Midterms in February?

So this is midterms week! So exciting! NOT!!!!!! I hate comprehensive exams. They are waaaaay to broad. I have the most difficult time studying for them. There is just such a plethora of information that I don't know where to start and don't know how in depth to study it. Fortunately for our Midterm it's 75 questions and 50 of them will come from the two units we are just learning now: Hematology & Immunology/Malignancy.  The other 25 will come from the previous 4 units: Intra-Operative Care, Respiratory, Cardiac & Musculoskeletal. So I know what information to spend the majority of my study time on. As intense as this class is, it is a lot nicer having just a single lecture paired with a Clinical verses three classes and a clinical like I had last semester. So far I'm doing alright (fingers crossed).

• Clinical was quite interesting. On Tuesday I only had one patient and was prepared to receive a fresh surgical patient. Well unfortunately (or fortunately) I never got one. So I had plenty of time to do what I was doing, but got caught up and bored. The reason I didn't get a surgical was a) There was a lack of them and b) Two classmates were on the list first, one because her patient went up to CCU and she had none and another girls patient went home so she didn't have one either. Wednesday I had two patients. The same one from Tuesday and a second one. That went alright. It was an experience in juggling 2 patients and how I wish they would've given us some tips or tricks. Oh no, that'd be too easy so we were just thrown to the sharks. I think I did okay...
• Friday I took my midterm. We took it on the computer over blackboard (the most evilest, stupidest online tool ever) and we got instant feedback. I ended up with an 83%. Not that great but I PASSED! I have adopted the same mantra as many of the ladies in my class have: 80% is Passing. Who gives a shit about grades anymore as long as at the end of the day you have that 80.00% or higher. You did it. You deserve a pat on the back. Way to go!

I really am sucking with keeping up with my entries but I'm a 2nd semester Nursing student in Health Alterations...that's excuse enough!
 5 weeks and 1 semester down, 12 weeks and 2 semesters to go.

Better Late than Never?!?

So this is a late blog post, but to keep it in it's proper week, I changed the date. Yes, I'm cheating!!! This week brought about a lot of crazy stress, busywork and some cool and interesting things.

• The first few weeks of Lecture were nice cuz we didn't have any exams. Now I have one once a week. My second exam was on Friday and it was on the Cardiovascular System and Musculoskeletal Systems. I did surprisingly well with an 88%. So far so good, I have an 89% exam average!
• Clinicals! I had my first day of 2 patients. That did not go so well. Tuesday I just had my one patient and I was able to time manage quite well. On Wednesday I received a 2nd patient, a post-op patient. I was excited for the challenge because one patient just didn't seem to fill up my day and I feel like I'm intruding when I'm in the patients room all day. Well I was getting grilled by my instructor so I missed the bedside report of my new patient coming in. So I basically knew that a) she was female. b) she had a total shoulder arthroplasty and c) her name. So when I went to do my head to toe assessment on her I missed a lot of stuff that I had no idea was supposed to be charted. So I got a big fat 0 on my documentation evaluation. I WAS PISSED! Needless to say, I'm hoping that next week will go better cuz that just sucked!!
• I got to go into the OR with my patient to see him have an ERCP. An ERCP is done post surgically for patients who have had a cholecystectomy (gall bladder removed) to make sure that the bile ducts aren't clogged with bile sludge or gall stones. An endoscope is sent down the patients throat until it gets to the stomach, then to the duodenum. From there you can reach the bile ducts.  Since you are in surgery you have to be as sterile as possible. So I was asked if I wanted to put on scrubs or a marshmallow suit. I was like I guess the suit since it was right there. Uh bad idea! The nurse was like uh take that thing off were gonna get you some scrubs! I like the idea of the OR scrubs. They are provided for you because they are laundered at the hospital. You DO NOT have to purchase uniforms if you work in the OR. However, they are BORING! 
• Unfortunately my patients procedure was delayed due to the doc being tied up in some other surgery so I was allowed to step in and watch a THA (Total Hip Arthroplasty) or in layman's terms a Hip Replacement Surgery. I was a little apprehensive going in cuz the thought of bones being sawed gives me the heeviest of jeevies. Fortunately for me, that part was done already but I was kinda take aback by the fact that after the prosthesis was in place the doc was taking that leg and moving it in all sorts of positions legs aren't supposed to go in. It looked like a contortionist. This is done to make sure that the joint moves properly before they close (stitch them back up). I was happy that I didn't get nauseous or light headed cuz even though it takes a lot to gross me out, there is always that chance you can get sick seeing a surgery for the first time. 
• When that surgery was done I met back up with the nurse that had kinda taken me under his wing and I got a little tour of the Surgical Floor. When it was time for my patient to FINALLY have his ERCP, I got to put on some "lead". Lead is a huge apron thing that is filled with lead to protect you from the X-Rays that are taken during the procedure. My lead was Tye-dyed. Before the surgery began, I got to see my first intubation (where the anesthesiologist places a tube down the patients throat into the trachea and it is used to breathe for the patient while they are on anesthesia)! After he was intubated, his Oxygen Saturation (amount of oxygen that your red blood cells has in them) dropped to 60%. The anesthetist started freaking out but was able to quickly stable the patient and got his stats back up above 90%. Then the procedure began and the doc basically looked like he was playing a video game. I only got to watch about 15 minutes of my guys procedure cuz I had to return to post conference but it is cool seeing all that anatomy on the TV. 

Lots of cool stuff but I'm just way too stressed out lately.

4 weeks and 1 semester completed. 13 weeks and 2 semesters to go!

Distractions

Some weeks when I blog, I'm really on top of it. The week is over, have to blog my week before I forget it! Other weeks it's Thursday and I'm like "I have to blog!" but the week isn't over, then the weekend comes.  Then I usually forget and it's Tuesday and I still need to write up the last weeks entry in which I start to forget little things I'd had wanted to add into it for future reference. Then there are the weekends where I have a butt ton of homework and I want to blog cuz I know I need to. I also know that I don't have time cuz those are usually work weekends. So it's either I blog and waste precious study time, which is a valuable commodity on work weekends, or I ignore it and remember sometime the next week. Then there are days like today where I have lots of time and I remembered I have to blog so I do it before I start homework this way it's done. It's one less distraction on the back of my mind. This blog is one of my many distractions. However it is a welcome distraction, when done at the right time.
Another distraction that I hate is the "I have to clean" distraction. Dusting, vacuuming, organizing, laundry, dishes - it all NEEDS to be done, especially when I HAVE to get my homework done. I can get a little OCD with that kinda stuff. I have learned to ignore it most of the time because I know that homework is more important because it has a due date. The cleaning can wait because it will still be there the next day. The cleaning thing happened a lot when I lived in Steubenville. But if you had a pig for a roommate who "just had to mess things up cuz I can't stand things clean" you'd be pissed when things were filthy all the time from her too. However, she is a different story and I'm glad I never have to see her again *end rant*.
My next biggest distraction is the TV/Internet. The TV isn't so bad anymore, I had cut out shows last semester and with the cancellation of Private Practice, I'm down to watching 3 on a regular basis. I can afford 3 hours of TV a week. I need to in order to not go crazy. Of those 3, only 1 will be on for the rest of the semester, the other two will have their season finales soon. The internet is always a big time waster too. So before I start my homework, I go on facebook and read my notifications, then I make sure I didn't get any emails from school and that there's nothing on blackboard or on my prof's website. Once I know everyone's business on my craputer, I can shut the lid and concentrate on schoolwork with it pushed across my room where I can't reach it from my bed. Unless I need it for something, then it's a little more tempting. I am getting better though.
But! BUT! My hands down biggest distraction is sleep!!!! I don't get enough and I want more. I had just read on my favorite fb group (which I've had since I got my facebook back in 2006) 40 Things College Admissions Forgot to Tell You About that there are three things everyone wants to have in college: Good Grades, A Social Life or Sleep. However, you can only have just one. It's so true!! I have no social life (I'm a Nursing Major!) I barely sleep, so the good grades I guess is my choice. And I did get good grades last semester. Sleep does rear it's welcoming (not ugly) head all the time, so I take advantage of it where I can. Like this morning was the first morning I slept past 0730 in over a week. I did wake up at 1030 but I was refreshed and felt like I got adequate sleep last night for the first time in a long time. Now that I'm almost done blogging I can pound away the homework. Which I need to cuz I have plans to go out for my cousin Kassandra's 21st Birthday next weekend. I also work next weekend so if I can get ahead on my homework, I may have time to get some sleep. I hope so.
So without further ado, I give you a quick recap of my week and then I'm hitting the books!

• Monday I took my first exam in Health Alterations. This was the one where I was super slacker on studying. I was impressed on how much I did know. I thought this would be like my Fundys midterm or worse but surprisingly I actually learned more than I thought. I only had to leave 6 questions blank of the 50 to go back to and answer. Our grades were posted in the afternoon and I was prepared to get a not so good grade. I earned it and deserved it for not studying. I almost fell over when I saw that I had received a 90%! I guess I did know more than I thought. I do also know that I won't be so lucky next time and that I really need to vamp up the studying. I still can't believe I got 45 of those questions right. This just affirms that this HAS to be my correct vocation.
• CLINICAL'S HAVE STARTED!!!!!!!!!  They are scary cuz there's so much to do, but oh the skills I get to do!!! I got to take out an IV on Tuesday for the first time and did great! On Wednesday I got to take out a Foley Catheter for the first time and give two insulin injections with the pen. I kicked butt on those so I know I have conquered the skill I flubbed last semester. Go me!
• Clinical is very intense. This week we had partners but next week I'm on my own which I'm okay with. Then we get 2 patients sometime soon! There is tons of charting and unlike Riverviews charting you don't get choices or check boxes but just open text. This means I have to know what I'm doing and have to really use my head. We also get grilled about our meds and medical diagnosis, so I have to really get my butt prepared cuz I thought I was prepared but I was so far from being prepared. I will do better this coming week!
• Thursday I worked (whoopee) and Friday was class. On Friday we had Birthday Club and it was for me and Aunty Karen. It was a fun time. I love our Birthday eat outs! Then we went out to a bar and it was nice just to hangout and not worry about school for a night.

With that I now have 3 Weeks and 1 Semester completed; 14 Weeks and 2 Semesters to go!