Halloween update

Halloween was fun for us tonight. As you can see Ari was a ballerina Fairy (wasn't she cute?) and made out like a bandit with the candy. She filled her bag and we only hit 2 streets! We went to Michael's (Cathy's fiance') he lives in a really nice neighborhood (ahem, unlike mine). Michael fed us dinner which is always nice. After we hit the 2 streets Ari was struggling with her bag and finally said, "No more candy, let's go home!" Never thought I hear that from her!

Stepdad Jerry update: Still needing your good thoughts &/or prayers. We've found out that his cancer has metastasized (spread) and the new tumor looks to be rather large attached to his jaw and maybe has infiltrated his brain-stem. They are talking surgery and if he risks it, may have a chance, otherwise, he's terminal. My mom is having a real bad time about it. I keep telling her to hang in there, take it one day at a time, and helping her figure out their options. That's all I can do right now.

PDA issues, stepdad, and field trip

Big day today! I was fortunate enough to go along on my daughter Ari's field trip today. It was to an educational farm that had a bunch of farm animals. It was fun. (Yes, there is a hint of sarcasm in my typing) Seriously though, Ari had a pretty good time. It was kind of lame though for us. My mom used to own 30 head of cattle. Ari had grown up going to zoos, and well, seeing cows and chickens just wasn't that exciting. They made us sit through an "educational" video before touring that was a complete waste of time. It was basically the founders begging for money and showing us pictures of the exact animals we were about to see right after. I really thought we were going to a functional farm but it was an educational farm started by a retired teacher/principal. I suppose it wasn't worth the $8 for me and Ari. It could've been neat to anyone who has stayed a secluded city person, hard to do even here but this city is surrounded by rural and if you grew up here like I did chances are you knew someone with a farm or ranch.

My PDA is spazzing out on me today, the worst day to do this as I have clinicals tomorrow and I really need it. I use it a lot at the hospital. I let the battery die on it, charged it, turned it on, and all of my medical related software was gone! I tried resynching and have been having issues ever since. UGH! If anyone out there is even close to a PDA expert and has a Palm, please help, I need advice!

My stepdad, Jerry and my Mom need good thoughts and prayers. Jerry had a seizure the day before last. Turned out to be an electrolyte imbalance (his Na and K+ were low in the ER) . He's still on tube feedings and has lost the will to even to those. He's on a downward spiral. I'm worried about him and Mom.

Shining trailer and my day

It's remarkable how the right music and narration can make something so creepy and terrorizing seem so wholesome and sweet.
I found this link for a re-vamped trailer for the classic movie The Shining. It is way too funny especially if you've seen the film and know how it is soooo not that movie. I really did LOL and I'm not just typing the gratuitous LOL.
My clinicals went well this week. I had teenagers and discovered that I can be pretty cool with them too. Although I did have to wash lice out of one their head's today.:(
I also had a little one with a skull fracture who'd been there for weeks. He got to go home today. I was so happy for him.
But the highlight....I got to go to the PICU with one of my patients to have a very complex dressing change done under deep sedation. It was really cool! The wound care/physical therapist happened to be a girl I knew from my floor (PT covers the adult hospital and children's) So she asked me to assist. I got to practice my aseptic technique skills today and see what spinal fusion hardware looks like attached to vertebrae through a big hole in a back....way fun!

Jodi needs.....

Ganked this idea off someone else's blog...too funny.

Go to Google and type in "(your name) needs" and see what you get back.

Jodi needs: (in order of appearance)

A weblog (got it, duh!)
Deliverance from lust, unforgiveness and mental attacks (Google's spying on me)
A trainee hairdresser (Even a trainee couldn't mess mine up)
Help (goes without saying)
Someone experienced to work with her (heehee...what kind of experience?)
To drop 60 lbs (No kidding!)
A ticket to ride (anywhere will do)
Needs to be represented by a Jodi (huh?)
A hug (a safe bet)
A computer (nah, mine's good)
A change (a little changy changy is good time to time)
A man (always taking applications)

Try your name and feel free to comment with the results!

A 94 on Tuesday's test! I actually studied Sunday night and on Mon. from 9 am to midnight so I think I deserved it! The test was huge too. It covered 7 modules; Normal pregnancy, Pediatric assessment, Peditric meds, the hospitalized child, pedi neuro, pedi musculoskelatal, and genitourinary. So big toughy.....Yay me!
My allergies are killing me today and I have a TON of clinical prep-work for tomorrow so I'm off....just wanted to brag a little. Will update on clinicals Friday night probably.

Tx Ren fest

Some guy flirting with Cathy

Ded Bob

Cathy and Michael
Spent yesterday at the Texas Renaissance Festival in East Texas. I actually haven't been in about 7 years (I know because Mike was with me the last time) I used to go almost every year before that. Started going my sophomore year in high school, we'd even go in "garb." It was pretty much the same as it's always been, much larger though.Didn't go in garb this time.
We sat through the Ded Bob show. Still one of the funniest there. He actually came up and flipped up Michael's hat because he was being obnoxious and I think he noticed his "Nobody knows I'm Elvis"shirt. Then he pulled the girl behind us onto the stage.
I brought home a t-shirt, floral crown for Ari and some Devonshire incense (It's the best kind of incense). All and all I was pretty proud of myself for not spending too much money. Next year I'll bring Ari. She would've been hard to handle this year and I'm sure a few hours in would've been begging me to carry her. I noticed though that they had a lot of kids stuff (Never noticed that before) and she would enjoy it. Would love to camp there sometime too.
Enough playin around...Gotta study now, Test on Tuesday.

Ari update and pediatrics

I had my first parent teacher conference yesterday. Ari's teacher says that Ari's strengths are that" she is so friendly and good-natured, she tries very hard and almost always puts forth her best effort with a great attitude. She understands how to solve problems by using words." She also noted that she "loves to sing and dance." and "has the best manners."
Our goals to work on are:" Increasing her small motor skills ie. writing and increasing her sight word vocabulary." All and all, it sounds like Ari is doing really well. :) She did tell me a story though that made me a little sad. During "family" week they talked about who lives in their home, the differences between immediate family and extended family. Each kid got to stand up and tell everyone about their family. Ari told the class that she lived with Mommy, Daddy, and that her mommy had a baby in her tummy. (For those of you who don't know me well, I soooo don't) Anyway, Her teacher said that after the discussion, she noticed that Ari looked sad and kind of "like she was mad at herself." (She hadn't corrected Ari knowing it's just me at home.) So she pulled Ari aside and asked her if she was upset by what she said. Ari nodded. Her teacher told her that it was Ok to have just a Mommy at home and that there are many different kinds of families and also in fact she had lost her own daddy when she was a baby too. She said Ari perked up after that. I think Ari was hearing all the other kids stories and just wanted to make hers more interesting, but it still makes me a little sad.
My peds clinical rocked today! I had 2 kids that were pretty sick but they were just so darn cute and oblivious to their illnesses that they just made me smile the whole time I was with them. I really loved it. I thought I would be so sad but it's like I forgot they were sick when I was assessing them. I really hoped I would like pediatrics, so knock on wood, if it keeps up like this I am definitely heading there eventually. I could work for my hospital for a year or two and coincidentally the new children's hospital opens in 2007. I could head there after. It would be great to pay my boss back for her flexibility and hone my skills on grown-ups the first year. Then I could move on to Peds after. I'm actually psyched about clinicals tomorrow......what's that gotta tell you?

Annoying profs make a bad day

Soo Annoying. Our instructors are horrid about waiting until the last minute to tell us stuff. I get to lecture and I hear classmates talking about a lab assignment due today in Lab. I ask "What lab assignment?" They say "You know, the one on the to do list." I ask "What to do list?"
Well anyway, barely mentioned in orientation last week and buried deep in our syllabus is a to do list with a vague assignment of "Complete lab module 8". So DURING lecture I flip to it and all lab 8 consists of is copies of charting formats for the hospital we do clinicals in....samples. What are we supposed to do with that?! I ask classmates and they said they just filled them out hypothetically. Um...we already had a week a clinicals and did real charting in actual charts....What's the point?! I think this was a miscommunication issue. I would have asked the instructor only today's instructor doesn't do pedi clinicals so she wouldn't know.
So, remembering last week's assignment of finishing a computer pediatric med program in the computer lab (inconveniently NOT online so I could've done it at home) . It is due by Thursday in clinicals. Lecture was from 8-12, Lab was from 12:30 - 2:30. I have to be at the bus stop to pick up Ari by 3. My original plan was to do it in the 30 minute break, but before class I heard from 2 classmates that it took them about 2 hours to do it. ...so I leave lecture an hour early to finish with 2 of my other classmates who also needed to do it (Group was allowed). It took us an hour and a half and was full of crap questions with wrong answers and was totally outdated. (ie like asking about modified insulin which nobody calls it that anymore, Demerol which is being phased out, and the dorsogluteal injection site which is also being discouraged.) We run down to Lab to get there on time only to discover it's been cancelled! Argh! Actually I should say it's been rescheduled for next Tuesday which is bad for my plan B.
Plan A is I leave school no later then 2:30 and make it to the bus stop on time. Plan B, I get stuck in traffic and call Cathy on my cell to pick up Ari. Plan C- I've discussed with Andrea's mom next door if me or Cathy ever not there she agreed to watch Ari until I can get there. I remember Cathy specifically saying she works all day next Tues. and I wasn't worried because we weren't supposed to have lab.
On top of all the annoyances my garage door opener is broken and won't open at all, (I think it's off track somehow) I have an awful sinus headache and am also having terrible stomach cramps as I type.
Sorry for the rant...it's just been a bad day. Will be better tomorrow....I hope.

Pediatrics part deux--evil aide

So Friday went well. I found another critical thinking issue rather quickly. A 6yr old with a ruptured appendix (Post op Lap Appy with perf) with peritonitis had not had a bowel movement for 4 or 5 days (mom couldn't remember). I proposed there may be the possibility of a paralytic ileum (intestines froze up) , blockage, or the most likely constipation due to the surgical trauma and side effects of the pain medicine.
Instructor was impressed.
It was a good day, very relaxed. I sat on the adjacent "abandoned" unit used now for offices for clinical managers where there was a computer available and I could look up and print stuff for resources. Twice I went to my floor and hung out with co-workers. It was weird being there as an ACC student for me and for them.
We as a clinical group had big problems, both days, with one of the Clinical assistants (CA). I'll call her Dina. Well Dina decided to get all power trippy and informed all the students that she required a report off to her before we left. (Not only is it impossible to find our nurse when time to leave but the CA too?) Keep in mind we are to the point in our education where we are supposed to be focusing on Nursing duties which includes delegating duties to the CAs. She should be working under us, not taking the day off. The first morning I asked her in the hallway. "You didn't, by any chance, take the vitals on room X did you?" (she was at the room next door) but I wanted to do it. She replied, "No I don't do student's rooms". Then I heard "You had better put that thermometer back on the charger or we'll kick your rear" out of her to another student, she said the same to me but left out the "or we'll" part. She also rudely "reminded" me to plug in the Vitals machine when I was done.
I work there. I know the routine. I don't need to be giving reports to CAs, especially when she hadn't even met my patient yet but is still supposed to be working with them. All the info she needs is in their charts.
When it was mentioned in our post-conference meeting all 7 of us students reported a bad experience with this CA. Our instructor informed us unofficially that it is being handled at a higher level and has been discussed before. There has been an ongoing problem with this Dina. It is especially infuriating to me as I am a CA and I have NEVER treated a student that way. I will admit when the first semesters students come on the floor I feel a little bit of relief as 1st semester students tend to focus on bed making and skills that fall in my job description. So I get a break when they are there. However, despite that, I still offer my help, check on the patients anyway, and find out what they are focusing on before making that assumption. [I remember one time helping a 1st sem. student clean up a pt after a BM...It was me that informed her that the odd things she was seeing were hemorrhoids].
Last semester I had 3 patients at the end, some with high acuities. I had a ton of meds and assesments. I didn't have time for vitals, baths, and beds, I was told by my instructor to delegate it to the CA who then and after, ignored me.
I am ashamed of the fellow CAs I've met so far in my rotations. We are not all like that! I was told once that sometimes the best nurses are the ones who used to be CAs. Perhaps, It may also be the other way around...The best CAs are the ones who are going to be nurses.

Pediatrics

My first day in Pediatric clinicals today. I have the luck of getting an adult patient. This patient had a developmental delay related to the disease and grew up in the children's medical community. Socially was on a young teenager level but all the meds, skills, everything was all adult and not much different from that I've worked with in the past. Sweet kid and nice family so it was a good day. I didn't mess up a thing, got praises from the instructor, and found out that tomorrow I have no patients. It seems that the children's hospital has a rule of only 6 students per unit and we have 7. Each day someone has to drop out and do "busy" work. I get to be the first to set the example. I have been assigned to pick 2 patients, the one I had is Ok, and another and find one issue or problem and solve it. Then write a paper about it. I have a problem solved for my patient today. After an onset of sudden substernal chest pain, I asked the mom when the last time the G-tube (Gastrostomy) tube had been vented. It had been 4 hours, needs to be vented every 2 hours. So we vented it and enough air and mucous to fill a very large balloon came out. The pain subsided immediately. This pt had never had a G- tube and didn't recognize the pain. So that's the problem I'll be writing up tomorrow.
I also found out that we get to rotate out of one other children's department. I got my first choice, ER! Yeah! I'm so looking forward to it. I probably won't get to do much but it'll be fun nevertheless. I'm always thinking up ways to visit the ER when I'm at work whether to find a supply item or an old chart they forgot to bring us. The ER for me would be like Florida, a nice place to visit but where I (no offense, Floridians) don't want to live. I'm not an adrenaline junkie and I kind of like routine with some changy changy every once in awhile.
Just wanted to update....no homework tonight so I'm vegging out to the TV tonight and enjoying this cooler weather with Ari. 76 for high today!!!! woohoo!!!!