Week 8 and 9 as a Level 2 Nursing Student

Sorry for not updating last weekend, I was feeling under the weather and missed a day of clinical!! Gasp, I know! In week 8, I was reminded of the assumptions assignment we did in level 1. I can't even begin to stress the importance of not making assumptions about patients. I know it and can say it, but I don't know why it still happened. I still take the time to get to know the patient and their life and it doesn't affect my care, but the outcome is that you (I) end up feeling like a big fat jerk. So all you reading this right now are going to help hold me accountable, ok? Nothing really outstanding happened in week 8, but we got to learn about IVs in lab.

Week 9, on the other hand!!!!! I gave my first injections in the hospital this week and boy oh boy was I ever nervous!!! My instructor said I was fine, but I was nervous, and I think he was just being nice. Haha! We had our 12 hour shift this week and boy was I ever beat and I only had one patient! Granted, he was total care, but still, it was like level 1! I got to do a dressing change, as well! I was feeling very nervous about not having done many new skills this semester, but in that one day, I got to give two injections AND change a dressing! Woohoo! Definitely room for improvement, but that only comes with practice!

This week I learned the importance of body language and actions. My patient and his wife didn't speak a word of English and I don't speak a word of Punjabi! It was an interesting experience and I still need to reflect and think about what I can do differently for next time. But I gotta say, despite the language barrier, a smile is universal. My patient was in and out of consciousness, and when he came to a few times, I smiled at him and said "Hello Mr X" with a subtle smile and I'm just always going to remember that. No matter how unwell he felt, he was still able to respond to my smile. Sigh. I love nursing!