Fun in the EP Lab

Today I had the fun of watching some ablation procedures at UVA's Electrophysiology Lab. The gal who took my job at the church (when I left for Liberia--and then who ended up turning it back over to me when she moved to Florida)--her mom let me shadow/observe on her shift today. My anatomy knowledge of the heart was challenged (in a good way). It was often hard to know what they were looking at b/c they were only dealing with 3-D images of a section of the heart. Plus I don't really know anything about reading radiology (yet).

This visit to the EP lab was fulfillment of part of my anatomy class. We have a Service Learning Project this semester which requires doing "volunteer" work in the field that we plan to go into. For me that's nursing and medical. My professor, after e-mailing her, agreed that observing was adequate--seeing as medical type environments really can't utilize untrained volunteers. So I spent four hours in/out of several procedures and also get to step into one actual "surgery". Got to wear scrubs and a lovely hair net (of sorts) and lead skirts/vests because there was live x-rays going on throughout the procedure. And for the one surgical (actual incision) procedure, I got to wear a mask! lol. You know...the little things. :)

I'm struggling to stay motivated to get the book work done for this class. I think that things got doubly hard when Daylight Savings Time ended and it's dark when I leave work. But I have limited time before things really hit the fan at work, so i need to get get this material covered and the last two tests taken. Can't wait...but yet I'm not motivated. ugh. In five weeks it will all be over. And hopefully I'll have an A to show for it.

I found my Microbiology and Dev. Psych classes in online form for next semester, so I'm very grateful. The Microbiology course has a lab that will require me to meet go on campus for 4 Saturdays and that's it. Now I just have to figure out why I can't make a payment online...kinda worries me as I don't want to be bumped out of the course. Note to self: call tomorrow.

Until later...