A Day in the Operating Room

 This week in clinicals I got the chance to spend the day following a nurse in the operating room. I arrived at 7am, changed into the OR scrubs and met up with the nurse that I was going to follow.

She was already in the middle of asking our first patient questions and getting her prepped for her surgery. I really loved seeing everything that goes into completing a surgery. It was interesting to see what the Nurse does and how she manages everything that she is in charge of. I got the chance to see 3 surgeries. All of them were done laparoscopically. I was kind of hoping to see them crack open a chest...but no such luck. It was still really neat to see the inside of the abdomen on the screens and to watch them operate with out even cutting them fully open. 

I really think that I could enjoy being an OR Nurse. I found it exciting. I did not think that I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. I am definitely keeping it on the list of possible areas that I could enjoy working in. 

The end of my semester is wrapping up and it is cool to think of how much I have learned already and all of the neat things that I have had the chance to see. 

ps: no laughing at how ridiculous I look in the cap and surgical mask  :)

Puppy Love

It is no secret that Shaun and I want a Dog! We desperately want a puppy, but don't have the time to give it all of the attention that it needs. We are both gone during the day at school and when we come home at nights, we are busy writing papers or studying. Our weekends are busy at work and church, and on top of all that we don't have a backyard to let it play in. We just don't think that now is the right time to get a dog. 

We have decided that in a year or so we are going to first get a little dog (my dog) and then a few years later we are going to get Shaun's puppy (a Siberian Husky). We can not wait! We are always looking at dogs and trying to decide which one we want. 

Well, this weekend Shaun and I went out on a day date. We went to breakfast and then went to walk around the mall. Every time that we go to the mall we can't resist going to the puppy store to admire all of the cute dogs! This week we did something that we should have never done...we asked if we could get one of them out! It was a 9 week old female Siberian Husky. Oh we fell in LOVE with her! She was so adorable! We wish that we could have gotten her! Here are a few pictures from our adventure:

 

Giving Medications at Clinicals

It has been three weeks now that I have been able to give medications at clinicals. The first week, I was super nervous so I picked a patient that only needed oral meds given. He needed 10 medications given at his morning dose! The second week I was eager to give a shot, so I picked a patient that would need a 9am shot. I was a little nervous about it, but had mentally prepared for it all morning. I got to the hospital,  looked at the Doctors orders and found out that he had discontinued it!  All of the work for nothing! 

Finally, after all of that, my patient this last wednesday had an order for a shot! I was so excited. My professor and I went to the medication machine, got out all of her medication (the shot included), and proceeded to the room. My professor wanted me to give my patient her oral meds first, so I was at the computer opening her meds and placing them in the cup. I got to the last med and as I was pulling it open, it flew our of the plastic container all the way across the room! I was mortified! I looked at my professor with wide eyes, and we both started scrambling to find this little white pill. After about 5 minutes, it was finally found! We threw it away and got her a new one. After all of that, I still had to give her the shot. I was so nervous, but in the end it went smoothly! I am so glad that I finally got to give a shot! :)