YKYW - Nursing Student Blog

Clinicals have been interesting lately. I spent a few days in the ER. Things get really busy in the evenings! I was able to do an in and out urinary catheter on a woman, and I started 7 IVs. Well, I attempted 9, but only successfully started 7 of them. Considering these were my first attempts on a real person, I’ll take it!

I also got to see an active MI (myocardial infarction)! Seeing someone come while in the middle of a heart attack was very exciting. To see how it was handled, how people responded … I even got to follow it up to the cardiac cath lab and see them place several stents (not shunts) and a pacemaker. I’m still amazed at how fast everything was done.

Our major care plans were due last week. Mine came in at almost 40 pages long. I wrote mine on a patient who had a recent kidney transplant, and developed an infection.

For the most part, my teacher has turned me loose. I’m giving oral medications, injections and hanging IV piggybacks totally on my own. It’s almost like I’m a real nurse!

As for lecture, I’m doing okay. Not great, but not too horrible, either. Things are still a bit touch-and-go, but I’m trying to turn it around.

Several people have written to ask me how things are going. This has been a heck of a year, lemme tell you!

One of the reasons I’ve been stressed out is because I’ve been experiencing significant abdominal pain pretty much every time I try to eat anything. Over the Christmas holiday, I went to the doctor to have some testing done and when I got the results, it threw me for a bit of a loop. I’m allergic to a ton of stuff, including gluten, egg yolks and whites, dairy, soy, corn, tomatoes, and safflower. And those are just a few of my food allergies! The entire list is rather long.

Needless to say, since I was trying to live on bananas and orange juice, I tortured my immune system. I’ve been sick since early January and finally went to the doctor earlier this week (being a student with no health insurance really bites!). It’s just bronchitis, so they gave me some steroids, antibiotics and stuff like that. I’m trying to bulk up on my vitamin C and take better care of myself.

As for school … I really didn’t do well on the first test, but I did fairly well on the second one. I didn’t quite pull myself out of the hole I dug, but hope is not lost. I’ll have my third lecture test next week (out of five total), so I’ll have a good idea then of where I’m sitting overall.

Clinicals are going fairly well. I’ve had some really interesting patients, and I’m getting to do a ton of nursing skills. I’ve been giving oral meds on my own for a while now (no more waiting on the instructor!), and I just got the OK to start hanging IVs on my own, too! The first time I went around handing out oral medications to my patients on my own, I really started to feel like a nurse. I can only imagine the feeling when I get to hang that first IV without my instructor!

I haven’t been able to start on IV yet on a real person, but our instructor is really trying to find us good situations. Since I’m still trying to develop my sea legs, so to speak, and not get queasy, I’m not in any hurry.

So, yes, I’m still here, plugging away. Thanks to everyone who’s written to ask about me and wish me well!