Apple cider vinegar

Today wasn't very exciting. I pale in comparison to the other exciting blogs. Working in primary care over the summer has its rewards, though. I feel like I'm part of the solution (prevention).

I guess I could tell a story about my experience as a student so far.

I did my rotation at a level II trauma center in the heart of the downtown area in which I live. I got to see a lot of cool post op trauma patients -- and a lot of homeless patients. It's the charity hospital, so they admitted pretty much everyone.

I was preparing for clinical the night before. We got to pick our patients, so I picked a guy with a gambit of medical problems, was a little bit crazy, and, you guessed it, homeless. He was nice enough when I talked to him, so I decided he would be a good candidate for the teaching project I had to implement that day.

I picked hypertension as my educational topic (it pretty much was the root cause of all his problems). I prepared a presentation, made a brochure for him, and told him I would be teaching him about hypertension the next day. My instructor came in to watch my do my teaching project.

ME: Mr. Jones, I'm here to talk to you about high blood pressure like we discussed yesterday. Is now a good time?
MR JONES: You mean I'm here to talk to YOU about high blood pressure, right?
ME: (laughs) Sure, I guess you can look at it that way. I was going to start by telling you a little about what causes high blood pressure.
MR JONES: (staring intently at the television) I already know that.
ME: Well, then consider it review. What causes high blood pressure is a mixture of family inheritance, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity. Part of what makes high blood pressure so hard to treat is--
MR JONES: I know what high blood pressure is! And I know how to cure it. I take apple cider vinegar. One time my blood pressure went up so high I took the vinegar and I passed out. I never let my blood pressure get up that high again. I take my medication for it every day. The lady at the jail took my medication away from me.
INSTRUCTOR: (confused look)
ME: Would you like to talk about your medications?
MR JONES: I know about my pills. I don't need to talk about my pills.
ME: Well, as motivation to take your pills I'm going to tell you a few things that happen when high blood pressure is uncontrolled.
MR JONES: I already KNOW. You pass out. That's why I take apple cider vinegar.
ME: Some other things that can happen is stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.
MR JONES: Girl, you are tellin' me what's UP. You don't let a guy just sit around thinkin' he's OK until one day he has a stroke and BAM he's dead. You tell a guy what's up. You know what's up.
INSTRUCTOR: (wtf? look)
ME: Yes, that's why I'm here, to tell you what can happen if you aren't able to control high blood pressure. Here's a brochure I wrote up for you.
MR JONES: (looking at it in awe) YOU wrote this for ME?
ME: Yes, I did.
MR JONES: Wow, this is the SHIT. (Starts reading it aloud).
ME: Well, I'm glad you like it.

Weirdest shit ever. Oh well, he gave my professor a rave review even though he didn't seem to like me at all. He had his foot hanging out of the bed (had an ulcer on it) and I ran into it a few times. When I suggested we put the foot back into the bed, he flipped out.

Why do I always get the psych/medical patients?

Lazy summer

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted.

Well, I survived my second semester of nursing school. Now for the summer I get to endure three days a week up at the clinic.

I'm taking a class this summer called Complex Issues in Children. Most Depressing Shit Ever is a more apt title. We have to debate about whether parents' spiritual beliefs should have any bearing on medical decision making for their children (absolutely not, in my opinion), what should be in the curriculum for sex ed (everything), and dying babies in the NICU. Very uplifting. Oh well, I'm about halfway through so I guess it can't be all bad.

I wish I had something more exciting for you, but I guess that's reserved for HawthoRNe (You can't arrest ME, I'm a NURSE!! AHHHHH!!!!)

OK, so now there will be 9 morons instead of just 5.

I work at a pediatrician's office. It's fun most of the time, but all too often I feel like I need to scratch my eyes out or beat my head against the wall just for some clarity. Take yesterday for example.

Lady walks in with her 14-year-old daughter. Daughter just had a baby. "I don't know how it happened, but all of my daughters are pregnant at once!" Now, don't be fooled. That exclaimation mark wasn't in anger or disappointment. It was in delight, people. DELIGHT. Her four daughters range in age from 14 to 19 years old.

My co-worker was in the exam room taking a history. She got to the family diseases part and said "Are there any illnesses or diseases on either side of the family? That means your side and the father's side." The girl goes, "Oh, I'm not sure about the father. It could be two or three guys, I'm not really sure." The Mom chuckles and makes the comment "Oh, boy. I guess it's just going to be really tough to get a history!"

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

That abstinence only sex education is really working out for this state. I am here to prove it.

Already?

The birds are chirping, rainbows are sprouting out of the ground, flowers are blooming...it's the last day of clinical! I can't believe I made it, nonetheless with flying colors. No more waking up early and interrupting my precious, fragile sleep schedule on which I thrive.

I guess I'm ready to move on to S1. I just don't think I'm very good at skills at all. It's just a practice thing I guess.

One class down, four more to go.

Big Bad Bitch of the West

Today was a giant waste of time at psych clinical. We had a debriefing (read: recruiting session) at the state hospital. It was interesting. They must be really hard up for nurses if they're talking about health care benefits and paid leave to a bunch of nursing students. Anyway, they wanted to know what we thought about their fine hospital, the good and the bad. We went around the table first to say good things about the hospital, and everyone had something to say. I mentioned a few nurses that helped me out personally.

Then, however, they wanted to know about things that were "not so helpful or pleasant about the hospital." The room was dead silent. Crickets were chirping. I spoke up. "I thought a particular nurse, Jane, wasn't very helpful. She snapped at me and the other nursing student and didn't seem to want us there." Another girl said that the staff went through report way too fast, but other than that, I was the only one who said anything.

I couldn't believe it. People complained and complained until their mouths were dry and their faces turned blue when the administrators of the hospital weren't there, but as soon as they get the opportunity to voice their concerns, they act like it was the best experience of their lives to do clinical at this facility. This just pisses me off. Not only do I end up looking like a huge bitch for saying anything at all about my displeasure, but it's compounded by the fact that it seemed like no one else had a problem with anything. What was I supposed to do? She treated me crappy and I had no power to confront her about it, and they asked.

I don't know why I feel so bad. I just hate feeling like I'm the bad guy because I said my opinion.

Anyway, we then went on a tour of a private psychiatric hospital that also tried to recruit us. I guess psych nurses are in short supply. I haven't decided what type of nursing I want to do, so their recruiting was pretty much lost on me.

Day Number 29 of My Captivity

Today was a pretty eventful clinical day. There was so much doom and gloom, I can't believe none of my patients coded. Flash! Tornado watch! Swine flu! Mexican earthquakes! While I wouldn't go as far as to say it was exciting, I was on my feet pretty much all day.

Dentures Lady started to have some strange hypotension and dizziness, so I got to do an assessment and bolus her It was pretty cool that I pretty much figured out on my own what needed to be done. I need to be better about data collection, though, because I was asked all of these questions about labs about which I had no idea. I was just concerned about the 70s systolic blood pressure.

LIHB was having a very emotional day and her primary nurse wasn't doing much at all to help. She was having a lot of pain and a ton of anxiety about her discharge planning. The nurse just sort of blew her off and didn't talk to her at all even when she got tearful. Remind me to switch careers if I ever get to that point. I got to do blood cultures, though. That was an interesting process, but I don't know if I'll do it right next time I'm asked because the nurse had her "own way" of doing things. I wish she would have at least taught me the right way seeing as how I'm a student.

I get somewhat annoyed when some of these nurses take shortcuts and I'm unaware that they are, in fact, shortcuts. I do procedures and skills the way the nurse taught me at the hospital and my instructor gets upset when she sees what I'm doing. All I can say is that that's how the primary nurse does it, and that's how I thought it was done. Confusing.

Anyway, I got a compliment from one of the nurses on the floor about my confidence and how I'm going to be great at my job some day. Then, my patient complimented me on the way I drew blood because he was a hard stick. Then, my other patient complimented me on my blood drawing skills because she was a hard stick as well (history of IV drug abuse). People were giving me so many compliments it was a wonder my head could fit out the door.

Overall, a success. No one died (on my floor, anyway. That's quite a story for later on), no tornadoes decided to strike our little (big) hospital, no one had swine flu, and, best of all, we don't live in a 100 mile radius of Mexico city.

Three?

Tomorrow I'm taking three patients on the Med/Surg floor at clinical. Can I handle it? I think so. Here's the lineup:

1. Lady I've Had Before. LIHB is pretty easy. She's got scheduled 'round the clock pain meds and IV antibiotics and a PICC line. Shouldn't be too hard just as long as she doesn't have another anxiety attack. Bring it on, LIHB.
2. Conversion Disorder Dude. The docs aren't quite sure what's going on with him. He came in for chest pain, but the EKG was negative. Now he's on a suicide watch. I love the built in babysitters! Easy meds and I will get to practice my Spanish. Oh, and don't forget, no silverware.
3. Dentures Lady. I walked in to introduce myself to DL and she said "There's something rather important that I forgot as we were heading out to go the hospital." I had no idea I would end up running over to HEB with her five dollars to buy denture glue. She should be pretty all right, she's just a little pathetic with her knee replacement and CHF. If denture glue will make DL happy, then gosh darn it, I will oblige her.

How does that sound? It can't get any worse than last week when I had Homeless Apple Cider Vinegar Dude. But that's a different story for a different time.