Still Standing

The last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind!  I had seven 12 hour shifts, 12 hours of ECG training and another 4 hours for a new graduate class; my bank account is not complaining.  Here is the recap as we round out week six:

1)  Full Patient Load:  I am now taking care of four patients and have perfected my brain sheet.  Having a well organized SINGLE sheet of paper is key to making sure you do not get your patients confused (there is a space for all the body systems, vital signs, medical team, code status, allergies, dx and hx) and to give you an outline of what you need to get done throughout the day(draw labs, give meds, etc).

2)  Drawing Blood: By this point in orientation I watched all the how to videos on drawing blood and placing IVs, but never had the opportunity to do it on a real person.  That has all changed and I was able to successfully draw blood for the first time.   Now I know this is not a picture of me drawing blood, but I only have one of me giving myself a PPD test.  

3)  Electrocardiography:  I survived the EKG reading class.  This is definitely a use it or lose it kind of skill.  While I could tell you the difference between a fib, a flutter, v tach and v fib before the class began, this was pretty much the extent of my skills.  Little known fact for non medical people, the medical shows have been lying to you all these years.  You cannot shock someone in asystole aka someone who is flat lining.  In order for defribulation to work, there needs to be some electrical activity in the heart; with asystole there is NO electrical activity. 

4)  Patient education.  When I was working as an AmeriCorps member, one of my favorite parts of the job was engaging clients in health education.  While some patients on our unti have a vague idea about their health condition and/or medications, this is usually not the case.  I am also a strong believer in see one, do one, teach one; the teaching helps solidify my knowledge and skills and sometimes patients will even teach me which is amazing.  

5)  Creating rapport: One of the things that drew me to nursing was the fact I would be able to interact with patients and their families during the majority of my shift.  While medicine treats the disease, nursing treats the human reaction to the disease.  Sure we can explain complex medical terminology, hook up IVs and administer meds, but we also get to create a special kind of bond with patients and their families.  There is nothing better than getting a hug and/or a grateful thank-you after a 12-hour shift. 

And now here we are and this is me.  Just kidding.  I am still standing, but definitely look forward to SIX days off; the scheduling gods were looking out for me. 

I am also happy to report that half marathon training is still going strong.  Okay okay we only in week two, but I have learned to celebrate the small victories in life (and the mileage hasn't gotten crazy yet so that is great for a non-runner).