Last week we went to a fundraiser dinner at our church. After she was finished eating, Sweet Pea opted to wander around in search of entertainment. She quickly spotted a little boy (her interest sure is piqued by the male 2-4 demographic) and ventured closer to see what he was up to. Soon they were passing a plastic dixie cup back and forth, and were joined by another little girl.
Later she integrated herself into a group of bigger kids (ages 3-8ish) and sat in a circle with them while they played Duck Duck Goose. I don't think she ever got Goosed, but she let them Duck her several times without protesting, and watched as they chased each other around!
Our budding hippie even walked around giving hugs to anyone under 4 feet. Some of the kids ignored her, but some reached down to hug her back.
I'm so proud of my baby, seeking out social interaction without prompting!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Interview
Yesterday afternoon, I was hanging out with the kid in the living room, playing with her Little People or something. I become aware of faint music. What is that? Oh, it's my phone! Um, where is it? *search search search* Finally I locate the phone, underneath the couch, just as it stops ringing.
Flip it open, see a number that I recognize as being from the local university. Shoot! Wait for the caller to leave a message, listen and then call back.
The secretary of the nursing department says that the committee for the accelerated program met Friday and would like to bring me in for an interview!
Interviews aren't until the second week of March.
Whole new meaning to the term "Two Week Wait"!
Flip it open, see a number that I recognize as being from the local university. Shoot! Wait for the caller to leave a message, listen and then call back.
The secretary of the nursing department says that the committee for the accelerated program met Friday and would like to bring me in for an interview!
Interviews aren't until the second week of March.
Whole new meaning to the term "Two Week Wait"!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Bullet Points
Today is a bullet point kind of day.
- Took my first lab test Friday, results posted today. Another A! :D
- So far, doing a little better than I did at this time last semester.
- Worked at the hospital over the weekend.
- Nothing particularly noteworthy, except that I witnessed just how quickly an enema can work. (And I'll leave it at that.)
- R's birthday is rapidly approaching, and I have no idea what to get the man.
Ok, that's it for tonight.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Non-Work Update
Sweet Pea (almost 17 months old now) just learned a new sign! Though I've been signing to/with her for the last year, so far the only sign she has been using is "more" to mean "I want something". Yesterday she started signing "milk" when she wants to nurse, and I thought I caught a "please" once.
Though she isn't saying any whole words (beyond "hi", "bye", and sometimes "no no no no no"), I'm hearing the beginning sounds of more words now.
She also has picked up some extra inflection when she babbles, and seems to be including me more in her conversations, if that makes any sense.
I do believe we are on the cusp of a communication breakthrough!
---------
In non-kid news, I got the results of my first exam in Anatomy & Physiology II, and got an A! This is the same professor I had last semester, and this is the highest score I've gotten on one of his tests. Woot!
Though she isn't saying any whole words (beyond "hi", "bye", and sometimes "no no no no no"), I'm hearing the beginning sounds of more words now.
She also has picked up some extra inflection when she babbles, and seems to be including me more in her conversations, if that makes any sense.
I do believe we are on the cusp of a communication breakthrough!
---------
In non-kid news, I got the results of my first exam in Anatomy & Physiology II, and got an A! This is the same professor I had last semester, and this is the highest score I've gotten on one of his tests. Woot!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Poseys
This is a little story about something called a Posey.
A Posey is restraining device. It is a cloth band that goes around the waist and has strings that are tied (quick release) to the bed, or chair, wherever the patient is. It is used on patients who are confused and who have shown that they are likely to try to get out of bed on their own.
One of my little old ladies (LOL from here on out) the other day had just had surgery on her left hip that day, and had dementia, among other issues. Sweet as could be, but very confused as to where she was, why she was there, who was with her.
The nurse went in to give her medicine and saw that LOL had her feet hanging off the bad and was trying to get up. We quickly conferred and decided to put a Posey on her.
Later, I was sitting at the nurses' station charting when I heard chirping from a machine in LOL's room. I'm familiar with the sound by now- it meant that her foot pumps were either disconnected or off. I went in there to fix them and saw something I was NOT expecting. LOL was naked, on the floor, several feet away from her bed (and yes, one of the foot pumps had fallen off in the process). Holy crap!
I hit the staff assist button, and with the help of the others who came dashing into the room, got her gowned and onto the commode (which is where she said she was going), then into bed. We got vital signs, and I put a new dressing on her hip (she had pulled that off too). And yes, I got the foot pumps adjusted.
Looked like she had managed to undo one side of the Posey. So I retied it, put wrist restraints on as well, made sure the bed alarm was on, and stressed to her the importance of letting us know if she needed anything.
Every time I went in there for anything, I triple checked to be sure the restraints were all on and the bed alarm was set. And I passed along in my report to do the same.
One thing that struck me that night (and other times I've worked) is how smoothly things go when you work as a team. Within seconds of me hitting the staff assist button, I had three nurses and another aide in there, all pitching in and doing something that needed to be done.
If I know another aide is on her lunch, I will watch her lights. If she's busy in another room, I'll watch lights. If someone needs help moving a patient, I will gladly help, because what goes around comes around. If I help them, they are more likely to help me.
I am still new and know I have to earn the respect of my coworkers. They have seen many come and go, and until I prove otherwise, there's no indication to them that I'll stick around, or be dependable. What I do is being noticed, though. Another aide took a family member down to the main entrance (too much construction for simple directions), and I helped with one of her patients while she was off the floor. Her nurse relayed that to her, and later she thanked me for all my help.
In other news, I had a good conversation with one of the float aides who is applying for the same nursing program. He was told that though 20ish people took applications, 5 have decided not to do the program. Hello, better odds! He and I seem to have similar philosophies when it comes to balancing priorities, and it was encouraging to talk with someone else about it. Applications were due today- hopefully I'll hear soon about an interview!
A Posey is restraining device. It is a cloth band that goes around the waist and has strings that are tied (quick release) to the bed, or chair, wherever the patient is. It is used on patients who are confused and who have shown that they are likely to try to get out of bed on their own.
One of my little old ladies (LOL from here on out) the other day had just had surgery on her left hip that day, and had dementia, among other issues. Sweet as could be, but very confused as to where she was, why she was there, who was with her.
The nurse went in to give her medicine and saw that LOL had her feet hanging off the bad and was trying to get up. We quickly conferred and decided to put a Posey on her.
Later, I was sitting at the nurses' station charting when I heard chirping from a machine in LOL's room. I'm familiar with the sound by now- it meant that her foot pumps were either disconnected or off. I went in there to fix them and saw something I was NOT expecting. LOL was naked, on the floor, several feet away from her bed (and yes, one of the foot pumps had fallen off in the process). Holy crap!
I hit the staff assist button, and with the help of the others who came dashing into the room, got her gowned and onto the commode (which is where she said she was going), then into bed. We got vital signs, and I put a new dressing on her hip (she had pulled that off too). And yes, I got the foot pumps adjusted.
Looked like she had managed to undo one side of the Posey. So I retied it, put wrist restraints on as well, made sure the bed alarm was on, and stressed to her the importance of letting us know if she needed anything.
Every time I went in there for anything, I triple checked to be sure the restraints were all on and the bed alarm was set. And I passed along in my report to do the same.
One thing that struck me that night (and other times I've worked) is how smoothly things go when you work as a team. Within seconds of me hitting the staff assist button, I had three nurses and another aide in there, all pitching in and doing something that needed to be done.
If I know another aide is on her lunch, I will watch her lights. If she's busy in another room, I'll watch lights. If someone needs help moving a patient, I will gladly help, because what goes around comes around. If I help them, they are more likely to help me.
I am still new and know I have to earn the respect of my coworkers. They have seen many come and go, and until I prove otherwise, there's no indication to them that I'll stick around, or be dependable. What I do is being noticed, though. Another aide took a family member down to the main entrance (too much construction for simple directions), and I helped with one of her patients while she was off the floor. Her nurse relayed that to her, and later she thanked me for all my help.
In other news, I had a good conversation with one of the float aides who is applying for the same nursing program. He was told that though 20ish people took applications, 5 have decided not to do the program. Hello, better odds! He and I seem to have similar philosophies when it comes to balancing priorities, and it was encouraging to talk with someone else about it. Applications were due today- hopefully I'll hear soon about an interview!
Friday, January 30, 2009
One more and we could field a baseball team
Yesterday was a little insane.
R found out at the last minute (Tuesday!) he had to travel for work Thursday-Friday. We did some scrambling, and with the help of Grandma and Fairy Godmother, it all worked out.
Thursday morning I dropped Sweet Pea off at Grandma's and went to class. After class I stopped by, ate some lunch, played with Sweet Pea a bit, and nursed her, then changed and left for work. Sweet Pea was very confused.. She saw me put my coat on, so she ran over to the door so she could go out with me. I waved bye to her, and she turned around and waved at Grandma.
Eventually I made it out the door, sans baby, and headed off to possibly the most hectic shift I've worked yet.
I had eight patients (the most I've had), and though none of them were hard persay, quite a few were pretty needy. I enjoyed interacting with each one, but it was hard to cut conversations short and move on to the next room. I went to answer one call light, and asked what I could do for the patient. He said "Tell me goodnight." ....Is there anything else I can do for you to help you be ready to sleep? "Nope." Ok... goodnight..
I did have one patient discharged, so I was down to seven. As I was finally sitting down an hour later to start charting, I see a patient being rolled into one of my rooms. ...Um, hello, who is this? Is he one of mine? I know nothing about him. I don't even know if he's a post-op or a transfer, or what.
Yes, he's mine (so much for seven). Transfer from ER. Learned his name but still didn't have a chart or diagnosis. Surprise! He needs a catheter inserted. And vitals done. And blood sugar checked. And a urinalysis down to the lab. Now. Oy.
Finally got home after a very full 8.5 hours and was pleasantly surprised to find that Fairy Godmother had managed to get Sweet Pea pajama'ed AND asleep in her crib. Woot!
R found out at the last minute (Tuesday!) he had to travel for work Thursday-Friday. We did some scrambling, and with the help of Grandma and Fairy Godmother, it all worked out.
Thursday morning I dropped Sweet Pea off at Grandma's and went to class. After class I stopped by, ate some lunch, played with Sweet Pea a bit, and nursed her, then changed and left for work. Sweet Pea was very confused.. She saw me put my coat on, so she ran over to the door so she could go out with me. I waved bye to her, and she turned around and waved at Grandma.
Eventually I made it out the door, sans baby, and headed off to possibly the most hectic shift I've worked yet.
I had eight patients (the most I've had), and though none of them were hard persay, quite a few were pretty needy. I enjoyed interacting with each one, but it was hard to cut conversations short and move on to the next room. I went to answer one call light, and asked what I could do for the patient. He said "Tell me goodnight." ....Is there anything else I can do for you to help you be ready to sleep? "Nope." Ok... goodnight..
I did have one patient discharged, so I was down to seven. As I was finally sitting down an hour later to start charting, I see a patient being rolled into one of my rooms. ...Um, hello, who is this? Is he one of mine? I know nothing about him. I don't even know if he's a post-op or a transfer, or what.
Yes, he's mine (so much for seven). Transfer from ER. Learned his name but still didn't have a chart or diagnosis. Surprise! He needs a catheter inserted. And vitals done. And blood sugar checked. And a urinalysis down to the lab. Now. Oy.
Finally got home after a very full 8.5 hours and was pleasantly surprised to find that Fairy Godmother had managed to get Sweet Pea pajama'ed AND asleep in her crib. Woot!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It Is Finished.
Today I turned in my application for the accelerated nursing program. They are due in two weeks, then the committee will review and rank them, then make calls to set up interviews.
I saw that 21 people had taken applications. I don't know if all 21 of them will decide to turn in the application, or if they will all be eligible (baseline GPA, done with pre-reqs, etc), but I do know that only 8 (possibly up to 12, but likely only 8) will be accepted into the program.
Applications for the traditional nursing program are available February 2. I will fill out one of those, just in case I don't make it into the accelerated.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both, of course. With the accelerated, you finish in less time, so you save on tuition. With the traditional, you actually have some time to have a job, so maybe you can pay for that tuition.
I saw that 21 people had taken applications. I don't know if all 21 of them will decide to turn in the application, or if they will all be eligible (baseline GPA, done with pre-reqs, etc), but I do know that only 8 (possibly up to 12, but likely only 8) will be accepted into the program.
Applications for the traditional nursing program are available February 2. I will fill out one of those, just in case I don't make it into the accelerated.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both, of course. With the accelerated, you finish in less time, so you save on tuition. With the traditional, you actually have some time to have a job, so maybe you can pay for that tuition.
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