Fuss « anyways…

18 Car Pileup

June 26, 2008 at 10:52 pm | In Extra! Extra!, Fuss | No Comments

I remember what it was like when I was a kid. I heard on the news that there was an 18 car pileup on the highway. I have to admit…that’s one of my fears. Well, there’s one of sorts in my life. OK, here’s the problem…behind on everything bills because school is done, car will take a lot of moolah to get registered and inspected, van transmission is making can shaking noises when in drive. Every bill, aspect (including the lawn not being cut yet this year), repair and just everything is on hold until I get money from working…and I get paid twice in July. It’s a long wait. I don’t know what we’ll do about the cars…the van is about to die soon and transmissions cost lots of money and time to fix or replace. That means probably getting a new one soon. We were looking at different cars today because we want to buy one when I start work so I can actually drive a car to work. Now it looks a bit different. So our life has a little 18 car pileup…I sure hope there are no casualties (figurative…not literal). Well, at least the muffler got fixed just in time for the transmission to break.

:-(

April 10, 2008 at 6:44 pm | In Fuss, Nursing School | 2 Comments

So…I got a letter from a hospital giving me the all-too-familiar rejection letter. “We’re sorry, but we picked somebody infinitely more wise, knowledgeable and oh we DO wish you good luck. Ta-ta!” I’m tired of the down-right freakin’ rude rejection letters after weeks of wait. I’m tired of wondering if my previous nursing school’s clinical instructor who failed me and is now the director of education at this hospital had anything to do with this. Because you know, I suspected she had something to do with my preceptorship rejection a few months back. After the DON investigated it, she had no other explanation, but didn’t deny it either. I guess there’s something wrong with me, because no one wants to hire me - even after YEARS of SCHOOL! #@!$%##! Do I sound raunchy? I feel raunchy. I had a bad day at clinical mostly because of my attitude. I didn’t have a really bad day performance wise. I mean, there WERE some positive experiences. However, I found out that I failed the ERI RN assessment exam. I need to pass this by the 3rd time taking it. They only count your nursing process paper if you pass the ERI exam. I need the paper to count if I want to pass. This was the first time taking the test, but it means I have to TAKE the test again. Something I don’t want to take the time doing. I just wish I would have done better. Pride I guess. I just need to do better and learn from the experience. It doesn’t have to be easy. In fact, it’s down-right hard.

Press On

April 9, 2008 at 12:01 am | In Credo, Fuss, Glad Tidings, Nursing School | No Comments

This morning I realized that I needed to work on my nursing process paper, right? So I was looking for my paperwork for the patient (I’m really tired, so bear with me…I just need to get this out of my head so I will remember it forever). In looking for my paperwork in my records, I came across paperwork I handed into a previous clinical instructor. I didn’t really like her. This paperwork was something she required each week. It was your responsibility to write a DARP note on a patient. I typed mine out, but forgot to type my name. In a hurry, I handwrote my name…”Mike Smith”. She, of course, bled all over the page in her red ink with all the little things she wanted me to improve on. One thing she bled on was my name. She said, “Is this how you sign your name for official documents? What is your title? Do you know?” I saw that today and I thought, “shut up. That’s not what this exercise is for!” Well I still think that note was excessively negative. We know our name and title. The exercise was not to demonstrate our ability to sign our name and declare our title. It was about writing in DARP format. It just fell in line with her style of teaching…find everything negative and then point it out to the student. Next, let’s see if we can make him feel about 2″ tall. Finally, I’ll show off my knowledge and really give it to him by teaching him a thing or two while I’m at it. That’s how I felt what she commented on with my name.
Well, I often have feelings like that. Negative. Like when I started this paper (today, I know) I felt, “Oh no, another paper to write. Boy that’s a lot of work. I hate sitting for that long. It’s so tedious.” Then I turned it around and thought about what Donna said: “Success is in the Journey, not in the destination.” I wanted to make this day a success by seeing the journey and loving it. Instead of complaining and murmuring, I decided to make it a happy day. I decided to love learning about gallstone pancreatitis. You know what? It worked! I spent all day on the paper. It’s not done. I did, however, learn a lot about the subject and how to care for the patient. I spent twelve hours so far and I’m now working on nursing diagnoses. It’s a wonderful thing to critically think like this and learn so much. I wish I had time to learn like this. I called Kim and told her about these thoughts. She pointed out that Heavenly Father was the one who blessed me with this neat jewel. The Lord made my burdens seem light today. I made it this far…we’ll work together to make it the rest of the way! So I was listening to conference talks on my way home and was reminded about a few things. 1) I need to work on learning how the atonement helps me through things even if it is not sin-related. 2) The Lord blesses us when we are in His service. 3) “This is not my season” for many things…but my season is coming soon…graduation! 4) Our traditions need to be Heaven Focused.

Oh - I am done nursing process paper writing for the day. I am not done writing the whole paper.

Fried Nursing Student

March 12, 2008 at 3:46 pm | In Fuss, Nursing School | 1 Comment

OK - so I am getting tired of nursing school. Sometimes. Today is one of those days. Saturday, I will feel better because I won’t be in clinical. I hope I pass my clinical. I don’t think I am doing well. Well, today I really prepared for tomorrow. I hope that will be good. Nursing school has a way of forcing you to explore yourself, your biases, beliefs and your own behaviors. I like nursing. I like working with patients. I am having trouble on psych., but they’re all patients just the same…they have an illness and as a Nurse, I must care for them with or without my biases. I am glad for the upcoming break. I need a break, but also need to catch up. I hope I can do it all.

Fried Apples

March 10, 2008 at 11:19 pm | In Fuss, Natter, Technology | No Comments

My computer has a psychological disorder. I just diagnosed it. It had water on the brain and I had to perform surgery to relieve the pressure and decrease seizures. In the process, I nicked a major nerve center and for a while it was in a coma. Nothing could bring it back. So I opened the skull again only to find that if I wriggled the nerve, it would wake up. I tried repairing the nerve, but it still isn’t back to baseline functioning. So while I had the skull open I wriggled the nerve so as to wake the patient. I put it back together again and explained that it could never be shut down. Oh, it could take naps and sleep for a while, but never shut down. I installed an nerve pacemaker just in case. If the computer ever gets shut down, the pacemaker will automatically kick in at midnight every night and turn its sorry butt back on. I explained to the computer that I had to do this because the nerve that I nicked was actually its power switch. If it ever got shut down without this nerve pacemaker in place it may never wake up again - stay in a coma. I had to amputate the rubber feet to perform the surgery. After explaining that the computer didn’t really need those screws I left out, it felt better. Overall, the surgery was a success, but it will never be the same.

What the heck is this all about? Well my Mac computer laptop had water spilled on it on Saturday (by kid #3). He felt real bad, but so did the computer. After an emergency engineering design change, the computer is now functioning and is on permanently. I can’t shut it off - if I do I have to wait until midnight for it to turn on again. I hope this system doesn’t fail because if it does, that means I have to open the computer and wriggle the broken power switch under the hood just to get it to turn on. The part I am talking about is on the main logic board in the computer and it needs to be replaced. However, due to a lack of finances I can’t afford to replace it (could be $400 or more). It’s better to buy a new laptop or find a way to get it for $280 through Apple - but I think that’s iffy.

Was that all from this weekend? NO! We had 4 sick kids (puke and diarrhea - you choose), a sick Kim, the dog puked, Lundi hurt her eye on a box and got a black eye, the kids were crazy all weekend, I didn’t get my homework done - oh my my my. What a weekend. I felt bad ’cause I yelled at harrison when he spilled water on the computer. It was a mistake, but I anyone who knows me knows that the computer is an appendage to me. Frying those apples would be just like cutting off an arm. That didn’t excuse my behavior…just that that’s what happened. Today I went to school without my computer. The notes I handwrote were terrible. I was sad. So when I fixed it today I felt much better. I got up at 4am today so I could get homework done. After I got back from school I took a nap and then got up, went to the bank, fixed the computer, made quiche, did more homework and then went to my monday night class until 9pm. Sheesh! OK, well, I am going now. Bye!

Wasted Time

September 20, 2007 at 10:18 am | In Fuss, Health | No Comments

Yesterday was a bit disappointing. I was just tired of school work so I just lurked around the internet, blogging and researching some school stuff. Paid the electricity in town, bought sponges. I didn’t get much done, but then I had it with the kitchen, so I did ALL the dishes (the kitchen was a mess). Dinner, bedtime, etc. In my fit of kitchen duty, I got busy and agitated. I used Macaroni and Cheese to help bring me down. I was craving it. I LOVE mac and cheese and it loves me. It doesn’t, however, make an athlete. I have to curb this addiction.

So this morning I got up late because I hit snooze twice. Urgh. I go to bed at about 10pm and I am totally exhausted. I sometimes have a hard time waking up at 5am. That’s 7h of sleep. I am usually OK with 7h of sleep. I will still use this as a golden standard and hopefully with proper eating, exercise and stress management I can pull out of it.

As if this isn’t enough…I get a slow start because I want to download the weather and the Writer’s Almanac to my iPod. OK choice, but not priority. Then…I forgot my lab coat (required today) and marched out the door and sped away in my black knight car. I remembered 20 minutes away. So home I go, then out with a bang again. This time, I also remembered that I should have my occupational health and safety textbook - that too comes with me.

Workout at the gym was great!I am at a weight I like (progress to 200lbs and size 36 waste). I ran on the elliptical for 10 minutes, 1.2 miles. Heart rate less than 160. I then proceeded to super slow exercises on the Nautilus equipment. I will reassess my weight and fitness at the end of October (in between clinical rotations). This morning I took a before and after picture - only the before one. I was without a shirt. The picture was - well - not good. I thought I would post it here, but I am afraid to. Will it offend anyone? Will it break your computer? I don’t want to look like that. I want to wear a speedo to compete in swimming and not look like I did this morning. My goal is to be healthy, compete and become an athlete. Right now, though, I have put off school work too much and I will do that. TTFN.

Are we at war? Part deux.

August 5, 2007 at 3:10 am | In Fuss, Natter | No Comments

OK - so we watched an American Girl movie today. It’s the one where the star of the show’s dad goes off to war and helps the wounded during World War II. The movie is set in wartime America. The mother typifies the “Rosie the Riveter” poster because she goes to work making airplanes for the war and looks just like her. Her family and others suffer the war in ways we don’t nowadays. They feel the war. Everybody did. Our government pleaded with we citizens to assist in every way we could. People gathered together to accomplish the common good. Why doesn’t this happen now? Why don’t I feel the pull of the war? Why don’t people around me feel the pull of the war? Do they? Am I so naive that I just don’t see it? Am I so protected or busy that I just don’t see it?

Variation on a theme

July 11, 2007 at 3:22 am | In Fuss | No Comments

Isn’t it very familiar? I get hired and a weird and unkind thing happens to me…then I’m sacked. I thought this kind of thing would disappear when I changed careers. Is there something wrong with me? Am I just the problem - or will there always be a courting unemployment? It’s really sort of discouraging. Then, Friday rolls around and I have a nice interview with some lovely doctors…the third at this pediatrician’s office and yesterday I find out that they offer the job to someone else, who gratefully accepted. Hey - at least they called me and told me I wasn’t the golden child. Most potential employers neglect this essential news - so ’twas kinda refreshing. I gotta keep positive, but this is close to ridiculous! Tomorrow, I interview with Orchard Park Rehab and Residential Living - a nursing facility. it’s in Farmington and minutes away. Let’s hope I get work there.

Camp Caripoo

July 7, 2007 at 12:30 pm | In Fuss | No Comments

THE BAD NEWS::
Camp Caribou really only wanted someone to cover for a sick nurse in the infirmary wile she was out getting better. What they said after working there only a week was that they’ve assessed their needs in the infirmary and they will just carry on with what they got there. “Thank you for your help there, we’ll send you a check for 40 hours.” They didn’t tell me when they hired me that the charge nurse there was sick and would be out for a few days. They didn’t tell me that really, their operation only needed two nurses and an EMT, not really three nurses. When the charge nurse returned to full duty, they let me go. I spent most of my time cleaning and pulling meds. Oh sure, they had me care for a few campers, but over all I can count them on all my fingers (less actually). In any case, I had a wonderful time with the boys and Laura. Laura was the other nurse (Cher was the charge nurse) and she taught me about being a camp nurse…she was fun to talk with. The boys were energetic and I really wish I could have gotten to know them…they were so cool! Camp Caribou is such a neat place for boys to spend their summer. It makes me want to do Camp Nursing another time…and in another place…

THE GOOD NEWS:
In any case, I had my third interview with Winthrop Pediatrics yesterday. WOW, what a nive place. The office is perfect for children. Each room is properly decorated according to a theme. One’s water life, one is athletics, and so on. I met with the Docs and I really felt that this office would be a nice place to work. Let’s hope this is as wonderful as they look and feel.

Chiropractic and Nursing School - Huh?

April 18, 2007 at 3:41 am | In Fuss, Nursing School, Whispers | No Comments

“I am a student nurse. I am invincible. I am tired.” My mantra during school. I thoroughly enjoy the experience. It’s what I pay for. I go home after school. I read the 200 pages they assign (yeah, right). I get very little sleep. Somewhere in there, I love my kids, be myself, find fun things to do, work around the house, provide time for my wife to get “out-of-the-home-without-kids” time, and I go get my back manipulated under chiropractic care. I sleep and go back for the nursing school to beat me up some more…the cycle starts over. It’s a love-hate relationship. Here are 2 of my beefs:

Keep the scoring of exams OBJECTIVE. A recent exam had a student in a quandary. She did not fill in the bubbles on the bubble sheet for the entire last page of the question sheet. She did, however, circle the answers on the question sheet. I understand that the questions were answered correctly on the question sheet. The faculty came up with a decision that the student’s bubble sheet would be the gold standard - regardless of the exactness with which she answered the questions on the question sheet. Their rationale? “Well if she was a nurse, would she follow the Dr’s order correctly? The test directions were clear…answer the questions on the bubble sheet.” That rationale grated the wrong way with me. I am certainly very understanding on qualifying an exam. I encourage maintaining test integrity. But the student KNEW the answer. The test was not measuring the students ability to follow directions. The test was measuring her ability to display knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis of course content in the window of the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. They give us a “test blueprint” to tell us exactly how they’re assessing us. I cry foul! It doesn’t affect me, but I think that test evaluation should not measure subjective data like which sheet to answer on. That is evaluated in clinical rotations. I like the nursing school - this is just the one thing that I’ve seen has been a bit skewed.
The second thing…a professor of ours said in a PowerPoint presentation the following, “no benefit was noted [in treating scoliosis] with exercises, chiropractic management, postural training and electrical stimulation. I asked my chiropractor what he thought of that statement. His findings don’t match her statement. I am frustrated with some statements made - even in the education setting! My family physician stated that chiropractic manipulation will not help my extruded disk fragment and herniated L4-L5 disk (and will likely be detrimental to my condition). Grrrr…manipulation of my back has only served to my improvement!

What can I do to change problem #1 and perception #2?

By the way…My chiropractor is awesome! I have been living with a fair amount of increasing pain over the last five + years. Chiropractic has improved my life and I plan to continue with the treatment.