Special Entry #2: Merry Christmas Everyone!

In the spirit of the holidays, I decided to record and perform some christmas music for you all (if you don't celebrate christmas, you can still enjoy me playing the piano :)!)

Week 16: Saying Goodbye To N100 - The End

The Last N100 Blog Entry
So I've finally reached the last entry about N100.  It's a little bittersweet, but at the same time these things have taken waaaayyyyy to much effort to produce.  But I'm extremely satisfied with the result.  So this entry will be a reflective piece about the first semester (just remember I might be trying to be funny with what I'm saying, so don't take anything personally).

Before I get to the reflecting, let me finish my story about Nurse Edwyn.  Nurse Edwyn has been on break for a very long time, but its time to end the drama!

Week 16: Saying Goodbye To N100 - The Middle

Last N100 Lab

I really didn't enjoy waking up early again for Tuesday lab at 8AM.  The only thing on my mind was wanting to study for the final exam.  I was just in lab Monday and the instructors wanted us to go back Tuesday to do some nursing scenarios.  We were split into small groups and we rotated to different stations.  At one station I played the role of a patient.  I was told by the instructor that in the middle of the nurse's physical assessment on me, that I would tell the nurse that I would be feeling really hot and nauseated.  The goal was for the nurse to figure out that I was experiencing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).  So when one of the students came up to me and started doing the physical assessment, that's what I did!  The goal was to critically think about the situation and what you would what to do next as a nurse to help the patient.

Week 16: Saying Goodbye To N100 - The Beginning

Week 16 was one of the most stressful weeks of the semester.  It was finals week and final exam loomed at the end.  So I decided to split up this week entry into several parts.  How many parts will I write?  I think I'll write 3 entries:  The Beginning, The Middle, and The End.  What will be written in each of those entries are still to be determined.

Week 15: Saying Goodbye To Clinicals :(

This week marked the end of my first 10 week rotation in the Clinical setting.  It was time to say goodbye.  I was ready to stop this clinical stuff.  It's tiring and there are moments during the shift where you are under extreme pressure.  However, I will miss clinical because you've come to know these people a little bit better after 10 weeks.  The nurses have been great and I really hope that they found our presence a little helpful (maybe not in the beginning).

Week 14: Quiet on the Set! (Filming the Ethics Presentation)

The lecturing has been turned over to us amazing nursing students.  I'm guessing its fun for the instructors to see us present information.  But honestly I think they might be a little tired of lecturing already.  I think getting the nursing students to do presentations gives the instructors a little bit of a break.  At least we get some points out of it.

On Wednesday, my clinical group commenced filming of our Ethics presentation on Conflicts Over Treatment.  Specifically, we are gonna look at the conflict over treatment in regards to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.  DNR is a complicated issue that we all have our own biases about.  As nurses, we cannot let our own beliefs about an issue get in the way in effectively caring for a patient.  I don't want to give away to whole story about the presentation and I won't (just know that I'm amazing in the videos we recorded).  We tried our best to replicate what a hospital room looks like.  At the same time we wanted to be funny and make every attempt to exaggerate certain things.  If you choose to read more, you'll see some pictures!

Week 13: ATI Assessments SUCK. At Least It Was Thanksgiving.

I really hope you can help me pass the NCLEX-RN.

As the title state, ATI assessment are horrible.  It's a lot of pressure for a generalized test.  Some of the things the assessment asked weren't even discussed in lecture (because every RN program teaches things at different times).  Honestly, I didn't know what to study beforehand.  Since the assessment was computerized, the result were given to me immediate after I finished taking it.  What's did I get?  Well, according to ATI, I'm a Level 2 (jedi master).  What does Level 2 mean you ask?  Here's what ATI has to say what level 2 is:

What does level 2 mean to me? I'm not stupid and have common sense!  Will I "engage in continuous focused review"?  NO!  How did I benefit from receiving a Level 2 on the ATI Assessment?  I received 10 extra credit points that I really needed!

Week 12: Drinking Makes the Week Better

The stress of nursing school is beginning to take its toll on me, just like the rest of the class.  The exams are not getting any easier and it is very easy to over think the questions.  So what should any nursing student do to relieve that stress? DRINK!  That I did with a few of the nursing students.  It was fun and I forgot about the stress (at least for one night).  We literally sat and drank for at least 4 and 1/2 hours (though I got there late, I still had to pick my patient).  I probably should have finished the paperwork from my patient BEFORE I started drinking.  I thank everyone who drank with me that night for helping me write my Form A.  I was no longer focusing.  In hindsight, I think the drinking affected my performance at clinical's a little bit.  I was tired at the beginning of the shift and I was sleepy by the end of the shift.  If I had to grade my performance, I would give myself a B-.


But the week was any typical week:  Lab and Lecture on Monday, Exam #5 on Tuesday, picked a patient Wednesday, and went to clinical's on Thursday and Friday.  There you go guys, a recap of my week!  If you read my blog to hear about the nursing stuff, I'm done!  You can stop reading now, but if you continue, I have a little treat at the end!

Special Entry: Happy Birthday To Me!

Turning 25 is one of those milestones in life (just like 18, 21, 30) that should be celebrated.  It's the quarter century mark.  25 years of maturity (or immaturity) under your belt.  Unfortunately, I'm a nursing student and November 15, 2010 is a day before Exam #5.  So I'll be studying.  But I do have a couple lists that I want to share with you all.

Week 11: Getting Seat-Jacked in Lecture!

There's an exam this week and I shouldn't be writing an entry, but I must tell you about the crime committed against me during lecture Tuesday.  As the title states, I got Seat-Jacked (in hindsight, that was a pretty slick move). Here's a rundown of what happened:

Week 10: Eating and Breathing Nursing

There were plenty of times this week that I was able to lol and :). However, only 6 more weeks remain and stress is beginning to take hold of everybody.  Time is precious as we are beginning the homestretch.  Unfortunately, I'll be devoting more time to school(but I love writing this blog and I'll continue to make time for this).  I don't think I'll have time to celebrate my birthday on the 15th - we have an exam on the 16th :(.

Week 9: "(Patient's Name), this shot won't hurt a bit!"

I learn something new in lab this week.  If you have been following my blog the last couple of weeks, lab has been a bit of a bore because everyone was being assessed for medication administration.  This week though we learned how to administer med through a Nasogastric (aka nose to stomach) Tube.  Not much to talk about, but lots of pictures to show.

Week 8: Halfway through N100. Only 7/8 of the Program to Go!

This blog doesn't write itself in one day and I've learned my lesson.  I began writing this entry (though not completed, I can't write about the future) after I finished writing Week 7 (fyi, it's currently 10/19/10 at 10:26 pm if you're curious). For you guys, it will be either Sunday, Monday or Tuesday (hopefully not Wednesday)  After Week 7's debacle of not really remembering what happened, I thought I should get a head start on Week 8.

Week 7: "One day after we graduate, we will look back and laugh"

I'm sure I'll laugh a lot looking back at this blog when I'm an R.N., but this definitely was not the week for laughter.  Stress is the perfect word to describe the week.  Many people did bad on Exam #2 and I began to ask myself "What the f*** did I get myself into?"  I was on facebook de-stressing and found a picture of the old me volunteering with Pilipinos for Community Health.  I was assessing a person blood pressure and educating them why high blood pressure is bad.  It was this picture that reminded of why I want to become a nurse.  The old me was a leader (literally, I was the director of PCH) and motivated to becoming a nurse in any way possible.  I just have to remember that in the end, all of this will be worth it.

Week 6: A Stressful Beginning to a Happy Ending! (get your minds out of the gutter!)

Stressful Day and a Stress Lecture

Tuesday was Exam #2 and the level of stress was evident on everyone's face.  Sure it was only a 40 point exam. But still, it was important to me and the rest of the class to do well.  I kinda had a feeling that I wouldn't be doing well.  I didn't feel good on Sunday and didn't get any studying done.  Monday was slightly better, but I didn't cover as much as I wanted to.  So it came down to a couple hours on Tuesday to finish what I had to study.

Week 5: Motivation is the Key

It was stressful, it wasn't fun, it was a situation that was difficult to work in.  Although the previous sentence could have possibly referenced my day in the hospital, it is actually a reference to the weather Monday.  Being in an air conditioned environment is great if you have it.  The lab was cool, the computer lab was cool, The Corner Bakery Cafe was cool, so I thought the classroom would be cool too.  But alas it felt just as hot inside the classroom as outside.  Class is from 3-5 and at this point the temperature was definitely pushing 110 degrees.  Out of all the days to need air condition, the classrooms a/c wasn't working.  Luckily class did not last too long, as the head instructor dismissed us from class stating that it was too hot to learn.

It was 96 degrees at 7PM (109 for a high) in Long Beach.  I don't think it ever dropped below 80 throughout the night.  Insane!

Week 4: Anxiety on the Rise.

This was a pretty fun week in general.  We went to clinicals for the first time and a field trip to the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) hearing in San Diego.  Yea there was lecture, lab, and exam #1, but I won't bore you with that stuff this week.

Meds, Meds, Meds!

Monday was more medication administration practice.  Medication Administration can be a b*tch, unless you play the role of patient who gets to lie in bed and take pictures as the student nurses research your medication. (FYI, if you wonder why you see the same people in my pictures, their in my clinical group and I know they don' t mine me taking their pictures)

Week 3: "Are you guys doctors?" No, I'm a NURSE!!!!!!

I thought I'd approach this entry more or less like a nurse interacting with a patient.  It's somewhat chronological, but it's somewhat topical too.  Why do it this way you ask? Umm, I thought it would be fun, haha.  What you see in quotes is what I have been saying repeatedly for the better part of three weeks.  Now on to Week 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 2: Its Only Week 2!?!?

I say that because there has only been 7 official school days and it seems much longer.  Week 2 was also a special week since we went to senior centers to begin learning how to effectively communicate with people.

Before I get into recapping, let me try to give you an idea of what is Nursing Process I.  It's basically an all-in-one course that teaches us basic nursing skills.  It includes lecture (where we learn theory), lab (where we practice nursing skills), and clinical (where we put nursing skills into practice).  Being a 10 unit nursing class, the class is team-taught.  There are 3 full-time instructors who I consider the show-runners for the class.  These 3 including 3 additional part-time instructors also take students to the hospital on clinical days.  There have been other part-time instructors who have given lectures or demonstrated nursing skills in lab.  The immediate benefit is the amount of attention each the instructors can give to each student during lab and clinical time.  I don't have to listen to same person lecture day in and day out.  It basically keeps everything vibrant and exciting.  I've personally love the way the class is set up.

Week 1: The Beginning!

In any story, there has to be a beginning, and Day 1 was boring!  It began at 8AM, everyone was quiet and no one seem to know anyone.  We were lead into the computer lab, and the next two hours I managed to stay away listening to more procedural guidelines for the rest of the semester.  Next we went into the old nursing building for a math review, and it smelled bad in there!  I had a headache for whatever I was sniffing in that room.  Thankfully we had about 4 hours before lecture, so I went home for a nap.

This should be interesting!

The first week of nursing school ended and I thought why not write a recap of my week of nursing school.  The hope is that this will give readers of my blog some insight into my experiences in becoming a nurse and give myself a way to vent about all the fun and suffering that occurred that week.  I want to be able to look back at all the posts in June of 2012 and say, "Edwyn, you were such an idiot back then.  Now look at where you're at!"

The goal is to post for each week of the semester, for the next 4 semesters.  So 64 blog post, easy right?