I feel like it was just yesterday that I was writing a post about starting second semester. Where does the time go? This semester is obviously a lot different than normal with online classes and hybrid clinicals, but I have actually really enjoyed it so far!
This fall I am taking two classes: NUR308 The Nursing Care of Adults with Altered Health (aka Medsurg) and NUR305 The Nursing Process in Mental Health and Illness (aka Psych). Medsurg clinicals are in the hospital on Monday and over Zoom on Tuesdays. We have a two hour class on Thursdays in addition to the prerecorded lectures we watch on Zoom. For Psych, we have clinicals on Wednesdays, prerecorded lectures, and class on Fridays.
The first week of Medsurg we learned about reading EKGs and perfusion. I had absolutely no idea there were so many different types of heart rhythms! While I am not interested in being a cardiac nurse, I do think the heart is fascinating. The medication regimens are so different depending on the heart problems of the patient, so it is kind of fun to work on different scenarios and decide what the proper order is for administering CPR, rhythm checks, and meds.
Week 2 was on fluids and electrolytes. I don't know what it is about this topic, but it is always so challenging for me!!
Understanding all the fluid shifts and whether or not to administer isotonic, hypotonic, or hypertonic solutions always makes my brain hurt...One thing that has helped a lot has been seeing the actual IV infusions in my hospital clinicals. For some reason, having a real patient makes it click so much better in my head!
Week three was dialysis and perfusion! Again, it has made this topic so much easier to actually see patients who are on dialysis in the hospital and understand how their electrolytes are affected by their different comorbidities. The way the body is able to adapt to so many imbalances in incredible.
While I was in clinical a couple weeks ago, I saw my first patient with a PEG feeding tube. It was so striking to me as I watched the nurse provide the feeding through the syringe. I was torn between feeling amazement that it is possible to sustain life off of a foamy mixture of nutrients passed through a tube and a feeling of intense sadness that this is the only way this person can survive. Working in the hospital and seeing patients with so many major health problems definitely provides a fresh perspective on how much I have to be thankful for. It is far too easy to take for granted being able to wake up every day and grab a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a cup of coffee. Yet for people like this patient, even these simple things aren't guaranteed! It may be hard to focus on how much we have to be grateful for when the world feels so chaotic right now, but it is very important...
My Psych class has been focusing largely on concepts related to mental health. Over the first three weeks we have discussed patient rights, culture and spirituality, and therapeutic communication skills. My clinicals haven't started yet, but I am going to be doing virtual clinicals and spending two days in a psych ward over the course of the semester.
This semester is going to be a crazy ride, but I am so thankful that I am able to continue classes this fall. A huge thank you to all my professors and the hospitals for allowing me and my fellow nursing students to pursue our passion and get closer to becoming nurses next fall!
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