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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Look Out World..... She's Back!

It has been over a year from my last post.  In that year here's a quick recap of what has happened:
  • We moved
  • I turned 29, I freaked out
  • I graduated from nursing school (woot!)
  • Don got put on a project in Seattle, for almost a year
  • Went on a cruise (woot woot)
  • Got engaged! (WWWOOOTTTT!)
  • Moved again (just next door)
  • I turned 30, mini freak out. Now I'm determined to rock it.
Now with a few days until vacation I'm freaking out.  The wedding is 38 days away. I'm freaking out.

But in a month I go back to school full time to finish this degree, I'm not freaking out about that at all.



Monday, June 14, 2010

Half Way Done!

School and work has taken over my life.  I'm not complaining.  I love the go-go-go, but I really didn't think I'd have negative free time.

I didn't know negative time was actually possible.  Nursing school teaches you all sorts of interesting things.

Just finishing up term 3 of 5.  Two more weeks of clinical and 2 final exams and I'm on break for a lovely 10 days.  You won't find me by the pool, you'll find me at work.  More on work to come.

I promise... really =o)

The short run down on what I'm doing:
Clinical this term is at a LTC facility in Hood River, OR.  Not really a big fan of the placement, but very thankful for the oppurtunities I've gotten there.  There is an amazing wound nurse that comes through and has been kind enough to teach me great things.  I've spent a day at a dialysis unit, a day in the local emergency room with a patient and will be in the hospital lab next week.  Next term's placement is at a local skilled facility, I will not miss the hour and a half drive to Hood River three times a week.  My first clinical location was at a local facility that was amazing.  So amazing in fact that I now work there.  I love my staff and my patients, it has been wonderful and trying all at the same time.  Since our time there as students to my time there now as an employee twelve people have passed away, the part of nursing that kinda sucks. 

We moved!  Hoping to give up the nomadic lifestyle and stay in one place for a while... we shall see.

I promise to make a go at continually updating my blog, for now I'm off to bed... clinical in the am!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

It has been way to long... time to stretch my blogging muscles


School has started!  I'm actually surprised with the program.  I knew it would be intense when I started the shortest LPN program in the state.  Not to mention it has more credits and twice the clinical hours of the other program in the city.  This is crazy though.  I took my first final today, and tomorrow I have a midterm in another class.  Oh!  And now that Nursing Concepts is done I start Nursing Foundations tomorrow as well!

I love it though.  I'm not saying I won't complain or vent over the next13 months. To know me is to know I vent.  But I am so glad that finally things came together and I'm finally making progress towards my goal.

In other news, work is crazy.  I've been putting in a few NOC shifts during the weeks.  Makes class the next day interesting as I'm all hyped up on caffeine.   We're moving!  Hopefully the last time for a long time.  I'll post pictures as we get all settled in.  The official move is tomorrow, while I'm taking my midterm, I squeaked out of another move =o)  I have been packing however.  I can't wait for it all to be done!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Martians Need Health Care Too....



Thank You SUPERPOOP for the chuckle =o)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

I Did It!


It's time to celebrate!

I was warned that most students that go through my CNA training program take 2 or 3 tries to pass the state exam, if they ever test at all.

I passed on the first go!

My skills were bed pan, ambulation with a walker, positioning a patient on their left side, measuring and recording I/O and of course hand washing. 

I laughed when she said I would be demonstrating the bed pan.  Of course I have only ever had to assist a patient to use a bed pan once.  It didn't go so well, she insisted on rolling on and off the pan and was heavy, the pan (plastic mind you, not that harsh metal) suctioned to her backside while she sat on it.  She rolled before I could un-suction the pan and it spilt everywhere.  Yay for making and occupied bed at the same time!  One of the girls waiting to perform her skills was retaking the test.  She failed one skill her first go through... the bed pan (insert moody dun dun dunnnnn!)

The bed pan was my first skill.  My RN Observer read the scenario and we went in to get started.  I knocked on the door, greeted my "patient" (a volunteer that comes to help out). Introduced myself and got started.  Then my patient started to change my scenario.  According to my scenario "Mr. Smith" was able to lift his hips for positioning and removing the pan.  Well once we got started, "Mr. Smith" decided he was too weak to lift, and wanted to roll on and off the pan.  SERIOUSLY??? I was convinced I was failing at that point.  I performed the steps (pretty sure I was missing the little ones)  I don't know what went through the Observer's mind when I said "I'm a barrier girl, you can never be to cautious."  I had barriers on all surface I might even think of putting my graduate or the pan down on. 

I completed my skills in less time than allotted.  The girls I was testing with all rushed me outside the building when they realized I was out.  One of the girls was from my class,  I so wanted to be the confident and positive girl she knew from our classes.  I was the one that was called on to teach the class, the first to have my skills checked off for lab and was caring for multiple patients on my own before anyone else in the group.  That day I really didn't know how it was going to go.  I smiled, I knew she needed me to tell her it was easy, all I said was "now we wait and see". 

And I waited.  I was told 3 days to wait for my results.  Three days is an eternity when it comes to things like this.  When I went online to check, I was told I was not in the system.  I called the facilitators, they told me I could check back online at 5:30.  I checked, not in the system. I called, they were closed for the day. I called the next morning, that time I was told 5:00.  People I work with were telling me not to worry.  I know my job, I do it well and if I failed they would have told me right away so I could pay the fee to retest and get it scheduled.  Each shift I have worked since Saturday I have scrutinized every thing I do.  Would I have passed my state exam if that was my skill?  Long days.  Luckily, yesterday at 3:30 I got an email that my scores had posted and I could check after 5:30.  And there it was, 94% on the written exam and each of my five skills passed. 

Happy dance! I am now ahead of all the other students in my class for school this fall =o)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Mamma Said There'd Be Days...


Graveyard shift at the LTC, I got the psych pts.
3 hours of sleep.
6 hours at the construction company.
In here somewhere I have to find time to study for my Boards Saturday.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Oh Pooh, Swine Flu

Okay so I'm freaking out a bit. My older brother was at PAX 09 this past weekend. Because he wasn't able to help me with my moving I of course wished all sorts of horrible things on him, but not this.


PAX gets Swine Flu!
Posted using ShareThis

     "Though it might not be as serious as the T-Virus, the first case of the H1N1 virus was recently confirmed via the official PAX twitter account, “Just heard of our first test-confirmed swine flu case at the show. PLEASE if you feel symptoms (fever, etc) go to the doctor....”

He wasn't worried, but I got him to leave work (he works on the trains in Seattle) and have been assured that he will go to the doctor. 

We've been joking about swine flu for a while.  I guess joking makes the fear of this illness easier to handle.  Now that it is hitting so close to home and being helpless to make it better, there's been little relief.  Except for the cartoon above, that one made me smile.

Other great happenings, I got a call from the company that facilitates testing for CNAs and CMAs.  Apparently, OSBN (Oregon State Board of Nursing) did not release me to test.  Therefore, I've been dropped from the test on Saturday.  I get to be rescheduled again.  I spent the morning on the phone with OSBN.  It was an oversight; apparently my application was missed due to being mixed in with another applicant.  I've been assured that I will be released today.  She even thanked me for getting all my paperwork in early, glad I scrambled to get the extra fingerprints and background checks completed to be sent off.  If the facilitators don't have me in the system as good to test I will have to drive to Salem. 

I'll keep you all posted.