That Fine Line

Well, it's been a fast-paced first two weeks of class and clinicals and I figured it was about time for an update.  I wanted to say first-off that I am very glad that they only let in 200-some students every year to the faculty, any more and I would seriously doubt the capacity of parents to breed more ill-equipped children.  But, I suppose we all have to learn sometime, that's why we go to class.  I like going to class, because then I get to hear stuff like this:



Ah, the joy. 

Yes, I may have embellished little bit, but what's a good anonymous blog if not for a bit of editorial liberty?

Keep those intermittent comments coming!

Orientation Discombobulation

Well, I've had a day and a half of orientation (mostly to clinical and labs) and I've got to say that it can only get better from here.  Up front, the nursing orientations are long on rules and short on explanations which makes sense for scheduling because they don't have a lot of time to explain the rationale behind each requirement.  However, you must realize that students entering into Nursing (maybe any faculty, for that matter, but Nursing more than any other for sure) are quite a fearful bunch.  Upon the mention that they may be required to ask personal health questions of complete strangers they are liable to develop, nurture, and rupture a cerebral aneurysm in short order.

I know I'm in a large minority when it comes to age demographics in my current situation but I still (and will) marvel at the immense amount of stress that young females can conjure up at the instant some requires something of them.  The anger, the tears, the defensiveness, the hostility...and that's just when you ask one if they've completed all their self-study for the bed-making lab.

On a brighter note, a quote courtesy of one of the clinical facilitators has spawned a new feature that I will run on this blog:  Quote of the Shift.  I was going to name it "Quote of the Week", or "Quote of the Month", but both of those put expectations on me and I hate to disappoint, so, an ambiguous time unit fits my style perfectly.

We'll start things off with a bang that's on-theme with this post: rules.

"You can't, as a nurse, do a pulse or a respiratory rate using a digital watch.  I've been a nurse for 14 years and I can't, so I don't expect any of you would be able to."

Slow clap, folks.....slow clap while we gaze in awe at the treasures we are about to discover as we work and, more importantly, listen through the next three years,

The Road to the Road

I have no money to speak of, so I was over at the University today, signing some pieces of paper that will make strangers pay for my education and then hunt me down to pay it back when I get some piece of paper called a "degree".  The people that hand out this "degree" require you to spend 8+ months of each of the next four years at their institution where they "teach" you all sorts of useful things and then let you play in a hospital unsupervised when you're done.  Sounds great.

I digress, actually I didn't even start out.  The point I was getting to was that I realized my view of the next three years of nursing is one of disdain, mostly.  I foresee the overlap of my existing knowledge and the nursing training as something to be loathed.

Now, if you're not a fan of copious amounts of sarcasm, then you should probably not be reading my blog now or ever.  I use sarcasm (as I always have) to deal with every situation from humorous ones to tense ones and this one is no different.  It may seem like I will mercilessly harp on other nursing students, professors, and the general public while not holding myself to any similar standard, but who doesn't?

Seriously, can you tell me that you wouldn't groan inside even a little bit when some self-righteous third-year (I'm technically second year now) nursing student tries to show you the correct way to put a nasal cannula on a patient?  You wouldn't balk just a little when an instructor gives you flak for not starting an IV the way you were told to do it in the textbook?

I doubt you could keep your cool or keep it for long (three years?).  So, an outlet for that pent up rage is needed and, lucky for all of you out there, I decided to channel it into this blog.

Enjoy...

The Kick is Good!

Congratulations!  You have been accepted into the University of Manitoba Faculty of Nursing!  Now just get us your paperwork by July 31 and we won't have to break your kneecaps.

And the Waiting Begins...

Well, that went quickly, two weeks of studying in a breath and two finals in the blink of an eye.

I honestly can't really gauge how well either final went but I do feel that I was adequately prepared for both, not much more to say than that.

So, to the ones of people that read my blog, I bid you a farewell until the letter stating go/no-go for Nursing crosses my desk...

Two-week(ish) Gut Check

Roughly two lunar cycles out from my last two final exams of the year and I've got to say, with all my life experience that I've accumulated thus far, I'm still pretty nervous for 1000-level exams.  This is not to say that all 1000-level courses are easy and things get progressively more challenging as you move up through 2000, 3000, and 4000-level courses, far from it.  Remember, this is Nursing...Nursing in the 21st century...Nursing in the 21st century where it seems to matter more if you mean well that if you know what 'well' is.  The Nursing program I have decided to undertake is filled with such useful credit hours like, "Nursing Leadership: Issues and Practices" and, "Health Promotion of Older Adults and Their Families." No, I foresee a large downturn in required skill when it comes to my program but, nevertheless, there exist courses that will challenge my ability to deliver whatever it is the professor is looking for. 

My present concern, Physiology, for instance, is apparently to be taken with the understanding that you will quickly and easily form a working knowledge of the body, its major systems, and their interrelationships within three and a half months.  Being that over 110 people out of a class of roughly 275 failed the midterm, I would guess it isn't a task to be taken lightly.  Which is why I have cleared my already-barren schedule to ensure I have copious amounts of time to devote to memorizing and pantomiming the testable material.

On the other hand, Human Growth and Development (a Faculty of Nursing prerequisite) seems to run on the understanding that the lecture has very little to do with what is being tested in the exams and in the written assignments.  If you do go to class, you are treated to plethora (read: circle-jerk) of emotion-sharing and either "My mom/auntie/cousin/sister is a nurse and..." or "When I was in the hospital once..." story-telling that is sure to (read: did to me) make one's forehead sore. 

I find challenge in each of these situations and I'm not sure how things will turn out.  I have an idea of where my GPA needs to be to ensure I get into the faculty and doing any result less than very good in both these courses will not help my chances. 

Here's to merciful Physiology finals and relevant HG&D questions.

Is it really any different?

Situation:  Most couples that become pregnant will not learn the gender of their child because they don't want to "ruin the surprise" yet, when doctors ask if the couple would like to be made known of any health defects their child may have then the answer is usually 'yes'.

Question:  What is it about perceived positives and negatives that predicts our reaction to them so accurately?

Most people that I have had this sort of conversation with tend to lean towards the reasoning that gender is less consequential than their baby having Down's syndrome or spina bifida and that knowing about the 'negative' of defects is to help them prepare themselves for what is to come. 

Really? 

Let me clarify that I understand certain conditions identified while the baby is in utero are important because they can now be corrected earlier with a better prognosis of overall health for the child.  What I don't understand is the thought process where parents of an unborn child will consider ending the pregnancy due to the issue identified being "too much to handle".  At the same time, these kind of people would never consider terminating the pregnancy if they found out that their child was not the gender they were hoping for.  No, they say, that would be wrong.  Now that you mention it, in some countries it is not wrong.  In some countries it is widely accepted and encouraged to simply "delete" the unwanted pregnancies based on the gender or physical makeup of the child-to-be and try again, hoping for a "better" result. 

Is it really any different, gender and physical ability or disability?  You can draw a line in the sand and say one is different than the other but can you control either?  Is it anyone's "fault" that children have genetic and physical defects?  Is it to anyone's "credit" that the child has favourable attributes? 

It's a reflex type of opinion that people have and it is subjective and wrong simply because the decision was made before the discussion happened.  The words (many, I know) that are in quotations are the ones I hear most used and have the least amount of logical reasoning behind them. 

Have a discussion with yourself, learn something new.