Christmas

Here are some pics for you from Christmas Eve. Kathleen made an awesome dinner...even Wylie loved it, and that kid doesn't like anything! It was very good!

What A Waste Of A Vacation

Well, I got sick again, on Christmas. And today (6 days later) is the first day I actually felt good enough to get out of bed. I had a very very very bad sore throat and earache in both ears. I have no idea why now, at the age of 28, I am starting to get earaches, but man they HURT!

I've been on antibiotics since Wed. and my sore throat is starting to feel better, but now both of my ears are plugged and ringing...it so annoying it may just drive me over the edge.

Yippey Its Over (for now)

I went out with Christine last night to Sushi Rock to celebrate her new job. Too many martinis...and I have found out that I don't like sushi. While we were celebrating, I got a call from a friend of mine at school and she got my final grade for me...a B. Eh. Well, its not an A (there were none of those), but whatever, a B's good I guess.

We start our Psych rotation on the 11th. Should be interesting. I'm glad we have a little break though, I'm kinda tired!

Ok, I need to get moving, I'm supposed to be in Toledo already, but I'm not even half way ready to go.

Merry Christmas!

Nope, No White Christmas Here

Here's my desktop weather report. Its raining. And its 52 today. Looks like no snow for us for Christmas. Christmas and snowboarding are the only good reasons for snow. Oh, and those cute boots I just bought from Columbia on clearance, I guess that's another good reason for snow.

Hopefully I will remember to use my digital camera at Christmas this year so that I can post some pics (not of me, sorry, I don't photograph well!).

After work we are going to Sushi Rock to have some holiday cocktails and celebrate my friend's new international job...I'm so happy for her but sorry to see her leaving! Then, tomorrow I'm off to Toledo to visit some friends and spend Christmas Eve with at my Aunt Kathleen's with my cousins and then off to my Aunt Jodi & Gene's for Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a good one!

Sad, But True!

My Pop-Pop Is Better Than Yours!!!

I got a package today! It had pear wine and pfferneuese cookies in it! (No, I can't spell that word). I'm assuming the cookies were delicious, but I gave them to Matt because he loves them and I'm a good sister. He's been begging me to make them and after he ate them he said he was hooked and wanted some more. Maybe next year I'll have some time to make Christmas cookies, but its Finals time right now and I just can't!

I'm studying right now, just thought I'd take a break to thank my Pop-pop for the package! I love you Pop-Pop and I miss you and Nana!

Final Day at the Hospital

Yesterday was it! I'm done! I passed my practical exam on the floor yesterday. The instructor actually said I was "very well prepared"...that even surprised me!

My patient had a tear-duct reconstruction or something of the sort and had been admitted to my floor since she woke up in a pool of blood a couple of days after the surgery. Its a good thing the sight of blood doesn't bother me because it was EVERYWHERE (and somehow I managed to keep it off my all-white uniform!).

So while the ENT docs played "You touched her last, you deal with it", the poor woman bled from the nose profusely for upwards of 10 hours. I didn't know there was that much blood in the human body. Eventually they decided they were going to ship her out to the Cleveland Clinic and let them deal with it, but of course, that wasn't until today...poor woman. She was surprisingly pleasant under the circumstances. I had to do a physical assessment on her and she was a good patient even though I'm sure she wasn't feeling up to me poking her and moving her all around.

I've been very lucky to get very nice patients to help teach me. I'm also very lucky that they have been so nice to me, seeing as most of them are in their mid-80's and I am sporting my usual face piercings, tattoos, and my now-black hair. (I have to dye it black because it lightens up to light brown so quickly).

Final exam is Wednesday and I can't wait to be done for a few weeks of vacation! I think we're going snowboarding (or at least I hope so). I'm also going to learn to knit hats over break. I have knitted so many scarves and I want to learn something new. I think I may venture into the knitted sock market too, those are cute.

Really the Best School for Me?

I'm finding out some other frightening things about this school. Now, I know this could all be hear-say, but its still a little scary.

Once upon a time, one of the guys in our class started a website so that we could all network and share information. That website has been since shut down by the same student. Turns out that the faculty was on the website and was upset about the things people were saying about the faculty. (Of course, this was a private website, no one but members (students & evidently, faculty) could see the information posted). One of the students was very upset about the lack of teaching that went on and the fact that they read to us and don't teach us. Long story short, the faculty read it and this student that wrote it claims that they were so upset about it that they pulled her into a room and litterally screamed at her for an hour and threatened her using all kinds of obscene language.

Now, if this really happened or not, I don't know. But, if it DID happen, why is this student still going to school with us? I'll tell you what, if the faculty that I am PAYING talks to me like that, I will no longer be attending this school. The only reason I believe that its true is because I have seen how nasty some of the teachers are. And I will be the first to admit that this is the most unprofessional, unprepared school I have ever been to.

The difference in one clinical group to the next is unbelievable. One group is learning and being tested out on sooooo much stuff, and we don't have a test out at all. Hell, we're lucky if our teacher even shows up on time...she's usually at least 20 minutes late...it was an hour and 20 minutes the last time! I'm sure this is only hurting me in the end, but now I'm a little afraid to even bring it up to any of the faculty! I just want to make it through school...and be treated fairly and like a human being! Its bad that I'm to afraid to have conversations with my instructors for fear of retribution...and I've felt that way since day one...which is another reason I believe this other student is telling the truth.

I think maybe I'll put my name on another school's wait list (since the wait lists are 3 years long)...just in case.

Note to self: When meeting with faculty, turn on digital recorder and keep in pocket.

I Swear I'm Not Stupid...

I'm not a stupid girl...I swear. The poeple in my class are not stupid. This wasn't an easy school to get into. We had multiple interviews and GPA restrictions, etc. just to be considered for this school. So what the heck is going on?!?!

We got our last exam back last night. It wasn't good. Here are the statistics...

There are 48 people in the class.
32 people completely failed the test.
There were no A's and only 2 B's.
One of the girls that got a B went over her answers and decided that it was just good luck cause she was guessing.

*Update - I found out that out of the 49 people in the day class, 42 failed completely = 86%. They took the same test.

There were 51 questions on the exam and 27 of them were from one teacher on two different subjects. The same teacher that gives us handouts and then reads them to us, or she gives us busy work to do in groups. This teacher doesn't understand that there is a BIG difference between READING to us, and TEACHING us.

So basically they are thinking that they are going to take all of her questions out of our score. If they do that I went from a failing grade to an A...what does that tell you? And, remember that our grading scale is messed up to begin with...

93-100 A
85-92.9 B
77-84.9 C
Below 77 is a failure.

If you get below 77 in the class, you're done. That one exam grade dropped my grade in the class an entire grade. Hopefully they will address this problem with the teacher because this is ridiculous.

Our tests are made out like this:
1 answer is completely wrong
1 answer could be right, but it clearly isn't
2 answers are completely right

Of those 2 answers, 1 is a better answer.

What really pisses me off is when you ask "Why is answer A a better answer than answer B"? And they can't tell you why, they just say "It just is".

I'm seriously worried about the education I'm getting at this school (or not getting). The staff is so unprofessional, unprepared, and rude.

It also doesn't matter how good we are on the floor, becuase it doesn't figure into our grade. So basically, I could know all the theory and get A's in the class, and totally suck on the floor and still pass. What good is understanding all the theory if you're not compassionate and can't talk to people?

Yea! One More Clinical To Go!

Well I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Clinical today went fine. It was a little nerve-racking at first but I was fine by the afternoon. I had another total-care patient that wasn't very responsive. I had a very upset stomach this morning (must have been nerves). I think I was expecting the worst because of my first day on the floor with a total care patient.

In the morning she wouldn't eat for me and wasn't responding to anything I said, but I talked to her and by the afternoon she was a little more alert and responsive. The only thing I could make out all day was "Thank you, you're so sweet", and that made my whole day all better.

I don't know how these nurses take care of 8 patients at a time. Especially when 3 of the 8 are total-care patients.

So one more Sunday of clinicals and this semester is OVER! Our final exam is on the 20th. I took the day off work so that I can study up until the exam. The first couple exams went really well, the next two could have been better. Since this final is comprehesive, I figure I should step it up!

Hope everyone is well!

Three Words You Don't Want To Hear

LAKE EFFECT SNOW.

At least its starting to look like Christmas, huh? Here's some good advice for you (learn from my mistakes)... when you look outside and you got 6" of snow overnight and its snowing so hard you can't even see the building next door to you, DON'T wear those cute little leather flat pointy shoes you love cause they look cute with the outfit. Its kinda like walking outside to your car barefoot. My feet are very white and cold. I went back inside and put on my heaviest socks and Columbia boots. I won't make that mistake again. (Evidently I learn things the hard way).

So the weather channel is calling for 3-5" of more snow during the day today and another 2" overnight. Yippey. It doesn't help that they didn't plow this morning. Thank goodness I only drive a mile and a half to work. I love these dumb-asses that barely warm their cars up, wipe a nice tiny little circle on their dashboard, can't see over the pile of snow on the front of their car, and then decide to drive 10 miles an hour right in front of me.

Winter in Ohio has arrived. Funny considering we had temps of 65 last week.

*Uncle Joe, if you leave me a comment saying that its 90 in Cali I will never visit you again! I don't want to hear it! Anyone that wants to leave me comments NOT gloating about their good weather please do so!!! I like to know who's reading me!

Sundays at the Hospital

Well, THANKFULLY, I have nothing exciting to report from this past Sunday. Lots of patients with the flu it seems. Fortunately, my patient was past the diarrhea and vomiting by the time I saw her on Sunday. Overall it was a pretty calm day (well, as calm as it gets anyway).

I'm still all clumsy and running around like a crazy person not knowing what to do or where and when, but I'm sure that will go away with time. I wasn't real sure my nurse liked me too much to begin with, but by the end of the day I had her laughing. Seriously, I thought she was kidding when she told me to take the cap off this clippy thing cause I couldn't get it off. The easiest tasks can be such a challenge with me! My instructor told me I'm my own worst enemy on the floor. I constantly second guess myself and look for reassurance, even when I know I'm right.

Good lesson I learned on Sunday - when giving meds, CHECK THE CHART! Don't take the nurse's word for it. I know better, but I did it anyways. Ended up giving my patient the wrong med... thank goodness she had to take that one anyways but MAN you should have seen me sweat there for a minute!

So my next question is...how long do you think it will be before I come down with the flu? Probably right over Christmas break (with my luck).

Nurse Funnies

If you click on the cartoon it will be bigger and easier to read!!!