Yes, I know—this post has nothing to do with the wedding.
I am fully prepared for the groans. But I still don’t have the wedding pictures at hand; rest assured that, when I do, I will create a long post commemorating the event! But, since that pleasure is denied you, I hope you won’t mind if I tell you a little bit about what’s been going on in my life.
I’ve just finished my first quarter of this semester—a seven-week, very intensive course on the nursing of older adults. It was a very good course, but I could sum up quite a bit of the lecture material in four words: Don’t stereotype older adults! Period. What’s for lunch? Well, okay, it wasn’t quite that easy, but that subject popped up a lot.
I’ve also finished my clinicals for that quarter—I was at Akron City Hospital on the stroke/trauma floor. I had a really good time there; I don’t think there was even one ‘bad day’. Our instructor, Katie, was fantastic. She reminded me a lot of my friend Victoria (not physically, just personality-wise), and she was also one of the calmest nurses I’ve ever met. As you can imagine, serenity is a very good trait to have as a nursing instructor!
Some of the things I did for the first time this quarter:
I am fully prepared for the groans. But I still don’t have the wedding pictures at hand; rest assured that, when I do, I will create a long post commemorating the event! But, since that pleasure is denied you, I hope you won’t mind if I tell you a little bit about what’s been going on in my life.
I’ve just finished my first quarter of this semester—a seven-week, very intensive course on the nursing of older adults. It was a very good course, but I could sum up quite a bit of the lecture material in four words: Don’t stereotype older adults! Period. What’s for lunch? Well, okay, it wasn’t quite that easy, but that subject popped up a lot.
I’ve also finished my clinicals for that quarter—I was at Akron City Hospital on the stroke/trauma floor. I had a really good time there; I don’t think there was even one ‘bad day’. Our instructor, Katie, was fantastic. She reminded me a lot of my friend Victoria (not physically, just personality-wise), and she was also one of the calmest nurses I’ve ever met. As you can imagine, serenity is a very good trait to have as a nursing instructor!
Some of the things I did for the first time this quarter:
- Inserting/removing an IV
- Programming an IV pump
- Giving an immunization shot
- Removing a Foley catheter
- Dealing with a patient in restraints
- Tube feedings
- Tracheotomy care
My friend Alexis and I experiment with the fine art of intubating a dummy while we were in a simulation lab. It's more tricky than it looks--do it from the wrong angle, and you break the patient's teeth. Also, it needs to go down to the lungs, not the stomach, if the stomach inflated with the O2, we knew it was in the wrong place!
Our instructor Katie (in the black) helps Dan with his technique, while Jake, Alexis and I watch.
Oh yes, the IV! This arm was a hard one to find a vein on. Note the Kent State student in the background--unfortunately, I think I was the only AkronU student who made friends with any of the KSU nursing students. They were a great bunch.
Our clinical group on the last day! Back row, L to R: Jake, Dan, me, Nicole, Katie and Ben. Front row, L to R: Alexis, Katie and Diane. Everybody was awesome, and I'm so glad we got to be a team!
Now, this quarter, I’m in my obstetrical rotation. For all those who are shaking their heads and wondering what ‘obstetrical’ means, I can reveal that it is labor and delivery! Yes, I’ve already seen one birth—a C-section—and I even got to catch the baby! (Apologies to all those who’ve been hearing the story over and over—I was very excited!) Here’s a picture of me scrubbed up for surgery. I think you can tell I’m smiling. And, no, I didn’t faint or throw up during surgery. It was absolutely fascinating, though I didn’t enjoy the cauterization of the blood vessels—not many people love the smell of burning human flesh.
I’m also taking a humanities class (lots of papers analyzing insignificant parts of books, such as how the eight eggs the main character eats symbolize the eight virtues of his soul, or something), and a music class, which is totally online. Yay technology!
So, yeah, that’s what I’ve been up to. Hopefully, I’ll soon have access to the wedding pictures—but, in the meantime, I hope you like these!
I’m also taking a humanities class (lots of papers analyzing insignificant parts of books, such as how the eight eggs the main character eats symbolize the eight virtues of his soul, or something), and a music class, which is totally online. Yay technology!
So, yeah, that’s what I’ve been up to. Hopefully, I’ll soon have access to the wedding pictures—but, in the meantime, I hope you like these!
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