This is my last blog for the class Fundamentals of Nursing.
My instructor asked that we give her criticisms on the class:
I absolutely loved Ms. Damelio's teaching style and attitude towards nursing. She is so inspiring. She also is very patient and meticulous which are two traits I hope to strengthen in myself during this program in order to improve my professional career. I am super excited that I was lucky enough to land her as a lab and clinical instructor for my new class Nursing Concepts 1 starting next week?
Never once during Fundamentals of Nursing did I feel bored or that what we were learning was not going to be useful. I was actually amazed with everything I was learning so soon into the program. I liked that we covered a lot of the basics right off the bat. Some of the things I wasn't sure I liked about the class was the 3 hour long lecture and 4 hour long labs. We did have breaks which helped but I might have preferred several shorter classes.
Other than that I thought the class had a good balance of independent study and group discussion and learning. I also think that it is a good way to ease into the program and indicates how the program will progress. I'm overjoyed that I have made it through my first course in nursing school. Nursing Concepts and Pharmacology are going to be a real challenge and honestly I am terrified...in a good way :)
Thank you so much for being such a great teacher Ms. Damelio :) You made everything interesting, were incredibly organized, knew your stuff and I don't see anything you can change to improve :)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Entry 11?
Who knows what entry this is but YAY done with the final exam! This one was much harder than the midterm but regardless I am happy I am completely done with my first course of nursing school! Fundamentals of Nursing is under my belt and tomorrow I begin Pharmacology. I've heard horror stories of how hard it is but honestly I am looking forward to it. One thing that sort of bothered me was that in Fundamentals of Nursing it was very hard to study for because so many of the questions were situational critical thinking. There was also lots and LOTS of material covered over those short 8 weeks. I think Pharmacology will be much more straight forward and memorization which will be good for me. I like switching up learning and teaching and study styles.
Technically, I am no longer obligated to write this blog since my class is over but I've grown to find it therapeutic and maybe one day I can look back on this and reminisce about my nursing school days once I'm a Registered Nurse traveling the world haha. Who knows how many readers I have out there, but regardless this is therapeutic and maybe it will help future nursing students.
Its decided, I am keeping the blog :)
Anyways I ended up making it out of there with a B. I could've gotten an A but thats what were shooting for in Pharmacology. Rumor has it that we will begin learning IV's next week ahhh. Talk about pressure...sticking a needle into someones vein. WoW. Annnnd Clinicals will begin to get more frequent. Instead of once every other week word on the street is that there will be two a week! Bring it on!
Technically, I am no longer obligated to write this blog since my class is over but I've grown to find it therapeutic and maybe one day I can look back on this and reminisce about my nursing school days once I'm a Registered Nurse traveling the world haha. Who knows how many readers I have out there, but regardless this is therapeutic and maybe it will help future nursing students.
Its decided, I am keeping the blog :)
Anyways I ended up making it out of there with a B. I could've gotten an A but thats what were shooting for in Pharmacology. Rumor has it that we will begin learning IV's next week ahhh. Talk about pressure...sticking a needle into someones vein. WoW. Annnnd Clinicals will begin to get more frequent. Instead of once every other week word on the street is that there will be two a week! Bring it on!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Entry 7
Wow, WEDNESDAY is the final exam. Once finished with Wednesday I will be 1/8th on my way to becoming a registered nurse!
I have decided to apply a new outlook to my life and that is "do it while you can". I need to enjoy the downtime I have now before nursing school starts T A K I N G O V E R my life. That being said, I am going to Atlanta (back to my home town!!) to celebrate my best friends 21st birthday! I will be studying the entire 6 hour car ride there and back :)
I also have decided that while I am young and "can do it" I want to see the whole world and TRY EVERYTHING. I feel as though nursing will help me in so many ways such as travel (you can basically go anywhere you want to work) and exposes you to soooo many different scenarios and situations. Also, my fingers are still crossed that I'll meet that hott doctor that I am destined to marry ;)
Clincials this week were the toughest yet. My patient should have been classified paralyzed she was that weak...I had to feed her breakfast and lunch, lifting her hand 6 inches in physical therapy was a struggle. Standing was out of the question. She was completely dependent and it broke my heart but I realized that at least she has me. If I weren't there feeding her, dressing her, and being a voice for her then who would? I realize now that nursing is not the prettiest job, you see some gross things and people at their most vurnerable moments. Regardless, I know that they need us and more of us.
PS- I'm bailed at the last minute and couldn't quit Andrews...I had my two weeks notice typed up and everything but I had such a great shift, and made bank. Ughhh I have attachment issues haha
I have decided to apply a new outlook to my life and that is "do it while you can". I need to enjoy the downtime I have now before nursing school starts T A K I N G O V E R my life. That being said, I am going to Atlanta (back to my home town!!) to celebrate my best friends 21st birthday! I will be studying the entire 6 hour car ride there and back :)
I also have decided that while I am young and "can do it" I want to see the whole world and TRY EVERYTHING. I feel as though nursing will help me in so many ways such as travel (you can basically go anywhere you want to work) and exposes you to soooo many different scenarios and situations. Also, my fingers are still crossed that I'll meet that hott doctor that I am destined to marry ;)
Clincials this week were the toughest yet. My patient should have been classified paralyzed she was that weak...I had to feed her breakfast and lunch, lifting her hand 6 inches in physical therapy was a struggle. Standing was out of the question. She was completely dependent and it broke my heart but I realized that at least she has me. If I weren't there feeding her, dressing her, and being a voice for her then who would? I realize now that nursing is not the prettiest job, you see some gross things and people at their most vurnerable moments. Regardless, I know that they need us and more of us.
PS- I'm bailed at the last minute and couldn't quit Andrews...I had my two weeks notice typed up and everything but I had such a great shift, and made bank. Ughhh I have attachment issues haha
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Entry 6
I really enjoyed my clinical experience this week. Healthsouth is a very clean and organized facility however it is very apparent their shortage of staff. My pt was very sweet and I got a good experience with hygiene, dressing, transport, toileting etc. I seriously loveeee being a student nurse. I caught myself walking through the halls just smiling because it makes me so happy!
I think I did pretty well on my assessment and felt super professional doing it. I was a little timid because I was definetly all up in my patient's business.
I have decided to quit my job at Andrew's as well. I found myself sitting at the hostess stand thinking, "I just turned 20 years old, I am in nursing school, it's a Friday night and I should be letting loose". I am turning in my two weeks notice today which is a big step because I have worked there since I was a freshman...
As for my personal life it's been pretty crazy. I need to let loose for sure and destress, get organized and prioritize.
That's all for now :)
I think I did pretty well on my assessment and felt super professional doing it. I was a little timid because I was definetly all up in my patient's business.
I have decided to quit my job at Andrew's as well. I found myself sitting at the hostess stand thinking, "I just turned 20 years old, I am in nursing school, it's a Friday night and I should be letting loose". I am turning in my two weeks notice today which is a big step because I have worked there since I was a freshman...
As for my personal life it's been pretty crazy. I need to let loose for sure and destress, get organized and prioritize.
That's all for now :)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Entry 5
Wow this week has flown (flew?) by!! This week in lab we began learning medication administration which is super exciting!! My initial thought was just hmmm how are we going to spend an entire day just talking about taking a couple of pills, putting them in a souffle cup and handing them to a patient accompanied by a glass of water...I was very mistaken.
I had nooooo idea how many different types of medications there were available and ways of administering them!! Eye ointment, eye drops, oral capsules, or liquids, by ear, by rectum, trans dermal, nasal just to name a few... it was so interesting though!! We learned how to open capsules and crush up pills and mix them with pudding for patients who struggle with swallowing, how and where to place trans dermal (skin) patches and how to label them. It was super exciting. I feel like the biggest nerd ever for getting excited about stuff like this but even on the weekends I look forward to going back to school and learning more!! I can't even tell you how excited I am for when we begin to learn about giving vaccines, IVs, and taking blood!
Lecture today was super intense and heavy. We spoke about ethics and I hope that I will never have to encounter some of the ethical challenges we studied today personally or professionally. They are such sensitive topics (such as do not resuscitate life support, feeding tubes, going against physicians orders, abuse, prioritizing patients, parents who have different ideas for their child's health etc). Today's lecture also confronted me with the scary thought that I do not have a will. I should probably get around to writing one of those along with my dying wishes...
Regardless this job comes with its ups and downs and I'll have to learn how to handle it all...Although what I am learning now is to not become emotionally attached or give advice to patients (only options) I fear I will become desensitized overtime...I hope I don't. I guess today's lecture and all the crazy case studies really got to me because they were all just so heavy and intense. It makes me very grateful for the family I have been blessed with and the opportunities given to me. :)
My heart is still set on moving to Hawaii once I graduate. I know its a stretch but I figure why not? I'm young and don't have anything really tying me down. Nurses are needed everywhere. Trouble happens in paradise too ;)
I had nooooo idea how many different types of medications there were available and ways of administering them!! Eye ointment, eye drops, oral capsules, or liquids, by ear, by rectum, trans dermal, nasal just to name a few... it was so interesting though!! We learned how to open capsules and crush up pills and mix them with pudding for patients who struggle with swallowing, how and where to place trans dermal (skin) patches and how to label them. It was super exciting. I feel like the biggest nerd ever for getting excited about stuff like this but even on the weekends I look forward to going back to school and learning more!! I can't even tell you how excited I am for when we begin to learn about giving vaccines, IVs, and taking blood!
Lecture today was super intense and heavy. We spoke about ethics and I hope that I will never have to encounter some of the ethical challenges we studied today personally or professionally. They are such sensitive topics (such as do not resuscitate life support, feeding tubes, going against physicians orders, abuse, prioritizing patients, parents who have different ideas for their child's health etc). Today's lecture also confronted me with the scary thought that I do not have a will. I should probably get around to writing one of those along with my dying wishes...
Regardless this job comes with its ups and downs and I'll have to learn how to handle it all...Although what I am learning now is to not become emotionally attached or give advice to patients (only options) I fear I will become desensitized overtime...I hope I don't. I guess today's lecture and all the crazy case studies really got to me because they were all just so heavy and intense. It makes me very grateful for the family I have been blessed with and the opportunities given to me. :)
My heart is still set on moving to Hawaii once I graduate. I know its a stretch but I figure why not? I'm young and don't have anything really tying me down. Nurses are needed everywhere. Trouble happens in paradise too ;)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Entry 4.5
Thankfully, Ms. Damelio threw out question 17 (thanks!) and I ended up making a 90! I'm pretty satisfied with that grade butttt it sucks because in nursing school the grading scale is tougher and an A is a 93% or higher! Ugh. Regardless, I can't complain.
This week, waking up for the clinical experience was not nearly as difficult as my first one. We went to TMH rehab center and I was assigned a patient (shared with Victoria) who had issues with her right knee. She needed assisting in almost all her ADLs although she had a very independent spirit. Victoria and I assisted her with toileting and a bed bath. Although it followed the structure of what was practiced in lab, a real bed bath on a patient is much different than practicing on a young healthy fellow nursing student. It definitely caught me off guard and I felt out of my element although I didn't let it show.
Victoria and I observed our patient in occupational and physical therapy and I can confidently say I do NOT want to be a nurse on that floor. Something about it I just didn't like although I can't specifically put my finger on it. Perhaps it was a discouraged patient that broke down crying or maybe it was the fact that I was having to watch adults of all ages basically relearn such basic things like walking? More power to the people that enjoyed it and have the patience to handle work in that field.
I crave excitement and action which I am hoping to find in the military being a combat nurse. I'm talking gun shot wounds and people who have had their legs blown off. (I don't hope people get their legs blown off but I want to HELP people who find themselves in situations like that).
I thoroughly enjoyed lab this week learning about wound dressings. I definitely want a real life experience on that to see if it's just as cool and interesting as I thought it was in lab.
I am still shocked about the severeness a pressure wound can build up to basically by just sitting in one position for an extended period of time. It blows my mind that if someone is just sitting there they can get an open wound. It sort of makes me paranoid of myself, (I tossed and turned in bed all night that night) but also about my patients. How terrible that would be to have one of your patients receive a pressure wound as a result of you (or me) forgetting to move and reposition someone. I am grateful I am learning these things now though.
I had a pretty good weekend and definitely let loose, Friday night down town get down was so much fun. The band was awesome and I made a good amount of cash working beer tub. I think I am going to reward myself with a massage? Nursing school is pretty stressful and the last thing I need is knots building up in my muscles...I think I'll get Audra to do it! :) ...this is the first weekend I really don't have school on my mind since we just finished the midterm and clinicals. I am also overall pleased with my elder reminiscence paper...hopefully Ms. Damelio will be too.
Tomorrow it's back to reality...although I'm not complaining. I LOVE nursing school :) Yay! I can't wait to be an RN!
This week, waking up for the clinical experience was not nearly as difficult as my first one. We went to TMH rehab center and I was assigned a patient (shared with Victoria) who had issues with her right knee. She needed assisting in almost all her ADLs although she had a very independent spirit. Victoria and I assisted her with toileting and a bed bath. Although it followed the structure of what was practiced in lab, a real bed bath on a patient is much different than practicing on a young healthy fellow nursing student. It definitely caught me off guard and I felt out of my element although I didn't let it show.
Victoria and I observed our patient in occupational and physical therapy and I can confidently say I do NOT want to be a nurse on that floor. Something about it I just didn't like although I can't specifically put my finger on it. Perhaps it was a discouraged patient that broke down crying or maybe it was the fact that I was having to watch adults of all ages basically relearn such basic things like walking? More power to the people that enjoyed it and have the patience to handle work in that field.
I crave excitement and action which I am hoping to find in the military being a combat nurse. I'm talking gun shot wounds and people who have had their legs blown off. (I don't hope people get their legs blown off but I want to HELP people who find themselves in situations like that).
I thoroughly enjoyed lab this week learning about wound dressings. I definitely want a real life experience on that to see if it's just as cool and interesting as I thought it was in lab.
I am still shocked about the severeness a pressure wound can build up to basically by just sitting in one position for an extended period of time. It blows my mind that if someone is just sitting there they can get an open wound. It sort of makes me paranoid of myself, (I tossed and turned in bed all night that night) but also about my patients. How terrible that would be to have one of your patients receive a pressure wound as a result of you (or me) forgetting to move and reposition someone. I am grateful I am learning these things now though.
I had a pretty good weekend and definitely let loose, Friday night down town get down was so much fun. The band was awesome and I made a good amount of cash working beer tub. I think I am going to reward myself with a massage? Nursing school is pretty stressful and the last thing I need is knots building up in my muscles...I think I'll get Audra to do it! :) ...this is the first weekend I really don't have school on my mind since we just finished the midterm and clinicals. I am also overall pleased with my elder reminiscence paper...hopefully Ms. Damelio will be too.
Tomorrow it's back to reality...although I'm not complaining. I LOVE nursing school :) Yay! I can't wait to be an RN!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Entry 4
Thank goodness the midterm is OVER! I am 50% done with Fundamentals of Nursing! After taking the test I have come to the conclusion that there is a specific logic and way nurses must think. Although I find the textbook very helpful I feel as though it is more a guide. The test had questions that applied techniques and theories that were found in the book applied to real life situations. Thankfully I am pleased that I did very well on the test and will be even more pleased if Ms. Damelieo decides to throw out question 17 ;).
Bed baths and dental hygeiene were studied in lab this week and it was a little awkward (no offense Todd) but definetly not as weird as I thought it was going to be. It might be weirder though when I get an actual naked stranger in front of me. We also practiced teeth brushing on an unconcious patient and I found it pretty comical. I think its important to have a good sense of humor as a nurse. Although the job is intense and carries a lot of weight there are some points where you just have to sit back and laugh and make sure youre still human.
I have a clinical this Friday that starts bright and early at 6:45 AM. I'm a little nervous but have an idea of what to expect based on last weeks experience. We will also be practicing bed making which suprisingly, I enjoy (gotta love those hospital corners).
Everyday I feel as though I am advancing as a nurse and learning new essential skills! I will write another entry after my clincal on Friday. (I am actually starting to kind of like this thing :) )
Oh PS come to downtown get down this Friday downtown. I'll be working the beer tub at Andrews. Come buy an adult beverage from me and release all that nursing school stress. I'll definetly be having one. Friday will be a long day with my 6:45 am clinicals!
Bed baths and dental hygeiene were studied in lab this week and it was a little awkward (no offense Todd) but definetly not as weird as I thought it was going to be. It might be weirder though when I get an actual naked stranger in front of me. We also practiced teeth brushing on an unconcious patient and I found it pretty comical. I think its important to have a good sense of humor as a nurse. Although the job is intense and carries a lot of weight there are some points where you just have to sit back and laugh and make sure youre still human.
I have a clinical this Friday that starts bright and early at 6:45 AM. I'm a little nervous but have an idea of what to expect based on last weeks experience. We will also be practicing bed making which suprisingly, I enjoy (gotta love those hospital corners).
Everyday I feel as though I am advancing as a nurse and learning new essential skills! I will write another entry after my clincal on Friday. (I am actually starting to kind of like this thing :) )
Oh PS come to downtown get down this Friday downtown. I'll be working the beer tub at Andrews. Come buy an adult beverage from me and release all that nursing school stress. I'll definetly be having one. Friday will be a long day with my 6:45 am clinicals!
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