Needles and Oranges

Today I got to spend all day practicing giving shots on an orange!

Oh man, I was so ridiculously excited for today's lab I don't think I've ever been so stoked to go to school. We all practiced so much that when we injected fluid into one part of the orange, another hole from a previous injection would start to squirt out! Now I just love needles even more. It's weird, I know because I've been told it's a strange obsession by several people over the course of my life (especially in this last week or so). But I can't help it. I'm find being poked and I'm getting comfortable poking other people. In fact, I donate platelets just to watch the needle go in my arm and

also to watch my blood be separated so I can see the platelets. You know, now that I think about it, that's probably what catches people off guard. Mostly because I tell them that story when explaining that I enjoy needles...


<- Platelets

We also practiced opening ampules. Those things are terrible and need to be discontinued from use! The bottle cut at least one person and that was just from my clinical group of 6. Not to mention you have to remember to use a needle with a filter on it to draw up the meds (due to SHARDS OF GLASS in the medication itself due to breaking the glass bottle).  Then you have to make sure to remember to use a different needle to actually administer the medication to the patient. Folks, these things seem so outdated and dangerous, why are they still being used? Seriously.

What makes anyone think breaking glass with your hands would be a good idea? Especially when the glass contains medications that may/may not be dangerous to bare skin? C'mon folks, let's use our brains here...








Hospital mindset:



















So, that was my day. How was yours?

Daily Thanksgiving: G-d's grace is abounding and He doesn't get impatient with me regardless of how many times I mess up my life. He is currently teaching me long-term forgiveness and how to talk through tough life decision with Him before turning to those around me. Believe it or not, I'm actually learning how to do it! Talk to Him without talking to the people around me, that is. It's hard because I used to rely on Him for everything because I didn't trust anyone else, not even my parents. He taught me how to trust people a bit more and then I trusted them too much instead of continuing to rely on Him. Life is all about finding an equilibrium and following what G-d tells you to do. When you do, regardless of how hard it is in the moment, your life can only improve instead of stalling and beginning to reverse or go down a bad road. Praise the L-rd for instructing us because He loves us.

Verse of the week/month for me is Proverbs 3:11-12 "My son, don't despise Ad-nai's discipline or resent his reproof; for Ad-nai corrects those he loves like a father who delights in his son." (Complete Jewish Bible)

Gross Obsession

I was put into a group with 7 other of my fellow nursing students to do a case study. We finished the project in 5 minutes (of the 30+ minutes allotted) and spent the rest of the time watching a chest tube insertion, thoracentesis, stitches, and the like on YouTube. I no longer feel like such an oddball for watching these disgusting but totally fascinating procedures!!! There are other weird people like me that can watch all the different types of fluid extracted from the lungs and be able to eat in the process. I can watch the strangest, most graphic procedures and think nothing of it. It's just how I'm wired. Anyway, I made friends by bonding over crazy cool procedures that most people can't handle.

If you can watch invasive videos and keep your lunch down (you don't even have to snack while watching the video!) I recommend you search for a thoracentesis procedure because it is so cool!

*Disclaimer: I don't take any responsibility for any lost meals, nightmares, or gagging. Viewing this video is at your own discretion. It can be considered gross and very graphic. Do not watch if you are squeamish about blood and other bodily fluids.*

You may have to go to YouTube to see it better, but man, it is worth it! I linked it here in case you can't see it well in the embedded video. Enjoy!

Tech Support, this is BedpanAlley...

I got to work in one of our academic buildings today after my shift in the library because someone was sick. Guys, I LOVED it! Let's start off by mentioning that I opened as IT support in the library this morning. We had a power surge a few hours after opening and that causes a surprising amount of problems for computers and technology campus-wide. In the library I had a lot of trouble shooting and I thought I broke one of the printers that cost a billion dollars (I'm exaggerating here). It turns out that I didn't, it just needed to be shown who is boss. Well, I just restarted it... After that shift, I went over to our main IT help desk in one of the nearby academic buildings. They were still fixing a lot of problems by the time I left at 4:30 p.m. However, I learned a ton and I got a walkie talkie over there. I missed having a radio from my cashiering job, they really are fun and convenient.

So, my day went really well and I like my boss even more because every time I would ask a question over the radio, he would meet me there without even asking for his help just to make sure that I had help should I need it. He is super nice, nicer than any of my bosses from any previous job. Well, that's not counting the lady I babysit for, or any of the families I have babysat for really because I love them all like they were my own family. I hope I get more training in that IT position so that I can be there next semester. That's how they usually do it, but I just get so excited for it to actually come and I get so excited to learn all this new, great stuff. After days like today, I feel so much smarter but I also realize how much I didn't know and how much there still is to learn. Perhaps someday I can be one of the student managers. Until then, I am content working in the slow-paced library and learning little baby bits over time because if I had many more days like today, my brain may explode from the huge increase in knowledge from class and from work!

That brings me to something I discovered today: I am really strange to those just getting to know me. I had heard it before but never understood the magnitude of my strangeness before today. My boss' wife is a NICU nurse at a local hospital that I had a CNA position offer for so he knows some of the nursing stuff, not much, but a little I think. He asked me how classes were and, being the crazy person that I am, I started telling him about how much fun I had reconstituting the fake powdered medicine in one of my classes and also went on about how I love playing with needles and vials of "medicine." My coworker was also in on the conversation and those two guys just smiled and looked at me like I needed to be locked up and given huge amounts of crazy pills. Maybe it's because my face lights up and I start talking really fast because I'm excited about it, or maybe it's the fact that I told them I love playing with needles. I don't know. I do know, however, that I get this look a lot. I can't help it that I share stuff that excited me about school and I want people to share what they are excited about too. I love when things finally pertain to my career choice and I think it's neat that I can love going to class because of the little things like this that make my week. Perhaps I do need to keep the fact that I love needles on the DL, but for right now, I just can't manage keeping that inside. I bet telling them that I get my blood drawn just to watch the needle go into my arm and to see the blood that used to be inside of me was most likely a tad much. But hey, at least I'm genuine, honest, and excited to be going into nursing. I don't want to be a nurse for the money, 3 work days a week, or for the ability to travel the country for a huge increase in pay. No, I want to be a nurse to care for the sick, injured, and dying in order to help them through this stage in their life with as much dignity and comfort as possible. I want to be a way for G-d's healing and love to reach those who are hurting and in need.

Daily Thanksgiving: I got training for one of the higher IT level positions. I learned a ton and had really nice teachers that called me for help and were patient when I didn't know what to do. I was paired with an amazing student manager who is a great teacher and explained everything with great amounts of grace and patience. (Are you noticing a pattern with the patience?) G-d revealed to me that I am crazy, but it's a good kind of crazy that will give me the purpose I need to continue on as a nurse. I have amazing bosses at my new IT job! That's a big one with me. My mom is also coming down tomorrow for a quick little visit before I go to my doctor's appointment tomorrow (more on that later.) We are getting so much rain here it's not even funny. I love the rain though! However, we had several fires this year and a few last year which is causing a lot of problems now that it is raining. So, if we could get prayer that no more people be killed and that no damage is done to the houses in the burn scars, that would be great!




BTW, the title is how we answer the phone. I know I wouldn't have known that so I'm just trying to help you guys out. :)

Syringes!!!

Guys, we got to play with syringes and injections today!!! Oh man, you have no idea how excited I am especially because we didn't even know that we would get to do that today. We didn't really get to give any injections, we just practiced reconstituting a powdered injection. I worked with my 2 best gals who will be named N and E for now. E was one of the pre-nursing students that I met last year because they lived in the dorm room next to my guy friends. N is a girl that I met the first day of class and the three of us just kinda stick together now, it's perfect! I just wish N was in our lab group for BHA, but she is in the same lab room at the same time so I'm sure we can all work together anyway.

Back to the subject: they were trying to get the liquid out of one vial to put it into the vial containing the powdered "medicine" (it was fake just to help us practice) but they didn't know how to get the liquid out because you can't just pull it out with the syringe due to the lack of pressure because the vial is completely sealed. Long story short, I talked them through putting air into the syringe and then into the vial to get the liquid moved. Then, I talked them through the safety cap when they handed me the original cap. I proceeded to explain why you don't put the original cap on and 30 seconds later the teacher explained it to the class (he hadn't heard me). They both looked at me and started laughing because I knew all this stuff. Folks, I felt so smart being able to talk them through that simple little task. With this fun little exercise and actually beginning assessment lab yesterday, I am on cloud 9 right now with nursing school and as the knowledge increases, I get more and more excited for what comes next. I know it gets harder, but it will get more fun and exciting too.

I hope you guys like getting the updates about all of these silly little things that happen during nursing school because I looked through so many blogs looking for info like this but I didn't find anything. I know I am not so great at telling stories, but hey, it just reinforces that I need to be a nurse and not a writer, right? Give me feedback please about if you like what I'm writing or if you want me to go over other things. I appreciate any help anyone is willing to give me. :)