"The best part of waking up"

Inquiring minds want to know exactly how much coffee one nursing student might drink during her 8 week session of summer school. The answer is this much:


I drank this whole thing of coffee almost singlehandedly in a 7 week period. And there were many more cups of coffee consumed at various coffee shops and espresso stands during many of our marathon study sessions.

It's kind of embarrassing.

Drum roll please...

I'm done!

I wish I'd studied a bit more for my last final, but I won't know how bad it really went until grades get posted next week.

Time to do a happy dance. :)

Long Term Care Part II

Today was the last day of my long term care clinical experience.

I was assigned to do rounds with the team of restorative aides, so I didn't get to do morning care for my resident. We assisted with range of motion exercises and helped several residents walk the distance from their rooms to the main dining hall.

I felt guilty, because we told our resident on Tuesday that we'd have one more full morning together. She seemed quiet and kind of down that day, but we thought it was because she hadn't slept well. I was surprised when she stopped her morning meal to tell me that she wished we weren't leaving. She then refused to let me help her finish eating; my partner had to take over. It felt like she was mad at us.

Luckily, I got to visit with her over breakfast this morning. She smiled, said hello, and even made an effort to talk. I was pleased that she was happy to see me. (Or maybe it was the waffles on her plate? I'll never really know.)

Saying goodbye was strange, though. I didn't think she remembered our conversation on Tuesday about leaving, but she did seem to understand today that we weren't coming back.

I told her how much I had enjoyed spending time with her, and thanked her for letting us help her with her morning routine these past few weeks. She took my hand and squeezed it, and just nodded her head. Perhaps it shouldn't surprise me, but it was very difficult to just turn around and leave.

Now that we're done with this experience, I am so happy that it was my introduction to nursing. I know that my future clinical experiences will focus on critical thinking, nursing diagnoses and more advanced skills. However, long term care gave us the chance to really focus on the human side of nursing -- the holistic focus, therapeutic communication, and importance of establishing trust and therapeutic rapport.

I sincerely hope I never lose that perspective.

Latex Gloves

One very important lesson I learned early on in this adventure: with enough latex gloves, I can do anything. It's true!

(Come to think of it, I have yet to encounter poop in person. I've been wearing my lucky bulldog socks, and I think it's working.)

Seriously, my right hip is about 4 inches wider than my left when I'm at my clinical site. It's stuffed to the brim with my extra pairs of size small non-latex gloves. That's my clean pocket -- my dirty pocket, with the hand sanitizer, is on the left. I'm a righty, what can I say?

Long Term Care Part I

We just finished up the fourth day of our long term care rotation. I've come to terms with the fact that this clinical rotation will be a simultaneously rewarding and challenging experiences.

My client is an elderly woman with advanced Alzheimer's. Her speech is often incoherent, which makes it difficult for her to verbally communicate her needs. She's totally dependent on others, meaning she cannot toilet, feed, or dress herself. We have to use what's called a Marissa lift to get her out of bed and into her wheelchair -- her feet virtually never touch the floor. I don't think I have ever seen anyone who is so vulnerable.

I was absolutely terrified on my first day as her co-caregiver. (Fortunately, I have a partner!) I'm sure that was nothing, however, compared to what it must have been like for her to be woken up at 0630 by two shy strangers who were both awkward and eager to help her start her morning. It was touch and go, but we eventually got her to the dining room.... an hour late.

By now, things have fallen into place. We've been trying to promote a sense of autonomy by offering her simple choices. It didn't seem to make much difference on the first day, but by now it's clear that she likes us and likes having options. Every once in awhile, when her speech is clear and lucid, we get a glimpse of her personality. And for some reason, I really make her laugh.

It's a good feeling! (Although sometimes I think she's laughing at me, rather than with me.)

Cool New Skillz

I managed to add four new and exciting skillz to my nursing repertoire this past week. They include:

1. Giving subcutaneous injections (on a real person!)
2. Giving intramuscular injections (also on a real person!)
3. Starting an IV (not on a real person)
4. Inserting a urinary catheter (also not on a real person)

I also received two injections this week. For those of you that know of my long and sordid history with the Virginia Mason injection room, you will be proud to know that I:

A) did not cry
B) did not run away, and
C) did not have to be held down during the injection process.

The whole class cheered. Go Robin!

Cool New Duds

Here I am, looking all official in my student nurse uniform:


Actually, I probably look even more official now that Andy's mom hemmed my pants. Even the petite pants were about 5 inches too long. Awk-ward!

All that's missing is my snazzy white lab coat. (It's on backorder.)