Saturday, September 30, 2006

It's a Small World

Well, nursing school proves to be a very small world. The patient I took care of this week was the father of someone I know. A very small world indeed.

So far I have learned quite a lot in school. We have covered how to take vitals, how to assess a patient; all of those clinical things. But what I find to be the most telling is the "reading between the lines" of nursing care. It isn't about what a patient tells you, it is about what they don't tell you that really matters. One of my challenges as a nurse is the difference in diagnosis between us nurses and doctors. I was worried for quite some time that I had made a poor choice on going to nursing school and not going to med school. I am good with my decision now. Nursing is about taking care of the whole person, doctoring is about caring for the disease. I like the whole person approach. I know I will specialize in some field of nursing, I am just not quite sure what yet. Regardless of what my specialty is, it will be the whole person I am concerned with, not just the disease.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Week One of Nursing School

I have survived week one of nursing school.
The major things we covered:
  • Washing hands (yes there is a "right" way to do it)
  • Legality of nursing liability
  • Mastering the ability to calculate medications
  • Attire

I am into the second week and it is more interesting. Bathing people, brushing people's teeth, generally giving basic care. I hope to learn these things and perform them the acquired number of times and NEVER have to do them again. Med-Surg nursing I doubt will be for me.

Still, I will need to know all these things.

Give me blood and guts anytime over dentures, flossing someone else's teeth and bed baths.

I will keep you posted on the progress!!

The beating that is moving...

I have now moved twice in three weeks. I do not recommend this to anyone.

But, I was offered a deal I could not refuse, so my housemate and I moved, yet again. We have both vowed we will not move again in less than two years. By then, I have also vowed to rid myself of any extraneous stuff.
This is the beginning list of things to purge:
Stuffed animals. Yes, even a 35 years of age, I still have a few. Some will never leave, that is just how it is.

Extra clothing. Does it breed in your closet? Where does it come from? I don't even really shop!!??!

Shoes, yes, painfully, shoes. I have several that I do not wear, and the new rule is, if I don't wear it, out it goes. (This just means I will need to buy more shoes...I AM female!!)

Garage stuff. Yes, stuff for the car, the motorcycle, garage stuff. I just need to stream line the garage.

I will keep the few major furniture pieces I have.

Things I will buy more of.
Wine.