The graded nursing exams are over and I passed!!! It is such a huge relief! We took the Med-Surg ATI this morning. It was so stressful and it was a pretty difficult exam. My heart was racing the entire time and I am so glad that it is over. Next week, I have to take the RN predictor exam, and I have to pass that to graduate, then I'm done! I feel like I can breathe again after today’s exam and it is a good feeling!
At clinical this week, I spent Monday at the cardiac cath lab. It was a lot more interesting than I was expecting. I started in the morning with a patient in the waiting area. From there, we went down to the cath lab where they inject dye into the arteries of your heart to evaluate the blood flow and occlusions. Once in the lab, the patient is put on the table and covered with sterile drapes and the doctor and surg techs scrub and get supplies ready. The doctor makes a small incision into the femoral artery (where your leg connects to your trunk) and tunnels a catheter (small straw-like tube) into the heart. S/He injects a dye into the arteries of the heart and the images are filmed using an x-ray. The doctor is able to see if there are any areas where blood flow is limited or completely occluded. If there is an area that is over 80% blocked, the usual course of action is to put in a stent. A stent is a mesh tube that is inserted in the artery on a balloon and once in place the balloon is inflated to push the stent against the walls and keep it open, then the balloon is removed. In the first cath I saw, the patient had a semi-occluded artery and had to get a stent, and in the second one, the patient had a completely occluded artery that the doctor had to try to open then stent. The second patient I saw actually ended up being my patient on Tuesday, and I was able to do the discharge teaching regarding her stent and cardiac health.

This was an intense week!! Glad I made it through it!
until next time =)
bre knapic
knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was a nice short week because of Easter break. On Monday, I had an appointment with my esthetician and then I spent the evening getting caught up on homework and studying. Next week is my last full week of school!! (and it is going to be a rough one)! I cannot wait! The pinning ceremony for nursing graduates is Friday, May 1st. I only had one day of clinical this week because of Easter break and it went okay. I had 2 patients, their diagnosis’ were post pacemaker insertion and sepsis. On Wednesday, we took a quiz on HIV/AIDS and in Transition to Nursing we had an exam. Both of those went really well.

Today, we had an ATI exam in Transition, and we also reviewed and discussed the paperwork involved in getting your temporary practice license and registering to take the NCLEX exam! It is so hard to believe that I am going to be taking my state boards in about a month! I have a lot of studying to do. I got a new camera just in time for graduation (my last one broke =(). So, I am excited to take pictures at pinning and of me in my cap and gown!

until next time =)
bre knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 7:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HAPPY EASTER!!!!
It is hard to believe that the semester is almost over. We have a long weekend for Easter, which is very much needed for me at this point. There are only 4 more days of clinicals, and 2 exams in Nursing before the final!
I attended a seminar on campus today about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, specifically focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. The speaker was Sr. Margaret Farley, RSM, Emerita Professor of Christian Ethics at Yale University. Sr. Margaret is co-founder of the All Africa Conference: Sister to Sister project. The purpose of the Sister to Sister project is to empower African women to confront the cultural, religious and patriarchal norms operative in that continent in order to tackle the pandemic of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Sr. Margaret has traveled to various parts of Africa over the last few years and spoken to many people impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In Nursing this week, we took the musculoskeletal exam. I think it went well. In clinical, I had 2 patients, one with a history of metastasizing cancer and current sepsis, and the other was just in because his pacemaker fired because of an arrhythmia. Only one day of clinical next week because of Easter break!
until next time =)
bre knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's April!!!! I only need to make it 28 more days!! But, there is an extremely busy 4 weeks ahead. I was the clinical manager this week at clinical. That job involves making lunch assignments, getting reports on all the student patients, making patient rounds and recording reports. It was a difficult job, but it was nice to be able to help the other students with each of their patients. We had the neurological exam this week also. I am curious to see what my grade will be.

We started the student teaching projects in the nursing transition class today. The first group talked about alternative therapies that could be used by patients, aromatherapies, herbal supplements and reflexology. It was really interesting!! It is really important to know the side effects and actions of any "natural" supplements; they can cause severe problems like hypertension or liver failure. Even though they are not prescription drugs, some of their actions can be more severe. I definitely recommend that people try alternative therapies, as well as listening to the advice of medical professionals.

28 days! I can make it!
until next time =)
bre knapic

Posted by Bre Knapic at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)