so surprised at how non-competitive the atmosphere is and how we all want each other to succeed. So thank you fellow nursing-students for being so helpful and filled with so much advice!

O yeah, the car accident. Yes, I was in a car-accident. I was driving. :(( Thankfully, no one was hurt and the damages are, well, there are always damages... It was traumatizing being the first major accident i've been in, but all is well for now at least. Car is still drivable, but I still need to take it to get estimated. Wish me luck that it's not that much!! hahaha... :(

Take care everyone, Drive safely, and as always, hope you're all well and staying healthy!!!

[mahiru926]

Nursing School Day 17, 18, 19: Hospital

Hey everyone! Hope everyone is happy and healthy! Me..not so much. Last couple of days have been a emotional rollercoaster and just crazy busy! I'm sorry I haven't been posting though for the past 3 days, I've been recovering from sleep deprivation. But so far, here's the breakdown of the days

Tuesday:

dressed in uniform and ready to go to the hospital! My clinical group and I met at the school first to get "oriented" on the computer documentation system and to also know a few of the worker's names up in the hospital. This took about 2.5 hours. I was already excited and ready to go to the hospital that I had to force myself to snack on something and drink some water.

When we finally got to the hospital, it was crazy busy. There were so many nurses everywhere in our floor, doctors and pre-med students talking and asking questions, and other 4th semester nursing students doing their own thing. We went on a mini scavenger hunt to find materials that we may later have to get for out pts the next day and explored the halls to get used to the rooms. But before the day ended, we were assigned pts to write a clinical worksheet (6 page assignment). Bc my group had an odd number, one of us had to fly solo the next day to care for a pt. (dummy me volunteered and was assigned a pt to full on care for the next day, alone).

Wednesday:

That day, I had very little sleep (2 hours) bc I stood up writing my pt's clinical worksheet and memorizing everything there is (disease and its process, meds and why he was on it, other secondary diseases he had and how it would affect his primary dx). In uniform with my mini-notebook, stethoscope, pen-light, and pen in pockets was ready for pre-conference. 15 minutes before 7, my clinical instructor comes up to our group and explains how she gets to the hospital early to see our pts. And then the last words that I ever wanted to hear came our of her mouth as she looked at me

"you're patient has been discharged"

well.....there goes all my wasted hours of work and sleep. I was later assigned onto another group's pt. I felt so lost and so out of place bc my group members prepared for care for the pt and I knew nothing of the pt except how to take vitals. I can't really explain much about the pt bc of the school's scary policy of privacy, but I can just say that those 5 hours of clinical actually felt like 12 hours. It was a FULL on work with no break in-between. But what made it all worth it in the end was knowing that before we left for the day, the pt noted that he/she was comfortable and that the primary nurse in charge of the pt was very thankful for our help. Made me tear up a little before leaving also.... Overall it was a great experience.

Thursday:

After the two days of clinical, Thursday was just plain boring. I know that I should learn about California's Nursing Laws, but it was mainly common sense. Everything is about protecting the consumer and the public. What I didn't really know is that driving under the influence (alcohol) can mean nursing license revocation bc of the negligent care for protecting the public. California Nursing laws are very strict.

Other than the 2 hours of sitting and lecturing, we got our first test scores back. All I can say is "I PASSED!!!!" It's really only just hitting me now, but I'm so happy!! I seriously think that the older students made it seem like it was waaaaaaaay harder than I thought it would be, thus creating panic and over-studying and reading way to much into the question. But I did get the score that I felt that I got, and I'm happy. I passed my first test, my first quizzes, and my first days of clinical. All finally seeming complete now. :)

So that's all the updates there are for those days. Again, I'm sorry for the missing pics and skipped days. It's been crazy and i've been trying to recover from my sleep deprived state (only noticed when my friend Taters pointed out that I was beginning to have eye-bags). Time to freeze some spoons and continue studying! It's midnight and I took a 3 hour nap earlier in the day... ;_; sleep schedule, plz come back some day....

[mahiru926]

Nursing School Day 16: Immaturity....

Hey everyone! Hope things are going well! Unfortunately, there is no picture today bc, frankly, I, along with everything going on today, was a total mess. Today was the very first exam for Nursing School semester 1. This means, sleep deprivation, last minute cramming, dressing up for the wrong type of weather, and dying slowly inside.

I got up my usual time, 3:30am to study a bit before heading to school. But it was one of those weird mornings where no matter how hard I try to read my notes or the book, something in my brain or in my eyes just blurs the text. So I gave up momentarily and washed up quickly. I did get to review over integument system before heading out the door.

Usually, I leave around 5 or 5:15 to get coffee if I want, but I guess I was just so unaware of the time bc I got to starbucks at 4:30am (30 till opening). So i sit in my car waiting for them to open until I see the huge sheriff car pull into the parking lot with the headlights on bright and slowly passing by other cars to inspect if anyone was in the car's i guess? (i'm not sure of what the protocol on that is). Eventually, he gets to my car and I'm doing the "don't look and you won't get picked" technique. He eventually passes my car without shining a flashlight through my window.

After 30 minutes of some cramming and coffee, I head to school determined to spend the next hour studying. NOPE! I get there and fall asleep in my car. But, I did wake up, I did get to class on time, and I even got about 10 minutes worth of studying done before the test was given.

50 questions, 50 minutes. Me= done in 30 minutes.

This does not mean that it was easy. It was fair.I know I made some stupid mistakes and I know all the questions I got wrong and right, but you know what, as long as I passed, I'm happy. I don't care about grades, I don't care about scores, all I need to know is if I passed or not. And the moment I find out I passed, I will be dancing in the hallways going:

After the test, we were given a break, but then commenced the 4 hour lecture. One part of the lecture was about assessment of the prostate gland for cancer. And being caffeinated and still feeling the test-rush, I start giggling and trying to hold my laughter in bc all I could think about was family guy and the episode where peter gets his first prostate exam. Running through my mind, all i hear is

relax....i'm adoctor(I would find a gif, but there surprisingly, there is none)

My poor friend, Taters, is laughing with me (she sits behind me), but the instructor that's lecturing is her clinical instructor. So i'm laughing and she keeps trying to get me to stop laughing bc we're getting that "look" from the teacher. But then she play's this video clip that ends with:

"Be a man, protect your manhood, getchecked"

I know, it's very immature of me to be laughing at such a serious topic, but I wasn't laughing at the topic, I was just laughing at what it reminded me of.

Anyways, a very entertaining day filled with coffee, sugar, hyperness, and now, crashing. But tomorrow, we enter the hospital!! Exciting and very scary at the same time! :D

[mahiru926]

Nursing School Day 15: Dreams....

(Friends from class! :DD)

Hey everyone! Hope everything is going well and your surviving through school. :D Today was...Blah? I wish I could say more about it, but it was a two hour class of "Nursing Roles."

Our topic consisted of the Nursing Practice Act. Basically, it was a thorough outline of what is in the Act and what is expected of us as Student Nurses and Nurses in general. It was a topic where I was literally falling asleep. I wish I had a picture, but during a 15 minute break, I just walked over to the lobby area with the good comfy couches and passed out for 2 minutes or 5.

Afterwards, the teacher (for some reason) breezed through the next 8 pages of powerpoint-slides within 30 minutes. The reason being was so that people who signed up to be apart of ASB could make their speeches. I signed up for President and Yearbook. I really hate to think of this as a "competition" bc I love my class and all the people in it. They're all so unique and have so much great advice (we're all like a nursing family/support group). But, voting is on Monday and so we had to introduce ourselves and give a mini-speech.

The first speaker (I'm sorry if he's reading this bc he hates this nickname), Mr.Late, is definitely a public speaker. He was fluent and presented his topics very nicely. The second speaker, nickname: kitty (hope she doesn't see this as well), was great also. She offered good points and spoke to everyone like she was a friend, not only a leader. And then...it was me. I'm not one for public speaking, so I stood/moved around derp-ily..... I told them that all I could offer them as president is a friend. I will listen to their issues and their problems and I will convey them to the best of my abilities to the teachers bc we're all here to succeed and we all need each other.

Key Points I missed:

-Getting back to the staff about several of their ideas presented during orientation such as a local workout class (since we're close to several gyms and bc work-out classes are hard to register for in several colleges)

-Seeing if family members would like to get involved (during family day, one of the members of a family from a fellow classmate asked if there was any other way to help out besides being supportive of them in school).

-Seeing if we could create a website for our class to either group chat (if they weren't able to make it to a study session or something), put up the power-point lecture slides for those who miss a day, etc.

*le siiiiiiigh* I wish I was able to remember things more clearly when put on the spot. But Good luck to everyone who's running for different offices!! I wish there could be more than one spot for the offices so everyone could win! T_T

Oh ya, and as for the title. When I got home, I slept for a good 1.5 and had several dreams. One was me studying for an upcoming test on Monday in the main lobby of my school. Suddenly, one of my teacher's come's to me and see's me studying only to say "there's no use. You're gunna fail anyways..." I don't remember what my reply was since I shifted to another dream so quickly, but I would love to just say "BRING IT ON!!!" I love challenges and proving people wrong in the sense that I can do something, so bring it on instructor in my dreams who also had a drooping eye!! lol

The next dream was a little weirder. I was working in a camp place for special people (special meaning those with powers). There was this one person who wanted to absorb everyone's power (his power was absorption), but he wasn't powerful enough. One night, while he was hiding in shame (Idk why he was hiding, I think it was bc everyone made fun of his appearance), some creature of the night told him to "come outside with his night-face on and day-face put away." At that moment I woke up and was thinking, that was a great quote. lol. My dreams.....always so weird and make no sense at all!

[mahiru926]

Nursing School Day 14: Uniforms, Injections, and Emotions Oh My!

(you know what I didn't know, that people couldn't see the pictures! Only found out when my sister's told me. -_-' So this time I uploaded the pics to my comp instead of linking it. Hope this works!)

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone is doing well and surviving! What can I say about today..... Today was just jammed pack with EVERYTHING!!! I know we start clinicals next week, but man, these instructors know how to just cram every skill needed for first semester nursing students into just four weeks!!

So, this morning was another test: medical abbreviations test. And to my horror, spelling counts. T_T I'm not the best speller ever and although the test was only 20 items (fill in the blank), I was still mentally slamming my head against a desk for not studying the spelling. I was praying that there wouldn't be "JVD" on the test, but of course, there was. Instead of putting "jugular venous distention" I put "jugular vein distention." As I was still going through the test, I was also hoping that "DIC" wasn't there, but it was: "disseminated intervascular coagulation." I remember thinking "does 'disseminated' have 1 m and 2 s's or 2 s's and 2m's?" You could probably assume what I wrote down.... *sigh*

Internally, I was making this face:

But on the outside, I was making some goofy grin. The teachers probably think I'm nuts by now. hahahahaha....

At least after the test, we got split up into our clinical groups and sent to different skill labs. I got to vent out my frustration on injections!! lol, we were given the huge needles and the thinnest/smallest needles to practice injections on. Afterwards, we were also shown how to "pack wounds." I actually thought this meant cleaning a wound and putting gaze over it. But "packing" literally meant "PACKING" a wound. Given a plastic arm with a big gaping chunk missing out, I was to stuff soaked gauze (with saline) into the "wound" and cover it. I...can't imagine how this "gaping hole" would look like in a person...... and I would have to "pack" it and assess the area for discoloration, odor, or anything "not normal."

I have to admit, It was fun actually doing the skill in the lab, but in real life....I'm not sure how I'll react. I hope my eye's don't give me away when "packing a wound" for a patient.

Overall, this has been a very interesting week. Filled with uniform wearing (for the first time!!!), pictures being taken of class, class elections (tomorrow), and injections. >:D

Even though we were suppose to return the needles to the teacher, I left one in my pocket and found it when I got home. :DDD

Practice Time...... >:DDDDDD hehehehehehehe

[mahiru926]

Nursing School Day 13: The Trailing Zeros...

(Picture on left is Hello-kitty everything- shirt and retractable ID badge thing, picture on right is Panera studying table)

Hey everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed a nice Labor Day weekend and Monday off. :) Mine was spent school supply shopping and studying. XD

Today was another Test day: Drug and Dosage Calculation Test. It was 20 questions and we were given 80 minutes to complete since the school wants us all to pass the test. It was pretty simple and straight forward, simple math and marking. But, me being speedy, I didn't take the time to read the questions carefully so ended up missing two questions (instead of calculating how much per day, I calculated how much per dose). But, I passed!! I get to go to clinicals without any worry! :D

As for the title.... one of my friends read the directions VERY carefully. It did say to round to the second decimal point (hundreth's point). However, it should have said "to round to the nearest second decimal point if needed." So, he added some trailing zeros after his answers. It was an honest mistake, but it wasn't acceptable for the test or in the hospital setting. Fortunately, he can take it again and now he knows his mistakes, how to correct them, and what to expect. 

After the D&DC test, my friends and I had about an 1.5 to spare, so we went to a coffee shop. The person who suggested it claimed it was "close-by," but it was further than what some of us expected. As a result, we had 30 minutes to make it back to class on time before lecture. This was spent with me and my friend Taters complaining hitting every stop light on the way back. It was overall a really fun little trip and spent just relaxing after the test. :)

Lecture was spent on "Surgical Asepsis" and how to maintain a sterile field when cleaning a wound. I'm sad to say, but it really put me to sleep. After that lecture, we were given another (A test and 2 lectures in 1 day, -_-' ), but this was about injections. This means that tomorrow, we get to practice everything that was lectured on today: injections tomorrow!!! 

We won't get to practice on each other, but we do get some artificial pad things to practice on. :DDD I can't wait to get a syringe and practice the skills!! Most exciting days of the week are always on Wednesday. Tomorrow, we also get to wear our uniforms! Given that it's a "dress-rehearsal," it'll still be fun to see everyone in uniform and get to wear mine. :)) Pictures are for sure to come tomorrow!! :DDD

[mahiru926]

Thank you!

Thank you

dtwin16

appledrews

gdsullivan

keepcalmanddrinktea27

For the follows! :)) And as always, good luck in nursing and stay happy and healthy!