The day of turkey, family, football, shopping, and of course THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE!!! My absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving is the parade. I have been looking forward to it all week. I’ve watched it every Thanksgiving since I can remember. I love the Broadway songs and the balloons, then Santa Claus ends the parade to officially begin the Christmas season. When I went to NYC, the only places I was concerned about going to see were Hard Rock Café and Macy’s. I spent this Thanksgiving at my grandparents, and then I went to my aunt’s house to see the other side of my family. I LOVE my family, and it is huge on both sides, so it is always a crazy, good time. It is nice to get away from the books and the papers for a little bit and enjoy your family. There are only 2 weeks of the semester left!!!! A few tests left! Then Christmas!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
until next time =)
bre knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you ever wondered what your lungs look like when you inflate them with air? Well, I hadn't either, but it was kind of interesting to see when I got the opportunity to do so!

This week in clinical, my group got the opportunity to hear a lecture by a respiratory therapist. He explained to us about mechanical ventilators and how they are used, as well as a lot of the other equipment involved in respiratory care. He demonstrated the rapid collapse of alveoli in the lungs when someone disconnects from a ventilator using pig lungs. He inflated the lungs and then simply disconnected the machine, they went from balloons to raisins in like one second...it was crazy! I’m glad those were not my lungs!

I also met someone famous in clinical this week...but I’m not allowed to say who it was because it violates confidentiality, but I am still excited!! And, the autoimmune/cancer test went well, and there is only one more test before the final!

until next time,
bre knapic =)

Posted by Bre Knapic at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Days have been going really fast and now it’s almost Thanksgiving! Clinical this week was crazy!! We had THREE patients that we had to call rapid response on! No one could believe it when we reported another patient that “wasn’t doing well.” It was a very high stress evening. The patients were all transferred to other floors, where they could get better one-on-one care. It was good emergency situation experience. During the rapid response, the doctor at the hospital comes, the respiratory therapist, and some of the x-ray team to perform a chest x-ray. So, if you can picture all these people, including at least one nurse, usually two, the patient, and some students that are curious to see what is going on, you can imagine the stress level in the room.Thankfully, my patient last week was excellent and I had no problems working with her.

We have a really big test this week on cancer, inflammatory, and autoimmune disorders. I am nervous! I need to do a lot of studying! Only 2 more tests and the final and the semester will be over!
until next time =)
bre knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you ever think about what would happen if you were in a car wreck and were left unconscious, unable to eat or breathe on your own. What would happen to you? Unless you have a living will or an advanced directive, someone else is going to get to decide what happens to you. And unless you specify a power of attorney, it may not be the person that you want. So what are these and why are they important to you? A living will is a legal document listing treatments a person would or would not want in the event that s/he is either persistently vegetative or suffers from an end-stage condition and is unable to make his/her own decisions. Advanced directives are extremely similar, but can be written or spoken and apply to anytime someone cannot make a decision. A power of attorney for health care is a legal document designating a medical decision maker for in the event an individual cannot make his/her own decision.

These are important to you as a future patient or to me as a future nurse, because it makes decisions a whole lot easier for your family when they know what you want. If you want to be unconscious on a ventilator for years, you can make that happen. If you think that life ends when someone has to change your diapers and feed you, you can opt to have the plug pulled, and your family does not have to have to deal with the emotions of making that decision. As a nurse it is important to educate patients about these legal options when they are admitted to the hospital, and to make sure those caring for the patient know what the patient’s wishes are. These things will make sure you get the care you want as a patient and are very crucial for end of life care.
until next time =)
bre knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)