Clinicals

I had my first day of clinicals on Saturday. I was really scared, because... well, it was my first time. I wasn't sure what to expect.

As it turned out, it wasn't so bad after all. I worked a 12 hour shift, which was daunting, but it went by really quickly. I started to drag around 1400 (haha) but that happens to me normally anyway. I got my second wind later and went home, ate dinner, played with E... the point being, I didn't just go home and pass out, which I fully expected.

The aide we were shadowing had 8 patients to take care of. Two of those patients were on hospice, comfort care only. I don't want to say too much for fear of violating HIPAA, but they really made an impact on me.

There was one male and one female, both elderly (although the woman seemed much older than the man... I didn't see their charts, though, so I don't know their actual ages.) I was told that both were suffering from late stage cancer.

The man was basically unresponsive. We (myself and the other student I was with) were instructed to obtain a blood pressure for him, and we were unable to do it. I was seriously about to go home at that point, because I was convinced I was totally incompetent. Neither of us could hear a thing. We ashamedly told the aide we were shadowing that we hadn't succeeded, and she kind of rolled her eyes and came in to do it herself.

Turns out, she couldn't get one, either.

She brought in someone else. He couldn't get a pressure. He was still breathing, and had good heart tones, so he wasn't dead. Yet.

They brought in an electric thing and that was able to get something, although I wasn't told what the reading ended up being. His skin was cool and clammy, and his breathing was erratic. He was expected to slip away at any moment.

No one was there with him. I know he had friends, or family, because there were lots of treats that people had brought in for him. I guess he had just been up and walking (not well, but still) the day before. And now, he was dying.

Everyone expected him to pass before my shift ended, and I volunteered to assist with postmortem care when the time came.

Except, he didn't. He was still breathing when I left for the day.

I'm not sure what happened to him. He has probably already passed, but I hope he was hanging on until his friends and family could get there. I hope that they made it in time.

Woah Yo!

I haven't posted for everrrrr. If you follow me on Twitter you know that I'm alive, just insanely busy right now! I'm taking 9 credit hours in the summer (CNA and Human Anatomy) and it's crazy!

And everyone I say that to has a story... "My friend's cousin's husband's boyfriend (ha!) took 3478923472834 credits during the summer, and got a 4.0! You can do it!"

I just smile and nod, but seriously. It's crazy hard. I'm normally an A-student all. of. the. time. if I put even half of my effort into it, and I'm putting a LOT of effort into these classes and pulling A-'s or B+'s.

I'm not sure if it's the fast pace of the classes (definitely possible), the different type of material (I was an econ/poli sci major before), or being a mommy, but this semester is killing me. I'm finally halfway through... just 4 more weeks. Four more weeks. I can do it.... right?! lol.