I passed

I passed the physical assessment yesterday, I drew cardiovascular system out of the hat, not one that I was really confident with but I passed. So that's it, all that is left is 3 weeks at the health centre and two exams. One is worth 20 % of my end of year mark, that is for the adolescent and young adult paper. The other is worth 50%, and that one is for pharmacology and physical assessment.

Completed my first week of clinical, its good and interesting. But I don't think primary health is really for me, don't get me wrong, I would enjoy working there but when I compare it to the work I have done at the hospital, I felt 100% more happier at the hospital. This might sound a bit strange but when I was working at the hospital, it almost felt like I was at home, I am sure that will pass the more work I do there. But I know that is where I want to start my career as a nurse. In New Zealand primary health is becoming really big, that whole thing about prevention, and there are more and more jobs starting in that area, they are even starting new grad programmes now. Which is good, as they only use to be in the hospitals.

One of the annoying things about NZ is that we do not get taught to cannulate and take blood etc, until we have graduated and become RN's, which I think is stupid. Anyway my lecturer told me last week, that if the RN's and patients are happy, I can learn to take blood, even though we are not really aloud and if the Head of Nursing found out, I do not even want to think about what would happen. Anyway I have not yet said this to any of the RN's I am working with, they all seem to pretty much follow it by the book sort of people and I do not know what response I would got if I mentioned that I would like to learn as my Lecturer said I could. My friend who is at another health centre, got to take blood last week. She is having the best time and said that she did more things in her first day then in her whole hospital placement, while it has been the other way round for me this time. I suppose you cant get fantastic placements all the time, and this centre was good for me, in the fact that I start at 9am which gives me time to drop S off at her new school (the school starts at quarter to 9, all the other placements start at 7, 8, or 8:30) and it was really important to me, that she was settled in properly.


Going to go and watch the new Indiana Jones movie, it just came out on DVD here, so we hired if for the night.

Sat 8:37 pm

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