frustration | Nursing Student Chronicles

Timing is Everything.

I was out of school not even 5 days when we got the email for N-3000 requirements. It was to the tune of “Enjoy your break…but don’t forget that the first day of class is a lab so come in proper clinical/lab attire. Oh, and we need your immunization records and CPR cards. Oh, and we need verification that all your online training in modules A-Q are done by the first day of class. Oh, and tuition is due by the first day so you can go to orientation. Oh, and your new syllabus and schedules are up. OH! Enjoy your break!”

And then of course, working 3 in a row is always a picnic. I’ve got my 3rd day tomorrow which will undoubtedly mean I’ll be grumpy.

And Ishaq/I just picked/ended a stupid/superstupid argument/misunderstanding –> a further worsened mood.

Good one, world. You win this round.
Let’s be friends tomorrow? “Pretty, please?”

Dash made my night so much better. By like ten.trillion times. Best friends are…well, the best! And for that I’m grateful.

Love,
Laney

[photo cred here]

Oncology Floor

I spent this last week on the Oncology unit. I had to be at my school so that we could carpool at 0545. What a shock to my system! I’m a complete night owl and waking up early is always difficult. Waking up and being ready to work that early is even harder.
Oncology went better than expected. I thought it was going to be 100% depressing and since it was the first time being on a normal floor this semester (as opposed to OR, PACU, and Sim Lab), I was still expecting the same routine as last semester. Alas! I’m a second semester student now and we get to do more than NA stuff alone. Which meant I felt more like a nurse.
These patients were different than the LTC (long term care) facility patients meaning they could bathe themselves, feed themselves, etc. Which was totally awesome.
We didn’t get to give meds on this floor but we did do patient education, vital signs, inital assessments charting, IV flushing, line changes, and so on and so forth. We were assigned one patient for ourselves but assisted our co-assigned nurses with their other patients.
I’ll split my two days up into two different posts.

My first day, my patient, who is so adorably sweet, let me come in and do my assessment and get his vitals. He had melanoma that had metastisized (spread) to various areas ending up in the bone, brain, stomach, and more. Basically, there were too many tumors to count and one was just oozing blood. He didn’t know the extent of the ones in his stomach.
My coassigned nurse and I stayed with him in the room while the doctors told him that they could only do palliative care and were recommending hospice. He just nodded and said okay very matter-of-factly to each statement. Later his family came up for a meeting with the team taking care of him.

It was a very long day.

My brain is dead.

Soooo, I probably bombed that first test. Things aren’t looking promising based off of that group test.
Ughhhh.
How unfortunate.
Like mid-70s is what I’m thinking. Or hoping for. I think around a 75? If its worse I’ll just curl up in the fetal position.
Anything below an 80 is failing.

Screw you first test of the semester. You too lucky pencil. I didn’t want to be friends anyways.

See, we have 75 minutes to take the test. And then we have an additional 45 minutes to take the test again in a group. If the group gets an A, you get an additional 3 points on your test. B’s get 2 more points and C’s get 1 point.
I finished with about 15-20 minutes to spare and was only the fifth one done. I have never used so much time on the tests. Ever. Usually the whole class is done in an hour and we go ahead and get started with the group testing. EVERYONE looked horrified after it was over. Some people didn’t even finish in time. After the last question was bubbled in on my group’s test, one of the girls just put her head in her hands and bawled.

HORRIFIC.

Even the brainiacs of first semester looked a bit shooken up.

Here were the topics for the test:
Fluid and Electrolytes, Electrolyte Imbalances (hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia,etc etc), IV fluids (hypo, iso, and hypertonic), Cancer, Death and Dying, Operating Room (pre-, intra-, and post- op), PACU

All wrapped up nice and snug into 50 questions.

We then had pre-clinical conference/skills practice for 2 hours in preparation of the dreaded simulation lab which made at least 4 people cry in the last group.

My brain is dead.

No, [I,You,We] Can't.

It’s a Saturday which means I’m in the PICU. Today is somewhat busy, but not in the sense of admissions. More in the sense of crazy family members.
Being in an ICU, we get the normal, worried, upset parents, etc. But being in the ICU, we also get the crazy ones. So here’s who I’m dealing with today.

Family 1: Likes to call and get updates on latest vitals from anywhere between the last 4-16 hours. Likes to know EXACT times on everything and jot them down in personal book.
ex: “Can I just get the exact time that NG tube came out yesterday on night shift nevermind the fact that its now day shift and you didn’t physically pull it out yourself? Also, can I get the last 6 hours of vital signs” (not exact words, but you get the idea)
To that we say: “No, you can’t” and then kindly let them know they can actually come in themselves and have a look-see. But 20 minutes on the phone reading past vitals is not a good use of time.

Family 2: More concerned about getting breakfast tray than coming in.
Ex: “Here to see patient Y.”
I reply they’re doing a procedure in the room and it’ll be a half hour or so.
“Oh, well did they take my breakfast tray?”
::looks at clock reading 11:30am:: Yep, its gone.
“Well if they bring my lunch tray you can come get me from the waiting room or hallway. Wherever I’m at.” CLICK as she hangs up.
No I cant, that’s not my job. I don’t look eagerly for trays and then call people to the dinner table.
(Sorry if I sound a little bit rude, but come on!!)

Family 3: This happens often. From multiple families. Wanting food passes and parking. Which I get it, its expensive in the hospital. But, have you seen the economy? We don’t have those funds to give out. We try to get you free housing as it is and are usually successful. And they have meals there.
Ex: “I drive [insert mileage] and was wondering about free passes and food cards. Do you have those?”
Politely explain hospital policy, offer to refer them to Social Worker, reiterate if needed, and so on and so forth.
“Yeah, but its not fair that you don’t make accomodations for family and I’m sure there’s something you could do about it if you wanted to”
No, I cant.
Really, I don’t just hoard food tickets and parking passes from family members for kicks. I mean, really.

I also have about 10 different family members coming in for 2 patients (siblings) and refuse to listen to the two-at-a-time policy.

BLAWDsjodadjad.
Some days, the families are just too much.

My Sister is Ghetto.

Oh the life of a twelve year old.
She attends middle school and hangs out with all these kids who act differently than she does at home.
I found her on a networking website where she talks “lyke dis nd lyke dat”. She also likes to use “mi” instead of me or my thinking she’s fully hispanic when, in truth, she doesn’t know Spanish.
IT IRKS ME. To no end. Really.

She also was talking about her many boyfriends (some of who had written on her wall with pictures of themselves lifting their shirts up by the way) and who shes hugged/kissed and grinded with at the school dance. Oh and about getting in fights (which is a lie by the way).
She also had a picture of herself with some big-ass hoop earrings.

And she isn’t the only one! All these other little girls from her school are writing about the same things with a status here talking about a new relationship and a status there about a breakup. And everyone seems to be concerned about getting kissed.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

These kids are trying to grow up way too fast nowadays. How sad.

So lame.

I admit it. I’m totally lame.
Today was class elections and I wasn’t very assertive. I can be assertive when it comes to my family or my client. But if it’s just something for myself, I don’t really like putting myself out there. Last semester, I was class VP and this semester I decided to run for President since ours was stepping down.
I was nominated for both and didn’t take my name off the VP side or really promote myself. As a result, since I was the only one listed for VP, that’s what I was elected in for again. Which is fine! I just want to be involved.
But it’s frustrating since I did all of the Presidential work last semester and now I have to be under someone who hasn’t done class government at all. After the elections she asked me if I wanted to schedule a meeting with our advisor to plan the semester. But it doesn’t really work that way. And she didn’t tell me she wanted to run. She said she was going to run for secretary but got another classmate to nominate her cause she really, really wanted to be President. Bah!

I’m frustrated with myself for never really saying when I want something. I just don’t like the chance of rejection. It’s weird and lame, I know.

I ran for office in 6th grade when I transferred into a different middle school. I didn’t realize it was a popularity contest more than anything, so I didn’t get it and was totally devastated. I didn’t run for anything again until last semester. And I kinda have that feeling again. It was bugging me all day, but I couldn’t really admit it to myself until just now. I told Ishaq and now I feel better. A lot better actually. Just some slight feelings of vulnerability.

I don’t think I’ll try again next semester, however. Blargh. What I wouldn’t give to be confident and great at public speaking.

Until then….

Financial Blues? A Rant and Rave post!

RANT:

I’m quite familiar with them! Being eighteen and married is not always the puppy love fairy tale. And that’s okay. I must say that being in an apartment and having bills is nothing compared to being in a dorm on a college campus. The rules change how the game is played and, honestly, there really isn’t a game to be played in a dorm. Meal plans are laid out for you and you don’t have to think twice about how much water or electricity you use. Crank up the AC if you please!

But in an apartment? Oh no. Wear an extra sweater if you’re cold. Sit in front of a fan if you’re hot. And you don’t really need that light. Or that one. And while you’re at it, cut that shower time in half.

So, my financial life has been kicking my ass. As a wise lady once told me, “I don’t know anyone who has gotten it perfectly right.” The other week, I very gracefully freaked out thanks to my best friend, the Bank. And by gracefully, I mean horrendously in every sense of the word.

I had a check I forgot about post over the weekend. It’s no wonder I forgot about it since it posted over 3 weeks after it was originally written! Never mind that, it’s my fault, I’m not making excuses, blah.

So it posted along with a lot of little items. Now the little items had all been accounted for and budgeted for and were pending even! A coffee here, a sandwich there, another addictive trip to Target mixed in- everything was fine. And then this check posts. No pending transaction, no tentative withdrawal, just BAM, posts. So I find out that the bank’s policy is to post things from over the weekend that pile up in order of the largest amount down to the smallest amount. What does that mean for me?

It means, instead of making an overdraft fee on the one big check, it gave me 10 overdraft fees on all of the little items that came afterwards. Which is some bull. My savings account was completely depleted. You might be thinking, “completely depleted?!” but I am eighteen and have no savings, so my 200 dollars was no more.

So, I called and pitched a fit to the Bank Man about there posting order and he said he could do nothing. The Bank Man put me on hold so he could ask his manager but, strangely, was back in less than 30 seconds and claimed the manager agreed that nothing could be done. I called my husband, sad and sorry. And ashamed at my bookkeeping skills to boot. My husband took it upon himself to call and pitched a fit to the Bank Man. The Bank Man conceded and took off one of the fees. Luckily, the Bank is only allowed to post 5 fees max. So it was dropped to 4.

I think the posting order is wack still. And I’m getting better about my finances. Which leads me to my RAVE:

www.mint.com quite possibly saved my life. In it I have been able to lay out my budget which used to be laid out neatly on pieces of paper or in crevices of my brain. It hooks up to your bank accounts and updates daily. I can see pie charts and gauge how close I am getting to hitting or going over my budget for the month. It also shows you how much you spend in one category, for example I have $12 in coffee for the month already (That’s really my husband’s new Starbucks addiction, but whatever).

The best part- it’s free. Quicken.com is pretty nifty also, but it charges $2.99 a month after the free 60 day trial period is over. I tested both out and, fortuanately for me, liked Mint better.

It made me financial blues better. Not go away altogether, but it sure helped a lot. I figured it might be useful to some of you as well.

If you’ve got any other ideas or methods of beating back the financial blues, let me know! I could always use another tip. If this helped you at all, then right on! This post will have been a success.

And break.

Morning

Ahh, so I just woke up about an hour ago and am getting ready for the day. Need to accomplish my homework, taking my old desktop to my Great-Grandmother’s house, finish the laundry so it doesnt get musty in the washer, fix dinner as Isaac and I both have class tonight from six to ten.

And now, I have to fix Isaac. Well, I can’t really. That’s not possible unfortuanately. So, his dad has high blood pressure and heart things and I totally just fucked with his head not on purpose. I was explaining the realities of high BP and whatnot and he was already frustrated at his dad for not going to the gym. I think my “realities” did not make things any better.

Which leaves me in a pickle. Of wanting to kiss the boo boo and make everything bad melt away, and I can’t.

Damn it.

Alright, homework calls. Oh US History.