Turning Seasons.

When you are in clinicals, or are working in an acute care setting, you will understand why I love that LOL cat.

Fall is here. It's getting colder, we're getting a little bit busier, although there are only four weeks left of this quarter.
Papers are due soon. The last time I wrote a paper? About 9 years ago, so the foray back into APA format has been somewhat like a jog down memory lane after gaining about 85 lbs. I feel out of brain breath. Make sense?

Someone said that MEPN is like running a marathon. Nah, running marathons involves sleep. A lot of people take "mental health days" here and there, and I have to say I wholeheartedly agree.
This last weekend I went over to the eastern Sierras with my best friend, and we camped out in Jeffery pines and Aspen trees that were golden with the sunset. We hiked around at 7000 feet at the same place my headlining photo is from, and there was no water in the creek. It was awesome, to say the least. I was reminded why I chose nursing as a career path- it fulfills my love for patient care and (hopefully) allows for having a life. I have to live outside. Have to. Non-negotiable. My boyfriend and I are already planning some backpacking trips once I'm out of school.

Wow, four weeks left in this quarter.
Four.
Then we're halfway done.

Today I looked around at everyone and just had this moment where I realized how much everyone has learned- people were so nervous, so unsure of themselves when it came to talking about patient care, not to mention actually doing it - and now everyone trades information and speaks to each other like, well, like nurses.
It's really really cool.

Since my last time in, I spent some time in the ED (emergency department to those of you who don't speak medicine), which completely re-lit a fire under my ass. I loved it. Working in emergency always ignites me, and I even got to do some charting under the auspices of my nurse preceptor. She challenged me to do an assessment on an ortho patient (yes!- easy, what I *always* used to do while patrolling), who had a bad bicycle accident. I did a full assessment, checking my patient's neuro function, asking if she could remember what happened, did she lose consciousness, etc. I assessed her breathing/ribs and cardiac function. I checked all peripheral pulses and cap refills, paying special attention to the one distal to her injured forearm. Very carefully, I wrote down my findings, scared shitless - I mean, it was on real ED charting paper from a major hospital, and my words become legal. After sweating for a few minutes, I figured, well, hell, if the RN I'm working with doesn't like what I'm charting, she can shred this and start over.
I got praise. I was stoked.
I also got to hold traction later, working with a doctor who had a gentleman with an obvious shoulder dislocation. We didn't get it back in. I've reduced a few of those in the field, and when I saw this one, I thought to myself, "Ooo. That's bad..." so when it didn't go I wasn't surprised.
We had such an amazing variety of patients: people with liver dysfunction, people in withdrawal, abdominal pain, an Acute MI (heart attack), that I saw only briefly on my way out when my shift was over- there were so many people in the room that I wasn't able to be a part of anything anyway.
I also inserted a Foley on a guy who was having a rough night. I'm sure that didn't help. The night was busy.
I'm not a night person, but I was completely awake. Our observations are only 3pm-11pm, but I stayed until midnight, ecstatic to be back "at home."

Other than that, I think the program has been relatively manageable this quarter. The final papers are kind of a pain, but they're almost done.
Back to back 12 hour clinical shifts are tough, and for each student they're tough for a different reason.

I'm thinking about doing a quick advice column for things I've learned with the MEPN year so far.

Sorry this posting is so disjointed but one reason I haven't written in a while is lack of sleep and personal time. I got personal time this weekend, but sleep is yet to come...
Oh yes, and Halloween is coming. No we don't get out early from clinicals.

Holding Each Other Up.

What a beautiful day.
The sun was out, it wasn't too hot, and we got into some people.
What a beautiful day.

The above image is a painting by Susan Seddon Boulet, and I believe it's entitled "Isis and Osiris," a myth I've loved since I was a child.
It ties into healing; how Isis loves her brother so much that she hunts down his body parts and puts him back together. The image of her cradling him in her wings is a very powerful one- he seems to float in this peaceful space even though he was just recently utterly destroyed. It's what love can do: make us whole.

Today was amazing: we had good news; we had bad news. One woman in our clinical group described the honor she had in spending what she knew (and her patient knew) were the last moments/hours in his life together. She was there with the patient and the chaplain, and was able to be a part of an in-depth conversation about death/dying and fear, and ways to live even in death. She teared up as she described this experience, and wondered how the hell one walks out of the room, into the beeping, the lights, the rush of the rest of the floor- so *alive* and bustling- while still keeping it together.
I don't have an answer for her, except that I don't keep it together all the time.
Her story made my heart ache, and even now, even when I should be going to bed, my thoughts are with my classmate, because I have no idea how the hell I'd deal with that situation either. How beautiful to be a part of someone's death, to be wanted in one of the most intimate lonely times in our lives, yet to feel so helpless-
As our new clinical instructor said, "You can't just say 'I know how you feel,' because, well, you haven't died."
Good point.
Speaking of, someone who I thought *was* going to die is alive and well and back on my floor. A patient I had 4 weeks in a row, I was ecstatic to see her doing so incredibly well, better than I've ever seen. She received a new organ, and it shows. We were able to talk today about her favorite pesto recipe- I swear that sometimes, patients just need to be reminded about life outside the hospital, and they often instantly perk up or become a bit "better" just by thinking about not being sick.
I had an ecstatic day. I learned a lot, worked with one of my favorite nurses (a guy who totally rocks), really helped out the patient that I had- I actually *felt* like a patient advocate, AND I got to see a rockstar ICU nurse/CCRN whom I adore in the ICU. Which I buzzed through for a moment to see if she was there.
Stellar. Day.

I also got to hang out in radiology/ultrasound for a bit, and saw a kidney, about 6 hours post-transplant, that was functional. It made me overjoyed for my patient, and it was an excellent learning experience as I asked the resident to teach me how to read what was on the screen. Awesome.

Okay, not much, and everything, and I'm exhausted. 12 hours tomorrow too.
This quarter is a bit easier, but I can't tell if it's a time thing or just the fact that we're used to school.

Ch-ch-ch-changes.

Getting up at 7am again is tough. Getting up at 5am tomorrow is the most daunting activity I can think of. If I didn't have an automatic coffee maker, I don't think I'd make it through this first half-week.
So, the class is now divided into two: Schedule A and B. The A team has advanced med-surg nursing this quarter with a communication class. The B team has Community Health and Labor & Delivery with a class on Socio-Cultural issues. We're bummed as a class to be split up, but it's also really nice to have such small classes.

I'm following the A schedule. We're back on the same floors, and now there's only two MEPNs in our transplant world - not counting the nurses from previous MEPN years. Some guy passed two of us dressed in our conspicuous green tops/khaki bottoms in the hospital hallway, smirked and whispered, "MEPNs..." which made us giggle- he waived and wished us luck. I wondered when he had graduated, or what portion of the master's he's in.

My boyfriend took off to do hurricane relief in New Orleans for FEMA. Actually, we both work for a subcontractor to FEMA, and we are well paid for our work. Helping people get the aid they need is a difficult job sometimes- getting the proportions right when reconstructing property can be tricky. I couldn't go: they require a two week commitment. Will is there, doing housing inspections, and we're all holding our breath to see what happens with Hurricane Ike. They're still doing some cleanup from Gustav, and Ike is forecasted to be even worse than Katrina. I'm hoping everyone evacuates and stays safe. The Texas coast is supposed to be walloped.

Back to school:
I'm excited for this quarter, more excited than I thought I'd be. For one, we have a super stellar professor from last quarter. My advisor was co-teaching with her, and left (and I totally support her- she's a phenomenal clinician from whom I'd love to learn, but she has stuff going on that's important We get to hang out in the ICU, the ED(Emergency Department) and the OR to observe.

We start 12 hour clinical days as well. Tomorrow is the first one of the quarter. We'll see how it goes...

Sorry this entry is so short, but it'll be an early day mañana.
And I'm totally absorbed in House. Heh.

Good things today: met my super-awesome MEPN buddy, hung out with friends, had a great conversation with a nurse/professor I admire, re-connected with some of my favorite nurses on the floor, had a short clinical day, almost got to paddle outrigger canoe.

I had some real connections with people today. Whenever that happens, it qualifies as a great day.

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Today is September 11.
Take a moment to remember.
Take a moment to look forward.

That's all.