Yesterday was my first skills test, and it was on vital signs. Even though I've taken a zillion VS in my previous medical careers I was still so very nervous. It's a good thing no one was home, before I left for school, as they would have suffered my wrath! My partner and I were the last two to go for the day, and we rocked! I even gave the answer no one else had and that was where glass theremometers are usually used, if used at all, that being isolation.
We've also turned in our first assignment. Mine was on the book Life Support. I'm still reading it, but had read through enough of it to enable me to write my paper. We had to write on three qualities that make a good nurse, made evident from the characters in the book or movie one chose to read or watch. Of all the qualities that do make a good nurse I chose to write on compassion, patience, and empathy.
Next week, for skills, we move on to health assessment. It is supposedly one of the hardest skills at this level, and it's not even the in depth health assessment that we'll learn in second year! For Intro to NSNG we're still in history, law, ethics, etc.
I did drop the Orientation to the Health Professions class. As I thought more and more, and after talking with a classmate, I realize I probably don't need the class. My advisor will give me the final determination in the next week. Nonetheless, with these first semester nursing classes and my last class for my B.S., which is research based, I feel it's best to focus on the tougher coursework now. If I do have to take the orientation class it can always be accomplished during the summer '09 semester, when there are no nursing classes to take.
My family is succumbing to being my guinea pigs. I've listened to both the boys apical (over the heart) pulses. Tried to listen to the dogs'...with Labradors that's pretty much impossible! I was able to listen to DC's (my cat). He was probably the best behaved of all of them! Oh! And Irwin, my beardie-he let me try on him too! But the stethoscope is too large for his tiny little chest.
