Miraculous First Day of OB!!!

Guys, I had such a fantastic day today!!!

So, our first day was supposed to be yesterday, but there was a second snow day. Needless to say, my much needed counseling session was cancelled and rescheduled next Tuesday... It's going to be rough. I wanted a snow day, but only for Monday. I got so sad when counseling and my first day of OB clinical was cancelled! Oh no!!!

Regardless, when we showed up today, there was a super low census. They were sending nurses home left and right. There was only one woman laboring, less than a handful of women in Mom/Baby, and NICU has a short supply of babies. This is in a hospital known for having the busiest Labor Delivery/Mom Baby/NICU and all other woman related portion of the hospital in our half of the state. They fly and transport people to this hospital from several other states because they are a great hospital. So, to have such a low census and also request for students to be paired with nurses was not ideal at all.

As is typically the case, I was the odd man out. The other students were able to be put in their assigned area for the day. The other girl who was supposed to be with me in Mom/Baby ended up being able to make up her NICU day from yesterday. I wanted that to happen because she really wanted to go there and I've already been there the past couple of summers. Praise the L-rd! Anyway, I was the last one and it took about 20 minutes to even find a baby or patient for me to be able to see.

I ended up getting pulled into a circumcision! Yay! I have wanted to see one for a really long time and we had missed the one earlier today and that bummed me out. Naturally, I prayed about it. L-rd, can I please see a circumcision during my time here in OB clinicals. Then I didn't even give it another thought. Little did I know He was going to answer that prayer today! And not even 30-45 minutes after I had requested that in my heart. Praise you L-rd for answering even the smallest of prayers.

With that baby having to stay in the nursery for a couple hours, I got to also practice my newborn assessment and it was way easier than I expected. Granted, the baby had no abnormals and I had a nurse helping me assess and then chart the whole time. Check that off the list of stuff I am supposed to do for clinicals. Yay! Plus, the NNP that performed the circumcision was so sweet and her and the nurse assisting pulled me right in and explained everything they were doing. They were so incredibly sweet.

As I was sitting there charting the assessment, my instructor came in to check on me and saw there was nothing going on and the baby was fixin' to get discharged. "You want to see a placenta?" She asked. "Hell ya I do!" Of course, I didn't say those exact words, I just said "Ya!" but you know what I mean. So, I got to discover the placenta, look at all of the components of it, touch it (through gloves), and talk about some of the complications that can occur with the placenta. Then, after we talked about it and held it, she asked if I wanted to practice IV's. What kind of a question is that? Of course I do! So, I started two IV's on a placenta. No big deal. Just kidding, it's a HUGE deal!

Then we had dinner, since it's the evening clincal group. After dinner, I had nowhere to go. The baby I had watched got discharged. The unit I was supposed to be on had patients leaving and so they were down to 2-3 patients and didn't want a student. So my instructor set me up with a computer and asked me to research some points that I thought were interesting to share with the rest of the group. After brainstorming, I picked nursing interventions for babies withdrawing from alcohol after being born and nursing interventions related to STI's in pregnancy/L&D. I got through finding the info for withdrawal babies when my intructor busts into the room and says, "Hurry up and come with me! I might have found you a procedure to come and watch. It's not much, but it's better than research."

Well okay! Off we go RUNNING down the hall to get me changed into hospital scrubs so I can go into the OR. We get me all decked out in the funky hair net/hat thing, shoe booties, and greens (scrubs) and I am ushered into the OR.

My instructor was yelling from the door, "Hurry up! Take off your clothes! Throw these on! Let's go, let's go! I hear voices!!!" According to my friend in the same clinical group, it sounded hilarious from outside the locker room because my friend had no idea what was going on, she just heard my instructor telling me to hurry up and strip down. Oh goodness, that made for a funny post-conference.

Anyway, I got all dressed up and made it into the OR and stood there for about 15 minutes waiting for the patient and doc to get there. No big deal, I'm good at standing in corners looking awkward.

A lady came up to me randomly and asked, "So are you the nursing student?" I said I was. Then she started quizzing me on what to do in a certain situation and why. I answered, correctly according to her, but she gave further rationale and what interventions she did. Turns out, that was the doctor! I was floored because she was so nice. But wait, it gets so much better!

As they were prepping the patient, the doctor had me come closer to her, then literally pushed me closer to the patient and told me, "the only way you learn is if you get up real close and watch everything". She said it nice, the words are easy to mistake for not being said nice, though. Of course, I know that getting up closer will help me see, but we are taught to stay in the corner and try to see around the people who are actually trying to do their jobs.

Well, the OB got all geared up in sterile gown and gloves then turned to me and told me to go scrub in! WHAT?!? Am I allowed to do this? She must have been reading my mind because she asked the nurse (who was the patient's nurse and the charge for her section of the women's ward) and the nurse said it was totally fine. Off I go, all sorts of excited, and I scrub in really carefully, making sure I don't cause problems for the patient. I go in and they gown me up in sterile gown and gloves and talk me through everything! All of this to allow me to hold a retractor (this one looked like the bottom half of a speculum that was detached and the OR tech was holding the top portion so that I was able to see everything the doctor was doing). She kept stopping and moving to the side so that I could see the problem she was working on, her stitches, how to make sure the problem was fixed and everything! She talked me through it all and she was just absolutely amazing. I also got to watch as they intubated her and the doctor and anesthesiologist made sure I got to look down the patients throat to be able to see her "windpipes" when they were intubating the patient at the beginning. I had even mentioned that I wanted to become a midwife and the doctor asked, "A certified nurse midwife, right? Because you'd get clocked if you want to be a lay-midwife!"

Me: "Ya, a CNM."

Doc: "Okay, good!"

Haha, if I were to be a lay midwife I could have saved a lot of time and money and have been working for a few years already!

When the surgery finished and the patient was getting wheeled back, the doc encouraged me to follow the nurse and ask questions. I did, but mostly I just helped get the patient hooked up in PACU. The nurse seemed to like the help, maybe. I don't know. I get confused because I can't tell if students are a gigantic pain in their ass and just an extra thing to keep track of during the day, or if they actually like us being with them if we are able to help. Whatever. She and the anesthesiologist seemed pretty impressed that I was able to help hook the patient up, but I don't know why because I still don't know what I'm doing but I offered to hook up leads, hook up the BP cuff, take a temp, and talked with the patient as she came down off her anesthesia. Regardless, it was great.

When I walked back to the nurse's station, I ran into two of my classmate. They, and all of the other nurses, were asking me how it was and what happened and everyone was so excited to hear about what I had gotten to do. How did they hear all of this? I don't know!

From there I went straight to post conference, where I was late because of said surgery, and they stopped post-conference and had me tell them all about it because they had heard some of what happened!

How did they know??? Good heavens, it's like they knew about all of it before I even got to the hospital today!

Anyway, I told the story, keeping the scrubbing in part out in case I wasn't supposed to do that. Then my instructor added it in! I asked if I was in trouble and she said "Absolutely not! That is amazing that the doctor let you do that! Plus, doc so-and-so pulled me aside afterwards and she absolutely loves you!" I'm almost certain my jaw dropped and I got so excited and giddy I don't remember much else of post-conference.

I've been on cloud 9 ever since the circumcision and yet G-d keep blessing me more and more!

I absolutely loved that doctor. I loved the nurses and surgical techs I was able to work with. I am so incredibly grateful for this whole amazing adventure I had today. There were a lot of times, thinking back on today, that I could have been grumpy or upset because I had nowhere to go and no plan for me. Well, G-d had a plan. I did not get sad or upset or grumpy all day and He continued to bless me, time and time again. It's almost like it was a mini-testing season with amazing rewards that were given nearly immediately to me.

Today was the best day I've had in nearly a year or longer! The day after I was so bummed, discouraged, and sobbing (for 20-30 minutes last night), G-d blesses me with such an amazing experience as today was. I'm am blown away and so very humble at this moment.

Recap: circumcision, newborn assessment, placenta, IV's in placenta, dinner (unremarkable), research (slight bummer), and then getting pulled to go into a surgery, then... SCRUBBING IN TO SAID SURGERY!!! 

So incredible and such a blessing filled day. I'm in awe of the way G-d works in my life. I needed a booster and this was exactly what I needed. It shows I was right for fighting to stay in OB this semester, instead of pushing it off until next semester as was suggested in counseling. This is my passion, within my passion of nursing. This is where I feel I belong. This is where my heart is happy and I make sense in this world. I feel G-d made my heart to want to serve women in this season of their life.

Thank you L-rd for your many miracles and behind-the-scenes workings. Praise you L-rd for giving me joy in the midst of this long season of darkness.

Good News Y'all!

So, I have a big ole list of good news so we will start with the anticlimactic and work our way on down to the best news.

1) My brother and I are going to look at apartments on Tuesday and we will likely rent that day!

2) The apartments we are looking at have been confirmed to be good apartments by a friend of a friend. I trust this review much more than online reviews.

3) I got an interview at a hospital with a NICU! For those of you who don't know, NICU is neonatal intensive care unit. I don't know if I am interviewing for that CNA position (as a unit secretary) or if I am interviewing for a different CNA position in the same hospital, but I am excited to finally have a call back from a hospital!

4) This is the best one... I GOT INTO NURSING SCHOOL!!! After all of the tears, fear, worry, doubt, angst and plethora of other emotions, G-d got me into the nursing program. I can't even express how excited I am and how relieved I am. So, I will be on the track to being a nurse in about 3 more years of school! I am now officially a nursing student and it's scary but so very exciting.

I will have a debriefing of my life for the past month shortly, but for right now I am exhausted and need to condense what I want to say so that I don't write you a book.

To be continued...

Super Great Day

First of all, my guy friend that I have a thing for, and he has a thing for me (recently verified by himself) got disclosed yesterday. Super scary, but so cute. He looked so nervous you don't even know, but it was adorable! He said he didn't care what happened either way, if I liked him back or not because he knew of my past and how bad it hurts me when guy friends ask me out and then stop talking to me when I don't reciprocate. So he went on to say that nothing would change if I didn't "feel" the same way about him. Then he said that he kinda sorta likes me... a lot. (He said it just like that.) But he was so nervous and anxious and scared. Then, being the awkward person I am, I gave him a hug and changed the subject... I know! He must have been dying inside. Not to worry though, he had the courage to bring it up once, so he just brought it up again later that night. That's when I told him that I'm diggin' him too, but I'm just not ready to date yet. So, we are now in a pre-dating phase that I had no idea existed, but there is so much about people I had no clue about. Science and algebra are my niche, people are way too far outside of my line of understanding. Even science is starting to become more difficult (A&P) and so my world is slipping away!

Today, I had an awesome day at work! I was paired with a CNA that is notorious for being super rude and mean to new girls, but I had no problem with her. I also cut the time I take to give someone a shower in half from 30 mins to 15 mins! I toiletted almost as many people as her and we were two hours ahead so I got to color with my residents while we were waiting for the next group of CNA's to come in. Plus, my LPN was so ridiculously sweet today and the CNA on the adjoining floor kept asking if I was okay and if I needed help. I am starting to make friends! Likely it is out of pity right now, but that's cool because someday I will be able to help new girls get on their feet in this very difficult job atmosphere.

Daily Thanksgiving: G-d blessed me with an amazing day at work when I was expecting a really rough day. I was paired with a sweet LPN and the CNA was gracious to me. No more stressing about this relationship with my guy friend, for right now anyway, because he had the courage to come out and ask me about it. He asked me even though he knows I hate talking about "feelings" and mushy, gross, heart stuff (not the anatomy heart, because anatomy and cadavers I can do, ironically enough). We were ahead at work and I get to go sleep. Also, I just got back from a very productive 2.5 hour study session with a good friend of mine, who just happens to have the same schedule as me (except for a lab because I change mine, but I didn't know her when I made my schedule, it's crazy). Anyway, she is a great teacher and we are praying that we do well on our crazy amount of tests and other huge assignments that we have this week. Oh, and she is thinking about moving in with me next year!!! So many good things going on.

My cup runneth over...

My heart is super happy...

Crazy Weekend

First of all, Shabbat Shalom!

I'm shaking up this arrangement from the normal way I write my posts because I have so much to say, so there is a list highlighting what I am talking about and explanations. This is so you don't have to read the whole thing, if you don't want, because I write a lot!

Daily Thanksgivings:
1) I completed the full set of stairs (a ridiculous hike)
2) met an OB/GYN who is going to let me shadow her!
3) have a job 
4) made new friends and got to do some "team" bonding
5) my friends and I played hide-and-seek
6) I got to teach my friend how to drive my stick-shift

As a suddenly ambitious and newly social person, I decided to go on a hike today. Mind you, this was not a typical strolling through the woods type of hike. This was nearly a million steps, going up the side of a mountain which is about a mile up. I went in a group of about 7 (including me) and I was the last one up, but I made it! Also, it took me two hours and my friends had to wait at the top for a long time... the one person that made it up the fastest waited an hour for me. But he is a beast! Two of my girlfriends were with him and I have no clue how they managed that. But some people make it up in under 20 minutes! How on earth can anyone do that?! Anyway, I had some awesome guys that stayed behind and waited while I moved at a glacial pace. One guy is a really close friend and the other one was an acquaintance, but this whole ordeal was an excellent team bonding experience. If anyone has a chance to climb a million and three stares, do it. I'm super out of shape and almost turned around half way up the hike, but I had great friends and the good kind of peer pressure to reach the top of this ridiculous flight of stairs.

Now, on Friday, I went to a networking banquet at school for people who are pre-health (pre-med, pre-vet, pre-physical therapy, pre-dentistry, etc.). You probably know that I am a nursing student, and that wasn't technically allowed... but my friend asked me to go with her so we fudged and said I was interested in  pre-physicians assistant, seeing as they don't have any category for nursing or Midwifery. Anyway, there were only 1-2 doctors out of the 18 or so guests who are professionals in one of the medical fields mentioned above. One of the doctors was an OB/GYN. She was so nice! She started as a CNA, then got her BSN (RN), then went to med school and is now a doctor. I am so beyond stoked, after talking to her, to become a midwife you have no idea. Some doctors aren't even super cool with midwifes, but she was excited I was going down that road. Even though there were 3-4 other girls talking to her with me, she kept turning the conversation back to me. Guys, she even said she would let me watch a live, vaginal birth and even a c-section!!! I'm not even in clinicals yet and she is going to let me shadow her and watch these things. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am and how happy I am that I snuck into that banquet. G-d is totally putting people in my path and He is encouraging me in the most surprising and excellent ways.

Tomorrow, I go back to work for the first time in 2 weekends and three weeks. I am super nervous and scared, but I'm praying that it goes well. At least I don't have to wear a mask tomorrow! That's a plus.

For those of you who are in college or have gone to college, you probably know that college students act like little kids again. We (some of us, me included) play outside on almost a daily basis, play silly pool games and we do all sorts of other things that we had probably not done since the second grade. Regardless, we have a blast! Hide-and-seek was so much fun last night, then we played pickle (aka sardines) which is like the opposite of hide-and-seek. But it was a blast playing on campus! We are supposed to be adults but hat is definitely not how we act sometimes. One friend even hid so well that we were all looking for him for nearly an hour. That's crazy! Thankfully we had phones so we were texting him the whole time, but goodness!

After the crazy hike today, I also taught my friend how to drive my stick-shift car. He did so amazingly well. He didn't stall at all except for one time when he was trying to start out in 1st gear on a hill, which is really hard to do when you first start out. I am so proud of him, he did such a great job!!!

So, that was my weekend... How was yours?

Fantastic!

Guys, today my chem lab partner knew what Messianic meant and even supplied the word!!! You have no idea how excited that made me. Plus, she is pretty much the funniest person I've ever met and we have so much fun in lab together. Today, we made soap and detergent. That may sound boring, but it was so incredible hilarious and fun I can't contain my joy over lab, I really can't.

Then we played baseball and football outside and so all the vitamin D has me on a bit of a high.

Tonight I am going to the gym.

Tomorrow I don't have school!

So, this has pretty much been a fantastic day. I love it!

Also, this guy that I kinda sorta have a thing for is showing that he probably kinda has a thing for me too. Okay, that was really not supposed to sound dirty, so please do not take it as a dirty sentence :)

Daily Thanksgiving: Class went by quickly, I had solid quality time with so many friends lately (each one-on-one), I am making friends, lab was amazingly fun, we played outside, and no school tomorrow.