Today marks the beginning of clinical prep for spring semester. We've had two weeks of orientation and tomorrow is our first day of patient care in Pediatric Nursing. I'm at a children's rehab facility. Patient assignments were made yesterday afternoon, but due to my Maternity clinical I wasn't able to get my assignment or gather data until AFTER my clinical --which was around 10pm. So after stopping by the rehab facility, I finally got home around midnight. I'll have all day today to prep for tomorrow's clinical. I'm really hoping that I will make good use of my time and get my prep work done early and be able to spend the early evening reviewing skills I will have to do with my patient. AND GET TO BED AT A REASONABLE HOUR. I've been doing prep work on Tuesdays for the past two semesters...this is no different. So to me, they are known as "Torture Tuesdays" because it's a LONG day of researching, writing and prepping with bedtime usually coming after midnight and only 3-4 hours of sleep before getting up again to be at the hospital.
Thankfully this semester I don't have to park and take a bus, but instead of a 7am start, we have to be on our unit at 6:30am. So it still means getting up insanely early. Once I finish this post, I'm going to create an estimated schedule for today's prep. If I have to be up at 4:30am (I haven't decided yet), then I'd do well to get to bed by 9:30 tonight. Fingers crossed. Please note that I really only consider Tuesdays as the torture day. I really do enjoy clinicals and all that we learn there! So Wednesdays are usually pretty great. Tomorrow I have an infant to care for!
Yesterday was my first day of Maternity Nursing and I was in the Labor & Delivery (L&D) part. Bummed that I didn't get to see a birth, but I'll be back in L&D next week and my instructor said I'll definitely be assigned to the patient that is mostly likely going to deliver during my shift. IF there's a patient! Last night there were only three laboring moms. I'll also have two more chances when I work in Nursery--as the nursery staff usually provide the Baby Nurse at the time of delivery. The wonderful thing about Maternity/OB is that we as students can't really prep for our patients. We have stuff to read, drugs to be familiar with, and a mental care plan for the moms and babies in the various aspects of maternity care, but it's not the same as with Med-Surg or rehab patients. I think I'm going to really like Maternity Nursing!
Have a good week everyone.
P.S. I totally recommend typing in "newborn" to Google Images... there are some impossibly cute pictures that will make you melt.
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