Week 11 as a level 3 nursing student

Yet again, a late entry. Sorry folks, it's been a bit crazy as of late. Week 11 was a bit frustrating for me but I was very enlightened with all the assessments I was able to perform (all.....two of them haha!). I was able to get along very well with my patient and learned so much about her. She was a fellow nursing student! I was so excited. I honestly feel that the ability to remember the names of patients and their family members really builds a fast an effective rapport. I always think about how special I feel when someone remembers my name and I try to do the same thing.

That week, I was able to do my first newborn assessment. I have had quite a bit of interaction with children and babies, in my life, I'd say. Through St John, I have been able to practice flipping babies from back onto front for the CPR protocols but flipping a REAL baby is so different. I was kind of nervous, I'm not going to lie. I know the technique, but actually executing the process is different! A bit daunting, but also very exciting. Babies are very resilient. Hehe.

Something I find very frustrating as a student is going onto a new ward and getting acquainted with all the new knowledge. I feel as though it's a constant world of not-knowing and trying not to look stupid. In week 11, we were only able to do the basic maternal assessments and we had JUST learned the baby assessments, we weren't able to do baby baths or much else. I just find it a bit frustrating when I'm trying to find something to do and I keep on asking the other nurses if there's something I can do but the things I'm able to do are so limited. Oh well, see the next entry for a more optimistic view!

In PBL, we were able to get a fair bit ahead! We were able to start class in week 12 an hour later! I was very excited to be able to sleep an additional hour for week 12.

Week 10 as a level 3 nursing student

This past week was eventful! On Tuesday, we had our very first day doing maternal assessments. We were paired up, though, so I didn't get to do one. I still felt like I learned a lot, though. On Wednesday, I was supposed to watch a live birth!!! But before you get too excited, I spent the whole day with her and her sister in law only to move into post-conference and come back out to her being 6cm dilated.

As 'boring' a day as you might think it was, I thought it was so neat. Let me explain. In our family theory class, we learn about different family dynamics and we always are taught to be open minded, that every family is different, cultures are different, etc. The neatest thing this week was for my concepts of family theory to really solidify. I can be considered a 'strong character', so it's been difficult for me to really realize that my way isn't necessarily always the right way. It's not that I haven't known it, but it's being able to accept it and work with different ways. I guess in a nutshell, flexibility is something I'm continually working on, is how I could put it. What I see as a 'family' isn't what someone else sees in a family. Just because a family is different from mine does not mean that it's dysfunctional and vice versa. I really saw that this week. Not that I went into the room thinking, "oh this family is going to be dysfunctional" but I mean that it's so interesting to see that their way of living is so different from mine yet works so well. I think I say that because I admire their family for doing things their way because I would struggle in their situations. I admire them and think it's remarkable.

I really valued this week because I was really able to connect with the family. They were so lovely and even invited me to come back after my post-conference to have cake with them! I went back, not just for the cake, but because I wanted to say goodbye and to see if she had delivered yet (she hadn't). I didn't have cake either, FYI. :)

I spent all of this weekend on my PBL paper but I don't regret it at all because it's over and done with now. I'm also done my assignments for family theory! SMOOTH SAILING THIS WEEK, FOLKS!

Also, not that there are any die-hard fans out there, but I'm going to change my update schedule to do it on Wed instead of the weekend because I find the span difficult. I don't have as clear a flow as I would if I had clinical on Thur/Fri.

Oh! Another highlight of my week was being able to prime an IV bag successfully without any glitches because I went to open lab last week! I was very proud because that was time I took out of my day and took ownership for my own learning. This past Friday, I practiced my sterile dressing changes! I was so rusty. I'm going to do it again this weekend. :)

Week 9 as a level 3 nursing student

This week has been incredibly...over whelming, to say the least. Self-induced stress, though, I suppose. We had an immunology midterm on Mon, and a pharm midterm and mental health final exam on Thur. I also decided on a whim on Monday to throw myself a bake sale on Thurs. In retrospect, what was I thinking. Haha.

Oh well, I made it through, smiling and alive - well, breathing at least! :) I kid.

Lessons this week:

Orientation day was Tuesday and reading lists were released on Monday morning. There wasn't much time and the amount of information presented was pretty hefty. I feel as though I put a lot of pressure on myself to know everything - but I just didn't have my A game on Wed at clinical. On Tuesday, I made cue cards on some things, but per Murphy's law, I didn't have one made for the questions she was asking. That's ok, it only serves as motivation for me - just have to keep pushing myself. I won't always have the answers, but for me, the key is to keep on trying and just look up what I don't know. That's the answer for me because I hate feeling confused, and I guess with factual, concrete information, it's easier for me to grasp and make cue cards on than for something like reading the dynamics of a family.

Family theory is actually very thought stimulating, for me. The themes of dignity, feeling helpful/appreciated, connecting with ppl, and phenomenology were emphasized yet again. I feel as though the activity we did was pretty well executed - we all shared a memorable nursing memory to a partner who in turn, shared it with the class. Our partner was to extract one memorable quote to put up on the board. It seems as though this class pushes us to be highly self-aware. We shall see how everything unravels :)

Something I put on my learning plan was to be more self-aware and to understand where my triggers lie. When my clinical instructor was telling us about some stories of abuse, I found it very difficult to sit there and even listen to without having a look of horror on my face. The truth is, though, I'm going to have to be unbiased in my care when the time comes for me to deal with a situation such as that. Tying in from the family theory course, what my ideals for a family are not the be-all-end-all of family dynamics. Just because I think that a family should be loving, unconditionally, that isn't the case, this is just how I interpret it.

A pretty big group of us went into open lab today to practice IV therapy, injection landmarking, and other level 2 skills. I found it both daunting and helpful. Daunting at first, because I was super rusty, helpful because I got to practice the skills hands on! It's going to be a weekly ritual, so it'll be great, especially for Bangla!

Weekend plans: finish PBL paper, make PBL handouts, DO MY OB READINGS, maybe go for a run again!

Week 8 as a level 3 nursing student

"I try to enjoy the little things in life..."

Goodbye, Riverview! I say that with a fair amount of sadness. These past 8 weeks have been both enlightening and trying, surprisingly. In talking with students from other levels, the majority of them have said that their mental health rotation experiences were super easy, etc. etc. I think it depends on what you mean by 'easy'. Task-wise it was definitely a remarkable change of pace from my surgical rotation's task-oriented ways, but in terms of communication, it was definitely a challenge. If you know me, you know I am fairly talkative, connect well with ppl (generally), and try to be friendly. However, no matter how friendly I aim to be, I still faced some apprehension when asking about certain things like delusions, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and topics I have not had much exposure to in my life. But that's what it ultimately is, I feel - inexperience!

The highlight of my week in clinical this week was being able to talk to one of my patients. While this may sound ridiculous and miniscule to some, it was a huge accomplishment for me because this patient is known to be reserved and reclusive. To be able to sit there with them and have them ask me back some of the questions I posed was so incredibly exciting for me. I relish in the fact that they took a genuine interest in me and even asked what kind of nursing I wanted to do after I complete school.

Ironically, the title of this blog is fitting. Because today was our last day of Mental Health Clinical, our instructor generously took us out for pizza and it was so much fun. I was in the middle of digging into a slice of pizza when someone made some comment to me and I responded with, "I TRY TO ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE" and Amrit (my newly faithful reader) responded with, "THAT SHOULD BE THE TITLE OF YOUR NEXT BLOG". Haha. So while the comment I made was offhanded, it is fitting. Even though having someone ask me about my interests might seem minute to another, it spoke volumes to me and I've learned that I need to celebrate my successes, no matter how trivial they may seem. And I don't find this one trivial by any means.

Maternity, here I come! Look out, world!!

Week 6 as a level 3 nursing student

"Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Well, this post is clearly many days late. I apologize for my un-timeliness but I've been in a bit of an Olympic/baking frenzy.

Week 6! This week I learned the importance of being assertive and honest in hopes of furthering group process. In NURS 3000, PBL, I've been quite bothered by many issues and as the chairperson for this week, I wanted to bring up my grievances in a very honest and open manner. I mulled over how to do it for hours and did not sleep until 0430 Sunday night with a 0830 class Monday morning. The most important lesson I learned from this experience is that honesty goes miles. That Gandhi knew what he was talking about. I felt as though the class really progressed after that class and I was so pleased with the level of participation.

Let me see, clinical this week was different! It was my first week on the other side but we did not spend much time there. We got to learn about ECT procedure! I gotta say that it's slightly disheartening, the wide-held notion that it is cruel and inhumane. It is not the first line of treatment and it is not done to harm a patient, it is used for treatment resistant patients. So for example, someone who is manic and has not had positive results from oral medications could receive ECT. They are under general anesthesia, given muscle relaxants, and the seizure lasts for max 30 seconds. They awake in 30 min and most patients feel great afterwards. It provides for a better quality of life.

I can't believe that we only have one more week at Riverview! Having said that, however, I am totally anticipating my rotation at Surrey Memorial BABIES, HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olympic break = money making, baking, and homework

Week 5 as a level 3 nursing student

Cheerie-o, everyone!

Let's see - this week was slightly hectic. I had my presentation on Monday, handed in my PBL proposal on Monday, and took my mental health midterm as well! Tuesday was a bit more relaxed - I just had to meet with my partner and immunology instructor to go over our presentation. I say more relaxed, but I left that meeting feeling seriously anxious. We're supposed to teach our class about the immunological aspects of breastfeeding and I just don't really feel prepared. We aren't teaching it until Mar 2nd, but the deadline for our presentation is Feb. 16th. I always feel so much more pressure when it's a group assignment because both of our marks are on the line.

In clinical this week, we actually got to stay on the same unit for one more week, which was exciting for me because I wanted to interview one of the patients for my PBL paper. It was disappointing, though, because I didn't get a chance to talk to him about it - I really wanted to interview him. It's the same patient who motivated me and inspired me a few weeks back...I've been reflecting lots lately and have realized that he is the first patient who has enabled me to truly empathize with someone.

Sympathy vs. empathy - you don't sympathize, that's feeling sorry for someone, empathize is when you put yourself in their shoes and truly attempt to feel what they're feeling. I was reading his chart and just saw what a hard time he had been going through. When I was talking to my colleagues, one expressed how she wished she didn't know the story behind each person because it was so sad and that it made her depressed. I had to speak up about this because I think nursing is such a collaborative profession and because I was there. I went home on Thursday and sulked for a while before realizing, "hey, despite all these events, he still wants to get better, to improve, to have his own life." It was a huge moment for me, that Thursday evening - I cried, and I'm not too proud to admit it...like I said, it's empowering, for me, to be able to see stories like these. When we talked about this, my classmate seemed really receptive to it and I learned in level 1 the importance of using your colleagues as your resources because if you find the right ones, they can help you through some pretty tough times. When I was in level 1, I grew really attached to a patient and cried pretty hard when I had to leave. That was the first time I truly questioned whether or not I could be a nurse - I felt that putting so much care into a person and having to leave was going to be chronic loss and grief for me. I'm obviously a sensitive person, but I'm finding it easier to detach enough to not cry (I'm not saying it's never going to happen again, believe-you-me) but the whole 'therapeutic relationship' concept is starting to make more sense to me.

My dad always said that you don't have to make your own mistakes in order to learn, and while there has been no specific mistake mentioned in this post, the basis of my dad's statement stands strong. Learning through others is so valuable. Sure, sometimes making your own mistakes allows you to really struggle and grow, but you don't always have to learn the hard way. Drawing on the experiences of others is one of the pillars of life, I think and this week, it really showed to me. I'm not saying that I'm oozing with experience, knowledge, expertise, or whatever, but I'm saying that I knew what my colleague was going through because I'd been there. It made me feel really bad for a while, but sometimes, taking a step back and looking on the other side can be huge. It's always easier to solve someone else's problems, right? ;)

Week 4 as a level 3 nursing student

Late entry (in red) This week has been pretty tough, in terms of assignments. I had readings to do the entire week last week but also had one presentation on Monday (today), a paper on Monday, a presentation to submit for Tuesday (tmr), and a midterm tonight. This semester has definitely been the most difficult for me, hw wise, but clinical hasn't been too bad.

You can always tell how busy/stressed out I am by:
a) the amount of text msgs I send out
b) how quickly I update this blog (sometimes I'll update even if I'm busy but have had an amazing week)
c) the amount of frustration I have
d) the amount of cookies I eat (haha!)

Let's see. Last week was very neat - I had my alternative experience for my mental health rotation and it was pretty neat. I was at a group home and most of the residents were very high-functioning. It kind of brought hope for me when I thought back about the patient who is around my age - to know that it is possible. :)