3rd Week Come and Gone, 4th Not Fast Enough!

T. Bennette, SN
I realize it has been a couple of weeks since our last post and a lot of nothingness and other stuff has happened. The days kind of just fly by without permission and expect us to keep up.
Last week's clinicals were an adventure. Thursday for me was serious drama that I dread reliving this week. Friday was a great improvement which mostly made me forget the Thursday experience---ok, not really---maybe it just made up a little for Thursday. The largest impact that Friday had on me was that a doctor tried to convince me to put a NG Tube (nasogastric tube) in someone! He totally freaked me out with that--I may be a nursing student, but I am SO not ready to be sticking tubes in people! I told him that it would be cruel and unusual punishment for the poor patient, so it probably wasn't a good idea. He then laughed (he must have thought I was kidding---I wasn't!) and walked away. Thank goodness!
Saturday was super nice and relaxing and lasted for what felt like 5 minutes! We went to the river and did absolutely nothing related to school and totally loved it! We were romano tomatoes when we finally decided it was time to head home. The stereotype for healthcare providers is that they are hypersensitive about health issues and always assume the worst case scenario, but we were definitely not showing signs of that--we have obviously resisted brainwashing thus far. Personally, I think that medical peoples assume the worst case scenario just to keep their jobs/lives interesting. How boring would it be to always have the same thing to treat---obstructed bowel, impacted bowel, stoma irrigations, pressure ulcer, etc...BORING!


S. Berning, SN
Clinicals...ahhhh yes...clinicals...how can I describe that divine state of being? Well, for starters I'd tell you to recall every awkward moment you've ever had...now multiply this by ten. Now take yourself back to every moment you've ever felt stupid...multiply by ten. Now remember every moment you've felt useless and multiply this by twenty. By this point you should be experiencing a small part of the emotions I felt on my first clinical morning! I don't want to give the impression that clinicals are a horrible, traumatic and permanently scarring experience. Scarring does eventually heal and therefore it would be more accurate to say that clinicals have the potential to be horrible, traumatic and just scarring!!!
Seriously, I can see how clinicals will be a fantastic place for me to learn what nursing actually is and what it's like to work as a floor nurse. Also, I get real live human clients (i.e human guinea pigs) to practice all my new skills on! -what could be better? Lots actually! Let's start on the importance of me being competent and knowledgeable and actually helpful! I am coming to believe that there are few things more humbling than being a student nurse. fact.
It's hard to believe I've been doing this for a month already...and even harder to believe I only have two years until I graduate! wow! yikes! scary! very very scary!!! :) I just really can't wait until I feel comfortable walking through those hospital doors...