First day at health centre...

was pretty good, I mostly observed (apart from doing BP's, weights, heights etc) but I was quite happy to do that, as it was good to get my bearings and to get to know everyone. So bring on tomorrow, I am going to have a go at everything that is offered to me and try not to act to nervous. I guess what worries me, is that I will make a mistake and the nurse will think I am stupid. I need to have a bit more confidence in myself, I have the knowledge base to do this stuff, but just feel I do not have the clinical experience, but that will come with practice right?

That is one thing I do not like about the the degree I am doing, we have clincials in block of 2,3,4,6 weeks. So far I have done 2, 2 week and 1, 3 week blocks in the one and a half years I have been there, so that's a total of 7 weeks but only 4 were clincial as the other was mental health. Apart from practicums we do not have any practice in class, apart from the one hour they give us to learn something. I feel that the gaps are to big and by the time practical comes around we are to out of practice in our clinical skills. Yeah I know we can practice in our own time, and I do try and put practice in, but by the time you have assignments and exams, there is just not enough time to get the practice in. I would love it, if we were out 1 day a week every day of the semester, I think that would be so much better. I guess there must be a reason why they do it the other way :)

Anyway enough moaning, going to go and do some reading on diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease.

Tue 8:49 pm

Tomorrow I start Clinicals

for 4 weeks at a doctors clinic, I think there are about 6 doctors all together and two nurses at each time. I am a bit nervous, the last time I was in a medical setting was back in April, since then I have only been to a mental health placement (addiction services). It is only a 3 week day this week anyway, as today is labour day in NZ and Fri is my physical assessment competency. Anyway fingers crossed that I do not do anything stupid and make a fool of myself and I should be fine. I am the only student working there and I will only see a lecturer once a week, if that there not very reliable.

Better go, am taking my son for a bike ride around to his grandads.

Then I will come home and sort out my objectives etc for my first week.

Mon 9:25am

well its that

time of the week, I am off to work shortly. Last week was not to bad, as a fellow nursing student was on too. She is really nice and we worked together, which made things much easier. Tonight will be my 6th shift and I still feel like I don't really know how the place is run. I am confident with caring for the residents and all that stuff but not the exact schedule of the night and who does what, when etc.

It's pretty cold today, which is a bit strange. Yesterday we planted our vege gardens, so that was fun. My partner and I have separate ones because he wants to have a competition. That is so like him, there just vegetables but never mind.

I re read my essay yesterday, and found a spelling mistake and commas in the wrong places, and a couple of other mistakes. But I had already handed it in, so that was a bit annoying.

Opps look at the time, better go
Sun 2:37 pm

Im happy :)

I finished my third essay today, so have stuck to my goals for the week. That's all the assignments done for the semester now. All that is left is the physical assessment competency next week, 4 weeks of clinical placement and two multi choice exams. But pretty much feels like I am finished, it is the essays that really get to me, so as soon as those get done I always feel 100 times better about school.

The plan is going well

Yesterday I handed in the physical assessment paper and the CF essay. I feel that I did pretty well and put in a lot of effort this time, so hopefully I get some marks better then the last ones.

I brought a swiss ball today. I think I have mentioned that I have been going to physio because of a sore knee, well turns out it was my back affecting my knee. So she has been working on that for the last week and now I have lots of exercises that require a swiss ball to do. She told me they were only $20 the price I had to pay was $40. Glad I brought it though I have an awful chair for the computer, so I am trying my swiss ball and it is quite good, keeps my back nice and straight.

Well I need to keep to my goals so better get off here.

Wed, 12:27pm

I have to go to

work this afternoon, I soooo cant be bothered. I started working in a resthome hospital about a month ago, and I do 3 - 9 pm on a sun night, so I really should stop whinging. It's hardly anything, and the time flies.

This morning I tried to make porridge and I burnt it, I just made the kids some popcorn and that didn't really work either, I don't know where my cooking skill have gone, I use to be a great cook.

MY goals for the week are:
Finish physical assessment assignment
Go over my cystic fibrosis essay, check for mistakes
Hand these in on Tues
Then I will finish my Ethics essay by Thurs and take that over and hand in
Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon (Labour weekend holiday) I will revise for my clinical placement starting on Tue
I will also practice the cardio, resp, neuro, and abdomin assessments for Fri 31st,

So that's the plan, I want all my assignments in by thurs, they are not due to the following thurs but there is no way I want to be writing an essay after I get home from placement's.
Its just to stressful, I have seen other people do it and they are a mes.

Sun 10:42 am

Thats a week over

and I feel like poo, and what do you know I didn't get enough work done today. I just could not concentrate. My family are having a night at their grandparents place tonight (big S included) so I can get some work done.
Better go, bags to pack

The time

here is 9:19 pm, thursday night.

Feeling pleased

Well since starting the week off in a slight panic, I feel that I have accomplished a bit of work. The day after my 3 essays are due, so it will be the 31st of Oct. We have a physical assessment competency. There are four systems they could test us on but we will pick one out of a hat. The systems are cardio, abdominal, neuro or resp. This week I have managed to learn each one and write the documentation for each one too. So am pretty pleased. On the other hand however I have not really made much progress on my essays and now guess what I am starting to get a bit panicky again. Time is moving way to fast. I don't really think people realise I get this way because I always remain pretty calm but its on the inside that my mind is doing the worrying. To top it all off I have got a cold, so even though I need to get a move on with my study, I feel to dozey and sleepy too actually do anything about it.

On a brither note my daughters weeks has been pretty good. Today when I left she did not cry. Yay! She seems to have had a good day, she got to choose a book bag yesterday and brought her first book home for reading. She was so excited.

Well I need sleep.
I am going to make myself a promise, tomorrow I am going to write all day (after i get back from the physio and dropping kiddies off, oh and I really want to vacuum and mop the floors, washing off course and a general tidy up, I am such a procrastinator) OK by 11am I will be at my desk studying.

The first day

I took S to school this morning for her first day. The morning didn't go to well as O would not get dressed and I got quite grumpy. But after we had dropped him off at pre school and S had popped into her old classroom to give her old teachers a present she had made in the weekend (oooooh shes so sweet). We got on our way to her new school. Everything went well until it was time for me to leave, she cried and came after me, grabbing onto my leg. Its hard when all you want to do is pick them up and say ok, there, there you don't have to go to school, come with me. However I know that I cant do that so even though it broke my heart I gave her a hug, kissed the top of her head, said I love you and I would pick her up this afternoon and I left, with the teacher holding onto her. Best practice I think to have it short and sweet, or else I would have been there for who knows how long, trying to say goodbye.

Anyway, I am at tech and I am suppose to be studying, obviously I am not. So I better make a start. I have to leave here at 1:45 to go to the physio and then go back and get S. I hope I have enough petrol, funds are a bit tight this week.

What a lovely day :)

I have just spent a half hour on our front porch reading the Saturday newspaper and tanning my legs. Quite an accomplishment to have some time to yourself when you have a small family. But they are having a rest with their father, everyone is so tired, I think it is the change in seasons.

I have been counting down to my daughter S's first day of school on Monday We have been getting everything ready, my step mother finished her chair bag today, so I picked that up this morning. It is neat, a cupcake pattern and she had sewn S's name through the top. We have to get stationary on Mon morning at the school office. Part of me is sooo excited but the other part is sad. When I took her for a school visit before the holiday, I had to hold back the tears when I left her there for the day, so I hate to think how I will be on Monday. After that I have my first day back at tech. So hopefully I can pull myself together before i get there :)

We are down to the last week of classes for the semester, so it is quite exciting to think that I am basically half way through my degree. All that is left is four weeks of clinical and then exams. Our exams are really late this year (at the end of Nov) last year we had about a 12 week break but I think it will only be 8 weeks, this time. I am glad because I get bored at home and really look forward to getting back into it. Last Christmas holidays I did a paper in summer school, so that made the time go faster however there are no other papers offered this year that i can do.

Anyway better go the kids have just woken up, grumpy might I add.

sorry

I have just been having a quick look through my old posts and I can't believe how bad I am at checking my grammer and spelling :)

well, it has been a slow day....

I have been slowly working on my physical assessment assignment. Last night I completed the Subjective Data section, and I have started typing it up today. However I feel that I need more information, so I have been reading through Jarvis for more information on questioning about functional health patterns, environmental health ( I am a bit stuck on recreational), self perception, stressors and values in life. I am really aiming for at least 80% (A-). As I am pretty disappointed with my last two marks, as I know I can do better and usually do do better.

I just don't know what is going wrong this semester. Am I just going through a rut? Have I been kidding myself thinking I can get through this with really good marks? Am I losing motivation? I keep telling myself I am half way through only 1.5 years to go. This semester has really taken it out of me though. I am finding it hard to have motivation. I always go to every class, and always look forward to class. But a few weeks ago I woke up and for the first time since i started the degree I could not be bothered going( I did go) but that's when the warning bells went off, and I have not been able to really get my enthusiasm back. I usually enjoy study and enjoy the different papers we have to complete. However lately I am just doing essays to get through and to tick each thing off, on my list of things to complete.

Physical assessment fieldwork assignment

That is what I am working on at the moment. I have to do an objective and subjective assessment on a person with an illness or condition that needs nursing care, as well as that I need to complete a full physical assessment and incorporate 10 to 12 nursing diagnosis's.

I recently started working in the hospital wing of a rest home about 5 mins drive from my house. I have only worked two weekends so far (Sat and Sun nights 3 - 9 pm) but this has been changed to just Sun nights now. It is pretty heavy work and what do you know I have injured my knee, not through work but running on the treadmill at the gym. I have been to the physio three times so far but my knee is just not improving and is really quite sore, I am worried about working on it this Sun, so I am going to talk to my physio tomorrow and see what she thinks.

My daughter was 5 on the weekend, we all has such a good time. She is on holiday this week and then starts school next Mon. That is when I go back to tech for my last week of classes for the year. I then have one more week study and then am at a doctors practice for 1 month. I am looking forward to my placement as I have heard they are really friendly and supportive. I am not really interested in primary health nursing but will go into it with an open mind.