Saint Mary's: Round 2.

I apologize for my lack of blog entry last week (as in the week before last week) but it was because we didn't have clinical that week! The only thing we had last week was lab and theory on Monday and just theory (and our second paper due) on Tuesday. I started this paper on Monday, bringing my procrastinating to an all new level, so I hope it doesn't wind up biting me on the ass. I got a 94% on my last paper so I'm feeling pretty hopefully that I will be fine on this one. So all in all, it was a pretty low key week and then I was able to come home for a few days which was MUCH needed.

This past week then, we started our second rotation of clinical for this semester, which is another med-surg rotation. We were supposed to be on 3 Lacks, which is a brand new progressive care until for people over 65. Unfortunately, it didn't open when it was supposed to and now it isn't opening until March 28th. Big bummer. So for the first three weeks of our rotation we have to be on 6 South, which is a renal/GI/GU floor, so we are seeing a lot of kidney and liver failure patients, patients on dialysis, etc. It's an OLD floor. Like so old that they don't have showers in the rooms, you have to walk to community showers (freshman dorm style). They still have semi-private rooms with two people to a room, and old school pull down wall computers. It's definitely different than I'm used to since the last two floors I have been on have been BRAND NEW. I guess it's good to get to see something totally different. We do at least get a little room on this floor that we can kind of use as our "home base" to put our stuff and work on our paperwork and charting. My instructor is definitely more hardcore than the last few instructors I have had. Not that she's mean, she just expects a lot out of us. She warned us on the first day that if she comes to check meds with us and we aren't ready, she will just walk away and move on to the next person. I don't feel that stressed about it though because I pretty much know what I'm doing. Also there are three of us in my group that have an advantage because we have been at Saint Mary's before so we are super comfortable with their whole charting system. Definitely a bonus for us. Because we were more comfortable with the charting, the three of us were the only people who got to go meds this week. This was actually really great because we got a lot of one-on-one with the instructor since there was only three of us.

Wednesday we didn't do any patient care, we just did St. Mary's orientation, orientation to the unit and surgery orientation (we get to do one day in the operating room and one day in the Intensive Care Unit). So Thursday we got to get on the floor and start by taking just one patient until we get used to the floor and where everything is. My patient on Thursday was actually a really great one to start with for a few reasons. First of all he was SUPER nice and really a good sport about having a student, Second he was diabetic and needed a lot of blood sugars and insulin injections, which was something I don't have a lot of experience with and I got to learn a lot, and third because he had a TON of medications and IV piggybacks, so I got a lot more experience with that. It was actually a really good day, my instructor helped me out a lot, and I was able to learn a lot.

I think this rotation will be really good and I think I'm going to learn a ton from this instructor. I LOVE being back to having clinical from 630am-230pm, which I NEVER thought I would say, but compared to having clinical from 1-8pm, the morning clinical is awesome. I love being done and home by 3. I'm also really excited to be able to spend another day in surgery, and get to spend a day in the ICU. Next week is just a regular week on the floor for me and then the next week is my surgery/ICU week. Then *fingers crossed* the new unit opens and we will MOVE!