I'm On It

10 Dec 2012
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updates rants and ER

updates:

all done with my practicum hours!!! L/D was great and i met a lot of great people. i am still considering that floor if i have the opportunity to interview however i have a negative vibe about the current manager. she is very rude and disrespectful towards me. not even getting into it right now. woosah. also it’d be postpartum for at least a year (if i’m there at long) which at first made me be like =/ but then i began to like the flow of it and the people. it’s like med/surg but with babies boobies and vaginas all day

still job hunting and i keep having days where i’m like ‘i dont want to work as an RN maybe i should just take out more loans and dedicate myself full time to this NP program so i can be super knowledgeable’ however this could just be me being lazy…it’s hard to tell because i’m really good at convincing myself. also i keep hearing different views on the role RN experience plays in one becoming an NP. some say the experience you get as an RN will help you more readily identify things as an NP and others say they are such different roles that one is not required for one to be successful in the other. opinions? i’ll listen (just be nice though)

however, for my current job … teching in the ER..i just need motivation to keep going lol. the last day i went i felt like i dealt with so much poop. old people poop is not as seemingly harmless as baby poop! i just felt so frustrated. the odors..

y’all know poop is my pet peeve. even in L/D when pushing led to poop i’d be like

and just seeing all those old (mostly old) sick people sitting in the ER beds for hours and hours and having that smell that all of theER patients seem to have once they’ve been there all day. it made me sad. and i was used to being happy on L/D lol. it made me question all the ER jobs i’ve applied for. but then i went in a couple days later and loved it. felt such appreciation from the people i was working with as well as the patients. the people really really really do make all the difference i think. when a nurse who does med/surg rehab told me she picked that floor not because it was interesting (because it was soooo boring omgshhh) but because of the people i was like HUH?? i need to be busy and entertained! but now i see..oh i see! because i like the L/D floor but the PEOPLE…mercy. and no diversity at all. that’s another topic

ok but yes i’ve been applying for L/D and ER jobs and a few random others. Also some non-nursing jobs just because. i’ve been applying all around and outside of the state. i’ve done some investigating and networking and gotten in touch w/ some nurse recruiters and HR people personally so that’s encouraging

here comes the rant:

i need to be working more because i am sooo low on funds. at the end of the semester i’m always at my lowest financially and it makes me seriously consider desperate alternatives. i won’t list them for fear of being judged lol jk..kinda?

i have to pay to register for the NCLEX, pay FOR the actual license, pay utilities, pay car insurance, pay my on-campus tickets, pay for another bakcground check and drug test for the NP program even though it’s with the same school and i haven’t committed any crimes since attending (or ever for that matter). so i have to prioritize and pick the top one or two and put the rest on hold until i’ve worked a few more shifts. this is what i get for using my off days to enjoy my booskie instead of working..but according to my now-graduated friend- this isn’t something i’ll regret in the long run

so i’ve come to terms w/ the fact that i may get my license later than everyone else..and with the fact that this may put off me getting a job. but on an optimistic note i will have that time to get settled in w/ my new grad program =)

and enjoy more booskie

ER:

this one patient yesterday came in after fainting after using the bathroom she hadn’t pooped in the longest and was in so much pain it had her weak. she was barely able to speak and was very scared. so was her husband and more visibly her daughter. they became my spoilers. every shift i tend to spoil and dote on one patient lol well one or more. they were the spoilers. i stood in there for a long while so ic ould hear what the dr said. he wasn’t the nicest. i gave her kid and hubby oodles of popsicles (lol idk) and i just held her hand and stroked her hair for a few minutes til she fell asleep and convinced her to let the ppl do the CT asap so she could get answers. then i had to leave but she was super grateful and said she could feel my warm heart and i’d make a great nurse <3 <3 i hope she’s alright

i’m really not good at watering down my stories i know i should do better lol but all the details seem impt. thank you to the person who warned me about violating HIPAA i am trying to be more mindful

i’ve been trying to pay more attention to the ER nurses and how they operate because i feel like i don’t have a good sense of what the nurses in the ER truly do (i mean i know bits n pieces but not all of it) and i got a full picture when doing my practicum in L/D so i need to really look at both before i go sit and interview for one or the other. i honestly don’t know which i’d prefer. some days it’s L/D but then i get scared that all i’ll know is boobies and vaginas and so i fig ER will help give me some great foundational skills. le’sigh we shall see. i’m thinking high risk L/D could be a good mix. L/D has it’s adrenaline but before all that it’s a big waiting/sitting game. but with high risk i’d still have to be on top of medical/surgical issues more often (so says the nurses who have worked in high risk L/D)

i’m sorry i didn’t update more during my L/D time…every patient was so uniquely and beautifully different i really should’ve posted more. but right now let me get to my ER story and if i recall any L/D stories i’ll post them when i do. or maybe i’ll do one ~~brief~~ long summary post at some pt..ahh i also have to tell y’all about an amazing midwife i met. gahh so many things to type. that will have to wait too

SN i need to start studying for the NCLEX. my plan is to do practice questions and study the material i get wrong..which could be a lot..

12 Nov 2012
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scary moment

i forgot to tell you all that at work in the ER i had my first patient fall

scariest.moment.ever.

and the lady swore she hit her head which was FALSE FALSE FALSE because i caught that woman’s head intentionally!

i was so shaken up

and right before it happened i played in my head what i should’ve done instead (if that makes sense). she claims she falls all the time eat home and doesn’t even tell people..but still

and then of course paperwork

She’s laying in bed just chillin and talkin and i’m watching like

just thinking OH GOODNESS PLEASE DON’T HAVE SOME SUBDURAL HEMATOMA

and when we were walking back to her room there was this piece of trash or something on the floor so i tossed it and her son was like “thank you. i’ve watched 5 other people step right over that” and in my head i’m like YES YES YES I CARE ABOUT SAFETY SEE??!?

but havin that lady on the floor layin there and me having to open the bathroom door for all to see both of us on the floor and having to call for help as if somebody was coding was just….scaryembarrassingawkardSCARY

glad she was ok though (as far as i know)

my prof said you will always remember the sound of your first patient falling =/

sheaintnevalied! (well actually that’s not true..she has. but that statement was true)

6 Nov 2012
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advocacy

patient advocacy is one of my favorite parts of nursing. i promise it saves lives. some of the things i’ve seen with my patients and the poor treatment or communication with their medical teams leaves me feeling concerned for any patient who doesn’t have an advocate (nurse, friend, family, whatever) at their bedside to voice their questions/concerns/misunderstandings and to break down what is being told to them (if ANYTHING is even being told to them) about their condition and treatment. My last rotation before transition I had two instances that really showed me how impt it is to take charge of your health even in the hospital setting because i have seen patients be taken advtg of or almost taken advtg of simply because they do not know what to ask, how to ask, or that they can say no. my professor literally tried to convince me to give this man a medication he did not want because she was convinced he wasn’t 100% with it that day. same professor wanted me to delete a nursing note that i knew had very critical information in it simply because she was late on signing it. that patient had already been through so much after doing so well the week prior that i was adamant about not deleting anything pertaining to them because i saw the other (actual) nursing notes and so much info was missing!! full anasarca was being called +1 edema are you SERIOUS?? she had gained 10 lbs in 1 day. and 5 lbs the day b4. this patient was screaming like a slaughtered animal (L.I.T.E.R.A.L.L.Y! I KID YOU NOT) every 5-10 seconds and it was charted as moaning.. -_-. she ended up intubated and in ICU turns out she was having seizures, and a fungal infection (yeast) in her picc line, and a number of other things. but was left on a medsurg floor screaming..for days..and not even mentally there although the week before she was walking and talking and healing from her neuro surgery just fine. i was so sad. i was so so sad.

then i had this man who the drs just disrespected. instead of explaining to him what his scrotum was they just lifted up his gown. they asked him questions and cut him off during his answers, talked over him instead of to him, and left without telling him the plan. i stopped them and asked them to listen 2 his questions but their answers were so vague and full of big medical terms that we both just told them they could leave and i took some time to go over the plan in laymens terms with him. when nursing school first started they told us stuff like this would happen. and it has. the man had been in there for a month and hadn’t even realized it. what he was currently being treated for was not even what he had originally been admitted for. but on the other hand i had a man who knew his rights, new his options, and refused to take anything that he felt would cause his body harm and the drs had no choice but to find a new plan for him.

what a diff health literacy makes. i wish all my patients knew that they really are the ones who have the final say on any decision made on them and that more drs would be willing to communicate and collaborate with the patient. the medical students are good and everyone says it’s because they have more time to talk to patients, however i know physicians who MAKE the time to be that kind of dr for patients and you can see the difference. long-term there’s a huge diff. poor communication just leads to bandaid solutions and more problems

anyways i now have an idea for my DNP project even though the program hasn’t even started

will share later =)

6 Nov 2012
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L&D

i’ve been in an antisocial mood lately

and then i get so backed up with stories to post that i feel guilty and lazy all at the same time

anyways i’ll just start from here and move forward.

so i’m doing labor/delivery for transition remember. that’s going well. a lot of births lately. started off kind of slow. i was bored honestly. everything seemed like a waiting game. lots of assessing and documenting. and because i was a little apprehensive about jumping in and being so hands-on at first because i’m dealing with scared soon-to-be moms and then their tiny babies, I felt like i was shadowing which makes me sooo sleepy.

But my preceptor is great. I’ve had 3 total but one main one. they’re all great. we really bond and I trust to ask them questions without feeling dumb.

one thing i struggle with: reading those darn fetal heart rate and contraction strips. I all but had a breakdown today trying to understand a variable from an early decel from a whatever. and everyone keeps saying ‘its just something you know more as you see it it’s hard to explain’

=/ whomp

one thing i love though: the intimacy between a man and a woman during labor is just sooo amazing. i love it. both are so nervous and the woman is so focused and in her zone and going through God-knows what inside her body while the man is awkwardly trying to figure out what he can do and they (the men) are just so tender and just in awe of this woman who’s about to bring forth this child they made together who they have not actually seen yet. it’s crazy. i can’t really describe it. it doesn’t get old to me. and yea i love the boobies and vaginas too. not in a weird way. but everyone’s body is so different and they all labor and give birth so differently and you really have no choice but to tailor your care for each patient and i’m such an advocate for that. i love helping moms breastfeed because the whole process just naturally helps their body and the baby’s and they get so frustrated when they can’t get it right but when they get it it’s like ROUND OF APPLAUSE! Everyone’s so happy lol

unlike what you see on tv all of the moms are so polite even through their intense pain. one lady was just the sweetest ever, and after pushing for 2 hrs (my goodness) her baby came out not moving not breathing and just freakin us all out. and we all tried to keep a positive front so she wouldn’t worry but she knew something was wrong. baby ended up ok but literally didn’t take a breath for the first 12min. ended up going to a more specialized area and the mom was doing everything in her power to get cleared to go visit the baby. we had to wait for her epidural to wear off so we could make sure she wasn’t a fall risk and could walk but it took a while and even though seh was about to fall over and take all of us out with her she insisted she could do it. we had to talk her down and just started crying saying she just wanted to see her baby she hadn’t gotten to hold him (only for like 2 sec for a picture and that was the respiratory therapist being nice) and when she did get to see him she was just so happy and tearful and telling him ‘hi i’m your mommy and i love you’ it was very sweet. every1 kept telling her it was ok but she wouldn’t believe it til she saw it.

what’s crazy too is how people automatically shift into that self sacrifice mode where they don’t care how much pain or discomfort they’re in they’ll do what they need to do for the baby or they won’t do something if there’s any potential harm for hte baby (ie taking meds that may affect the baby) they will just push through.

a few other interesting things seen lately…

this lady had a 4th degree tear. literally from her vagina to her anus. and she was bleeding A LOT and had to have these 6 tiny pills (i forget what they were but the point was to avoid methergen because we are undecided as to whether or not it affects the baby through breastfeeding) inserted rectally to stop it (i hadn’t seen that before.) i know she was hurting the next day with those stitches.

i noticed a baby had an increased respiratory rate and turns out it had pneumonia. i had to listen 3 times to confirm that it was as high as i thought and i was hoping not to freak the parents out by listening to the baby’s lungs for so long but i’m glad i did

baby heart and lung sounds are so confusing. they’re fast and all over the place and the babies always make weird noises so i’m like OMGSH STRIDOR??? lol

i’m getting better w/ assessments. and charting. and time management

still undecided as to what kind of job i want after graduation. while l/d is slow at times it quickly gets very fast paced. and i like tending to the moms. i really do.

i also love the eR

and i love comm health

ok so yea idk still

11 Oct 2012
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brief nursing life updates!

1) i was admitted to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program for midwifery =) debating if i should continue applying to a school that i love but is more expensive (like times 3) and MSN rather than DNP

2) i have my transition/practicum placement yayyy and it’s in labor and delivery!!! yay!!! it was postpartum/gyn but there was a last min change. so now im at the hosp where i work and that means i could possibly have 2 jobs lined up after graduation (ER and L/D) but i plan to relocate so.. we shall see

3) tomorrow is the last day of nursing school classes!! can you believe it?? and then just 1 more day of clinical (mon) then on to transition where i’ll be working 3 12hr shifts and off the other four days

4) applying for jobs like my life depends on it ( i suppose it sort’ve does if i wanna eat). applying for ER, L/D, and health dept/women’s health jobs (oh incl planned parenthood) let’s pray to God i hear back soon! esp before i move..

5) i’ve ordered my pin for the pinning ceremony!

sorry again for being so MIA

11 Oct 2012
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ER updates

sooo i haven’t been on here in a while

my apologies

dealing w/ some personal stuff lately

anyways here is a condensed (as much as possible) update!

so that nightshift i worked a few wks ago in the ER here is in short what i saw (wrote it down for y’all)

blind lady- i didn’t know she was blind because the sign hadn’t been put up (yes i thought she was just wearing shades) and i asked her to describe her nurse to me. she was like HONEY IDK I’M BLIND!!!! lol whoopsie.. we both laughed. then registration came to get her to sign a form because she too didn’t know she was blind..i should’ve warned her. idk y i didn’t.

couple- there was a couple in the ER and i was about to transport the lady when she asked to stop by to check on her hubby i didn’t know her hubby was there. anyways they were so cute. she was askin how he was holdin up and what they had told him and they kissed e/o just lovelovelove. i felt bad because she got a room and he was stuck in that uncomfy bed all night idk y. the ER beds suck compared to the beds on the main floors. and he was so sweet. he later asked me what was going on why did he have that pain in his chest and i was like ‘no1 told you what your diagnosis was??’ afib. so i got to do some patient teaching w/ him =)

groin abscess guy- this guy came in w/ his gf with a hugeeeeeeeeeeeee abscess in his groin area…like an infected ingrown hair x 10. i was w/ the NP when she opened it to drain it it was like a thick red and white flowing river and it smelled like milk lol. i took pics for him.

drunk old lady/catheter- like i said half of the ER was drunk that night (game night) and 1 of the people was this 80something yr old old lady who was just out of control but she had me cracking up. being a smartass w/ the nurse…dramatic fake tears…trying to climb out of the bed despite her restraints. and layin open eagle for her catheter placement for as long as we needed (2 attempts and i was given the opportunity to try the first one..but im used to doing it on males so..yea…fail..but then the nurse failed 2) her son was there and he just seemed over it and her behavior. she didn’t even go to the game…i guess just stayed home n drank

drunk young lady- this girl was soooo drunk she was throwing up sooo much they put a biohazard bag over her head smh and she kept blacking out. i heard her crying at the top of her lungs about how she’d never drink again. then her 2 friends asked me for blankets because they wanted to sleep on the floor because they thought the chairs were uncomfy. that was in our trauma room so i suggested they not go anywhere near the floor considering how many diff bodily fluids had been on that floor…

drunk seizure ‘r u ok’ guy- this guy came in claiming to have seizures ( i say ‘claiming’ because they nurse didn’t believe him) and when i went to transport him he jumped up at me out of his sleep i was so scared i immediately realized i don’t really know any defensive moves off the top of my head except for to swing back. but hten he lied down and asked me if i was ok…the whole way up he kept askin if i was ok lol.

drunk bloody face- this guy was the first patient i saw when i got there. blood everywhere and just completely wasted and cursing out everyone who tried to help him.

cane lady- this cute old lady wanted me to hide her cane so no1 would steal it lol she was embarrassed to admit that was her reason because everyone was standin around waitin for her to explain why she was telling me to place it elsewhere. she then mumbled ‘will any1 take it?’ her son was like WHO WANTS YOUR CANE?!? lol

pancreatitis girl/cut arms/urine dip- this girl came in w/ severe pains in her abdomen and thought it had something to do w/ ovarian cysts (her words) and turns out she had acute pancreatitis from drinking too much had to be admitted for like 3-4 days. crazy right? her bf was w/ her and i tlkd to him and he said they hadn’t been together longer. she was crying and balled up and i noticed when i put the bp cuff on she had cuts on her arms/wrists. i asked (appropriately) about htem but she didn’t say much. i told the NP who was going to do her pelvic and i think she asked about them later. but still no real answer. i forget what she said but it made no sense. also i had to do a urine dip and record the results but i had the strip backwards and felt like a fool -_-

yellow lady- idr much about this 1 but i remember a lady being super yellow. soon as i saw her it was just like…YELLOW. wonder if she has pancreatic cancer =(

baker act girl- this girl was baker acted so i had to go w/ her to the bathroom and when i asked what happ she told me that she broke into the girl’s house who her bf was cheating w/ and broke all her stuff and they arrested her for robbery but she didn’t steal. then she started tlkn about how much her life sucked and about her kids ..she was really young. so i asked if she was havin suicidal thoughts and she said yea. wasn’t expecting that. so i told the nurse and she was heading off to the mental health place anyways but i encouraged her to be as honest w/ them as possible so they could help..not to hold back her feelings in hopes of getting out sooner they’ve heard it all. hope shes ok. told her to at least stick around for her kids because if not ppl could tell them anything htey want about her and she won’t be there to set the record straight. she thought a lil on that..

old squeaky voice lady in 3- this lady was a trip. she fussed at me about everything but her voice was so squeaky all i could do was smile. she was so picky about stuff but i couldn’t even get annoyed lol

bed switch man/son- this man wanted a real bed not an ER bed and he had been complaining and such but then i found out l8r his son had just died and i felt so bad..not that i had mistreated him but i mean dang he didn’t seem at all like he was goin thru it but he must’ve been..he just wanted to watch the came so i rearranged the room so he could face his TV.

smell good ppl- idr this but i do know there’s a lady who works at the hosp who smells so good i love when she walks by because so many ER patients just…smell..and flake…they just…yea. i love her for smelling good.

stab wound guy- this guy was defending this girl from a guy trying to hard her and he got in a fight w/ the bad guy and his brother jumped in and both of them got stabbed. the brother couldn’t see him at first due to being in separate rooms and he was really quiet and i could tell trying not to cry but then when he heard about his brother’s injuries he just broke down so we let him go see him. his brother was awake but his injuries were real… knicked spleen and punctured lung w/ hemathorax so he was rushed to the trauma hosp for emerg surgery. oh and when i say ‘this guy’ and ‘his brother’ i mean this ‘boy’ my bad…they were teens. young teens. this was at like 3am. and the girl involved was in handcuffs in another room. also a young teen. later another young teen came in w/ his brother after falling off his bike and blacking out. idk where they were goin so late. he said home and that he was leavin a fam members’ house. i couldn’t take his breath so i had to ask if he had been drinkn he kinda tlkd around it but said that they had been..sorta..but not gettin drunk. i told him i wasn’t tryin to report him i just needed to identify the smell because i was about to puke. got to do some wound care on him. nose lip cheek hands ear etc i like the paramedic trainees help they were bored that night.

lumbar puncture/meningitis lady- idr this as much either but i know they suspected she had meningitis and were preparing her for a LP but then my shift ended and in the interest of saving money the charge nurse was rushing me to go clock out (annoying). let me not even get started on my issues w/ the charge nurse!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ugh! i promise one night i almost quit as soon as i clocked in. i’ll save that for another post maybe

oh also, i was called in to help a dr (although i didn’t do anything to help…) remove a patient’s impacted stools…. literally walked in on him just scooping poop out of her butt. sounded painful. and the smell was nauseating..and lingered.. i wasn’t sure why exactly i was called. but nice to see it’s not just nurses and techs dealing w/ poop ;-) i kid..kinda

ok i think that’s about it from that night!

26 Aug 2012
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tonight in the ER

two memorable patients (i’ll try to keep it brief. clinicals in the morning!)

the first guy..i’m not sure what he was there for because i didn’t have a lot of interaction with him until i took him to another floor..he apparently was advised to remain in the hospital overnight to have some tests done rather than leaving and having to go through the hoops of outpatient scheduling. however, he wanted to leave and be in the comforts of his own home. he was adamant. all i overheard was this:

wife: you’re really about to leave? why can’t you just stay and get the tests done…what if something happens tonight?

son (like 3rd or 4th grade): what if u get home n fall out? then what I’M GON DO??

wife: thank you son

son: i don’t know waht to do if somethin happens to you i don’t know how to take care of things why you won’t just stay ?

wife: thank you son

man: you know how to call 911

son: then i gotta call 911 i gotta see you passed out then i gotta go get mama n tell her you BACK TO THE HOSPITAL??

wife: thank you son. baby you really are about to just go home? just like that?

man: yes!

son: so what IMA DO?? you just gon leave daddy?? what if something happens?

man: then i’ll come back

wife: how if you’re passed out

man: someone will bring me back

son: who?? i can’t! i ain’t but so big! so who gon do it?

wife: thank you son

lol i was dyinggggg

the dr…the nurse…the man’s wife and child obviously..everyone tried to convince him. i was about to go in there but this other tech went in and when i came back he had agreed to stay. i told her good job. could’ve been a life-saving mood. sounded like he had had a mini stroke from what the Dr said

he then demanded he be allowed out to go have a cigarette and that i bring him some food if he had to stay and that it better not be fore more than a couple days

and then there was the drunk lady

i’ve talked about her before…she came in once with a police escort and was pretending to have seizures (she fooled me) and insisted we cath her because she couldn’t pee herself (a lie) and then apologized for making us do it

so today she came in drunk off her BEHIND after stealing some liquor and hiding one small (not-so-small) bottle in her vajayjay (yes. smh. ) she was so out of it she kept passing out but hwen she was awake she just kept wailing and hollerin out. kind of incoherently but we could make out a few names and a few F U’s and some other choice words…

she ended up having to be restrained after trying to pull out EVERYTHING…and then she tried to chew threw them so they put on the leather restrains. and then did the same for her feet

you could hear her on the other side of the ED. they tried closing the doors and that helped some.. and then somehow she managed to pull the portable computer to her and started chewing through the wire attached to the computer mouse

she was a handful i can only imagine what her transport was like!

i also had to deal w/ poop =/ sigh….this is one of the 2 things i hate dealing with (the other being vomit but poop takes the cake..i think) and it happened to be for a woman who had just gotten over C.Diff and thought it had returned (didn’t smell like it though). I had to collect a sample. sigh

the nurse offered to do it because she saw me about to dry heave but she took a while so i just said i’d be mature and i did it and it wasn’t terrible and the patient’s dignity was maintained and i’m still alive

;-)

gnite!

25 Aug 2012
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updates updates updates (part 2): ER’s most memorable patients this week

so i’ll be working more night shifts in the upcoming months

i tried a couple during oursummerbreak week

it wasfine except now i can’t go 2 sleep at night for anything which makes me very tired duringthe day

(again pardon my spacebar issues!)

i may have mentioned before the crazy nurse who doesn’t want to be a nurse and doesn’t feel like being nurturing lol… well she’s still crazy but she makes for a good hsift becausei can do what i want whether it be surf the net or help w/ procedures and i don’t mind helping her out because i feellikei need 2 watch her patients for when she gets to that pt where shedoesnt care

so here are the most memorable patients of the week!

fighting old lady- this woman came in from a nursing home after falling and hurting her hip. but oh no wait… she did not fall she will quickly proclaim. she was shoved to the ground. when i asked her what happened she said ’ i don’t want to talk about it’ ok that’s fine because i knew she eventually would have to talk about it and that i’d bethere when she did. 5 seconds later..she had to talk about it. she was going to get coffee and this tech who was ‘not supposed to even be there’ wasin her way and would not move for anything. so little old lady grabs the tech by her hair and yanks her out the way. the tech, in turn, shoved the lady to the ground. the lady claims no one would call the fire dept she hadto do it herself. and she refused to go back she did notfeel safe and wantedto talk to the police. of course there was the fact that she was the one to initiate contact.. lol. she was very loud and the whole section wastired of hearing it but if you asked her anything directly her reply was ‘i don’t want to talk about it’

oh but you dooooo!!!

baker act man: there was a man who came in w/ like 3-4 bags full of clothes. homeless man. said voices were telling him to jump into traffic. see why weneed some psych nurses on the floor? i’m sure he’ll get shipped off to the mental health place i did my rotations at because that’s where the uninsured go and very little is done for them in the ER except constant monitoring by police.

hollerin’ lady: this woman came in SCREAMIN at the top of her lungs the following:”OH LORD!!! OH JESUS!! HELP ME JESUS! LORD HAVE MERCY PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASEEEEEEEEE GOD!! LORD DON’TLETME DIE! SOMEONE HELP MEMAKE IT STOP OH THE PAINNNNN PLEASE GOD MAKE IT STOP LORD! MY LORDD!!!!!” so i went in there pleasasntly and introduced myself (my mistake because she then threw my name into her pleas) and started hookin her up to the monitors and such. she started yellin for me to please help her make it stop the pain is everywhere call the dr get an ultrasound do a catscan getsome percocet (it was odd she’d havethese moments of clarity during this immense pain where she would demand tests that one would only knowhad they been there before lol). lateri came in and she looked kinda euphoric so i assumeshe got meds. some family came later they were all just standing looking at her. very odd. i never found out what her issue was butevery1 kind of looked how i felt like…really?

not accusing her of faking it ijs something seemed…off

hip fracture lady- another hip fracture. (there were actually like 4). this poor woman came in on herside. could not hardly move.a lil while later i walk down one of the halls and hearthe worst screams everrrrr. everyone stopped and listened. it was gut wrenching. she was in the x-ray room and idk what they did or how they made her lay but you would’ve thought she was being quartered! (do y’all know what quartering is?) it was so bad. literally screaming bloody MURDER. then lateri had to help transport her upstairs to room on the ortho floor. she said she’d try her best to not scream i told her to do what she needed to do. and then she asked if we should close the door i said yes. she fine as we shifted her via sliding board from one bed to another but we gave one lastpush and she lost it and began snapping on allof us. in the midst of her yelling i heard her say she was a nurse and she knewwaht she was supposed to do. i can’t imagine that kind of pain

wished her well and left

HIV lady- this made me sick. there was a woman who was HIV positive and didn’t want anyone to know- including her husband. everytime i looked atthat poor man…andthen i’d look at her… i was trying not to judge but..ok no i wasn’t. but i was trying to think of reasons why she didn’t want to tell him. idk what takes place behind closed doors but he seemed very caring concerned about her. and she looked very sicklyand just…likesomething waslegitwrong. so i wonder if he wonders why she is so sickly. she had very wide sunken eyes and a big wig on and she was very skinny. she just kinda staredexcept for when she slept and hereyes were like halfway open.eerie. i know that HIV has no face because it’s not always apparent but this is kind of what i used to picturewhen i would think of an AIDS patient. he on the other hand may have HIV and not even know it…just walking around.. i’mpretty sure that’s illegal right? that some authority should’ve been notified..but i asked and was shut down (by crazy nurse) so..idk

but this just speaks to how much education isneeded about HIV/AIDS so that it is not so taboo and people can get tested and not fearcoming forwardedwith theirdiagnosis. the one thing i got out of my HIV/AIDS counselor training was that people having the wrong idea of what HIV is and how you get it and WHO gets it and that it should be kept quiet and those people should be isolated..are the main ones who are in essence putting people atrisk. i feel the same way about anything that is condemned or considered taboo because the less comfortable people feelcomingforwardabout ANYTHING the more likely it is to show up somewhere in a way that affects someone’s mental or physical health whether the issue is HIV, homosexuality, abortions,whatever. keeping it quiet doesn’t keep it from being real. people need to be educated, accepting, and willing to helpthose struggling

ok off my soapbox

so then there was

oh wait

about hiv lady. she hadthis weirdgurgling sound coming from herroom. idk whatit was (sounded like a machine) but i couldn’t look in too long because she kept staring at me and i didn’t wanttobestaring back at her

ok so then therewas scabieslady -_- this woman… sigh

this little old lady comes in regularly. my firstencounter though. she lives in a homelessshelter because she was kicked out of a nursinghome. she was hitting the call button every 5 min (no, literally. every.5.min.) and crazy nurse toldme to just tke it away from her (smh) she was curled up in bed.i offered a pillow and she yelled at me about how she couldn’t have pillows. ok.. she asked mefor something pillow-like butmade of cotton because she could only have cotton (had she checked the tags on our pillows before?) so i gaveher a chux pad andshethanked me. lateri come in and she tossesit atme andaskswho gaveherthat (me, remember? and you thanked me!) saidit wasn’tcotton and she was going to break out. mind you she was constantly scratching all over her body. when it came time to transporther upstairs (we all almost cheered) she gaveus a hard time about beinghalf naked. ‘i can’t go up there! i’m not dressedlook at me!’ ok well thenhere is a gown ‘i have a shirton!’ then either take it off or put the gown over it.. soshe coomplied. thneasshe was getting up shestepped on her IVtubing andpulled the IV out ofherarm… no bloodthankfully but sheblamedme. ‘LOOK WHAT YOU DO! YOU….SLOPPY…STUPID…YOU!’ i was like ‘excuse me??u steppedon it’ no i didn’t! u know that’s not true! you’re a liar! i was like’how didi pull it out when i have my hands full of your stuff? ‘you know what youdid. you know!” i saidokthen

and i left to get the lady who starts IVs partiallybecause she wasthe only 1 scabies lady trusted. she wasannoyed because she had a hardtime gettingthat IV to begin with. took hera longggggtime to getanother. and we wereall scaared of scabies. i bathedin thesink w/ hot water. finally i took her up butshe didn’t seeit wasme transportingher. soshe wastalking normally. when wegot upstairswegot her in bed (after she threw off all of the ‘non-cotton’sheetsand demandednew1s’ andthen found out we needed 2 put her in a differentbed. she threw a fit. her hospital roommate waskind enough to help coax her into moving. she claimedshe couldn’t walkso i told heri saw her walk to that bed. she said i wasthe same liar that pulled her IVout. ok. so i askedhow she gotintotht bed. and shesaid ‘very slowly’i said well then thatis how u shall get into this new 1 come on let’s go. she went.called me an idiot a few more times. i left. bleh. shealso demanded a vinegarbath 4her feet becauseshe didn’t wantto ‘lose them’

eye burn guy(last story)- thiskid camein w/ a burn toboth eyes from looking atawelding light too long. apparently u don’t feel the burn til much later. his whole face was red. his dadsaidhe hadcriedwhich showed how much pain he was in. crazy nurse wasgoin on and on like a lunatic but i couldn’t help but laugh. the kid wasa good sport. anyone else would’ve snapped and just demanded meds. so wehad to do this cool procedure and she letme help (smh..pretty sure it wasn’t within my scope) butwhat wedidwas we tookthese things called morgan lensesand putthem into each eye to coverhis iris andconnected them 2 1L normal salineeach and let itfreeflow intohis eyes to irrigate. itwasa cold and painful he was sobbingand grabbing onto hisdad fora bout 10min. omgsh. i hate eye stuff. but tahtwas pretty cool. ahhhhspacebar is driving me crazy! ok sry again. before that we gave him percocet and something to slightly numb his eyes. he did feel some better afterwards. he was soaking wetthough. lots of towels butstillwet

andthen the NP but a dyein each eye and used ablack lightto check for abrasions.none. yay! hereis a picofthe morgan lense

as you could imagine the water went everywherebecause it flowed out of his eyes andinto his ears, hair, bed, floor..

ok so the end! i kind of likedthat nighitshift.tlkd to crazy nurseabout nursing in other statesand wasn’tall thattired at the end ofit.

but nowbackto aschool sched. soi’ll havelesstime topreparemy body and recover

25 Aug 2012
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updates updates updates: me and school

in advance let me just say that my spacebar is acting CRAYCRAY so if i have any run-on words…that’s why

ok

so things have been busy and a little bit stressful for a few reasons.

financial aid issues with our program because we are 2nd degree students and they decided to call us post-bac students which means no fin aid unless you petition but thanks be to God it all worked out. the timing was just bad because that same week i was freaking out about not being able to know or decide where i’m going for work, grad school, and life after this program. convos about labor and delivery, public/community health, ER, cities w/ the most acting opportunities, loan repayment, moving closer to wear booskie is, picking the right midwifery prog…all of these things! overwhelming

anyways I decided ultimately to let go and let God for REAL because i just can’t…just can’t

lol

so now i’m relaxed. by choice. =)

financial aid came through. I’m applying any and everywhere (except for grad schools… those app fees are expensive so i need to narrow my list down BUT i have secured letters of recommendation which is exciting! it makes it real!! and i’m so grateful for professors that think highly of me because i wondered if I had really built any meaningful relationships. 1 from first semester even offered herself. so happy!)

classes this semester consist of half a semester of 2 classes (1 about leadership and 1 that ties our whole nursing education together) and half a semester of working a nurse with a nurse in an area of our choice if available. very limited spots though for what people really want (ie l&d) i chose labor/deliver, community health (health dpt) and perioperative as my top 3 prefs. we shall see!

i met a community health nurse who offered me to cme to her city and shadow her i need to contact her

i also was put in contact with a nurse midwife who serves my bf’s mom and she is really open to talking to me too (callinghertoday. excited!)

oh ok anyways so the classes. well the leadership class seems easy and the prof is great. i like her and her research

the other class we will work in small groups to solve/discuss casestudies and incorporateeverything we’velearned into each one. i wish ourwhole program were problem based learning (case studies and papers) rather than powerpoints and memorization exams. i feelthat’s my style

and i’m looking forthat when assessing gradschools

the class is very long (4 hrs 2 days in a row) but interactive and requires a lot of prepb4hand

tedious but it will really get us thinking like nurses in charges of our own case loads so iwill do my best to take it seriously!

i believethoseare all the school updates….ok nxtpost- ER stories

oh and i know i said i’d bein trauma for clinicals this semeste, but, alas, i am back in the VA…on a medsurg floor…3rd semester at VA. but only 8 wks!! andtechnically week1 is done=)

we nowhave clinicals 2 days per wkand we don’t haveto do patient pickup before hand

amenamen!