A visit with an old friend...
A book friend, that is. So, like a lot people I know, I read in bed before falling asleep. And before Michael can make a comment about how I fall asleep before reading 3 pages of anything, I'll just out myself right now. Since I can't stay awake long enough to read more than 3 pages, I usually read books that I've read before like Harry Potter or Calvin & Hobbes. But this time as I was perusing the book shelf, my eyes fell upon "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret." What fun to reread that book, a book I have read a hundred times since 4th grade. It's the original book I purchased from the Little Professor bookstore that used to be next to Giant but then became the pizza place which then got bought out by Giant when they expanded in the late 80's. Not that you care about the bookstore or Giant.
Anyway, the book has a huge cherry KoolAid stain on it and is a bit dog eared from being so loved. It was fun and silly and I'm so glad I picked it up. I just love rereading some books; it truly is like visiting with an old friend. I'm also rereading "Island of the Blue Dolphins" which Mr. Paone read to us in 6th grade. Scott will probably remember that. Before that it was HP and the Half-Blood Prince. I'm not sure which book will be next (I can guarantee it won't be a new book until the end of August when I'm on break)...maybe some Little House books. I just looooooove the Little House books. Like, love so much that when I commented to a boyfriend that I wished I had a new set and was bummed that my parents didn't get it for me for X-mas he bought me a set. And then I kept it when he tore out my heart and squished it flat. Normally, I would have burned and/or thrown away such a gift but not the Little House books. That would be sacrilege. Just thinking about it makes me want to wander over to the bookshelf and pick up a book. I think I'll start from the beginning. Do you have favorite books that you like to reread?
Different Fummer, RN. A shiny new graduate nurse embarking upon her second career while navigating the insanity that is healthcare in America.
7.29.2009
7.27.2009
I win!
My first patient on my first day back on the ward was positive for C. diff and had scabies. Woo! I swear to Ogg that I would bathe in Lysol if I could.
On a completely unrelated note, Michael and I have been trying to take advantage of some of the many things that sunny Kali-for-nee-ya has to offer such as the San Diego Zoo, the SF MoMA and the garlic festival. Pictures of a baby cheetah out on a walk with a zoo keeper and warthogs and camels will be forthcoming. I rather enjoyed our time at the zoo but perhaps the July 4th weekend was not the best time to partake of its offerings. The MoMA was great; we saw the Ansel Adams & Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit and loved it. Usually I find the audio tour to be quite helpful but not so much this time. And the garlic festival? Well, I'm pretty sure I still reek of garlic but since Michael probably does too and neither one of us can truly smell the other, well, I wouldn't come visit us for a couple of days. I doused myself in perfume this morning before going to class. But it was so worth it. See what you're missing by not living out here? Or at least visiting? (hint, hint, nudge, wink)
My first patient on my first day back on the ward was positive for C. diff and had scabies. Woo! I swear to Ogg that I would bathe in Lysol if I could.
On a completely unrelated note, Michael and I have been trying to take advantage of some of the many things that sunny Kali-for-nee-ya has to offer such as the San Diego Zoo, the SF MoMA and the garlic festival. Pictures of a baby cheetah out on a walk with a zoo keeper and warthogs and camels will be forthcoming. I rather enjoyed our time at the zoo but perhaps the July 4th weekend was not the best time to partake of its offerings. The MoMA was great; we saw the Ansel Adams & Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit and loved it. Usually I find the audio tour to be quite helpful but not so much this time. And the garlic festival? Well, I'm pretty sure I still reek of garlic but since Michael probably does too and neither one of us can truly smell the other, well, I wouldn't come visit us for a couple of days. I doused myself in perfume this morning before going to class. But it was so worth it. See what you're missing by not living out here? Or at least visiting? (hint, hint, nudge, wink)
7.22.2009
Where have I been...?
Apparently not hanging around here sharing the mundane details of my life. Thank goodness for a little respite, huh? Well, as always, I have been up to my eyeballs in homework and weekly quizzes and/or exams. You know, the usual. I've since finished my pediatrics rotation and the nursing research class (evidence-based practice is your friend. So are librarians, by the way, so make nice with all the librarians in your life) and am now on to critical care. We're not on a critical care unit the whole 5 weeks but will rotate in a few students at a time/day plus hopefully we'll get to spend some time in the ED, OR and some of us will go to the wound care clinic. I'd like to do that but I have a weekend rotation and wound care is only open M-F. Boo. All I can say is that I better see some good stuff because if I get stiffed again like I did in maternity I'm going to be seriously pissed off.
To sum up peds, all in all it was a good rotation. The hospital was great (location was sucky but we can't have everything, now can we?), staff were awesome, clinical instructor was mostly good but sometimes weird and, well, weird, and my group of classmates was pretty solid. Peds is an interesting place because they try to make the floor feel inviting to kids and their families and parents (mostly moms, tho) are pretty much camped out for the duration of their child's stay. Sadly, some kids don't have parents who can or will come and stay with them. Some parents don't have employers who are understanding and will fire them if they don't come back to work, some parents don't have a partner or a spouse to help out and may have other kids and home to take care of and some parents are absent for some other reason. I saw a fair number of kids who were in foster care because of neglect. I had one patient last week whose parents give consent over the phone for procedures but have nothing more to do with their daughter. She has a rare syndrome that causes developmental delays and she requires total care. Her parents put her in a home and have no contact with her. Her only visitors at the hospital have been 2 of the caregivers at the group home where she lives and they come to see her twice a week.
You know, it's hard to keep an open mind sometimes when it comes to other people's behavior. If I've learned nothing else while in nursing school, I've learned that you don't really know what people's lives are like outside of the hospital and you don't know what is going on that may interfere with their care for themselves or a family member. As a result, you can't be too quick to judge. But this girl's situation broke my heart. It is an unfortunate fact that some parents can't deal with a child who is "atypical" and this won't be the last time I encounter a situation like this.
On the other hand, there are some parents who are total rock stars and stay with their child for the duration of the treatment (sometimes for months at a time), who learn all about the diagnosis and treatments, who rally behind their child and support her/him all the while trying to hold their own shit together. It's an amazing thing to see and I think it's what I'll miss most about pediatrics. But for now, it's back to adults and all the challenges that come with treating them. I'm hopeful that this will be a good rotation.
Apparently not hanging around here sharing the mundane details of my life. Thank goodness for a little respite, huh? Well, as always, I have been up to my eyeballs in homework and weekly quizzes and/or exams. You know, the usual. I've since finished my pediatrics rotation and the nursing research class (evidence-based practice is your friend. So are librarians, by the way, so make nice with all the librarians in your life) and am now on to critical care. We're not on a critical care unit the whole 5 weeks but will rotate in a few students at a time/day plus hopefully we'll get to spend some time in the ED, OR and some of us will go to the wound care clinic. I'd like to do that but I have a weekend rotation and wound care is only open M-F. Boo. All I can say is that I better see some good stuff because if I get stiffed again like I did in maternity I'm going to be seriously pissed off.
To sum up peds, all in all it was a good rotation. The hospital was great (location was sucky but we can't have everything, now can we?), staff were awesome, clinical instructor was mostly good but sometimes weird and, well, weird, and my group of classmates was pretty solid. Peds is an interesting place because they try to make the floor feel inviting to kids and their families and parents (mostly moms, tho) are pretty much camped out for the duration of their child's stay. Sadly, some kids don't have parents who can or will come and stay with them. Some parents don't have employers who are understanding and will fire them if they don't come back to work, some parents don't have a partner or a spouse to help out and may have other kids and home to take care of and some parents are absent for some other reason. I saw a fair number of kids who were in foster care because of neglect. I had one patient last week whose parents give consent over the phone for procedures but have nothing more to do with their daughter. She has a rare syndrome that causes developmental delays and she requires total care. Her parents put her in a home and have no contact with her. Her only visitors at the hospital have been 2 of the caregivers at the group home where she lives and they come to see her twice a week.
You know, it's hard to keep an open mind sometimes when it comes to other people's behavior. If I've learned nothing else while in nursing school, I've learned that you don't really know what people's lives are like outside of the hospital and you don't know what is going on that may interfere with their care for themselves or a family member. As a result, you can't be too quick to judge. But this girl's situation broke my heart. It is an unfortunate fact that some parents can't deal with a child who is "atypical" and this won't be the last time I encounter a situation like this.
On the other hand, there are some parents who are total rock stars and stay with their child for the duration of the treatment (sometimes for months at a time), who learn all about the diagnosis and treatments, who rally behind their child and support her/him all the while trying to hold their own shit together. It's an amazing thing to see and I think it's what I'll miss most about pediatrics. But for now, it's back to adults and all the challenges that come with treating them. I'm hopeful that this will be a good rotation.
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