gross! | Nursing Student Chronicles

Nasty-Icky-Clinical Smells

Need some ways to avoid those nasty-icky-clinical skills?
Here are some tips and tricks passed down from my CRNA-friend-in-training on how to avoid gagging in the field of nursing!!

1. Vicks under the nose is a classic.
2. Put Vicks on the outside of a face mask and then layer with another face mask.
3. Haven’t got any Vicks? Do the same thing as number 2, but substitute Vicks for toothpaste.
4. Haven’t got Vicks or toothpaste? Do the same thing as number 2, but substitute Vicks for a couple of alcohol sheets.

So there you go!!

Enjoy not gagging yourself into an oblivion!

Seriously.

Clinicals

everything you need for a day in clinical

Everything you need for a day in clinicals:
BP cuff, stethoscope, binder, nursing diagnosis book, paperwork that needs to be filled out for assessment, calculator, pen, pencil, highlighter, lotion, wallet, bag, notepad, phone, and PDA if you’ve got one (i use my ipod touch).
Addendum: Vicks Vapor Rub is a need. I just bought some at Target for 4 bucks. And a snack- you don’t know if you’re gonna get a chance to break for a snack or not and may end up shoving a granola bar down while walking to get more supplies.

Clinicals today went a lot more smoothly than last week. I already knew my client b/c I had helped with him last week with another student. He was very very nice. I’ll call him Scooter since he loves his motorized scooter. He flew planes in WW2 for 6 years before he got injured and could remember something from any year you asked him.
I’m keeping this short since I’ve got to type up my paperwork, so sorry if it sounds discombobulated.

I have to note my first battle with my gag reflex.
I lost.

The other semesters told us about this. They had warnings and horror stories galore. I thought, of course that won’t happen to me. I’ll take better precautions. I can totally avoid this. For a little while at least.
Right?

Uh, no.

Lindy* who had him last week (a fellow nursing student) told me that his incontinence was bad. So, I rolled him over. And there it was. He had defecated. Of course.
I think I knew, deep down, and was trying to pretend it would disappear on its own because I washed everywhere else saving that bit for last.
Luckily I had taken a large stack of washcloths since I had heard rumor that if someone has bowel incontinence you go through them like candy. The rumor is true.
The first washcloth passed by me as I went to put it on the table when it started. One small gag.

And then I couldn’t stop. I really thought I was going to hurl everywhere. Literally.
And I’m usually not a queasy person.
The gagging lasted for a good 15 seconds which felt like 15 minutes.
I finally burped (TMI i know) and it stopped.
Thank God.

So I bought Vicks from Target for four bucks.

On another note, my paperwork was perfect this week outside of one box. Hoo-rah.
Alright, off to homework.

Thanks for sticking around, seriously.

Dangers of a Man Rug.

Ugh, I am not a fan of the man rug. I’m not gonna lie. What’s a man rug you ask? The really ridiculously furry chest hair that men sometimes like to sport.

So, man rugs are seemingly harmless right? Wrong!

How could that be, you might be asking yourself now. Well, I’ll tell you.

In my CPR/AED class, I learned that man rugs can get in the way of saving your life. Preposterous? I think not!

If, heaven forbid, an AED (defibrillator machine) needs to be used on a person, a man rug can slow down the process. The pads that go on the chest and/or back may not be able to pick up electric pulses if the man rug is too thick. Protocol calls for a razor (which comes in some of the kits) to be used to shave that part of the chest and then try again. If no razor is available, the first set of pads are applied and then used to rip out the hair. Essentially, wax the areas. A second set of pads are used for the defibrillation.

However, if there is no razor and one set of pads…well, good luck and I hope they get some pulses.

So there you go. A great reason why man rugs are dangerous and should not be allowed.