Nurse in Training

A Day in the OR

2007-08-12T16:23:00.000+09:30

I am bit slow in updating the blog these days, with uni back on and assignments to be done, also being at the hospital can tire a girl out. Nothing real exciting has been happening at the hospital, except for people in recovering from car accidents and brain tunours. I have been enjoying working in neurosurgery at lot more than some other places I have worked. However the work is heavy, patient requiring a lot of care and attention, which is not one of my favuourite things, I prefer a lighter patient load etc.

Anyway on Tuesday last week however another student and myself got the chance to go into the operating room to see a patient have a craniotomy and revomval of cancer tumours from her brain. Crainotomy is one of the most dangerous types of brain surgery, only the most talented neurosurgens perform them, and they have a high mortalily rate. In a craniotomy the cut back the skin on the head and drill into the skull, they then remove a whole section of the skull to see the brain. They then use telescopes etc. to look into the brain and remove the tumours. It was such an awesome surgery to watch, the best bits a rekon was the cranio-drill and just seeing this persons brain pulsing away.

After seeing that last week, this week could been seen as very boring, but I guess we will just have to see!

The catch-up

2007-07-31T21:22:00.000+09:30

Haven't written in ages...so here is what has gone down:

We all did leave Port Pirie, we left on the Tuesday
I did get to see theatre for one day, it was gynie day....I am def not a lesbian!
Got to spend the day with my boyfriend on his actual birthday
Had actual week and half of holidays

Now more recently, I started back at the my usual adelaide hospital, I am now in neurosurgery which has been great. I feel like I am back in a ward where it feels like they want me. I have so far in my two week there learnt heaps and actually feel part of the team.

In other more sadder news, a man that had huge impact on both mine and many others lives, especially my boyfriends family past away last monday morning. He was battling bowel cancer for the past year or so, and couple days before he pasted he got jaundice and went into liver family. This man was a at my school and was a brother, but not your usual kind of brother. He was a grumpy man yet strangly infectious and very funny man. In younger years you are afraid of him, or I was but now and when I was part of the senior school, you are just drawn to him. You are no longer afriad of him, but see him as someone from the school, a teacher of sort who you actually want to invite to 18th and 21st birthdays, see at the pub etc.

He was an amazing man, someone who will also be such a big part of my memories of high school. I thank god that I met him, got to know him better than others, and now I thank god that he's no longer in pain. I just hope st. peter has his socks pulled up and had a hair cut!

Day six

2007-07-09T17:34:00.000+09:30

Well you would think that because its the start of week two things would be better, but no that thought is so far from the truth. There are now three of us up here and we were screwed around all day. As I said before I was meant to be in theatre but no theatre was cancelled again today, so yet again I had no ward to go to. The two other students also weren't told where their wards were going to be. We then got abused by various nurse managers as they thought we were trying to pull something, when really we actually tring to find out what we were meant to be doing today.

Next up I got told theatre was going to be cancelled again on Wednesday, but theatre would be open on Tuesday. Everything just got really confused, so I went to clarrify things with this lady who is meant to organise our placement. Well she just cut sick at me, calling me to comanding in my manner, when all I was saying was that I would like to say in theatre for Tuesday. So we got into an argument.

One of the girls got so sick of being treated like second class citizens she has decided that she is going home tomorrow. I think I might join here, same with other student in leaving early. We rang our course orridinator and he said it was ok if I left early cause really I should have had today off and I don't have to go to any ward on Wednesday.

Placement sucks and we all just wanna go home!

Day five....and the weekend

2007-07-08T11:38:00.000+09:30

Day five did not last long, the staff in A&E let me leave at 11am so that I could get in the car and travel home before dark. It was also so quiet in A&E that day so it all got a bit boring really. With nothing much to report on really that day, the drive home was more eventful.

Driving home it was just bucketing down with rain, like the windscreen wippers could not wipe fast enough. It also got kind of scarey when like the huge trucks speed past and threw heaps and heaps of water up onto my car as well. I was like ahhhhh, but other than that it was an alright trip home.

When I got home I got to see my mum and my boyfriend which was great! Then on Saturday I went up to the Murray with my boyfriends family and relatives for the day. It was a great day even though it was raining. We played american board games and cards, drank some great wine and ate awesome food. Some of the jokes that were told were just so funny, it was like the best night out, I was so glad that I decided to go. But I had to come home early cause they are all staying up there for the weekend, but my boyfriend came on with me.

He went back up to the Murray today so today I am getting my washing today and then leaving for Port Pirie again...yuck!

Day four - calm before the storm

2007-07-05T20:45:00.000+09:30

Well I definately know that the word quiet is a jinx in A&E. We had another student there today, and she said at about 9am "boy its so quiet", we all just looked at her and said "don't say the 'Q' word down here". Low and behold 30mins later we had two emergency come in, both little kids 3 and 4 in respiratory distress. Both of the kids required intensive care and constant monitoring and there was no where near enough staff!

The first to come in was a little girl who was 4 and was having her first ever asthma attack as she wasn't previously known to be asthmatic. And well things weren't great for her, we put her on nebulizers to help her breath but it wasn't helping at all. Things got so bad, she was getting so tired and looked like it was getting harder and harder for her to breath. We had to call for a retreval team to come and get her and in the mean time while waiting for them, get her a bed in the high dependency unit in the hospital. When I last heard she still wasn't improving.

The second was a little 3 yr old boy, who was actually in respiratory distress from suscepted RSV and asthma. This boy was also an epileptic and has a history of bleeding PR. He wasn't good and got so bad they had to call theatre and get the anaestist to look at him. When he got there he took one look and said, "he needs to go to theatre for intubation NOW". On the way the theatre he stoped breathing, it was one big race to get tube in, so we could get him breathing again. We did get tube in and he stabilized sort of, we then found out from blood tests that he is aneamic, with a haemoglobin level 1/3 of what it should be. We called the women's and children's hosptial for immediate retrival. Things are not looking good for this little guy. I guess I will have to wait and hear whats happened to him, last I saw was him getting on a plane to go to Adelaide.

While I was in theatre there were two more emergency's another asthmatic and another little kid, with really high temperature who had collaspsed. But I don't know whats happened to them as it was way past the end of my shift and well I was buggered and needed to go home and rest.

Hopefully tomorrow no one will say its quiet!

Day three - all quiet on the front

2007-07-04T21:16:00.000+09:30

Calling today quiet would have been an understatement. In my entire 8hr shift we had a total of 4 people come in, just 4! Two of them only required basic care, one needed a bandage for a cut and another just needed some pain killers for severe back pain. The other two just required admitting to the ward for further investigation, because the on-call doctor could not make definate diagnosis.

So it was quiet, things down here are quiet and I can't wait to get in the car on Friday and drive home. There are things such as my 2 years with my boyfriend, which is tomorrow. Also missing seeing my Dad and brother leave for Kokoda. Looking forward to coming home for weekend.

Day two

2007-07-03T23:06:00.000+09:30

Accident and emergnecy wasn't all that busy today but I did get to see something. Also it was nice having a quieter day because I got to know my way around the department a bit better. So far I have enjoyed A & E because I actually have been able to get exposure to paedatrics.

Today there was this little nine year old boy who came in, he fell of his grandpa's boat which was in the shed onto a sticking out piece of metal. His arm and clothes got caught on it. He ripped at 7cm whole in his arm that was about 3cm deep and he lost a lot of fat tissue and you could see his muscle. I thought I would feel bit sick from this cause it was little kid but I was surpirsingly calm and I just focused on keeping the boy happy and calm. He was brave little kid he didn't cry at all. He ended up having 5 internal stiches and 10 external. We made a deal, cause it was hurting when the doc was injecting the local anaesthic that he would squeeze my hand but I promised I wouldn't tell his grandpa or his friends so they would think he was really brave. I think he was brave even though he was squeezing my hand.

Other that little boy there was a lot of chest pain, and shortness of breath (SOB) which I am told is really usual for A&E. Other than that there was a ex-nurse who fell off a ladder even though he wasn't meant to be climbing ladders cause he had heart attack just four weeks ago.

Tomorrow it will all start again

First Day

2007-07-02T19:12:00.001+09:30

Today was my first day here in Port Pirie, and boy was a confusing day it was. I got to the house and let myself in with Mum to find that there is only one other student down here this week, however there will be more next week. We both headed over to the hospital for my orientation and it turned out that the lady in charge of me for my time here is a friend from high school aunty. So we will have to see how that goes due to issues with this friends mother! After orientation I learnt that the operating theatre where I am meant to be spending this week is closed due to the nursing strike. So they have to find me somewhere else to go.

My new ward is now accident and emergency, and well today it wasn't all that exciting, and I am a bit nervous and don't really know what I can do in there yet. Today in emergency there weren't that many people, just a guy with broken ankle waiting for plaster and few people who came in for get cuts and blisters "fixed" when just getting a bandaid would have done the job! But oh well it kept me from becoming too bored.

I get to sleep in tomorrow as all the crazies come in emergency after 4pm so I will have to see how I go!

Bags all packed

2007-06-30T16:16:00.000+09:30

Well things are all ready for me to travel up to Port Pirie tomorrow. I know its a bit early but I have big day of events tomorrow, 50th birthday lunch with my boyfriends family and then a fairwell mass and headmaster dinner for my brother and dad who are going to Koakoda. So I am leaving late at night with Mum for company so things have to be ready now. So the bags are all packed up.

Last night I had just the most mouth watering dinner ever. We went to this place for my birthday as well, but boy did I have such a good feed. I was really hungry so I think everything just tasted better. It was Japanese food, so like sushi and teppaynki...they cook such good beef. It was all just like oh my god! Then for desert we had chocolate fondu with fruit and marshmellows. It was all so very good, it just all melted in your mouth even the meat did. Cause everything was so good it just made me sooo happy. I was giggling all night and I hadn't even had anything to drink!

The mood however went a bit funny when I got home and got accidently got pushed down the stairs at my house. Dad and my brother where fighting to get the key in the door and my brother pushed dad who stubled back into me. But the hero in my life actually caught me, I thought I was going to get really hurt, but no my boyfriend caught me. MY HERO!

Oh my God!

2007-06-29T10:50:00.000+09:30

Well I don't know about anyone else but we I heard the news last night I was oh so excited in a year 6 screaming girl kind of way. The SPICE GIRLS the band of like the 90's who brought about girl power in the weirdest of ways is having a reunion tour. I mean if you aren't excited about that I don't know what will get you excited. I still remember like all the words to their songs and I am even thinking about putting their CD on and dancing/singing around my room to it! In fact I think I will, I think I may even take the CD down to Port Pirie and sing along to in the car. Yay for Spice Girls!

In other less exciting news, I rang up and got my roster for next week in theatre. I start every moring at 7.30am which sounds bad, but its actually not cause I usually start shifts at 7am so the extra half hour is deeply appreciated. The nurse who I spoke to on the phone sounded so nice, so my out look on the week has improved. Plus I am looking forward to seeing different surgeries, even though I am not helping cause I am not allowed, can't wait to observe and see if I can hack in there. But my over ridding thought at the moment is still SPICE GIRLS!

SPICE GIRLS, SPICE GIRLS, SPICE GIRLS!!!

Being Sick Sucks

2007-06-28T19:51:00.000+09:30

Turns out according to the medical profession I am sick, or as the doctor said "I'm a sick little puppy". I have to go to Pirie on Monday and at the moment I don't want to go cause I feel so crappy and I don't want to be away from my mum.

I had lunch today which I did not feeling like going to but it was still worth it. I had lunch with some of the first and second year nurses. So bizzar what we get to talking about over lunch, over people would just be turned off. Lots of the conversation was around exams and we telling the first years what to expect and telling them not to worry things will click eventually. While at lunch I saw one of the nurses I worked with on cardiothorasics (my favourite ward and area). Good to see him, he said they are missing me on the ward and look forward to having me back there. Hopefully I get placed back there in third year!

After lunch I came home and slept and I am still craving French toast!

A lazy day that turned into something else

2007-06-25T19:44:00.000+09:30

I felt crusty this morning my cold/cough thing has reared its ugly ugly head so I thought nope there is no way I am getting up today. So I slept, however Mum did bring me in a cup of tea and baggle at some point, which was nice of her. So today I slept.

I kind of have weird dreams that in some weird way come true or are symbolic in some way. So during my slumber today I had this weird dream where my cousin was a little girl lost in supermarket calling out for my mum and her mum and dad. I woke up and thought that was odd, then about 10 minutes later the door-bell rang. As I was walking down hallway I was like man I beat this is my cousin. So I answered and it was her and then I was like shit she looks really lost, something has happened. Like 30 seconds after I asked her if she was ok, she told me that one of her friends had been found dead this morning either from a car accident or shoot accident. I did not think about the dream really until she left...I am so odd! Just so I don't seem insensitive, she is ok and I spent afternoon chatting with her.

In other news I do want to put picture I took from the shoot up on here but I am confused on how to do it so I am waiting for my boyfriend to show me. They are going to go up though.

"Photos"....again

2007-06-24T22:36:00.000+09:30

Who said I need to sleep in...not me! I got woken up early today by my boyfriend to do some finishing touching shots for the film. So there was a drive up the Princess Highway to the tunnels, which I thought was going to be scarey because I have never done it before but it really wasn't. Silly me for worrying about it! Then from there, there was a quick drive down into town for "photos" of city driving and corners. After that we had to wait until night to take "photos" of some stuff in my garage and guess what, I GOT TO BE CAMERA PERSON!

Things are going well, although it feels so weird not having any uni work or having to go to work at the hospital. I guess I am kind of itching to get back into things, looking after to people. But I tihnk I am coming down with a cold cough thing so I have to look after myself first I guess. Next stop in nursing is rural placement in an operating theatre for the first week at lease. But I have a week before then, so its time to just rest up I guess.

It's been awhile now

2007-06-23T19:23:00.000+09:30

It has been so full on since my last post when I said that things had calmed down. Funny how things like that happen, it was definately the calm before the storm. I have now finished my exam and my structured clinical assessment which feels so good to have them down. My combined exam I actually think I did pretty damn well in, first time I have been happy with a exam in awhile. I passes my structured clinical assessment I got 70% which isn't great but hey it's pass and that's all that matters at the moment.

I have been on the set at same time as my exam week, the only time I wasn't on set was when I actually had an exam. Filming was full on for everyone I think due to the long hours and very very cold and wet weather, but I think its a HUGE credit to the whole crew for sticking it out and getting it down. I think it will be a great film and everyone will be proud of the work they did. Plus I think the 1st AD loved his job of being a bastard and keeping everyone on schedule just a little too much! I think now that its all over, the crew and myself just want to sleep for the next few days and I think we deserve it!

So its time for some zzzzz's as I have had very little sleep except for all the napping today!

An Update

2007-06-10T20:45:00.000+09:30

Things have kind of slowed down a bit since a week of shooting and holter monitors. I got the monitor off the day after I got it on, which was what was scheduled. I am now just waiting until this Friday to get my results back, so its a waiting game. Trying not to think about it and so far I've been doing a damn good job of it.

Other than holter montiors and a week of shooting, I have to now begin studying for my exam next week on Monday. So I guess its to get my butt back into gear again and start studying once again. Feels like only yesterday that I stoped studying for my last test. On the note of the last test I got 75%...rather pleased with myself when I thought I would fail, and that mark isn't even moderated!

Last week by poor boyfriend got some cold/chest infection thing, and cause I looked after him and was around him. Well I guess you can guess what happened, now I am coughing and not feeling 100% and I fear the worst is still to come. But hey things could be worse...right!

Holter Monitor

2007-06-06T20:47:00.001+09:30

I have been having a few issues with my heart recently. I have been getting chest pain and palpitations at random intervals, however they increase in frequency when I'm doing any form of excerise or become distressed. So I have gone to the doctors and she said I should get a 24 hour holter monitor just to check and see whats going on cause I have a very rapid heart rate at times.

So I have waited abut three weeks and today I got the holter montior put on and I feel tad riddiculus cause I have been walking around with all these elctrodes hanging off me and a huge chunky recording and battery pack attached to my jeans.

The holter monitor job is to record my heart rate and rhythm continously over the 24 hours, so when the results come in, my poor old doctor has to sift through 24 hours worth of recordings of my heart rhythms. However there is this small button on my recording pack that I can press when I'm having chest pain or as they call it an 'event' so she can look at specific times.

Now I just have to wait a week for my results!

Laughter and tears

2007-06-05T20:40:00.000+09:30

Average day today, I was on set again today. Kids weren't needed on set until after lunch so it wasn't an awfully long shot for me, and also they didn't need to say any lines. So it was really an easy day for me today. But due to the late start I missed seeing the camera guy's apparent freak out about a brown snake being right on set where we were filming. Wish I could have seen that!

However the late start did have its positives, I randomly rang my oldest friend today, I hadn't spoken to her really since January. It's bloody awesome to have a friend who has been around through all the years of make believe. There are always such funny stories, stories from good old days. So we had big old laughs about what we did when we were much younger.

My boyfriend and myself just flicked onto the end of Armagedon, and I am bloody hopeless Istart crying I haven't even watched any of the film just see the end 10-15mins and I start crying. So my boyfriend rewinds (we have foxtel digital) to see what happens at a certain point and guess what at the same point I had just seen 10mins before I start crying again. Sometimes I am just a silly little girl.

One Muddy Day

2007-06-04T21:03:00.000+09:30

Well it was day one on the set of my second student film for the year. It is my role for the week to be the kids who are the stars of the film their acting coach and general help out person. Help out person kind of meant holding umbrellas, clapper board person, making sure kids are warm and that NO ONE IS SMOKING AROUND THEM!

Swearing was banned on set, so instead we used to audio guys name as a substitue for every time we wanted to swear for example "Shut the Rowan up!" This susbstition kind of got turned into a bit of a joke by the end of the day.

The day wasn't all smooth sailing, it rained on and off all day which meant that the ground was all muddy and like wet clay. It was also cold, and the actors didn't have the warmest clothes on. I have also decided that I am cursed when it comes to film shoots, I brought the cops out again. Well not me personally but so far on both the two shoots so far the cops have been called out. This time they were called out cause some old pensioner couple with nothing better to do claimed we were starting bush fires, doing burn outs and nearly ran the over. Which is all such a laugh cause the only fire we were starting was at the end of peoples cigarettes which they are NOT ALLOWED TO SMOKE NEAR THE CHILDREN!

Common Sense

2007-06-03T21:50:00.000+09:30

Well....the essay is done and swot week has started. And well I start working on as a personal safety officer on a film set tomorrow. So exciting really! Great way to spend first week of swot week. Maybe I will get some study done while they are shooting and I don't need to watch four little children. They aren't really little they are 11 to 12 but still, they are little to me because I am 19. It still seems weird to say I'm 19, I feel kind of old at times, but then I am young compared to most of my friend or my boyfriend.

The essay I just kind of proved to me why I shouldn't be hippy. My reasoning is that well all this herbal products that are meant to cure everything from the common cold to cancer, its all crap. Half of the products don't usually do what they claim they do, or they are so weak that they can't produce enough of whatever they produce to cause an effect. So I am going to stick with my conventional medical profession, because as I see it at the moment, although we still can't cure everything the drugs I give out are known to cause an effect.

So people can take those drugs or be vegiterian, even though everyone needs red meat. The best cure for most things is common medical problems is common medically prescribed drugs, go figure!

Times up and its starting again

2007-05-31T21:16:00.000+09:30

Aged care is over, I walked out of that place and it felt soooo good. Well sort of, my favourite lady has asked me to go back and visit and I will. Just as long I don't have to work there ever again.

My pharmacology essay has been given an extension until Monday which should be good for me. Only problem is that I have to figure out a way to hand in it cause I'll be on another movie shoot from 8am til 5pm which is when I have to hand in the assignment. So thinking needs to be done.

I was on a movie shoot today, I got to play an attractive police woman recpetionist who gets hit on by the lead. It was fun, we almost got in trouble by the police cause we were using police uniforms and apparently thats illegal. So that was a very interesting conversation that was had with four pigs hehehe. It could have been very stressful for the producer and director, it still is really because they can still take away the footage. We will just have to wait and see.

All and all things are looking up!

Drug chart hell

2007-05-29T19:23:00.000+09:30

Yesterday at Aged Care I was down and low care and I was again down there today and guess what its crap! Yesterday I wasn't even allowed to give eye drops and the residents are grumpy and I had just had enough. The nurse I was meant to be working with didn't like me. So today I was shunted off told she didn't want me around and that I was to date all the drug charts.

Their drug charts last for something like 6 months so I was writting 1 to 30 or 31 and the month on 143 different people charts. I was so pissed off, I know that I only have one more day there and I'm only there until 12 but you know what I have bloody had it.

Writting dates on charts all day is by my understand NOT nursing. Nor is it part of my job as a student to be doing those tasks. We were told that we were to work with the nurse in charge, it is not fair for her to say no I don't want you just do this and stay out of my way. Gee what a great teacher.

Tomorrow can't come to soon...stupid aged care!

Cooking, Pirates and Lois Lane

2007-05-27T22:55:00.000+09:30

I did no work this weekend and in fact I feel better for it. Instead I was cooking, the menu included:

Terriyaki and Soy Chicken and veggie stir fry with noodles - very yummy, so I was told
Pancakes with ice cream and maple syrup - also very good, each pancake got better
Rogan josh curry with veal on lots of rice and with plain yogurt - mmmmm

Actually there is a story involved with the maple syrup. We didn't have any and me and my boyfriend wanted pancakes. Well you just can't have pancakes with able the maple, people that have just lemon and sugar are weird!! So we drove down to the shops...just to get the syrup. We ended up leaving with bacon, kabbana, coke, ice coffee, mint chocolate milk, biscuits and I'm sure I have forgotten something....oh yeh the maple syrup. And all that wasn't cheap either! It was then decided in future if we ever have to do a complete shop for everything we take a list and stick to it. Cause well otherwise who knows what might have happened.

Apart from cooking on Saturday night I went with my boyfriend and some other mates to see Pirates 3. It was great. They all complained it had to many story lines and they didn't finish off any stories, they didn't sum everything up. But well I liked that there were so many stories, cause I could get lost in that world. Also cause they didn't sum everything up it means there could be another one. There are already rumours going around that there will be a forth. YAY! Johnny Deep is the best anyway, I love him as Captain Jack, hes so funny. I think I could just watch him for three hours! Word of advice, from my boyfriend cause he made us do this...stick around until after the credits even though they go for ages...its worth it. Today I went and saw my boyfriends sister in her muscial which she has been traveling around Australia with. She plays Lois Lane in the musical Kiss Me Kate and she was amazing. Its so cool that I could say that I'm going out with her brother! She plays the best Marlin look-a-like. She had 47 family members and relatives there watching her today, I couldn't have performed to so many family members like she did...it was very cool.

Another day of aged care awaits tomorrow but I only have three more days there...the end is near!

It's all over

2007-05-26T13:00:00.000+09:30

The test was done and yesterday and well parts of it weren't great, I just kind of hope that everyone else didn't do to well as well as me. It knd of becomes a bit depressing when you do so much work and study, and then you get this test and questions don't make sense etc etc.

I still have another essay to write and few more assignments but today I just cannot be bothered do uni work maybe I'll start tomorrow I probs won't though.

My boyfriend is watching this movie 'Boys Don't Cry' at the moment and its gross and disguisting I just can't watch it. Its about this girl who thinks or well feels she is a guy, so she dress up as one. At one point these two disguisting guys rape him/she (I dont know what to call him/her). I guess I really just can't watch that kind of stuff at all. Makes feel wrong and stuff cause its such a crime, I don't know how people can do that.

All this for tomorrow

2007-05-24T23:55:00.000+09:30

Everything that has been done of past week or so, everything that I have been working on today. My study notes, finishing assignments etc has all been for tomorrow. Tomrrow at 11:10 I have to sit down and actually try and remember at least some of the stuff I have been reading.

So now I need sleep as it is already nearly tomorrow.

Fried Brains

2007-05-23T19:08:00.000+09:30

Haley left the big brother house last night...I know I can't believe I watch that show, but some how I find myself addicted to it. I liked haley, but I also feel sooo sorry for Andrew he seems really sweet. I couldn't do that, go on big brother, I'd miss my man to much. How very soppy!

Anyway I'm not going to continue to talk about that cause I would just seem sad, however it is a great distraction form STUDYING! I am so very over studying. My brain has been fried and its only Wednesay, I've still got another day or so before my test on Friday. But my god I just don't want to do anymore.

I've actually got really nothing to write about cause my brain is so fried, its all jus blah blah blah wah wah wah siiiizzzzzlllleeee!

The Production line

2007-05-22T17:38:00.000+09:30

Well I finally finished my case study today, thats 1,968 words all written and one of the last things on my production line, of things to finish before the end of the semester. Things left to do are:

Mid-term test

Hand up completed group conecpt map

Write case study on a completmentary therapy

Finish my aged care work book

Health assessment on cardiovascular system

Final discussion board topic

Combined end of semester exam

and finally....structured clinical assessment

Eight things left to do...not much at all...really. Yesterday I took rehearsals for one of the short films being produced at the moment. It was four little kids, they are very clever. It was lots of fun, just hope I was doing what the director wanted.

One piece of negative news was the my Great Aunt Kay passed away today at 12pm. These things happen, I guess I've gotten use to people passing away now since I started nursing. Plus she was 85 years old which is a great age to live to, so I guess I'm not upset really, just a little bit sad.

Tomorrow is another day of study before my big test on Friday...another thing on the production line of getting my degree I guess.

Just Relax

2007-05-20T22:14:00.000+09:30

This weekend although I studied, I was actually a very relaxing weekend. A lot of stress has been taken off my boyfriends shoulders which means I'm not stress for him as well. So we just kind of spent to weekend relaxing around each others houses...and I studied!

Not so stressed about my exam/test at the end of the week. I don't know why I'm just not which is a good thing.

One negative however is that my Great Aunt Kay who has been in hospital not well. She has had a clot in her lung. But I got the message today that she has had a stroke, so I had to tell my Mum which is never fun. She has regained her speech but she has lost movement in her right side. Another bad thing is that her kidneys are failing, which is really the start of organ failure, her lungs aren't functioning well and they can't control her potassium levels. So we all know she is on the way out, but still not great news.

I got to kill zombies again today, got told about a new zombie game and its online. It is on one of the guys blog who also makes films...its: http://artscool.cfa.cmu.edu:16080/~lee/deanimator.html

But really all in all it was a really relaxing weekend.

Second Year Blues

2007-05-17T21:46:00.000+09:30

Today, I did not want to get out of bed, but I did. To tell the truth even though the day had ups and downs I am glad that I did.

Cause I've been doubting this career choice and been talking to my boyfriend heaps about it. So I thought why not talk to one of my lectures that I have really good relationship. I pretty much told him everything, how much I wasn't enjoying the course, that I didn't feel needed at the aged care facility and I feel like I'm drowing with the amount of study. I told him that I need to feel needed, I need someone to be ringing the bell needing my help. He told me that the desire for me to be needed is innate, that they want nurses like me, who just want to help.

He also told me that there is such thing as second year blues, it even happened to him. It's where students question their course, don't know what they are doing or what they want. So he told me I just need to stick things about cause I am going to love next year because it is all acute care nursing like theatre etc.

Another thing which made me feel good was that cause he helps run the course along with another guy he would make sure that in no way would I fail cause they don't want to lose me in this course.

However the day wasn't all positives we (my boyfriend and me) had some set-backs about the film and locations. But we are slowly trying to nut things out, think of new ideas etc. Everything always works out though, and thats a promise!!

Wednesday update - hit and run?

2007-05-16T22:26:00.000+09:30

I've already posted today, but well I have to post this now cause it won't be as interesting tomorrow.

I was about to drive my boyfriend home and we were just about to pull out of my drive when he spotted flashing ambulance lights. So we jumped out to see what was going on like all noisey neighbours should do. So we watched for awhile and then ambulance drove off, so I yelled at to the guy helping put the person on the ambulance was everything alright.

He said that a young boy, his young boy had been skate boarding and had been in an accident. So I checked if he was alright and wished him the best of luck, cause well he didn't think anything was broken but he just didn't seem right...never a great sign.

So thinking back to earlier that evening about 45mins before we left home, I had heard a scretching car noises...but at that point I dismissed. But when I got home mum had said that the police had been around the area, and I told her about the accident.

According to some impulsive conclusions...there could have been a hit and run on my street! FREAKY STUFF!

A very bludgie few days...sort of

2007-05-16T12:23:00.000+09:30

Well its a Wednesday and so far this week I have only been at aged care for an hour cause well Monday I didn't want to go, cause I feel useless there so I drove around with my boyfriend for a bit looking for locations...again. Tuesday didn't want to go...for the same reason so I spent some of the day studying and writting a case study and then I went down to help with auditions. We casted a villian. He was sooo scarey cause I had to read line with him, very intimidating when acting, but the nicest guy when hes not acting. And well today I was there for an hour, cause well they thought I didn't look or sound very well and they heard how much work I've got on, so they sent me home...how nice of them.

So apart from film stuff, which I am really enjoying helping out with there is the nursing side of things. So much study has to be done and assignments I feel a bit like I'm in really deep water and getting tired of trying to stay floating. Cause in aged care, I don't feel like I am nursing, so I feel very lost. Cause I'm feeling lost I think its making me think twice about this career choice. Which is bad cause I'm like half way through. So taking my boyfriends advice I am just going to try and stick it out, pass all these exams etc.

Hopefully my head won't be so muddle when I go to my next placement...only four more days of aged care to go!!

Killing Zombies and Mother's Day

2007-05-13T21:18:00.000+09:30

Yesterday was a good day...in fact a very good day. I came home from my boyfriends after really nice night of relaxing infront of a fire and learning to play chess. Which I suck at by the way, but he did say I am getting better. Yay for me! So after coming home I can proudly say I did six whole hours of study...six whole hours!

The stuff that a was actually study actually went into my little old brain and I can still actually retain stuff. So I am quite excited about that, I am actually excited about learning. So as my reward me and my boy went to the arcade the killed shit! I actually beat him in one game..shooting game, killing zombies...thats right a tiny little girl beat my big strong tall boyfriend. Hehehehe I am not going to stop rubbing that in cause well he beats me at most of things.

So after a night of killing things, today was Mother's Day, we had a big family thing. Which can become awakward at times. Things did turn out alright. Kept my mum and grandma happy which is the most important thing to me. So happy Mother's Day Mum!

Uni, assignments and everything else

2007-05-11T13:45:00.000+09:30

Today is another uni day...booooring! I have skipped a few lectures with a group of girls so we can finish this assignment on concept maps. This assignment is actually really stupid, cause a part from doing a concept map we have to write a 1000 word essay on how we constructed the map and how well we worked together as a group. I mean geezzz kind of a waste of our time.

Wednesday was a crappy day at the nursing home we were only there from 7 til 12 because we had to go and do a Eyes, Ears, Nose and Mouth assessment on each other. So my morning at the nursing home consisted on not one but two drug rounds. I have come to realise that these nurses I work with take waay to long on the drug rounds when they could go much quicker. I don't know how they could go quicker, but they could. I didn't even really get to have a good chat to my favourite lady today, especially when I really wanted to after Tuesday. But I hope I'll get a good chance to next week.

Stress levels have kind of risen and then fell but are on the way up again today. I have finished two assignments and handed them up today and also finished my aged care work book which was good. However I still have this huge case study and this test which is looming over my head. Despartely trying to think how I am going to do all this.

The other day I seriously thought about quitting nursing and this course, not sure about things at the moment. I am trying to think that it may just but aged care and all the assignments getting to me, but I just don't know. My boyfriend has been really supportive telling me I can get through this and its just a rough patch in the year. Hope he's right!

Never just a hop and a jump

2007-05-08T20:26:00.000+09:30

Well today could have been reeeaaally boring cause well there was two of us students up in aged care today which means that there is even less for us to do. So I thought well I can start some of my uni work which I have to get done in next few weeks. Also want to get most of my assignments done before I really have to get my head down in my books.

However plans kind of changed once I got talking to my favourite lady with the trachy (she is now offically the favourite). I have decided to do my case study on her, cause I find it easy to talk to her and she has some really interesting medical conditions. So I went in to just ask her a few things about her life story. Well what I thought would be a few minutes turned into few hours. Which well isn't really a bad thing.

So in the few hours this lady was talking to me, I have she has inspired me so much. She has had such a life, travelled so many places, lived through two world wars...like man what a life. The best thing she told me was "Never think you can't do anything, because there are lesser more ordinary people out there doing the exact thing you think you can't do. So the skys the limit but make sure you climb every rung on the ladder. Because its never just a hop and a jump its a hop skip and a jump" I know thats full of metaphors....but when you think about it, she is so very right!

Open Day

2007-05-07T23:04:00.000+09:30

Today was the open day of my aged care facillity cause it was their 40th birthday. All these big wigs turned up and made boring speaks to the resisdents who I don't think understood them or realised what was going on. I think they were more interested in the tea and cakes they were about to get. Boy I wish I could have been like that...instead I had to try and stay awake. Waking up at 5am to get to work, doesn't make staying awake during boring speeches any easier.

So there were speeches and the usual 3hr drug rounds, which is never interesting. My favourite lady has conguctivities which isn't nice for the poor thing, you would think she would get a break considering she has a trachy and finds it hard to sleep. But I guess its just a cruel cruel world sometimes. Other than drugs I have decided I am studying and researching assignments. So some of my day was spent looking up information about patients and assessment programs. The other part was study.

I did meet someone really interesting today. This gentleman was a very declerated army officer during various wars. He spent a lot of time in Cario during the war and was telling me stories of his leave trips with the boys to 'Nightclubs' and 'Jazz bars' with the British air force nurses. Which is where he meet to wonderful women. He was telling me how on both occassions he was with the lads and they went up to bunch of girls and he ask this stunner for a dance. This particular stunner introduced herself and she was believe it or not KATHERINE HEPBURN. He actually danced with and went on to play golf with her for few days, and they meet up most times he was on leave. He has letters from her and everything, which is really cool. To top things off he had the exact same experience with Vivien Leigh (from Gone with the Wind).

After work I helped out with short film auditions for both my boyfriends and few other friends doing the same course. I got to help coach and assist in casting children which is heaps of fun. I have actually been asked to coach the kids they cast to help them prepare for the film. And nursing is also coming in handy cause I have been asked to be the Personal Safety Officer...woow I wonder if I'll get a badge?

A Day of Study...sort of

2007-05-06T19:46:00.000+09:30

Well after a night of Spider-man 3...which by the way was really good despite bad reviews. Only thing was that maybe it had to many villians. Anyway I had to get home from my boyfriends early in morning for a day of study.

So I had huge plans to study all day but they were ruined when well...I ran out of flash cards. So more have to be bought tomorrow after another dull day at aged care. Planning on actually reviewing my notes etc. while I'm at aged care cause well I don't do anything there, so I am going to make the most out of my time there by studying.

Today I reviewed inflamation, cell death, especially necrosis, apoptosis and acute/chronic responses. It all kind of gets boring after a while. Especially when its stuff you should see when you are working at a hospital but I am not. Meh so over aged care, I really should stop complaining. So I guess we will see how tomorrow goes.

Mid-term...and free comic books

2007-05-05T20:18:00.000+09:30

Friday was awful, so stressful. We got told when our mid-term was and its on the same day we have huge aged care case study due and group assignments on mandatory reporting. The mid-term is meant to be on first 6 weeks of pathophysiology and first four weeks of pharmacology. Which doesn't sound to bad except well we have 3 pathophysiology lectures per week and two pharmacology lectures...and well thats a lot of content to cover and prepare for...in just two weeks. I mean I am still freaking about the online test that I did...now I get told I have two weeks to learn more stuff. EEEKK!

So well I have had a freak out, mini break down and well now I have a plan...flash cards for every lecture to be done by tomorrow night, Monday at the latest. Have to my study days the week of test and must have case study and group assignment done by end of next week.

On a positive note...got starbucks for breakfast this morning...my favourite drink there venti coffee based carmel frappacinno with cream...gotta have the cream otherwise just not worth having. Also got taken along to a free comic book day. I am just kind of new to whole comic book thing thanks to my boyfriend. I thought it was like geeky thing, but I have actually enjoyed reading them.

On the note of reading...hi jonny!

I'm off to see spiderman 3 tonight even though it has gotten bad reviews, I've seen first two in the cinema so I have to see 3rd there too. Movies is my reward for afternoon of study. I am nearly half way through my pathophysiology notes and flash cards...more to be done tomorrow. But spierman awaits me...

Rainy day with a mood to match

2007-05-03T19:59:00.000+09:30

Raining today, and well we have offically started our Aged Care work and well...it sucks. All we are doing in this place is paper work and drugs. Its not even paper work, its all done on the computers in this place. The nurses that I have been working with can only type with one finger, so everything takes forever. On the last day just to spend things up I offered to type, it took my 30minutes instead of the usual 3 hours. The drug rounds are boring and take hours cause there are so many people and they take forever to take their medications.

I usually really like old people but well by Wednesday I was sooo over them. However there are two ladies I adore, but I never get to spend much time with them because well the nurse never lets me, cause that kind of interaction is the carers jobs..which is bull really.

The first lady has a trachy, which is the only reason she is in the place. She is by fair one of the smartest women I have ever met, she can do cryptic cross words so fast...I cant even a cyriptic cross word. She also loves to talk, but cause she has a trachy she has to put her finger over the tube in her neck to talk, but that doesnt stop her. When she laughs she forgets to cover the tube and her laugh then sounds like this weezy noise. Its real cute. She also gives the thumbs up constantly.

The second lady has demintia, she forgets things alot, but she always means well. She is very sweet and always asks heaps of questions, cause she constantly trying to remember things.

They are the only two positives of my three days there...otherwise it is so depressing. So I have become grumpy and tired cause I have to travel an hour in the morning to get to work, and then work long day. Plus try and help my boyfriend with his film, and study. I am becoming really worn out.

Uni sucks at the moment, we had to do an online test and man it was sooo hard, I could barely answer three questions before I had to use my books and notes for the rest. It has really freaked me out, cause if this is just an online test, how am I going to cope with the mid-semester. So I am deprespartly trying to think of new ways to study.

I stole one idea of grey's anatomy...flash cards! So I am off the make flash cards to lower stress levels and sleep to erase the grump.

Props 'R' Us

2007-04-29T21:52:00.000+09:30

So no nursing stuff over the weekend cause I have no placement and no uni...thank god! This weekend was instead spent location scouting and prop shoping for my boyfriends latest film.

His film is a superhero discovery/birth film. Where a man discovers who his father was and that he is next in line to continue to legacy of the Defender. So well we needed to find superhero stuff...Which consisted of us find and making a power ring, which surprizingly proved more difficult than I orginally thought. But finally this morning, after much stress and lots of glue to was finished and it looks great.

The rest of Saturday we drove around...wait for it...a cemetary, thats right...and a psychiatric insitution. To complete the picture, it was pooring down with rain...not the way I thought I would be spending my Saturday afternoon with my boyfriend. But hey still there was many a laugh amongst the stress.

Today we shopped, I have never seen my boyfriend spend so much money...so much money on toy swords, marbles, blue contact, mannial folders and key rings. I'm sure I have forgotten things, but boy did we shop. We walked from one end of the mall to another, into wherehouses and hardware stores. Like Saturday there was stress finding things and trying to make things work, but still good moments, one brought on by curry.

Suggestion...anyone who is stressed share a big plate of curry with someone or watch big brother just pay all the people on the show out.

A day of Pharmacology

2007-04-27T12:57:00.000+09:30

Since today's Friday we had our usual pharmacology lectures plus some others on communication, health assessment etc. I'm meant to be at uni from 9am til 5pm however, that makes the day so long and some of the lectures are sooo pointless like many university lectures are, so I stayed for the important important lectures and compulsory tutorials and now I'm home at 12. Which I think is a pretty good day.

Whats funny is that 10% of my grade for two subjects is just turning up to tutorials, I mean how sweet is that. I don't even have to say anything I can just sit and tune out and I get 10% of my final grade. I love easy marks. Even though I did turn up today, I didn't do much, I kind of took notes on other subjects that I didn't get a chance to do the other day. So I'm playing a bit of catch up. Plus one of our lectures, oh my god you just can't understand what he says half the time, so I'm better off just reading and noting the lecture later on. Thank god for hand outs.

Besides uni today, I was meant to get this ring ingraved for my boyfriend. Now that sounds soppy but its not, he makes films, short films, last two he did were really good, and this year he is making...wait for it...superhero film. So anyway this superhero has super ring and well yesterday we went around town, in the rain, finding stuff to make this ring and now it needs to be ingraved. So yeh, I didn't get a chance to do that today even though I finished at 12 cause well no money. He also has blog about his latest film and production stuff..check out his blog.
Also you can view one of his films.

Signing off once again...check out the film!

From the begining...sort of

2007-04-27T01:11:00.000+09:30

So here is the deal, I'm a second year student nurse, currentlt being university and hospital trained which is awesome compared to other courses. Cause I am in hospital so much as a student, there are so many things that happen, that well are interesting to me that I thought hell why not share them, or at least write them down so I don't forget them.

But the deal with me writting about where I work and what happens is I can't write down the names of facilities I work at, people I work with or patient names. All this is for confidental reasons. I am still will to share, or at least write for myself.

As I am in second year, I have been in hospital for a year now, so many stories have come and gone, some from this year and last. So I am starting current, past stories aren't worth writting about, so they'll just have to stay in the old memory. I am going to start where my current placement is, which is aged care.

I have only had two days of aged care so far, and well they were both orientation days, which are really dull. You can only be told about incontenance so many times before it well, becomes boring. And I know that some people live with that issue every day and well 'touch wood' that it doesn't happen to me, but well its boring even the first time you hear about it. So there isn't much to write about so far. We were told (I am on placement with two other girls) that the registered nurse which is what I am training to be does heaps and heaps of paper work, so that is what we will be doing. Paper work for another 5 weeks, this could possibly be really boring and slow 5 weeks, but we'll see what happens.

Tomorrow is uni, gotta get up early and try and pay attention to what these professors talk about, some of them are so hard to understand and talk in really complicated jibberish, so I need to be somewhat awake.

Signing off...