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| There's so much to do, that I couldn't capture my whole schedule in one screenshot. |
I showed you all what my class schedule looked like. This week, I thought I'd show you how a week normally looks for me when I add everything that I do. 90% of my time is dedicated to Nursing School, 5% dedicated to work, and the other 5% dedicated to fun (clearly I don't have time for sleep). It's been a bit overwhelming, but that little bit of fun that I do have has kept me from really going crazy.
Human Patient Simulation (HPS)
In addition to scheduled lectures, labs, clinical's, we have scheduled sessions in the Human Patient Simulation Lab. What does it entail? A lot of sweating, pressure, and feeling like an idiot. It was our first time and it's difficult to act like a real nurse when you're working with a mannequin, have 3 camera's in your face, and surrounded by people watching your moves. We're assigned roles such as Primary Nurse, Charge Nurse, Recorder, Evaluator, and others. Lucky me, I was assigned the role of primary nurse. That meant I was the primary focus of attention. That really made me sweat.
The 30 minutes in the simulation felt like forever, and there were many times I stood there feeling like I don't know what to do next? Hopefully the next simulation goes a little bit better. Hopefully I don't get picked to be the primary nurse again.
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| We wore name tags during the simulation. It wasn't an honor being the Primary Nurse. |
EPIC Orientation
After HPS, I spent most of my Tuesday starting and finishing the orientation to EPIC, the computerized charting system at the hospital I will be doing clinical at for this rotation. Watching the 43 modules was horrid. It would have been nice to get an access code a week before our first day of clinicals, but we only received it the day before. Thus, I spent a day in which I could be studying, just staring at a computer and letting the orientation videos run. It was horrid and I don't think I got anything out of it.
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| Started around 1230 and finished around 2230 (minus the several hours I stopped to teach piano lessons and eat dinner). We had to be at the hospital at 0710. I didn't get much sleep. |
First Day @ the Hospital
It wasn't a very interesting day. It was a long day, but I don't think I can talk about it extensively. Here's a timeline of what happened on the first day of clinicals. This is roughly what happened, after two week of the event passing it's hard to remember the exact details of a long and tedious day.
- 0500: Woke up at 0500.
- 0545: Got coffee and a sausage mcmuffin from McDonald's.
- 0610: Got to my classmates home to carpool to the hospital.
- 0640: Arrived at the hospital.
- 0710: Said hello to the instructor and classmates.
- 0730: Began orientation in a board room.
- 0845: Breakfast Break
- 0910: Resumed orientation.
- 1045: Bathroom Break
- 1100: Glucometer Orientation
- 1200: Lunch Break
- 1300: Resumed Orientation
- 1500: Orientation finished. Walked up to the floors
- 1515: Went to the Medical Unit and walked around looking for stuff.
- 1700: Played with the beds in an empty room and caught up on some news
- 1800: EPIC Orientation Part Deux.
- 1900: Finished
- 1910: Got lost in the outpatient wing trying to find the parking lot.
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| Didn't really have much time to prepare a meal. Went to Fresh & Easy the night before to get a wrap and a assortment pack of cookies. I brought three kinds. What can I say, I love my cookies. |
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| None of us knew where to go. Thankfully the security guard pointed us the right way. |
- 1915: Wendy's
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| We hit the drive through quickly and hit the road. Thankfully I didn't drive. |
- 2000: Got home.
- 2200: Knocked Out.
Thursday Lunch Break
After getting a Lee's sandwich and Ice Coffee (I think I forgot to take a picture of it), I was helping one of my classmates with a question about the heart. I kept explaining the blood from superior and inferior vena cava drains into the right atrium. Though my classmate wouldn't believe me. We ended up diagraming the heart and lungs (anatomically correct drawing of course) and showing the flow of blood to the heart, to the lungs, back to the heart, and out to the body. By the end, I think I got really confused too.
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| My heart really is pink and is really shaped like a <3. |
I forgot to mention that we also have scheduled outpatient sites throughout the semester. My clinical got the chance to help out at our hospital's Sweetheart Screening Event. Couple's old and older came out and received vital health services for free. It was a fun event, and we helped out in any way that we were allowed to. We had some fun and got to talk to members of the community.
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| Once the participants were finished with their screenings, these lovely nursing students handed them dark chocolate. |
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| Everyone was getting hearts, so I decided to grab a purple one. My pink heart (pictured above) was too chaotic. This one was simple. |
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| Getting my apical pulse auscultated (if the apex of my heart was underneath my sternum and not anywhere near the 5th intercostal, midclavicular line.) |
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| She just likes getting her picture taken. |
Friday!
This is the life of a Nursing Student. When I have a moment to myself this is want I have to do........study. A day off is no longer a day off. I can't just sit and watch TV for hours. I can't just go and drink the night away. Edwyn, as awesome as he is, can't go on many adventures until summer.
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| 90% of the time I will get a grande iced soy caramel macchiato. 10% of the time, I'll get a tall iced soy caramel macchiato. |
Week 18 (aka Week 2) entry is done. Stay tuned for Week 19 where I recap a week in which nothing seemed to go right. I've described it as Hell on Earth!
