Being a student nurse
I didn't know what to expect when I flew across the country and stepped foot on this campus.
First of all, I knew absolutely NOBODY.
Second of all, I had never even been to New England during the winter, and I had heard some pretty terrifying things.
All I could think was, "if I don't make friends, or i end up hating this place.. i'm screwed!"
Now, with all of these thoughts going through my mind, I didn't really stop to imagine what it would be like to be a student nurse. As I got more comfortable with my environment, made a steady group of friends, and braved the storm of winter.. I began to wonder what was in store for me.
The first year was the basic intro year. The year where all of the mandatory classes for nursing had at least 150 people in them. Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition, Psychology.. they all had students in them from PT, OT, Exercise Science, Nutrition, etc. Not too big of a deal. Little did I know that everything I learned last year would come back to haunt me now. They didn't lie when they said nursing is one of the hardest majors out there. Basically, all four years are cumulative. Bad for me, seeing as I'm pretty sure I have early onset Alzheimer's. But I have survived this far!!
When I applied to nursing school, I was aware of this thing called "clinicals". It is comical to me now that I had NO idea what would be happening in these "clinicals". I knew that we would have several rotations in various settings before we would graduate. But I was never prepared for what these clinicals would bring. Allow me to give a brief synopsis of my experience in clinical.
Working on a Coronary Care Unit involves a lot of heart monitors, oxygen tanks, smokers, and people who are overweight and older. This is where I was placed.
Walking through the halls for the first time, I felt slightly thrilled by the idea of it all. Granted, my exposure to the hospital environment includes one visit to the ER with my brother when he was drunk, and about 100 Grey's Anatomy episodes. Needless to say, this didn't provide me with an accurate picture of what nursing in a hospital would be like. In this hospital, there are no sexy doctors ready to get it on in the on call room. There are no crazy interesting cases. Because this hospital is probably one of the smallest in the state, which is perfect for sophomore nursing students!
This week, I had taken care of a middle aged man who came in with decompensated cor pulmonale related to obesity. He had a history of obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, and pulmonary hypertension. He was also recently diagnosed with CHF. It was pretty obvious that all of his problems had arisen from his weight and history of smoking. He was "morbidly obese". (Their words, not mine). He had been having hallucinations as well, possibly related to insufficient oxygen levels.
When I walked in the room to introduce myself, he was sitting up in bed watching tv. Now, I might not be an expert, but I feel like I am pretty good at reading people. When I walked in, he didn't seem the least bit interested in talking to me, and just mumbled that I could do whatever I needed to. So I thanked him and left. These past few weeks I have been taking care of people who are either in too much pain, or are just too tired to want to talk to me, the measly student nurse.
Our clinical advisor had given us a laundry list of things to get done that day. It went something like this:
Listen to report. Locate patient and RN, introduce yourself. Assist with meal. Consider hygenic needs, and gather linen. Asses patient mobility. Observe any tests done to patient. Do vitals between 1000 and 1030 and 1315 and 1345. Do accuchecks. Keep track of I &O. Assess heart, lungs, bowels.. find radial and pedal pulses. Assess skin. You are responsible for Cardiac, Respiratory, GI/GU, and Integumentary Systems. Fill out sheet about patient history and nursing interventions, as well as medications. Administer any meds needed.
I find it interesting that everytime I introduce myself to the Registered Nurse taking care of the patient, they always treat me like I know EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, that is not close to being true. It's like approaching a Spanish speaker and asking them to read off a detailed menu, only catching bits and pieces of what they are saying. So I just nod and smile :)
I began working on the laundry list of things. I stopped in often, and throughout the day, the patient became more and more friendly. His mom came to visit him, and she was really sweet to me. I realized that as you get closer to a patient, it changes the way they think of you. You become like more of a friend than just someone cleaning them or checking their pulse. So when the nurse asked if I'd like to help her take his catheter out, he said he didn't want me in there because he felt embarrassed. He also didn't want me to help him use the urinal or anything. It makes me wonder when I will make the transition from "helper" to "doer" in the hospital, and how it will feel to have a patient trust me with every aspect of care instead of just the basics.
I was also curious how interacting with the doctors would be. And so far, even though the doctors are constantly around the nursing stations, the only interaction we have had with them is when they came up and say, "do you have 220's chart? I need it.. sorry that's the way it is.." And then they walk away. It is very obvious that doctors look down upon nurses, so you can only imagine how they must feel about STUDENT nurses. To them, we are just obstacles getting in their way as they are trying to move swiftly through the halls from room to room, not really taking time to really get to know the patient and their situation. To them, the patient is just an illness, a room number. Another medication to prescribe. A chest x ray to read.
My interactions (or lack thereof) with the doctors have made me realize that even if doctors are able to do more, I would never want to be one. Just through observation, it is easy to see how the patients become so fond of nurses that really care about them. The nurses spend large amounts of time at the bedside, and are the ones who actually educate the patients on basic lifestyle changes or administering meds that they have to take home. They are the ones who help the patients get through their anxiety and pain, or hold their hand when they feel upset. I am really glad that I have decided to go down this road. Even if it involves a lot of feces, vomit, and blood. I do have a bit of an unstable stomach for it all, but I wouldn't trade it for any other major out there.
First of all, I knew absolutely NOBODY.
Second of all, I had never even been to New England during the winter, and I had heard some pretty terrifying things.
All I could think was, "if I don't make friends, or i end up hating this place.. i'm screwed!"
Now, with all of these thoughts going through my mind, I didn't really stop to imagine what it would be like to be a student nurse. As I got more comfortable with my environment, made a steady group of friends, and braved the storm of winter.. I began to wonder what was in store for me.
The first year was the basic intro year. The year where all of the mandatory classes for nursing had at least 150 people in them. Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition, Psychology.. they all had students in them from PT, OT, Exercise Science, Nutrition, etc. Not too big of a deal. Little did I know that everything I learned last year would come back to haunt me now. They didn't lie when they said nursing is one of the hardest majors out there. Basically, all four years are cumulative. Bad for me, seeing as I'm pretty sure I have early onset Alzheimer's. But I have survived this far!!
When I applied to nursing school, I was aware of this thing called "clinicals". It is comical to me now that I had NO idea what would be happening in these "clinicals". I knew that we would have several rotations in various settings before we would graduate. But I was never prepared for what these clinicals would bring. Allow me to give a brief synopsis of my experience in clinical.
Working on a Coronary Care Unit involves a lot of heart monitors, oxygen tanks, smokers, and people who are overweight and older. This is where I was placed.
Walking through the halls for the first time, I felt slightly thrilled by the idea of it all. Granted, my exposure to the hospital environment includes one visit to the ER with my brother when he was drunk, and about 100 Grey's Anatomy episodes. Needless to say, this didn't provide me with an accurate picture of what nursing in a hospital would be like. In this hospital, there are no sexy doctors ready to get it on in the on call room. There are no crazy interesting cases. Because this hospital is probably one of the smallest in the state, which is perfect for sophomore nursing students!
This week, I had taken care of a middle aged man who came in with decompensated cor pulmonale related to obesity. He had a history of obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, and pulmonary hypertension. He was also recently diagnosed with CHF. It was pretty obvious that all of his problems had arisen from his weight and history of smoking. He was "morbidly obese". (Their words, not mine). He had been having hallucinations as well, possibly related to insufficient oxygen levels.
When I walked in the room to introduce myself, he was sitting up in bed watching tv. Now, I might not be an expert, but I feel like I am pretty good at reading people. When I walked in, he didn't seem the least bit interested in talking to me, and just mumbled that I could do whatever I needed to. So I thanked him and left. These past few weeks I have been taking care of people who are either in too much pain, or are just too tired to want to talk to me, the measly student nurse.
Our clinical advisor had given us a laundry list of things to get done that day. It went something like this:
Listen to report. Locate patient and RN, introduce yourself. Assist with meal. Consider hygenic needs, and gather linen. Asses patient mobility. Observe any tests done to patient. Do vitals between 1000 and 1030 and 1315 and 1345. Do accuchecks. Keep track of I &O. Assess heart, lungs, bowels.. find radial and pedal pulses. Assess skin. You are responsible for Cardiac, Respiratory, GI/GU, and Integumentary Systems. Fill out sheet about patient history and nursing interventions, as well as medications. Administer any meds needed.
I find it interesting that everytime I introduce myself to the Registered Nurse taking care of the patient, they always treat me like I know EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, that is not close to being true. It's like approaching a Spanish speaker and asking them to read off a detailed menu, only catching bits and pieces of what they are saying. So I just nod and smile :)
I began working on the laundry list of things. I stopped in often, and throughout the day, the patient became more and more friendly. His mom came to visit him, and she was really sweet to me. I realized that as you get closer to a patient, it changes the way they think of you. You become like more of a friend than just someone cleaning them or checking their pulse. So when the nurse asked if I'd like to help her take his catheter out, he said he didn't want me in there because he felt embarrassed. He also didn't want me to help him use the urinal or anything. It makes me wonder when I will make the transition from "helper" to "doer" in the hospital, and how it will feel to have a patient trust me with every aspect of care instead of just the basics.
I was also curious how interacting with the doctors would be. And so far, even though the doctors are constantly around the nursing stations, the only interaction we have had with them is when they came up and say, "do you have 220's chart? I need it.. sorry that's the way it is.." And then they walk away. It is very obvious that doctors look down upon nurses, so you can only imagine how they must feel about STUDENT nurses. To them, we are just obstacles getting in their way as they are trying to move swiftly through the halls from room to room, not really taking time to really get to know the patient and their situation. To them, the patient is just an illness, a room number. Another medication to prescribe. A chest x ray to read.
My interactions (or lack thereof) with the doctors have made me realize that even if doctors are able to do more, I would never want to be one. Just through observation, it is easy to see how the patients become so fond of nurses that really care about them. The nurses spend large amounts of time at the bedside, and are the ones who actually educate the patients on basic lifestyle changes or administering meds that they have to take home. They are the ones who help the patients get through their anxiety and pain, or hold their hand when they feel upset. I am really glad that I have decided to go down this road. Even if it involves a lot of feces, vomit, and blood. I do have a bit of an unstable stomach for it all, but I wouldn't trade it for any other major out there.