"Close your eyes and define.....integrity"
"Draw a picture of what nursing is. No words allowed"
"Nursing is like waterlilies. You have to dig into the mud to find out what makes the beauty grow"
Umm.....
In other words, welcome to grad school!
In all actuality, it was really good. Realistically, I have determined that I am naive and very optimistic to think I can handle grad school while having a full time position. It would be very manageable except for the fact that I still like doing other things not related to nursing at all. However, I still believe that I'll be able to get into the swing of things and develop a schedule that allows me to maintain the important things (Family, friends, food, fitness, fsleep).
Anywhoo..... I'm taking a pathophysiology class that includes an 1800 page, 10 pound textbook that we will read from cover to cover in 15 weeks. It is not light reading either. Luckily, that class works like a normal nursing class. A syllabus with assignments and due dates and memorization. Bring it on.
My other class is nursing theory. The quotes from the beginning of this post were from my theory professor. I actually found it rather fascinating, but this class is nothing like a regular nursing class. Our end of the semester project is our concept of nursing in an art form. She said we could include quilts, sculptures, dance, song, or any other art we could think of that didn't include words. All of the nurses in the room were staring at her like deer in the headlights. We are nurses. For a reason.
BUT. I think that the professor is actually extremely smart, and I'll learn a lot from her class. I might roll my eyes a couple of times, but I am excited.
That's all for now.
See ya on the flip side.
-C-
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Because we care
I love games. One of my new favorites is called 'rap battle' (I'm not really sure if that's the proper term, but it's the only name I know) In this game, you have two teams lined up across from each other. The two people at the front of each line are the rappers. Everybody agrees on a word (we'll use cat as our example) and then the game starts. The rappers take turns making up a short rap that rhymes with the chosen word but leaves the last word blank. (I wear it on my head and it's called a ______) Your team has to shout out the correct word. Then everybody chants "doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap" (This gives the opponent a little time to think) Then the opponent has to come up with another rhyme (In baseball I hit and swing my _____). This goes back and forth until one person messes up. Then the rappers go to the back of the line and two new people pick a new word. It causes a lot of anxiety, but it really fun.
I told you all that because I decided just now that I'm going to have a single-person rap battle with myself about nursing. I have yet to come up with any rhymes, so it's possible that I'll delete this entire post, but since I typed out how to play that game, I feel like I'm committed now. I'm the rapper and you're all on my team. Some of these might get creative, so please give me some slack.
Here we go. Ready? Also.... some rhymes might be a little more on the borderline inappropriate side. But hey, it's nursing.
The first word is CARE.
A doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I transport a patient in a wheel______
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
When a person gets chemo they can lose their _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Don't have special socks? I'll get you a ____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Before you go to surgery, we'll say a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Sometimes snooty doctors make me want to _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I'm donating blood cause I've got lots to _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Color coded scrubs are what the nurses _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
We'll do anything for you, because we _____
Ok. Time to change words. Themed rhymes are very difficult.
The word is PAIN
A doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I'm going to stick this needle into your _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you twisted your ankle, you might have a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you eat a lot, you'll have weight ____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
You are crazy. There's something wrong in your _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
You can use a walker, or a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Sometimes nurses think they'll be driven ____ (two syllables)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you poop on my scrubs, I'll have to wash out the _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you want to quit smoking, you'll have to _____ (this is a tricky one)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I know you're in pain, cause I can hear you ____ (two syllables)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you'll pull out your IV, we'll use mittens to _____ (two syllables)
Ok. That was getting too hard for you. Obviously. I could have kept going.....
Last one. The word is MAN
A doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you're really hot, I'll get you a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you bumped your head, we'll send you for a CT ____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you need a wheelchair, you'll drive a bigger _____ (sorry, bad clue)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
From your birth to your death is called your life_____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Don't want surgery? Got a better ____?
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Gotta go? Can't move? Here's a _____ ( two syllables)
That's all folks. Hope that kept you mildly entertained. You know what would be fun? Is if you commented and left your answers. I could offer a buck or something to whoever gets them all right. Ha. Sure. I'll give you a buck.
-C-
I told you all that because I decided just now that I'm going to have a single-person rap battle with myself about nursing. I have yet to come up with any rhymes, so it's possible that I'll delete this entire post, but since I typed out how to play that game, I feel like I'm committed now. I'm the rapper and you're all on my team. Some of these might get creative, so please give me some slack.
Here we go. Ready? Also.... some rhymes might be a little more on the borderline inappropriate side. But hey, it's nursing.
The first word is CARE.
A doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I transport a patient in a wheel______
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
When a person gets chemo they can lose their _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Don't have special socks? I'll get you a ____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Before you go to surgery, we'll say a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Sometimes snooty doctors make me want to _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I'm donating blood cause I've got lots to _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Color coded scrubs are what the nurses _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
We'll do anything for you, because we _____
Ok. Time to change words. Themed rhymes are very difficult.
The word is PAIN
A doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I'm going to stick this needle into your _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you twisted your ankle, you might have a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you eat a lot, you'll have weight ____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
You are crazy. There's something wrong in your _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
You can use a walker, or a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Sometimes nurses think they'll be driven ____ (two syllables)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you poop on my scrubs, I'll have to wash out the _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you want to quit smoking, you'll have to _____ (this is a tricky one)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
I know you're in pain, cause I can hear you ____ (two syllables)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you'll pull out your IV, we'll use mittens to _____ (two syllables)
Ok. That was getting too hard for you. Obviously. I could have kept going.....
Last one. The word is MAN
A doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you're really hot, I'll get you a _____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you bumped your head, we'll send you for a CT ____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
If you need a wheelchair, you'll drive a bigger _____ (sorry, bad clue)
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
From your birth to your death is called your life_____
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Don't want surgery? Got a better ____?
doo rap rap rap a doo rap rap!
Gotta go? Can't move? Here's a _____ ( two syllables)
That's all folks. Hope that kept you mildly entertained. You know what would be fun? Is if you commented and left your answers. I could offer a buck or something to whoever gets them all right. Ha. Sure. I'll give you a buck.
-C-
Monday, August 10, 2015
Moments: Episode 5
Another Moments post! The posts where I get the most comments/compliments so I assume you like them but I always have a really hard time writing because telling stories is very difficult in the written format which is why I became a nurse and not an author but I have so many stories to tell you and I don't get to see you all in person to tell them so I guess I have to write these posts even though I get nervous because something that was really hilarious or meaningful in real life might not come across through text and then you won't find it funny and won't read my blog anymore and I do get some satisfaction from seeing how many people read my blog and yes I meant this to be a run-on sentence because the grammar was too hard to figure out and if I was talking to you in person this would have all been said in one gigantic breath. Phew. Let's get down to business.
-After I took care of a patient 3 shifts in a row, I would go and see him during my shift even though he wasn't my patient. I would spend 10ish minutes in his room talking to him. After a few visits, as I would leave my patient would casually say, "Love you". This is still occurring every day I work.
-I had a fifteen minute conversation with a patient about Star Trek: our favorite series, characters, the remakes, etc. As I left the room, he held up the Vulcan salute (see below) and told me to Live Long and Prosper.
-Explaining a procedure to a patient's family member who had been giving the staff a hard time about it. It turns out, he was just confused about the purpose of the procedure. I had the time to print out some education and pictures. Afterwards, he wanted to procedure to be done and we were able to give the patient the best care available.
- Walking in on a patient crying and running in all concerned about her. Turns out, she was crying because she was so grateful for her husband who was beside her through all of her cancer ordeal. She proceeded to tell me her precious and lengthy love story.
-Learning something new every day- whether it's a skill I haven't done before, a new medication, a new type of cancer treatment, or how something works at the hospital.
-I was assigned to a patient for three days in a row. Each time I walked in, I put on my sweet, caring, cheerful face. In response, I received more harrumphs and grunts and hmmphs than I ever have in my life. By the end, I realized that the perkier I was, the grumpier he was. I wasn't going to stoop to his level, so I decided to be the perkiest little nurse he would ever deal with. I sure showed him!
-I started taking care of a patient who was bedbound, needing strong pain medication every two hours, and unable to eat anything. I worked with her each day for four days, and by the end, she was making 10 laps around the unit, eating a regular diet, and spreading her pain meds out more and more each time. She was able to leave in time to make it to her daughter's birthday party because of the progress she made in those four days.
-I am telling you now that I clean up 90% less poop than I did at my last job. However, I will never escape it completely. I walked into a room and there was a copious amount of poop on the bed, on the patient, on the siderails, on the patient's hand, on the bedside table, and everywhere else he could reach. He looked at us and said, "I think I pooped a little."
-Greeting family members by name as they visit their loved ones day after day.
-A patient ended up staying much longer than originally anticipated. This patient had a G-tube (where they feed you through a tube directly into your stomach) because he couldn't eat the normal way. I told him that we should throw him a party to celebrate when he would be able to go home. I told him we could bring balloons/ pin the tail on the donkey/ other party activities that didn't require eating. He then remarked, "I'm pretty sure if you were to pour booze down my tube, it would have the same effect."
That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks for reading!
-C-
-After I took care of a patient 3 shifts in a row, I would go and see him during my shift even though he wasn't my patient. I would spend 10ish minutes in his room talking to him. After a few visits, as I would leave my patient would casually say, "Love you". This is still occurring every day I work.
-I had a fifteen minute conversation with a patient about Star Trek: our favorite series, characters, the remakes, etc. As I left the room, he held up the Vulcan salute (see below) and told me to Live Long and Prosper.
-Explaining a procedure to a patient's family member who had been giving the staff a hard time about it. It turns out, he was just confused about the purpose of the procedure. I had the time to print out some education and pictures. Afterwards, he wanted to procedure to be done and we were able to give the patient the best care available.
- Walking in on a patient crying and running in all concerned about her. Turns out, she was crying because she was so grateful for her husband who was beside her through all of her cancer ordeal. She proceeded to tell me her precious and lengthy love story.
-Learning something new every day- whether it's a skill I haven't done before, a new medication, a new type of cancer treatment, or how something works at the hospital.
-I was assigned to a patient for three days in a row. Each time I walked in, I put on my sweet, caring, cheerful face. In response, I received more harrumphs and grunts and hmmphs than I ever have in my life. By the end, I realized that the perkier I was, the grumpier he was. I wasn't going to stoop to his level, so I decided to be the perkiest little nurse he would ever deal with. I sure showed him!
-I started taking care of a patient who was bedbound, needing strong pain medication every two hours, and unable to eat anything. I worked with her each day for four days, and by the end, she was making 10 laps around the unit, eating a regular diet, and spreading her pain meds out more and more each time. She was able to leave in time to make it to her daughter's birthday party because of the progress she made in those four days.
-I am telling you now that I clean up 90% less poop than I did at my last job. However, I will never escape it completely. I walked into a room and there was a copious amount of poop on the bed, on the patient, on the siderails, on the patient's hand, on the bedside table, and everywhere else he could reach. He looked at us and said, "I think I pooped a little."
-Greeting family members by name as they visit their loved ones day after day.
-A patient ended up staying much longer than originally anticipated. This patient had a G-tube (where they feed you through a tube directly into your stomach) because he couldn't eat the normal way. I told him that we should throw him a party to celebrate when he would be able to go home. I told him we could bring balloons/ pin the tail on the donkey/ other party activities that didn't require eating. He then remarked, "I'm pretty sure if you were to pour booze down my tube, it would have the same effect."
That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks for reading!
-C-
Monday, August 3, 2015
A takeaway
Happy Monday!
For people who work on weekends, Mondays aren't necessarily bad. Today was a great day off. A solid start to the week.
One thing that I have taken away from the last month at my new job is kind of a dichotomy. I have realized what great experience I've already had as a nurse. BUT, I have also realized that there are so many things that I have left to learn.
During classroom orientation, I was with a bunch of new grads starting their first job. Their comments were similar to mine a year ago, "This is the longest day ever..." "Don't they know we were just in nursing school?" Etc... After a year of being a new nurse, I am more humble now than I was then. I am very aware of my own limitations. I was very grateful to have experienced nurses talk to us about things that are tricky or tough to deal with. I realize that I will always be learning and one year of experience doesn't do the trick.
On the flip side, there are things that I dealt with at my previous job that have given me an edge. For one thing, I have knowledge about EKGs and cardiac related things that the other nurses on my unit might not have dealt with for a long time. Also, my previous unit had a crazy variety of patients. I dealt with patient situations that were critical or unique. I feel like I can find a way to deal with whatever comes my way because that's how I operated for the last 10 months.
I guess that my main point is whether you're a new grad or have been a nurse for 35 years, you have something to offer. Now in my attempt to be philosophical, I am going to venture out and say that this can apply to other areas of life. You can learn something from anyone. (I just laughed at myself for typing that. I've become a cheese-ball.) In 1 Timothy, it talks about not letting anyone look down on you because you're young. I always liked that verse as a young person, and as I become an old(er) person, I hope I will still like that verse. Now that I've bored you with your philosophy lesson for the day, I'm going to make some dinner, put on my pj's way too early, read a good book, and hit the hay early tonight.
Thanks for making it this far. Unless you're a skimmer. That doesn't count. Go back and read it. You could learn something ;)
Love,
C
For people who work on weekends, Mondays aren't necessarily bad. Today was a great day off. A solid start to the week.
One thing that I have taken away from the last month at my new job is kind of a dichotomy. I have realized what great experience I've already had as a nurse. BUT, I have also realized that there are so many things that I have left to learn.
During classroom orientation, I was with a bunch of new grads starting their first job. Their comments were similar to mine a year ago, "This is the longest day ever..." "Don't they know we were just in nursing school?" Etc... After a year of being a new nurse, I am more humble now than I was then. I am very aware of my own limitations. I was very grateful to have experienced nurses talk to us about things that are tricky or tough to deal with. I realize that I will always be learning and one year of experience doesn't do the trick.
On the flip side, there are things that I dealt with at my previous job that have given me an edge. For one thing, I have knowledge about EKGs and cardiac related things that the other nurses on my unit might not have dealt with for a long time. Also, my previous unit had a crazy variety of patients. I dealt with patient situations that were critical or unique. I feel like I can find a way to deal with whatever comes my way because that's how I operated for the last 10 months.
I guess that my main point is whether you're a new grad or have been a nurse for 35 years, you have something to offer. Now in my attempt to be philosophical, I am going to venture out and say that this can apply to other areas of life. You can learn something from anyone. (I just laughed at myself for typing that. I've become a cheese-ball.) In 1 Timothy, it talks about not letting anyone look down on you because you're young. I always liked that verse as a young person, and as I become an old(er) person, I hope I will still like that verse. Now that I've bored you with your philosophy lesson for the day, I'm going to make some dinner, put on my pj's way too early, read a good book, and hit the hay early tonight.
Thanks for making it this far. Unless you're a skimmer. That doesn't count. Go back and read it. You could learn something ;)
Love,
C
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