My favorite sticky note pictured:
"Bruh"
The first exam of anything is always a beast. Not necessarily in terms of content but just the preparation that goes into it and the nerves.
Per University policy, on exam days we can only bring our laptops and laptop charger into the building. I've learned that I only need to come to the nursing building 20-30 minutes prior to the exam. Watching other people stress makes me HIGHLY uncomfortable. I had a good ole jam session on the way to campus and ate a good breakfast. I'm really not sure how I survived the days...weeks I went to school without eating breakfast.
Breakfast is necessary; Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I'm glad this first PathoPharm exam is over! Although it's a stressful class in terms of how much we have to learn, it's definitely my favorite class. Learning how everything works, all the different medications, what medications you can mix, and what medications you cannot mix is pretty cool. I'm definitely going to search eBay for more NCLEX books because SATA (select all that apply) questions seem to be giving me the most trouble. In true NCLEX fashion, on our exams, SATA questions are all or nothing. So I usually end up unchecking one thing and getting the whole question wrong.
*patiently waits for her "Nurse Brain" to kick in*
Clinical is still my favorite day of the week. I don't see that changing anytime soon.
2 more weeks until we have clinical validations.
15 skills and we'll randomly be tested on 3.
This week the skills we worked on:
- Insertion and removal of an indwelling urinary catheter on a male and female.
- Dressing change on a central line with a sterile technique.
- Wound care/ dressing change.
For the next two weeks I can kind of "chill". I still have an exam every week but these exams should be a little bit easier. This will give me adequate time to study for my upcoming "heavy hitter" exams and review any old material.
The dining hall was a real lifesaver for me this week. I didn't really have time to properly grocery shop which was annoying but I'm grateful to have "Bear Bucks" and pre-made food options.
One less thing to worry about.
I'm still going to try to figure out a way to prep 2-3 meals per day for at least 5 days.
My first central line dressing change!
25 y/o male presents to the ED with a 10cm x 3.5cm vertical wound to the suprapubic region. Wound is beefy red, consistent with granulation tissue. Edges are not approximated. No exudate noted.
The trifecta!
Sim Bae was having a rough day!
Pray for him, please.
Done packing the wound!
Time to apply the dressing!
Shoutout to the Admissions office because who doesn't love treats after an exam?
I've already survived 4 weeks! Every week it amazes me. Like "wow. you really made it through another week. You did it!" Time really does fly when you're focusing on studying for an exam + prepping for various meetings. Still trying to find balance but that's life in general. No power naps this week, sadly. Still making new friends, which makes me really happy!
Happy Friday!
I hope you all had a productive week!
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