Fourteen months.
I haven't written a proper blog post in fourteen months. During that time I've thought about it, played around with topics in my head, even logged into Blogger a few times - but somehow I just never got farther than that.
But, enough with the excuses. This may be a one-night show, a fluke, a blip - but tonight I feel like writing.
On to the big news - I had a baby! We decided last fall that we were ready for a family, and presto! Mother nature wasted no time obliging us our wish. After nine months of bellyaching (no pun intended) about the woes of pregnancy (I was not the gracious, adorable kind of pregnant woman. I was the chubby, awkward, sweating one.), I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
"Life changing" is how everyone describes becoming a parent, but I think that barely scratches the surface. Ups, downs, way ups, waaay downs... the first month home with our little one was a hormone-powered roller coaster unlike anything I have ever experienced. I expect that parts of my journey will become blog fodder in the days and months to come. As for my baby bear, I adore her, I and am glad to have such a sweet, lively little soul to teach me how to be a mom.
Showing posts with label nursing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nursing. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Two beautiful days and a school update.
For two days the sky has been a dazzling electric blue, and the mercury rose clear into the upper sixties. The crisp, spicy scent of fallen leaves is dense in the air.
Lovely.
__________________________________________________________
Today was my last day of inpatient clinicals for the semester. Pediatrics was a good learning experience, but I'm pretty sure it isn't the specialty for me. However, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed obstetrics - specifically the postpartum unit. I really like doing patient education, and there's a lot of teaching we can do with new moms. I also liked getting to know the families. It was nice to be a part of such a happy time in patient's lives.
Next up is two weeks of outpatient OB clinicals, followed by two weeks of outpatient pediatrics. I can't believe how fast this semester is flying by!
Two weeks in a row I had both a paper and a care plan* due. It made for a lot of writing and some pretty stress-filled days. As I turned in my second paper, I felt immediately lighter and more carefree. I have one more big paper due this semester, and two presentations to give - but everything from here on out is more evenly spaced out, and with my hospital clinicals being over I'll have more time to get everything done. Perhaps now I can start planning a wedding...
*Care plans are huge write ups about the patient care we provide in the hospital. We write about the patient's medical history, the pathophysiology of their illness, list the tests and procedures they've had done, and document findings from our own assessments of the patient. We then come up with possible nursing diagnoses and interventions we can do while caring for the patient. In the hospital they're mostly a generic form included in the chart, and you only need to select which diagnoses apply to your specific patient. In school, however, they're a pretty involved project.They're a great tool for learning the material and understanding how the pieces fit together, but they're also a total pain in the butt.
Lovely.
__________________________________________________________
Today was my last day of inpatient clinicals for the semester. Pediatrics was a good learning experience, but I'm pretty sure it isn't the specialty for me. However, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed obstetrics - specifically the postpartum unit. I really like doing patient education, and there's a lot of teaching we can do with new moms. I also liked getting to know the families. It was nice to be a part of such a happy time in patient's lives.
Next up is two weeks of outpatient OB clinicals, followed by two weeks of outpatient pediatrics. I can't believe how fast this semester is flying by!
Two weeks in a row I had both a paper and a care plan* due. It made for a lot of writing and some pretty stress-filled days. As I turned in my second paper, I felt immediately lighter and more carefree. I have one more big paper due this semester, and two presentations to give - but everything from here on out is more evenly spaced out, and with my hospital clinicals being over I'll have more time to get everything done. Perhaps now I can start planning a wedding...
*Care plans are huge write ups about the patient care we provide in the hospital. We write about the patient's medical history, the pathophysiology of their illness, list the tests and procedures they've had done, and document findings from our own assessments of the patient. We then come up with possible nursing diagnoses and interventions we can do while caring for the patient. In the hospital they're mostly a generic form included in the chart, and you only need to select which diagnoses apply to your specific patient. In school, however, they're a pretty involved project.They're a great tool for learning the material and understanding how the pieces fit together, but they're also a total pain in the butt.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
First day of school
Today was the first day of the new semester. Here's what I've learned so far:
I'm going to be in class/clinicals about 30 hours a week. I also work just under 20 hours a week. The sheer volume of coursework we're going to cover, as well as the increased difficulty of the curriculum means that I'm really going to have to utilize my time efficiently. Time management has always been a weak area for me, so I'm looking at this as an opportunity to improve.
I'm not the only one nervous about our upcoming clinical experience. Everyone in my class feels the same way.
For grins, I decided to weigh my textbooks - 48.8 pounds, not including my binders and course packets. I also have three more books yet to buy (smaller and lighter, thankfully!) I prefer to think of my books in terms of weight rather than cost – in pounds it’s kind of funny, in dollars it’s just plain painful...
We received our clinical groups and unit assignments today. My first clinical rotation is in surgery. Nothing like jumping in headfirst, eh?
Now it's time for bed. I'll end with a lovely quote from Virginia Henderson, one of the bright, influential nurses of the 20th century:
I'm going to be in class/clinicals about 30 hours a week. I also work just under 20 hours a week. The sheer volume of coursework we're going to cover, as well as the increased difficulty of the curriculum means that I'm really going to have to utilize my time efficiently. Time management has always been a weak area for me, so I'm looking at this as an opportunity to improve.
I'm not the only one nervous about our upcoming clinical experience. Everyone in my class feels the same way.
For grins, I decided to weigh my textbooks - 48.8 pounds, not including my binders and course packets. I also have three more books yet to buy (smaller and lighter, thankfully!) I prefer to think of my books in terms of weight rather than cost – in pounds it’s kind of funny, in dollars it’s just plain painful...
We received our clinical groups and unit assignments today. My first clinical rotation is in surgery. Nothing like jumping in headfirst, eh?
Now it's time for bed. I'll end with a lovely quote from Virginia Henderson, one of the bright, influential nurses of the 20th century:
The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life for the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the infant, knowledge and confidence for the young mother, a 'mouthpiece' for those too weak or withdrawn to speak.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Duties of the Hospital Floor Nurse in 1887
In addition to caring for your 60 patients, each nurse will follow these regulations:
1. Daily sweep and mop the floors of your ward, dust the patient’s furniture and windowsill.
2. Maintain an even temperature on your ward by bringing in a scuttle of coal for the day’s business.
3. Light is important to observe the patient’s condition; therefore, each day fill the kerosene lamps, clean chimneys, and trim wicks. Wash the windows once a week.
4. The nurse’s notes are important in aiding the physician’s work. Make your pens carefully; you may whittle nibs to your individual taste.
5. Each nurse on duty will report every day at 7 am and will leave at 8 pm except on Sabbath, on which day you will be off from 12 noon to 2 pm.
6. Graduate nurses in good standing with the Director of Nurses will be given an evening off each week if you regularly attend church.
7. Each nurse should lay aside from each payday a good sum of her earning for her benefits during her declining years, so that she will not become a burden. For example, if you earn $20 a month, you should set aside $10.
8. Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty shop, or frequents dance halls will have given the Director of Nurses good reason to suspect her worth, intentions, integrity.
9. The nurse who performs her labors, serves her patients and doctors faithfully and without fault for a period of five years will be given an increase by the hospital administration of five cents per day, providing there are no hospital debts that are outstanding.
(excerpt bummed from Contemporary Nursing, 3rd Ed., Cherry & Jacob)
1. Daily sweep and mop the floors of your ward, dust the patient’s furniture and windowsill.
2. Maintain an even temperature on your ward by bringing in a scuttle of coal for the day’s business.
3. Light is important to observe the patient’s condition; therefore, each day fill the kerosene lamps, clean chimneys, and trim wicks. Wash the windows once a week.
4. The nurse’s notes are important in aiding the physician’s work. Make your pens carefully; you may whittle nibs to your individual taste.
5. Each nurse on duty will report every day at 7 am and will leave at 8 pm except on Sabbath, on which day you will be off from 12 noon to 2 pm.
6. Graduate nurses in good standing with the Director of Nurses will be given an evening off each week if you regularly attend church.
7. Each nurse should lay aside from each payday a good sum of her earning for her benefits during her declining years, so that she will not become a burden. For example, if you earn $20 a month, you should set aside $10.
8. Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty shop, or frequents dance halls will have given the Director of Nurses good reason to suspect her worth, intentions, integrity.
9. The nurse who performs her labors, serves her patients and doctors faithfully and without fault for a period of five years will be given an increase by the hospital administration of five cents per day, providing there are no hospital debts that are outstanding.
(excerpt bummed from Contemporary Nursing, 3rd Ed., Cherry & Jacob)
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