Lake Norman

At first, I didn't like the idea of driving so far so early. Once there and oriented, I found the experince to be a good one. I had a couple of really good patients. I also had a couple of really good nurses that didn't mind my questions and my looking over their shoulder. I know that some people had some problems in that regard, but I'm pretty sure that was only associated with one particular nurse. Mrs. Beaver did a great job.

FHS & Row Reg

Well Thursday I went to FHS and I hate to say it again I was BORED!!!! The employees there were great but got to see only 4 patients and they only received immunizations. I will say that the 1 nurse I followed never put on gloves while she gave the shots. Oh well.

Friday at Row Reg went great. My patient was a 58 yo old male. He was in with osteomyelitis. He was a paraplegic and bilateral above the knee amputee. He also had a huge decubitis ulcer on his buttocks. Talk about having problems and thinking he would be bitter or it would be a challenge to have him. Man was I wrong. I staid in his room almost all day just taking care of him and talking to him. He has the greatest attitude. He told me he could choose to live life or feel sorry for himself and he’s not the type of person to feel sorry for anything. While we talked he told me that he was paralyzed because he was held up and shot a few times. From reading his chart 1 bullet is still in his spine. The reason he was an amputee was do to his diabetes and from no movement he developed pressure ulcers on his feet that would never heal. Plus now he has a urostomy and colostomy and he does everything him self. Plus he still lives with his mother and takes care of her. That morning I got to give him a sq and 7 PO’s and hang a PB. Then I got to change his dressing. That was something!!! I had to clean it with saline and then put aquacell in the open areas. Then place AMD pads over it and then cover it with ADB pads. Again it was something!!! The whole time I was nervous thinking I was hurting him pulling the tape off and then doing what I had to do. I asked him 2 or 3 times then remembering he couldn’t feel anything. It was my first time doing a dressing change and it felt great doing the hands on!! Thank you Ms. Phelps for walking me through it! Sorry for the long post but I could have included so much more and didn’t.
Man I really enjoy all this!!!!!
Mike

Med-Surg at RRMC

This week I was a 1 east with Mrs Zimmerman. The first day I had a pt that was 96yrs old wow! Very sweet lady. She was initially admitted for change in mental status, and then treated for a uti, Which I found out from Mrs. Henley that with the elderly get a lot of confusion with uti's. This pt had alzheimers and was deaf! this brings back the zoo trip! how do we communitcate with this type of pt, well I did a lot of writing on a pad for her to read, fortunately she responded. Plus she was able to read lips some. After getting her uti treated and getting her more stable she was then released back to assistant living, with her I did po meds and an injection (pneumococcal) and also did her I&O's foley care, I had some help from one of the nurses Jan she was great with teaching! I got to do her discharge. The second day I had a little more intersting pt. I had a pt that was 49yr old she was admitted removal of her old hardware from a previous fusion of L3,L5 ,L4, S1. which she almost died from dut to an infection, so needless to say she was a high risk for infection. So they did her surgery over after removing hardware. Pt also had Hx of chronic depression, HTN, hypothyroidism, and a tolerance to pain meds. Which made her care a little more complex, she did tell me this all started with a hit and run car accident. She kept me active at least, I felt like I could'nt leave her for a second, she was trying to get up on her own, I am not confortable with someone getting up on their own on pain meds, risk for falls! so I encouraged her to please call someone or wait until I came back into room to help her, so pretty much I didnt leave her too much.I got to see the PA remove her hemovac and he did a lot of teaching about that and from there I got a chance to do a dressing change. After that she wanted to sit in her chair so Mrs Zimmerman and Tushara helped as we put on her back brace, that she hates so much. That didnt stay on long! While doing her bath I got a chance to do a good process recording on her along with some heavy duty teaching for at home. Since she is non compliant, I discussed with her about her incision and eating habits, how she should pace her self and to let her family help her, How to look for signs of infection and reminded her of her last surgery and infection! We discussed bathing and how to use her devices for at home that would help her.I also discussed with her that pain meds shouldnt be her only source of dealing with pain, since she conveyed to me in my process report of some of the things she did, like sewing and crafts, which might be hard sometimes on pain meds! but I told her about using types of distraction and relaxtion techniques do really help when you are ready to accept them and try, I even told her I use them. I do I swear! I know no one sees me as a relaxed person, oh well! The pt just looked at me, so I explained to her that I dont have her condition, but I use them for other things such as migraines for instance. I also had her verbalize back to me of this for 2 reasons one because of the meds she was on and two to reinforce she was listening and engaging in her care for plan of action. I explained to her that maybe some of the things she used to do she can still do, now maybe for differerent reasons. I knew this pt was going to be d/c so I made sure her 12:00 vitals especially temp was stable before release, due to high risk of infection. Thank you Ms Ward and Mrs Walker for beating that in our heads how important those last vitals are before discharge,because if something wrong is going to happen it will be at home. And I sure wouldnt want a doctor to look to see when was the last vital done. I reported to her nurse of her condition and that her vitals were stable and her pain level before doing her discharge. I will however work on charting I just cant get the right words to go on paper, they can come out my mouth but not to the paper.I asked my friend whom has been a nurse for 30 years, of course she laughed at me when I showed her this book called chart smart that I payed 40.00 bucks for! she told me it developes with time and experience. So hopefully with more practice repeatedly it will come for me. I feel what ever I learn hands on as far as clinical care I do well. And I feel that I do give good care to my pts at least at this point what I know how to do for them.Well this blog should make up for all my short and sweet blogs! have a good weekend

1st week in Med Surg with Ms. Collins

I had a really patient with a really interesting problem. She had loin pain related to hematurea / pylonephritis. It is when the basement membrane of the kidney is very thin so when there is an increase in blood pressure to the kidney, blood is pushed through and blood is in the urine. It is already an issue that can cause a lot of pain. When the patient has a UTI, the pain is supposed to feel like the kidney is exploding in the body. As with most patients with chronic pain, my patients demeaner showed no indications of distress. As a matter of fact, she was working 8 hours a day in the hospital as a project manager at a bank. She says she lives with pain at about a 3 every day even with pain management of methodone from the pain clinic. The problem is that health care workers see drug seekers all of the time and should be skeptical to some extent, but a little research and a little compassion goes a long way.
I got a really good psychosocial assessment from this experience, was able to teach a little about alternate pain management techniques, and felt that the assessment and charting are coming easier. I did a couple of IV pushes, dc'd an IV, saw an infiltrated IV site, got to use nursing judgement to complement the patients opioid med with non-opioid analgesics. Very cool.
Lynn and Tammy (RNs for my patient) were so helpful and informative. I want to be like them when I grow up.
Sue Rigot

I East Clinical with Zimmerman

I had a very exciting week with Mrs. Zimmerman. My patient was a 48 years old and a complete mess, but with me wanting to go into ICU I was in heaven. She came in with a small bowel obstruction, but while she was there her labs were all out of wack and we couldn't seem to get her hemoglobin to come up off of 6. She had a hx of 214 surgeries from neck, back, abdominal, leg, and hip. You name it she's got it. They had already given her 10 units of blood whenI got report on Thursday morning, and were attempting to give her more. She had built up so many antibodies that the unit they had given her on Wednesday night she reacted to. Early in the week the doctor gave her 2 choices, either go to ICU or become a DNR and she choose the DNR.
Overall I really enjoyed taken care of her even though she had pretty much lost the will to live. I got lots of valuable nurisng skill practice from her like hanging IV piggy backs, setting the drip rate for TPN to slowly wheene her off of it, managing a PCA pump, drawing blood from a central line, taking out staples and applying steri-strips, inserting a foley......such great experience. When I left today my patient seemed to be doing better but she is just having a really hard time trying to get to feeling better. She told me that I brightened her day by allowing her to assist in her bath and seeing that she got up in the chair to eat her lunch. This made me feel good that I had done something good for this unfortunate lady. Clinical was awesome this week......thanks Mrs. Zimmerman for making this an awesome learning experience!!!!!!

Med-Surg @ RRMC

This week I was on 1East with Mrs. Zimmerman. It was such a learning experience! On thursday I got to D/C a foley, hung IVF, gave a SQ injection, some POs, and got some IV pump experience (Alaris). My patient's admitting diagnosis was pneumonia and he was also having some diarrhea, after his admission the physician wanted a stool sample sent to the lab for C-Diff (and of course that dried the diarrhea right up!) and he was on contact isolation until we could obtain a sample. Well, I didn't get to get the sample on my shift, he wouldn't do anything! But I did get to do some teaching to his daughter about why he was on isolation and he wasn't before.

Friday I had a very interesting patient who was admitted for neuro problems and UTI. He was very confused at times and mumbling to himself. He seemed paranoid and when the doctor and I would be talking to his wife he would say "I hear your! I can hear everything you're saying" He just started c/o hearing voices a couple days ago his wife said, and he thought the tv was a camera and he kept saying "They know everything I'm thinking, I don't know what to tell them." Anyway, I went down to X-Ray with him to see his LP and it was pretty cool! Actually it was just like on tv. They laid him on his stomach and the doctor came in, inserted the needle into the intrathecal space and "tapped" about four vials of spinal fluid. The procedure was completely sterile. They explained the procedure to me and told me to keep his bed below thirty degrees for about two hours, there was r/f infection and hemorrhage into the spinal area and also they said he may have a spinal HA in a few days. So, had a GREAT time and was very busy... but that's the best way to be right?

3G at NEMC - Renal

My patient this week was an 82 yo female in end stage renal disease. She has a Hx of dementia and her speech was slurred. Communication was limited but I did manage to get a smile or two from her. Today, I was not able to do much for her but assess and offer breakfast as she went to hemodialysis at 0800. I was able to observe the nurses hook up the filtering machine and asked questions. It seemed like an interesting job too.

NEMC-4G

This week I was with Mrs. Collins at NEMC. My patient had come in with complaints of severe epigastric pain. She was admitted with an episode of pancreatitis. She was NPO which meant I got to give my first IVP and my first IM. I was nervous not having done this yet but I did a good job and it was great experience. I also got to set a PCA pump because she had been complaining all morning of getting locked out. So we switched pumps and I reset the pump per Drs. orders. Hopefully, now she will get some relief with the pump. Since she wasn't getting any relief she was also on Morphine and Phenegran along with her Diluadid. Wow, but hopefully after fixing her pump she will get relief and she won't need the Morphine. Overall, it was an awesome experience and I learned a lot.

1st week Med/Surg

I have been @ Lake Norman the past two days. I had a 91 year old patient that came in with worsening right leg edema. He had been helping his wife get into bed one day & hit his leg. Over the last week he had developed a huge hematoma and the doctor's were considering compartment syndrome, which they later ruled out. He went to surgery yesterday and had a hematoma evacuation, then had a wound vac applied. He has been very adament about going home, however the doctor's seem that he is not able. I think they're going to try and get home health to assist him until he is well again, however he has already run home health off once! I wonder how it will turn out?? :]

RRMC A2A

I got to see a bed sore today... and Mike did an awesome job redressing it! It was a very interesting patient... be sure to read his blog to learn about him! My patient yesterday was very intersing also... a very big lady with cellulitis of the leg. Then was D/C on Thursday and on Friday my patient got D/C too. So I just helped everyone else and did what I could for her (d/c foley, saline lock, shot and meds).

Renal floor @ NEMC

The first day of this clinical rotation was a bit overwhelming. These people who are in renal failure have so many other things that are wrong with them, that relate to renal disease. My concept map was one BIG circle of red lines. I hope that everyone else had a good week.

SPA and NEMC (Renal)

Salisbury Pediatric Associates was wonderful Wed. afternoon. Brenda Wassam, RN was amazingly informative. I couldn't fit everything into a two-page log! I followed NP Aubrey and Dr. Craighead throughout the afternoon and saw about a dozen patients. Well-checks, immunizations, sinus infections, diaper rash, you name it..... I really observed a lot. I thought I hated Peds, but this rotation changed my mind. I only hate Peds in the hospital setting. Everyone was so friendly and welcomed me as a student---- it was fun.

First day of Med-Surg with Mrs. Holcomb was really something. It was somewhat hectic due to the fact that I had no prep prior. With morning meds due at 0900 instead of 1000, I was somewhat frazzled with completing my assessment on time and memorizing the medications. What a busy day! Mrs. Holcomb was cool, only laughing a little bit when I shot the ceiling with normal saline (and my eye a little). I'm such a mess. Anyways, my patient was in for HTN and acute renal failure with a history of alcolism and heroin abuse. Had I not been so busy today, I could have done a really great psychosocial assessment..... Maybe next week!

SPA & Med-Sur NEMC

This was a very good week! I was at SPA on Thursday and really enjoyed it. All the people who works there were very nice and informative. I like the idea of having 1 RN or CNA w/ each Dr. It really cuts down on the work load. Friday I was at NEMC w/ Mrs. Collins (what a sweet and smart lady). The pt I prepped for on Wed. had been D/C on Thursday therefore, I had a new pt for Friday. She had a lot of meds due at all different times during clinical and Mrs. Collins said I did a good job with my meds. We were hoping to do some IVPB but the orders were D/C. Overall, I think I gave 15-20 different meds starting at 0730 until 1200. I like the way NEMC is set up w/ the pixis in the Nurses station and the rest of the meds on rolling carts. Great Idea!! Everything you could possibly need for any med was right in the cart. Hope all had just as good of week as I did.

Casey Hinson NUR130

Peds

This week went well. I had a 85 yo lady w/ an AKA. She was from Belgium (sp.) and was very sweet. She did not want to eat, take any medicine or take a bath (Thanks Ms. Ward!) b/c she was scared of getting sick or hurting her leg. It took coaxing to get her to do anything but she usually gave in. She was a good pt. to help me get back into the swing of things. I was also able to see my first post-mortem care done. I guess I did ok w/ it. It was a good week and I look forward to Med/Surg w/ Mrs. Phelps next week.

fhs ld

Not sure why my post will not show... hmm.
Anyway... I went to FHS Thursday which was enjoyable. The Nurse Practioner kept quizzing me! Very interesting day. Friday went back to LD at RRMC. Never got to see a birth this whole rotation. Oh well, I dont think I wanted to work on that floor anyway.

Lab

The lab experience last week was awesome. I am glad that we were able to work on some of our skills for the practice. I learned a lot about different problems that can arise during labor and postpartum. Thank you for the experience Mrs. Ward.

Week #4 RRMC L&D

This week at clinical was good--last week yeah!! My patient was in contact isolation with MRSA--that was interesting to have to deal with. She was on the phone, sleeping, or breastfeeding the whole evening we were there.

See ya'll on Monday

clinical 6-21/22

This week was great!! I got to take care of the babies in the nursery!! Got to give hep.B shots...that was interesting. I must say I didn't like hearing those poor lil ones cry...expecially because of me. I still had a good time though...it was very interesting!! I'm gonna miss OB!!

Amy Jones
NUR130

Last week of OB

I had a very interesting week to say the least. My pt was a 21 yr old mother of 3. She was very set in her ways. I did an nutritional assessment and teaching plan on her. She was over 130lbs overweight (276lbs) and informed me that she was from the south and she was going to eat what she wanted when she wanted. I do not think my teaching was affective but, at least I tried. Mrs. Holocomb was great like always. She is always so informative. I'm glad to see OB over with. It was definitely not my calling; however, I did really enjoy being in the nursery. Hope all had just as interesting week as I did.

Casey Hinson
NUR130

Last week OB

This week had me in L/D and at SPA. I was fortunate to see 2 deliveries. First mom was having her fourth child, baby was presenting brow first and it took longer than expected to get the baby pushed out. As baby's head cleared blood began pouring from her tiny mouth and nose. As the shoulders cleared more blood came gushing out of mom and when the baby was completely out a large piece of placenta came sliding down the umbilical cord and plopped on to the baby's body. The doctor said that there was a 15 to 20% placental tear. Baby was put into the baby warmer and the "Baby Catcher" started suctioning and respiratory was called in. Baby was making some noises but no active. lusty crying. Mom was still bleeding more than I was expecting to see with a vaginal delivery. The doctor asked mom to continue pushing with contractions and he was gently pulling on the cord, after two pushes with no movement of the placenta the doctor reached up inside mom and grabbed the placenta and manually removed it. mom continued to bleed alot but the Doctor did not seem concerned and the nurse was massaging the fundus. Yikes!!! Baby girl was still being worked on by respiratory but was starting to get a stronger cry. It was difficult watching both since things were going on with both mom and baby and that little ones muscle tone was horrible for the first little bit. she was limp and when they lifted her leg and dropped it, it was like an accordion collapsing on itself. :-(
Next delivery was a first time mom with ineffective pushing. Doctor suggested using the vacuum and mom looked freaked but her nurse did a great job explaining what would happen and after resting for about 30 minutes the doctor came in and baby boy was delivered in short order. HUGE hematoma on one side of his little head. No, it did not cross the suture lines. But bless his little heart his head was a mess. Mom was doing great and even with her episiotomy she was not bleeding even half as much as the first mom. All in all both were exciting to watch although my inexperience had me scared for the first mom and her little one. Great experience!!!
The SPA was good also, great RN to follow. Saw the great need for Spanish speaking medical personnel.

Last week of OB

My last week in OB was great. I had a 24y.o patient who was in for a scheduled c-section. I was able to do a lot of teaching this week, because she was a new mom. She was also having difficulties with breastfeeding so I was able to teach her some things about breastfeeding. I'm gonna miss Ms. Holcomb she was very helpful. Thanks Ms. Holcomb for everything.

Last week of OB

OB week 4

This week was my week in nursery. It was great because the first day there were 17 babies and the second day there were 12. Thats pretty unusual for Rowan Reg. The down side to having so many babies was that the nurses were in a rush for everything so we pretty much did what we could (change diapers etc.) and try to stay out of there way. They bring all the babies in the nursery in the morning for assessments, Hep B (which I was able to do 2), and anything that needs to be done for them and try to get them back to their mothers asap. It was a pretty good experience, just wish they weren't in such a rush.

Mother/Baby

Oops! I almost forgot to blog. I had a great last week in mother/baby. I had a 25 multipara who gave birth to her second boy. He was LGA at 8lb 3 oz. We had to do a blood culture and CBC on him (it took a few sticks, unfortunately, but he slept right through it), then we did his circ....all I can say is...OUCH!!!!! However, after his Lidocaine injections, he didn't seems to mind at all, I was curling my toes for him. He had been checked several times for him blood sugar and the blood culture was due to mom being GBS positive-she came to the hospital at 7cm and had him and 1 1/2 hours so they didn't get a chance to give her all the Ampicillin she needed. The baby was great, and mom was quite funny. I really loved being there and think that between L&D and Mother/Baby, I might have changed my career intentions to this (I'd take wither or).

Tracy Campbell

clinical

This week in clinical I was able to sit in on a birth. The mother was having her 3rd child so the labor and delivery went very quickly. She had a very mean and rude doc. that didn't even let Dad cut the umbilical cord! I had another patient that Iwas able to do an in and out cath. on her after delivering a 9lb baby and she was very swollen down there so it was very hard to find the right spot to put the cath. in her. Gave more Hep. shots to the babies.

last week of mother baby

This last week was very interesting. I turned 40....yipppeee.
I had to do my teaching plan to a young 1st time mom. I was a little nervous about talking to her and her husband, but once I got going, she had a million questions and I was able to answer them all. I was suprised by how much I actually know. Go figure. Maybe I'm learning something.
Looking forward to Peds with Ms Ward.

Christie Harris
NUR130

Last Week of OB

Okay, so on Wednesday I went to the Rowan County Health Department. I shadowed two different nurses in this rotation. I enjoyed watching how they interacted with their clients. Both were very autonomous...this was intimidating to me. After more hands-on experience I would be interested in public health.

On Thursday I was assigned to the newborn nursery....but at 1300 all of the babies are in the rooms with their mommy's. I thought at first it would be weird to assess the baby with mom hovering over me, but thankfully Rebecca was assigned to the mom and we tag teamed the assessments. Still I explained to the other family members what I was doing and looking for. I even held the baby, rocked her....talked all soft and made stupid noses...Donna you would be so proud!!! Anyway.....I found that not only was I helping out with the baby, but mom too....One of the best experiences so far this rotation.

Health Department & OB

On Wednesday I went to the health department. I observed the NP and learned alot from her. She would explain the procedures and what things were. I got to watch 3 pelvic exams and talked to a girl about contraceptive measures. The NP was very helpful and never minded answering my questions.

On Thursday, I was in the nursery. I had so much fun. We had 15 babies in the nursery and it was a chorus of crying. Me, Amy and Jennifer went around and held the babies and tried to make them stop crying. I got to feed 3 babies which was awesome. I loved holding them and rocking them. I also got to give a Hep B shot to a baby girl. And I got to watch a circumcision. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The baby cried when he was straped to the board and when he was being numbed. In the actual procedure, the baby was asleep. I got to learn alot and do alot on the last day of OB. I hate its already over but this rotation reassured me that I am wanting to be a L&D nurse. No doubt about it.

Labor and Delivery - I Loved It!!!!

I was in Labor and Delivery this week with Ms. Phelps. I can't believe that this rotation is already over. You all know that I am getting into nursing to become a Hospice nurse, but I have to tell you that Labor and Delivery Rocks. I loved every part of it. I got to watch a third time mom deliver after one good push, wow. That family had 3 generations of support and love. That was the great side of that day.
The down side was the young single mom struggle for 6 hours after there was thick sticky meconium when they ruptured the membrane. The baby was not able to tolerate the pushing so they did an emergency C-Section. While we were talking about this with Ms. Phelps, they called a code blue because the baby had stopped breathing. The good news is that Sdenka and I got to get this mom and baby the next day and everything was wonderful. This little mama with a very large stretched tattoo on her abdomen that had been cursing like a sailor one day was just as sweet as she could be the next day. She was very receptive to breast feeding.
There was also a baby going through withdrawals in the nursery. Her glucose level was 14(!!) and was barely breathing. What we do to ourselves and our children.
Again, loved it loved it loved it.

Sue Rigot

mother/baby

For the week of June 14-15 I was at NEMC with Mrs. Holcomb. I had more hands on and wasn't as scared or nervous so it was a better experience. This past week I was also at NEMC, I was able to conquer more of my fears and I did a whole discharge.

lab with Ms. Ward

This week I was in the lab with Ms. Ward. This was a terrific experience! I really felt more like a nurse because of the simulations neing so realistic. We had to think on our feet, practice some of the skills we have learned, and figure out what to do without asking someone else what to do. I had a great time!

Health Center and OB Labor and Del.

The health center was rather educational, The Nurse prac. was very helpful. She use to be a nursing instructor, she had me do several things and quized me frequently and if i didnt know she had a lot of books to look though and find the answer. She had me go with her and observe everything she did and showed how and what she was doing. It was a very eduacational experience.
My OB experience didnt really hit on to much, There was one lady that was in labor and was going to let us see her delivery but when the time came to do it she didnt want anyone else in the room. I did how ever get to go into the nursery and give a hep. b shot into a newborn and was able to chart in 5 differnet areas where and when i gave the shot, I was also able to learn more on the monitor's about the contrations and fetal HR.

Last Week of OB

The last week of OB was okay. It was neat to see the role of the nurse in the labor & delivery. They are constantly watching the contractions on the monitor. Getting things prepared for the dr, calling up for the epidural, and mainly keeping the patient very calm. I did get to see an epidural and that was okay. Erica and I did not get to see any births this week although there two in the process while we were there but the new moms decided not to let us in. It was kinda of disappointing but that is okay. I am not sure if this is my thing though.

See you on Tuesday!!!

Amanda

LAB

This week I had lab. I must say I was alittle overwhelmed with all the problems the mom and the baby came up with. I know it can go that bad in a normal shift so the simulation was as realistic as possible. I liked OB and I could see my self working there, but I still like peds best so far.

OB cont'd

I accidentally sent the previous BLOG before I was finished. Overall, OB was a good experience. As far as working in this area goes, I don't really lean one way or the other. I enjoy the amount of time you are able to spent with the patients because things seem to move so slowly. At the same time though, things may move a little too slow for my taste.

Adios OB!

This week I spent both days of clinical in labor and delivery. It was enjoyable following both labors, especially the first day. When our patient requested that only one student view her birth, Amanda and I were sweet and sent Shantela. After all, I've pushed two out myself.
Day two, same story but none of us were allowed to watch the birth ;*( I did get to give an infant Hep B though.... so that was good.

4th week OB

This weeks I had a 35 yo diabetic, PIH primigravida and a juandiced baby boy w/ a really bad circ.. It was quite a week! I have to say that I have enjoyed the past 4 weeks of OB as well as Mrs. Holcomb. And now on to the next 4 of Med-Surg and Peds. Good Luck everyone!

Week #4 @RRMC - OB

L&D was great experience to see how interdisciplinary team works; nurses, MD and anesthesiologist.I observed a vaginal birth where Pt. was multipara so she pushed once and baby was out, no episiotomy, no epidural. The MD did not have time to put gloves on and she delivered baby without.I was a little bit wondering what if the Pt. has any of the bad things, such as HIV, Hep.B and etc.There was not enough time for her to put gloves but I observed the nurse that she was waiting on MD and Pt. was bulging already so she could prepare the gloves for MD and to help put gloves on. The second Pt. was laboring for more than 5 hrs. and finally come to the last phase. Pt. pushed 3 times and than MD decided to performe C-section because FHR was falling and I saw in one moment FHR of 78 bpm.I was scared for the baby. Few minutes after I have heard that code blue was called for the C-section and than I was scared to the death. Finally everything was fine and than the second day of the clinicals I was taking care of that baby. Amazing experience.
Zdenka Duric
NUR 130

Week #4@ RRMC - OB

Row Reg OB

What a great week! My patient was the same mom Donna and I monitored last week because of contractions. This week she delivered twin girls! Tushara (heard wonderful things about you!!!) and I had the same patient and it was an awesome experience. I gave many PO meds got to hang piggy backs and to top it off just got to sit and talk with her. It was an experience. Yesterday they were trying to pinpoint were the infection was coming from and they think it was caused by one of the baby's placenta's being infected. They did blood cultures on the babies and they came back neg. They had the mom on Gentamyacin and if her temp went up again they were going to do blood cultures on her. Can't understand why after giving her an antibiotic. She was a little down because she was ready to get home. This was probably the best week out of all 4 since I felt like I was actually helping my patient.

Last week of OB

I am really going to miss OB. I didn't think that I was really going to enjoy the infants & mothers, but to my surprise I did. I could actually see myself as a Mother/Baby nurse for a short while. (not so much an L & D nurse though :]) Anyway, I had a mother who was a year older than me, giving birth to her first child (a little girl). I couldn't handle watching her epidural, I think I was more nervous than she was. But that vaginal birth was like OMG. It's amazing how a person can grow in someone's stomach for nine months & then be born. It blows my mind!! I loved the past four weeks!!! :]

OB wasn't so bad after all!

Well, what can I say? I had formed this opinion of OB and then this week came along and I was swept off my feet! I was in postpartum this week with a 31yo G4P3, now a P5 who had a CS on 6/20 to deliver twins. I gave some pain pills, d/c'ed her foley, gave IV meds, and was able to get her out of bed to the shower (with some encouragement) on the first day. We talked a lot about things to monitor with her incision and she did the TCDB exercises for me a couple times as well. The second day she had been put on Gent and Clindamycin because she spiked a temp overnight. Also that morning when I went in the room she was crying and said she didn't know why. So I spent a great deal of time with my patient and I wanted to make sure that she was okay because 5 children is a lot, so along with the physical care that I provided I got to give her a lot of emotional support. This was an awesome experience and so very valuable to my perception of myself as a nurse and the effectiveness of my care! This patient responded so well to my care (and Micheal's as well! Good job!) and it was great to end this rotation with such an amazing experience. Thanks so much Mrs. Beaver!!

salisbury pediactric clinic

i went to the peds clinic thursday and it was great! however the next day i missed everything sorry, had a migraine for last couple of days and this morning everything hit me. i feel like i have been run over by a mac truck! so i will be studying and staying in bed all weekend. see everyone next week.

End of OB clinicals....

To finish up the OB clinical rotation I had a 21 yo client. She was G3P3. All C-section babies and the oldest is now 22 months!!! Do the math - one baby every 11 months. No wonder she said to the GYN "I need birth control" (I tried hard not to laugh) She is very obese and wondered why she had staples this time and not butterfly tape. (too much to keep in). This woman had a very flat affect! I made her smile once - I told her if the exam hurt she could kick me. I gave Lortabs both days. Traceview was easier this week.

4th week in the lab

This week I was in the lab with Mrs.Ward. I really wish I would have gotten this the first week because it was really helpful in learning what to do as a nurse in OB since it is such a different setting that Med/Surg. I had the adolescent and we had to talk with her about issues such as who would help to provide for care and financial who was going to help her to care for the baby. It was also good because we got to work as a team so we learned from each other as well on things that we werent so proficient on. This was a wonderful learning experience!!!

3rd week in clinical

In my third week of clinical I had a good postpartum mom to do a teaching plan on. I assissted the nurse in helping to discharge both her and the baby and I got to teach her about all the things she would need to know when she got home. This was fun because I actually had someone who really listened to me and everything that I was teaching her about. Mom was a overweight so we had to bring in the nutritionist to talk with her about some things she could change in her diet to benefit her body. Over all this week went pretty good and I finally learned how to use OB Tracevue!!!

Last week in SPA and L&D

Last week in the Pediatric clinic I was really impressed with the staff and the way the patients were treated. It was very interesting watching one of the doctors speak spanish to the patients and the family. It was very rewarding to see the smiles and comprehension and their faces when she started to talk. The nurse I was with did not speak spanish so it was very hard to get some of the parents to understand what she needed them to do. But she was very patient with them. The whole time I was thinking " Well I think I could do this"

Lab

I really enjoyed the lab simulation. This was very interesting, I was really challenged and I felt that I had to think hard and I had to pull from my knowledge to figure out the answers to the issues I was working with. Thank you Mrs. Ward so much for working on these patient senarios to help with a wonderful learning experience.

My last week of obsterics

I was absent on Thursday and missed the deliveries in lab simulation. When I came in Friday, I realized what all the fuss had been about. Ms. Ward put a lot of time into the simulation and she was so creative. I had a difficult mother and baby. My mother ended up having a postpartum infection, the culture showed E. Coli. The baby stop breathing and we had to resesitate him. It was a very eventful day and so much fun.

Went to SPA Wed. it was pretty cool, I followed a doctor around for a little while, she said she spoke a little Spanish but when we went in the room she was very fluent. In labor and delivery a we got to see something very rare, a 20% placental abruption, the baby aspirated a lot of blood and the apgar was 4 and 9. That was incredible, the other was a vaccum assisted birth with episiotomy, this baby definitely needs to be watched for jaundice.

week 3

This week in clinical I went to the Health Dept. on Thurs. and then I was in Labor and Delivery on Fri. at NEMC. I had fun at the health dept, the nurses were nice and it was a new experience. I really enjoyed labor and delivery!! I saw 2 vaginal births, it was so exciting!! Overall, I had a great week in clinical!!

Lab was great, we had a lot of fun and learned a lot without killing any real people, we had a baby abducted, that was actually pretty funny.

L & D week 3

This week was a pretty good week, My pt. was a 21 y/o primigravida. I had a chance to do the post partum assessment and some teaching on breastfeeding. One thing that I thought was pretty interesting is that we learned in class about the WBC being increased after birth, well I guess that had slipped my mind, and when I looked at her labs I noticed her WBC were pretty high. Of course my first thought was I need to be thinking about an infection, but she was afebrile with no other s/s of infection. After going home and pondering this I realized her WBC's are suppose to be that way. It was interesting to see something that we had just talked about in the clinical setting, actually happening. Overall it was a good week, I learned alot and am excited about getting to play with the babies next week.

Jennifer Deja

clinical

This was an exciting week for me I had a patient who had a c-section the doctor went to take her staples out and part of her section opened so the doctor opened her entire section and blood was pouring she had seroma it was exactly how Mrs. Ward described the doc. took the q-tip and opened it. I also got to insert my 1st catheter thaks Jessica and gave the baby his hep. shot. Had a good week!

LAB...

Lab was great! I enjoyed lab because there are lots of skills that you put in the back of your head after check off and this time allowed me to re practice. There was a lot of critical thinking and research involved in each situation. Overall the lab experience helped me to pull in all of my skills at once.

baby, baby, baby.....

This past week, I went to SPA, it was interesting, but not hands on so I kinda was bored.
But the next day, I was at NE with Mrs. Holcomb and she let me be in the nursery all day. I had a blast, I held the babies, hugged the babies, washed the babies, rocked the babies, assessed the babies, watched a circumcision, and gave a IM. Being in there also helped me with my test, about warmers and things. I really enjoyed it.

Christie Harris
NUR130

LAB

Lab is a lot of fun! Be sure to bring your Maternal Child book and IV drug book. Be ready to use your critical thinking skills for sure! It definetly helped me on my test today.

postpartum 6/14

Today I was in postpartum care and had a 23yr. old mom with a new baby girl named Ava. It was great. Mom was breastfeeding and having some trouble getting the baby to latch on so I called the lactation nurse and she came right in and helped out!! I got to hear a lot of teaching on that. My patient was really sweet, just very sore and tired. Yet another great week!! Can't wait until next week so I can work with the babies!!



Amy Jones

Week 3 at RRMC

Last week I was in the Nursery on Thursday and had a really great time taking care of the little babies. I gave two Hep B injections and did assessments on several babies. I also got to feed a couple of them and watched two circumcisions. Friday I had a very brief stint in the Nursery and then went to Labor with a mom who was having her second baby and came in dilated about 5-6. Both mine and Jessica's patients came about the same time, having their second child and dilated about the same so we were "racing". Well...Jessica's lady won so we watched her deliver. It was so very different watching from the other side of the delivery table! If I wasn't sure before, I'm definately certain now...I don't want ANYMORE babies! No, it was very interesting though to watch the whole process and the baby had to be deep suctioned because she'd swallowed some meconium. Her cry was very weak to begin with but the nurse kept suctioning and stimulating her to cry better and eventually she was alright. I also watched to anesthesiologist when my patient got her epidural, that was a very meticulous procedure. Put in a catheter and saw the monitors and the charting procedures. Had a great time though!

I was in Rowan Regional and had a newborn and was in Labor and Delivery, or should I say non-labor and delivery. I finally got a good rectal temp on my patient. They have a problem with an old thermometer that gives very low readings. However, I was shocked to see how much the babies temp drops (and how quickly). The momma was a nurse and knew about the kangaroo, skin to skin contact.
We just missed a birth in labor and delivery and the nurses were catching up on paperwork. We had to be pretty assertive to get any information.
Thanks Mike for teaching me to swaddle the baby.
I did enjoy this rotation a lot.

Sue Rigot

week #3

I was on L&D at RRMC in postpartum care this week with Mrs. Phelps. The first patient I had was having trouble breastfeeding so we called the lactation consultant to come and talk to her about breastfeeding. She was a nurse and was good to learn on, she was very nice and had no complaints about all the stuff we had to asses on her since she had been thorough it already herself. The patient I had on Friday was a c-section delivery and Herpes positive. She had an abusive relationship according the chart but the father of the child seemed to be helping her out as far as I could tell. You just never know so be on the lookout in all situations.

This week in clinics I went to Mother/Baby. It was a great learning experience. To see first hand what we were learning about in class made things click with me. I had a great nurse that showed me a lot. I was real nervous about doing an assessment on the first day, but was more comfortable on the second day. It was great to hold a newborn, even though I made them mad when checking their temperature...they didn't like it when I had to hold their arm down. I did get to teach my first mother about the frozen cabbage leaves, she said that she had heard about it, but she would keep it in mind over the next several months while she was breastfeeding. My second mom was a multipara with now 3 boys. They were excited about their new brother. I really feel more comfortable with the postpartum nursing after day 2. I can't wait for next week to have another mother to help and teach.

Clinical week#3 @RRMC

This week my clinical group rotated afternoon(1-6PM). I can tell that it is a little bit different than in the morning.Babies were out from the nursery, they were with their mothers all the times.During the morning shift, babies are in the nursery until 0900 hours.
On thursday I did postpartum assessment( patient was nurse graduated from RCCC last year). I did not have anything special to do because patient had vaginal delivery without episiotomy. That was her second child (G2T2P0A0L2).I had good time practicing postpartum assesment and she was nice patient.
On friday I was assigned to the nursery.I had good time teaching mother how to properly BF. Despite her second baby she did not know how to BF, because she told me that nobody tought her with her first baby.She is 20 y.o and she smokes. I did not like that. I had good time this week,I enjoyed work with nurses, Mrs.Phelps and my clinical group.
Zdenka Duric

Still No Babies!

I was at the health department on thursday and it was really different but also very interesting. I had the chance to see a wide variety of patients for a variety of different reasons. I thought that every thing was very organized and all the people were very nice. I went to RRMC for labor/delivery and I still did not get the opportunity to see a birth but I still enjoyed my experience. I look forward to going to lab next week.

finally I saw a birth

I went to the prenatal clinic on thursday and I was amazed by the number of women who didn't come in for care until 25 plus weeks. I saw this one hispanic woman who was pregnant with her 3rd baby. this was the first time she had any prenatal care and she was between 26 and 30 weeks already. her other 2 babies were born in honduras. Jill the NP told me that she was certian this woman had never even had a pap smear b/c in that country they just confirmed pregnancy and that was all the care they recieved. friday I started out in the nursery, I got to assess the babies and give a hep b shot......that was my first IM and I was very nervous but mrs beaver said I did a good job. then I went to labor and delivery when 2 women came in in labor. I finally was able to see a birth.the mom had meuconium in the fluid and I got to see what it looked like....it was rather nasty looking. when the baby was born the doctor deep suctioned her before she took her first breath. then she was screaming so I hope she will be ok. watching the birth was so exciting and then I got to help with the baby after birth. overall I had a good week.

L&D @ NEMC and RCHD

Thursday I was in L&D. I arrived on the floor around 1:20 and by the time 2:45 rolled around I had seen two C-sections. The first baby did not want to breathe on its own and they could not find a heart beat for about 30 seconds. When they hit the panic button everyone came running. He finally started to cry, but they did have to take him to the NICU. The mom was 18 years old and asked to be put to sleep because she said she could feel everything. The next section that I saw the baby was very healthy and crying. This was a section because the baby's HR was decelerating after the contraction and would not go back to baseline within the alotted amount of time. It was an awesome experience The nurses on L&D were very helpful. My health department experience was O.K. I was able to see how they do pap smears, and also got to see an IUD removed.

Mother/Baby

This week was my first week on the mother/baby unit at NEMC. I was very nervous at first, but after getting started I really enjoyed my week. On Thursday my patient was a 29 y.o. multipara. Gravita 2 Para 2. She was in for an induction, she delivered a 9lb 8oz baby boy at 1100 that morning. She was a nurse at NEMC, so this was a good experience for me, she was very understanding. I also gave my first hep B shot to a baby boy that day. On Friday, my patient was 22 y.o., multipara. Gravida 3 Para 3. She was in for an induction on Thursday. The baby began have decels, so the dr. had to perform and emergency c-section. I had a very good experience this week, and i'm looking forward to another week.

Amanda----
I tried to post a comment to your blog but could not for some reason. I wanted to say that your visit to FHS sounded very interesting. It is terribly sad to hear that a pregnant woman would be in that situation, especially with other children involved. I know that listening to her must have been very hard for you. I find situations like these to be the most difficult aspect of becoming a nurse.

the first two weeks in OB were great, except for my pt., she started pushing at 6cm dilated, per DR orders, no luck so they waited until 8cm and gave her an epidural, no luck with that either so they used vaccum assistance to get the baby out. He had bruising and shoulder dystocia, the mother was in a lot of pain, per DR orders.

3rd week at RRMC and FHS

Went to FHS on Wednesday. The NP there had to leave at lunch time so all the afternoon appointments were cancelled. So I followed a nurse while she gave test results, like HIV and pregnancy to clients and a prenatal assessment for a client that is at her 37th week. I found that visit to be hard because the reason why she did not come in sooner was due to being a victim of sexual abuse. Her children were victims as well. That was a sad situation and it broke my heart listening to her describing the siutation. Overall though, it was boring day. On Thursday, I got to spend time in the nursery waiting to see a birth. No births to be watch since no one knew of the c-section that was going on. We did get to see the first bath. That morning we help with vital signs and assessments since there was eight babies. I like working in the nursery.

Amanda Ousley

This week I went to L&D on Thur. Not much happened. There was 1 patient with twins, but she was sent home. However, the nurses there were very helpful! They pulled up archives of several different monitor strips and explained what to look for, and how to interpret the data.
She showed us one from a cocaine user which was interesting. The fetal heart rate was amazing.
Although I didn't actually see a birth, the information I received was very helpful

On Fri. I was in FHS. Not a lot of action. They currently are using a NP from the Guilford County Health Dept. because they don't have one of their on currently. I think the one thing I learned was that due to the fast pace of moving from patient to patient is that the teaching is very limited, and interventions for non-emergency stuff is minimally addressed. There was a 16 yr old girl who had taken a job to help support her family. She stated she smokes 4 blunts a day. The nurse addressed this by telling her " you know you shouldn't do that." She then continued on with the interview and instructed her on the need to take calcium daily due to her receiving the Depo shot and this medication will eat up your bones. I also saw several pap smears and 2 PP assessments. The NP was great and let me look at some of the cultures she took. She answered alot of my questions and explained what we were looking at. All in all, a good experience.

ms wards lab

This week was great with Ms ward in the lab! I loved it. At least I know some things are sticking that we have learned. plus I do love a challenge! have a good weekend

Third week of clinicals LAB

Whew!!!! What an interesting experience. Enjoyed immensely even though I annoyed Kristy the whole time. :-) Had a wonderful time and the two days flew by. Wish we had more time in lab simulation, huge learning experience. Thanks Ms. Ward for your patience and imagination.

Teresa

NE-Mother/Baby

This was my 1st week on the floor and I will have to say that going into it I was nervous. However, once I got going it was great! Thursday I took care of a 28 yo primagravida and her baby. She had a vaginal delivery and had no issues so my main thing was teaching. It felt really good to teach someone something that they did not know and I did! (that is unusual) Anyways, she was very sweet and receptive. On Friday, I came in @ 1:00 and she was getting ready to go home so I finished up my paperwork and saw her on her way. Mrs. Holcomb was nice enough to let me go on nursery duty (Thanks) and I had a wonderful time. I was able to see a circ., an IV started and blood drawn from a newborn that was having some issues. I also bathed a few babies, did some charting and played. It was great!

(a bit behind) Third week clinical at NEMC OB

My last full week at NEMC on the mother/baby unit was much better than my first week. I had the opportunity to work with two wonderful nurses with very different nursing styles. The first was larger than life and an excellent source of learning and the second was a bit more subtle but an equally good source for asking questions. My client was a 24 yo. G3 Hispanic mother. What a beautiful daughter she had by C-Section. Breastfeeding and supplemental bottle feeding. Very compliant and patient with the obvious language barrier. Kudos to the translators, they are a huge help especially with teaching. My mom obviously had experience but I spent time going over the no need to bundle in numerous blankets anyway (doubt it will change anything but I know I at least discussed it). I admire the nurses who do OB but it is not my cup of tea. Looking forward to Lab with Ms. Ward.

Teresa

Nursery @ Row-Reg

Today I had a great time in the nursery at Rowan. It was really fun practicing newborn assessments and comforting fussy babies. It ALMOST made me want to have another baby. I'm really looking forward to seeing an actual delivery though... I hope that I will be able to next week. This OB rotation has been alright, RRMC seems to be a little slow paced with the baby-having----or is it just me? Needless to say, I'm very much ready for Med-Surg. I think I gain a lot more experience during those clinicals. Everyone study hard this weekend!

Peace,
Erika

OB w/ Mrs. Holcomb

I had an OK week in OB at NEMC. This was my first time at NEMC and I found the charting to be difficult however; Mrs Holcomb walked me through it. I found it a little easier on Friday. Their charting is done on OBTraceview (an overall good system). I think by next week, I will have it down pat. My pt. was a 22 yr old, C/S, Hispanic. This was her first child and what a beautiful baby girl she was. The language barrier was a major issue but, I worked through it with a little Spanish and a lot of hand jesters. The LC spoke Spanish and was of great help to me. I also got to see her assessments and interventions. She was a very nice lady and I hope to see her again next week. Hope all had a good week. Study Hard!!

Casey Hinson
NUR 130

Nursery

This week I was in the nursery. The first day I was really nervous doing my newborn assessment. The mother was watching me and when the baby started to cry she came and stood beside me and stayed right at my side watching my every move, it didn't help that she was also a nurse so I kind of felt a little intimidated. She was a little irritable due the fact that she was exausted. She wasn't rude or anything, I just felt I was kind of in the way. She was actually trying to help. Day 2 was better I felt more comfortable with the baby since I had already completed an assessment the day before. I had alot more confidence. All in all it was a good week. Quiet but fun.

My third week in clinical

This week was very different. I switched clinical hours this week to 1pm-6pm. It was nice, but kinda slow. I was on postpartum both days with the same c-sectioned mother. I did a lot of teaching and really enjoyed it because the mother was so receptive. I'm in the lab next week and I can't wait. I 've heard Mrs. Ward is very creative.

OB

I had a great time in OB at NEMC. I learned a lot from Ms. Holcomb.

3rd week of clinicals

This week I was on mother/baby @ NEMC w/ Mrs. Holcomb. I was a little uneasy @ first, because Thursday was my first day using the computer system & working w/ babies. But, I really enjoyed it. I think that I might actually like being a mother/baby nurse. (for a short while anyway) I did my post-partum assessment, concept map, & teaching plan. My lady has previously had post-partum blues & I had to teach how to differentiate b/w PPD & PPB. So that was tetious for me. But I got through it! I'm excited about next week, except for the whole 6:45 thing :]

RCHD and L&D at NEMC

Rowan Health dept was not what I expected. I was pushed into following a NP (which was fine) I got to see a real cervix, and listen to this awesome NP explain various birth control and procedures to these women. She was a great example of "bedside manner." The nurses were a bit stand-offish but I managed to pull all the information out of them. Thursday I was sent to L&D where I witnessed a non-compliant 18 yo in labor. She did not give birth while I was there. I saw an epidural insertion - wow - so that's what the other side looks like! Then to top it off - I got to see a vaginal delivery. She was in at 0700 for induction, gave three or less pushes at 1100 and had a baby! The placenta was delivered at 1106. If babies all came this easy there would be more!

Chillin in the lab

Ok, so my lab simulation was rather fun. We had a lot of challenging experiences and really put our minds to the test. I would like to say more but my life was threatened by Mrs Ward. hahaha j/p, i had a great time.

Lab Experience

Lab was a lot of fun....frustrating at times...but we made it! Good learning experience!

Lab Simulation

This week I was in the lab with Mrs. Ward. It was an awesome experience. She was always keeping us on our toes. It was an excellent way to learn and a lot of fun too.

L&D @ Rowan

Nothing exciting happend today at Rowan in L&D. We had one patient with twins there and she was having contractions but didn't even know it. She had them probably because of the UTI she had. The great part of the day was our nurse that Donna and I were following. After the patient was D/C'ed she went back and found fetal strips to show us of babies having problems. One that I'll never forget was a mom who did cocaine while she was pregnant. The babies heart rate was terrible and it showed right on the strip. What a crime to begin life that way!
Mike

Third semester of nursing school and I've finnally given my first IM injection (RhoGAM). My postpartum patient just happened to be an RN.... I wasn't nervous at all! That's a joke---sarcasm is hard to project through a BLOG. I hope that everyone had a wonderful clinical day.

~Erika

Sorry..I have forgot to blog

Hey guys,
I don't know why, but I have been forgetting to blog, so..I'll tell you about my first couple weeks now. The first week was REALLY good!!! My first day I was able to watch 2 deliveries (vaginal). Both went great without any problems. They both had an epidural and breezed through it like they do it every day. I was very lucky to have seen them because at Rowan, there aren't very many chances to watch a birth. I loved being there and watching a new life come into this world, this is defininatly what I want to do when I'm done with school. The second day, I was at the health dept. This wasn't nearly as exciting. I only seen 2 clients all day, and it was just interviews.

My second week in clinical was in lab simulation with Ms. Ward. LOVED it! I learned alot, although I'm still confused on calculating Pitocin, the lab gives us an oportunity to not be so stressed and to feel more comfortable making nursing decisions. Thank you Ms. Ward.

My second week of clinical

I was very excited to be in the nursery on Thursday. It was by far my favorite rotation in clinical. I gave two Hep B vaccines and completed a newborn assessment and even got to assist with a newborn bath. Friday I went to labor and delivery and waited all morning for the birth and as soon as I got dressed back in school scrubs, the expectant mother had her baby. I hate that I missed it. Maybe next week.

My first week of clinical

I visited SPA on Wednesday and really enjoyed all the children. I like the way the office operates and the separate waiting areas for the sick and well children. The nurses and CNAs were all very nice and very willing to teach. On Thursday I was assigned to observe a C-section and that was really cool. The nurse even let me hold the placenta after the baby was born. Friday I had a nice day off. I'm ready for next week.

Postpartem week 2

Well...i missed clinical on thursday because of bronchitis but i did make it on friday!!! It was a busy day for me, my pt was a 15 y/o first time mom with no clue what was going on...imagine that!! I did implement a teaching plan on newborn care from feeding to carseat care and anything in between!! I enjoyed it......I'm not sure that Mother/Baby is my nitch!!!


Ashley Linker

In Ward's lab this week

Hey all,
I really enjoyed Ms Ward's lab, I feel like I learned a lot without all the pressure. My only thing is I wish we could have done it before our actual clinicals started because it really was a big help, It even helped me on the test.

Ms Ward,
I know Ben enjoys playing with you, because you're a really good pretender!

Christie Harris
NUR130

Clinical week#2

My second week of clinical had two rotations, Thursday @ Health Department and Friday @ RRMC labor and delivery.
At the Health Department I was with Family Health Service nurses and Dr. Navarro.
So, I had a very interesting experience; first with a clinical nurse who handles family planning issues (BCP and other contraceptives), PPD test and etc. and she works pretty independently from MD. She also explained to me how the FHS works.
I saw a huge variety of patients who are looking for help at FHS, from teen pregnancy, STD’s, HTN, asthma and etc. Basically, the patients were self payers or Medicaid and Medicare participants.
The second day I was at a new born nursery @ RRMC. That was a very, very interesting day. We had twelve babies to take care of. I helped the nurses feeding the babies and comforting those who were vigorously crying. I also observed a circumcision and was surprised by how simple and painless the whole procedure was for the baby. The doctor explained each step in detail and I was very appreciative to know what he was doing.
I also gave a HEP B immunization shot to a little baby (one day old) for the first time in my life.
The nurses were so supportive to me that at the end of clinical all I wanted to do was stay there and work with them. It was an excellent experience.
Zdenka Duric

Rowan L&D

I had a wonderful clinical experience the 2nd week. The 1st day I was in L&D. I got to watch the labor progress and watched the nurse administer oxytocin every 20 minutes because she was stuck at 9cm. Finally she dilated the whole way and I got to watch the birth of the baby and the placenta. She was only 14 yrs. old but did really well to be so young. It was so awesome. On friday, I was in the nursery and got to give a baby its first bath, do my assessment and watch the nurse assess the baby. Overall, it was a great week. I was with a nurse who taught me a lot. She explained everything really well especially the monitor and all the variables, accels, decels. She explained the duration of the ctx's and the frequency. It was a huge help and I learned so much.

Week #2

I was at L&D at RRMC and at the Health Dept this week. I saw two deliveries at RRMC and then got to help with a 14 yr old's labor she delivered after we left on Thursday. At the health dept I helped the RN do a prenatal visit on a 26yr old. She was very nice and was addicted to methadone.

Lab w/ Ms. Ward

What a great idea! I think we should have done this our 1st year instead of going straight to clinicals. It was very beneficial and she put us into situations you wouldn't see in the normal everyday world.

SPA

It was a very interesting setting! Alicia provided a great deal of information verbally and in hand outs. I was able to go into the room to see how the MD interacted with patients. Overall it was a good learning experience!

Labor/Delivery

I had a latina patient who was fully dilated and effaced when I entered the room. Her husband didn't want me in the room until she was pushing. There was a possibility that she was going to need a C-Section so the nurse got everything prepped. Her nurse then told me that is was oligohydraminos so they had a machine running to add fluid around the baby to prevent cushion. Right after the delivery there was a huge gush of fluids that had previously been "inserted" into the mom. Her uterus had trouble contracting so they increased her pitocin and other IV fluids. Her MD did some extreme fundal massaging to help stimulate contractions. She continued to bleed so he started to stuff her vagina with gauze. After a short period she was moved to high risk for recovery.
The baby was a healthy girl!

2nd week of clinicals

I was in lab simulation with Ms. Ward this past week. It is pretty interesting how creative Ms.Ward can be. We all encountered many thought-provoking clinical situations! It's nice to have to have the clinical experience, without all the paperwork & stress. :]

Lauren D
NUR 130

On Tuesday I went to Salisbury Peds and had a pretty good afternoon with the nurse Alicia. There was a lot of kids in there with strep throat, so I got to learn about there protocol the test that they do and how to treat those. I also got to watch Dr. Koontz do a check up on a 4 month old. I learned about the different vaccinations that children are given. On Friday I went to labor and delivery and while I was there I was lucky enough to get to see a vaginal delivery and a C-section. I must truly say that I never thought that having a baby could be so awesome but after watching my mother deliver I was almost in tears along with her and the rest of her family. The mother did wonderful, she didnt push long at all and the baby was out with no complications. I got to hold the baby and mom wanted to get pictures of me and her for the baby first scrapbook which was exciting. I also got to go in on Tracy C-section that they did on a 16 year old girl. They wound up having to put her under general anesthia before they could get the baby out. You can read more about this in Tracy's blog. I had a wonderful week in clinical and I never thought I could see myself doing L&D but I might have found something new and different that I want to do with my nursing career.

OB Weeks 1 and 2

RRMC OB Mrs. Beaver:
Week 1: This week I took care of a postpartum pt. She was 22 years old and this was her 4th child and 4th c-section. She was pretty knowledgable about the whole process. She was on a PCA the first day, which I got to do routine checks on and I was able to administer PO gas and pain meds as well. She commented that this had been her most painful c-section which is thought to be due to all the scar tissue.
The 2nd day I was really able to talk to my pt. She had lots of questions about nursing and college in general. I got the impression that she is motivated to make some positive changes in her life. I wish her the best.

Week 2: This week I was assigned to the nursery. Thurs. I was able to do a bath, a couple of assessments and assist the nurse with routine vital sign checks. I was also able to observe a newborn under the oxyhood - she was able to be weaned off and at last check was doing well. I just loved the babies!!! Fri. was less exciting, but I was able to catch up on paperwork and assist with postpartum discharge instructions for my teaching plan.

Lab w/ Mrs Ward

Hello everyone! I had a great week with Mrs. Ward in lab. It was a good review of skills and a great critical thinking case study. Put on your thinking cap's, some of the case studies are hard! Hope you all had a good week.

Casey Hinson
NUR 130

L&D RRMC Week 2

This week in L&D was great. I was able to see a full delivery, and parts of others. There were six in labor on one day! I would have to say this is my favorite area of OB. I was also in postpartum one day, I enjoyed it to, I was not able to give any meds, but I completed a teaching plan. I was excited about teaching my patient because she was a 17 yr. old first time mom. We only have 2 more weeks of OB left and that makes me sad, because then it's back to med surge!!

postpartum

this week I was on postpartum. I ended up having 2 different pts. the first was a 29 yo f. she and her husband were high school teachers and this was there first baby. they were very excited and had lots of questions. the 2nd day I had a single mother. she had some problems in delivery and she and the baby ended up on 2 antibiotics. she was extremely worried about her baby because they wouldn't let her come out of the nursery. I was able to sympathize with her because of my worries during the pregnancy and premature birth of my son. both days were alittle slow but I got to do alot of teaching and really connect with both of my pts. mrs beaver is really great, she is very knowledgeable and helpful. I got to give 2 iv piggybacks and some po pain meds. I did miss holding the babies but I can go home and hold my not so little baby. its amazing how much a womans body can go through and still come out ok in the end. im looking foward to the lab simulation....i hear its really great and mrs ward outdid herself with it.

WOW

well I think I finally figured out where to blog in the right place. So let me catch up. My first week was in the lab it was alot of fun and I thought it was very beneficial in that it prepared us for caring for the mother and infant in emergency situations. It was good experience in calling the MD and carrying out orders.I hope everyone has as good of an experience as I felt our group did!!!
Week 2 was great also. Wednesday I observed at the SPA that was interesting. I was able to get a feel for nursing in a different type setting other than hospitals and nursing homes. Everyone there was very friendly and willing to answer all questions. I observed the nurses taking vitals and carrying out the md's orders such as shots(allergy) and vaccinations. Also i was able to sit in on a couple well visit physicals. I enjoyed my visit. Day 2 was spent in labor and delivery observing. I was able to follow the nurse as she set up fetal monitors, started IV's, tracked contractions, set up sterile fields for delivery and report to MD. watched MD do internal checks for station, dilation, effacement etc. He put an internal fetal monitor on the babies head and ruptured the membranes. While we were cleaning her up another patient was giving birth on her own and by the time we all got there the baby was already in the bed!!(If only all deliveries happened that fast....) I also got to sit in on a 17 year old giving birth. She had a little too much epidural and had alot of trouble pushing because she couln't feel anything. She pushed for almost 2 hours and the doctor had to cut the epidural down and eventually turn it completely off to speed up progress. MD used the vacuum 3 times before getting the head out only to find the cord wrapped around the babies neck. Things turned really scary at that point the baby was white and unresponsive,they could not get the baby to cry, the mother was crying it was really intense. Everyone worked very well to not let on that anything was seriously wrong and with alot of effort the baby began to respond enough to let the mother see and hold her before taking her away for further treatment. I checked on the baby before I left they were still working on her. Her color was alot better but her cry was still pretty weak. Maybe OB is not for me after all because that was so hard, it took alot for me not to break down and cry with the mother.

This week I was in the PNC on Thursday and I think it was one of my favorite clinical rotations! I had an amazing time and I learned a lot about prenatal care as a nurse rather than an expecting mom. The nurses that I worked with were really knowledgable about the care they gave to the clients and the nurse practitioner was just awesome. The three of them were great about explaining all the procedures to me and making me feel comfortable. I saw a transvaginal ultrasound performed on a 18yo primigravida to confirm her dates. The nurse had to hook up one girl to EFM to check her baby's heart rate and fetal movements because she'd reported no movements for the previous day and a half. We counted nine movements in her hour there and adequate heart tones. There was an older woman there who was pregnant with twins and she had some other issues that they discussed which put her in a high-risk category, also a woman who was trying to quit smoking, and one who's AFP was high for Down's Syndrome. The way the nurses interacted with the clients was so wonderful and it was like they had a really trusting relationship. The teaching was in depth and interesting and I just loved it!!! The staff worked together as a team and the care seemed to go smoothly. The nurse practitioner explained to me that it was hard getting over the language barrier and there was constant cultural issues. The health department has interpreters there and there's one I think assigned to each unit, and I'd say about 80% of the clients they saw that day were Hispanic, many of them non-English speaking! I loved being there and I just felt right at home!!!

Tushara S.
NUR 130

On my first week i was assingned to the nursery at Rowan. I was very nervous being at a new setting but the nurses were very nice and made me feel comfortable. I was able to do a newborn assessment and was able to give a couple baths and wash all of the cheese off of them. It was def. harder to get it out of there hair. I was also able to watch the hearing screen's that took place. It was all in all a good experience.

Salisbury Pediatric Assoc. and L&D

On 6/7 I went to Salisbury Pediatric associates, my day there was boring. There weren't many patients the morning was very slow. On Friday I was in labor and delivery at NEMC. I enjoyed my day in L&D. I observed a 15 yo primagravida deliver a 6lb 9oz baby girl at 1048. The delivery was a vacuum assisted vaginal delivery. The doctor had to use the vacuum because as the baby was being delivered her heart rate dropped. The baby had a nucal cord, the doctor was able to unwrap the cord from the neck, and after mama saw the baby respiratory came and took her to the nursery. Another patient was a 29yo multigravita. Gravida 3 Para 2. She came in at midnight on Thursday. Her contractions had stopped by the morning, so the doctor performed an AROM and oxytocin was started. When I left she was 100% effaced and at 5-6 centimeters.

OB experience

Clinicals this week was really good. I was nervous at first because the lady I was taking care of was an ICU nurse. She was very understanding about everything I had to do with her and the baby. I could tell that even though this was their first child (her and her husband) they are going to be really good parents. The baby's dad was even changing diapers. I also gave a HEP B shot to the baby whose dad kept looking in the nursery window and made me nervous because it was my first time ever giving an IM shot. I had a really good week, and I hope that everyone else did also.

FHS on Thursday

Being at the Health Department on Thursday was a wonderful experience. Everyone working there seemed to really love what they do. I followed Beverly Thompson for the day and she was absolutely wonderful.... culturally competent and nonjudgemental. Everyone really worked together to provide the best care possible for the patients. It was refreshing to be in such an environment. I didn't really see anything crazy (medically), but it was still a nice experience. The level of caring demonstrated by doctors, nurses, and translators was amazing. I could see myself working in this setting.

OB clinical

I was on mother baby again this week at NEMC. I had a new experience this week. My patient was hispanic so there was a language barrier. The husband could understand a little bit of english but other times I had to use hand motions or a translator. It was very interesting!! Overall, I had a great week!!

clinical simulation

This wek I was in the lab and we had an awesome time. We started IV's, foleys, did drug calculations and really had to think about diagnosing our patient and coming up with interventions that we would do before we call the doc. I loved this week I learned so much doing this.

2nd week in Lab

This week I was in the lab with Ms. Ward. It was really fun!!! We got to brush up on skills like putting in a foley, med calculations, starting IVs, etc. Also we got to see what a pt would go through during an abnormal delivery. It was a neat experience and the best lab simulation we have been through.

Amanda Ousley

This week was fun, I was at the school with Mrs. Ward in the lab. We brushed up on a lot of things we haven't done since checkoffs. We had some really difficult "patients" and scenarios and Mrs. Ward really had us thinking HARD. There are so many diagnoses with the same s/s's. This lab simulation prepared me for the worst case scenarios I might face at the hospital.

Rowan OB

So i had a really good time this weekend at Rowan on the post partum floor. Even though i had to take a nurse or someone with me the whole time. I got to hang some IVP and was able to d/c an IV and give some oral meds. I felt like it not being as busy i was able to really sit down and view over the charts and get a better understanding of what was going on and the nurses on the floor was very helpful with any questions you had. It was weird having to deal with someone who is 16 yr's old and just had a baby. It was an eye opening experience. I must admit though being on OB and being a male, I kind of feel uncomfortable sometimes having to tell women something that i will never go through. haha, But overall i have had a great experience and Mrs. Beaver has been a big help and answered all my questions i have had.

ob rowan

clinicals this week seemed a little easier, i had post partum this week which was more relaxed. i had a chance to review charts and familarize myself with them a little more. it is so different from internal medicine. concept map on mother much easier to do than newborn. also got to do a post partum exam on my patient., i actually got one that was real easy to feel the fundus!! thank god! the looks they give you when you are feeling for it. a few of the nurses were really helpful showing us how to do the assessments. have to admitt it feels weird not doing prep and putting in all that time the night before. all in all it was a nice experience, even though it wasnt that busy. good luck on test everyone and have a good weekend

OB rotation

Well this week I had one day in the newborn nursery and one in labor and delivery. I have to be honest I was very nervous about taking care of the babies, but once I got started it was okay. I gave 3 IM injections. I even held one of the little guys!!! The next day in labor and delivery I followed a nurse who was taking care of a 26 y/o. Things were moving a bit slow. I asked alot of questions to keep up. After waiting all morning she finally was complete and ready to push. The doctor was paged and within five minutes and one push(that right...just 1), a beautiful 4 lb 14 oz 17in baby boy was born. That made my whole day and has topped my favorite thus far this rotation. Hope evreyone else had a good week!

This week I went to SPA on Thursday. That was interesting...I got to see what life would be like in the office setting. I liked it, but it's not for me. Today, I went to L&D...that was great!!! I thought I wanted to be a CRNA, until today. Now, I don't know. I really learned a lot today. I had a great nurse. She showed me many things. We had a 16 year old who had gained about 100 pounds during pregnancy and came in at 2am with high blood pressure, she was still at 3cm at 4pm. She had A LOT of pain medication. She had a PCA going and a bolus of pain medicaiton. The doctor came in a decided to do a section, so she got another huge bolus of pain medication because she was still having a lot of pain. After they got her on the table and thought they had the pain managed (she said that she only felt dull pressure), they cut her and she started screaming that she could feel it, so they finally had to put her completely under. The section was awesome and a 9lb 3oz baby girl was what she was carrying. I loved my experience today and will have to reevaluate where I want to go in my career. The only way to have made today any better was to see a vaginal birth...like someone with me in L&D did today...Kristen...love ya...mean it.

postpartum care

At rrmc this week I was in postpartum care. I had a 1st time mom who delivered a 6lb 5 oz baby girl. I enjoyed helping her because it gave me opportunity to teach her in several areas. She was very appreciative and receptive to the information. She had a C- Sec delivery and was getting around very well, but because of her past exercise habits (3x a week) I felt it important to tell her to not over do it when she gets home. I told her about s/s of infection to look for, breast care because she is nursing, and other stuff too. I was also able to take out her staples and give her a MMR shot before her discharge. The nurses were willing to answer questions for me when Ms. Phelps was busy, and that was nice. Overall a very nice experience.
Donna

rrmc

I was at RRMC on Postpartum this week. I had a very compliant, easy going patient, who was a pleasure to work with. She had her fourth baby (it was a boy) and had a tubal (so no fundal checks!). I have yet to see an actual labor. I only have one day left, so hopefully something will be going on that day! I think I have ruled out the possibility of me working on this floor. I thought it was for me but I'm beginning to think not. We'll see!!

week 2

This week went well for me. I went to L&D day 1 and really enjoyed it. The morning started off slow but I had a very helpful nurse that showed me exactly how to read the FHR/contraction sheet as well as informed me how the labor would go. During mid-labor for my patient I was able to go watch a section (2nd section for a 19y0). It was amazing and went very quickly. After watching the entire surgery I went back to my original mom who was ready to push. I saw 2 babies delivered w/in 1 hour! It truly was a miracle! Today I went to FHS @ the HD. I followed the NP to see 6 patients. They were mostly postpartems and physicals. The NP was very helpful and answered all of my questions. It was a good week. I hope that next week goes as smoothly (my 1st week back on the floor!)


Michelle Flowers

L&D

Today I was in labor and delivery at RRMC. It was great!! It started out pretty slow...we had 3 lady's in labor but nobody was really ready. I did get to look at all the monitors showing the baby's heart beat and the mom's contractions...that was neat. I saw two internal FH monitors put in...one by the dr. and another by a nurse. Finally at the end of the day Hillary was nice enough to let me come in and watch her14yr old mom give birth. I was really torn. The mom did a really good job pushing and I got to hold her hand and help her hold her legs up to push. I just felt so sorry for her being so young and having to be a mom now. When the baby was finally born I got a really good look at him but I found myself wanting to just stay with the mom...I just wanted to hug her and tell her that everything was gonna be okay. She looked so bewildered and confused...anyway...I guess with me having a 13yr old and a 15yr old at home is why it got to me so much. I couldn't imagine one of them having a baby at this age. Anyway...it was still a great experience...something that I have never seen before and definatly a miracle!! Can't wait until next week...maybe I will get to see some more!! :)



Amy

Lab Sim

Hey All,
What a great two days in the lab. We got to sharpen our skills and do a lot of critical thinking with our patient. This will really help in the real setting on the hospital. This should be done before going to clinicals. This was a lot better than our lab sim the first semester. Plus the interdisciplinary team was hard at work for all of us. Thanks again for a really good experience!!!

Lab Experience

We learned alot. Simulation was very interesting and helped with thinking skills. This should help with our clinical practice.

The Lab

Well, the lab was fun and gave us a chance to practice our skills. Diagnosis gave me a headache but it really gave us a chance to use a lot of resources. Very interesting. Sort of like House, but nicer.
In the real world I think that we would do the interventions that we did. We came up with that quick enough, but would probably have more folks give their two cents worth for the diagnosis.
All in all a very helpful experience and our interdisciplinary team was most helpful.

Sue Rigot

The Lab

Well, the lab was fun and gave us a chance to practice our skills. Diagnosis gave me a headache but it really gave us a chance to use a lot of resources. Very interesting. Sort of like House, but nicer.
In the real world I think that we would do the interventions that we did. We came up with that quick enough, but would probably have more folks give their two cents worth for the diagnosis.
All in all a very helpful experience and our interdisciplinary team was most helpful.

Sue Rigot

OB

I had clinicals at Rowan this past week. It was so much fun being on the L&D unit. I was in postpartum and had a mom who had a c-section. I was able to care for her and her baby. I mostly made sure she was comfortable, adm. pain meds and did the postpartum assessment. Her fundus was hard and easy to find. You kinda feel like an outsider because there are so many visitors coming in and out of the room welcoming the new baby to the world. I got to also go into the nursery and see a baby get their 1st bath and watch some of an assessment. Its so neat to be there in all the action. I can't wait for tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get to see a birth or give a baby a bath.

rchd

Today I went to the Rowan county Health Dept. I got to follow the nurse practitioner around and she was very informative. I saw several teenager's that came in for their post partum exam and also a few that were getting tested for STD's. We did a test on one of the girls for Bacterial Vaginosis and Yeast inf. and Tammy (the NP) let me look under the microscope at the bacteria and the cells that had funky walls...it was pretty cool. She also sprayed the specimen with I forget what and smelled and said that she was positive for yeast ...it smelled like ammonia... :) Anyway, overall it was a really good experience...I was not really looking forward to it but it turned out to be pretty interesting!! Tomorrow I go to L&D with Mrs. Beaver...I'm very excited!!!

Amy

Good Lab Experience

Lab was great! Everyone should have the opportunity to have the lab day before the actual clinical experience. It was very helpful.

OB was great

My first week in OB was great. I didn't get to give a newborn bath, or a Hep B yet, so I hope that I will be able to this week. My patient was 18 yo and gave birth to a little boy by sect. She needed a lot of teaching even though she thought she knew everything. Sometimes the baby would whimper or cry and she would say "hush it up." I explained to her that he may be hungry and that if he kept falling asleep while she was feeding him that he may just need a pacifier. She said that she did not want him on the pacifier, but I explained to her that it was easier to take the pacifier away than it would be his thumb if he finds his thumb. It was also on her chart that during her pregnancy she did cocaine, marajuana, alcohol, and ectasy, but the baby didn't seem to have any problems with Alcohol Fetal Syndrome. Something that I did learn was that if you have a mom who smokes, you can teach her that the second hand smoke on her clothes will still be inhaled by the baby when she holds him after she smokes. What she can do to minimize this is put a blanket in between them because second hand smoke can contribute to SIDS, asthma, and other respiratory problems. Good luck this weed everyone.

My clinical experience started off a little rough on Thursday. I guess with the fact that I have never had a kid before I felt completely lost. On Friday I felt a lot more comfortable with what I was supposed to be doing. I had the pleasure of dealing with a mom and dad who were very overprotected of the newborn (even thought they already had a 4 y/o little girl). This was quite an interesting challenge to learn how to do what I needed to do with out being intimidated by the parents looking over my shoulder at every move I made. As the day progressed they started to open up to me and the tension in room started to decrease. I'm excited in the weeks to come about getting to see a delivery!!!

ob rowan

hi everyone, last week was really interesting, me jennifer and jessica got to see a delivery which i thought was cool. i really got into coaching the mom. i was so envious of this new mom! it was her first and neither one of my births were that easy! Then me, david and jessica were in the nursery they got to give the baby that was delivered a bath and we got to do our new born assessments. so at least we all got hands on experience. i think the only thing i had a hard time with was doing a concept map on a newborn, i came home and just had a complete brain fart! like where do i start, but after i started it was okay. just alot different than doing concept maps on adults that have multiple problems. the lecture and reading was helpful because i saw alot and was able to relate to it a little easier. looking foward to this week. i have to admit though dont really care for the 1-6 it feels like your whole day is gone and i get up at 5:oo in am, so they seemed like long days. see you in am later

Ist week of clinicals

My first week was not all that exciting because I didn't get to see any births but I did get to help David assess his baby and new mom. She had 2 other kids so she knew the routine. Later on Mrs. Beaver came and got us to go watch a birth ( so we thought) but this lady was in her late 60's early 70's so we knew she couldn't be having a baby. Can't wait until lab simulation.

first week of OB

Well...this week was very different for me, I have only worked in mother/baby like twice so I was a little lost..on the first day, I took care of a mother and her baby, this was her 5th pregnancy so she new a little more than me about what was going on. The charting was the most difficult because of the computer part at NEMC just because I am not farmiliar of what is going on with it!! Another problem I had was finding the fundus on my pt. because she had just had a tubal ligation and was in a lot of pain....so it was very interesting. The second day was a little boring because my pt went home and Lauren and I got sent to L&D...while we sat and waited for about 5 hours for nothing to happen...we just talked with the nurses about some of their experiences!! We did find out that one of the pt's that was going to deliver that day had two uterus' and two cervixes ( i dont know how to say it pleural) lol!! but overall it was and ok clinical experience!! Thanks Mrs. Holcomb for everything!!!!

First week of OB

Okay, so my first day was a bit hard because I had a post-partum pt. and didn't know what really to expect. We haven' t had lecture on it yet and I have no personal experience to pull from. The second day was much easier after the gained confidence of my patient and from all the late night reading the night before. My pt was a 23 y/o C-section delivery of a healthy baby boy. Her incision looked great...I was surprised she was getting around so well. I got to D/C her foley and S.L. , felt her fundus; firm and midline. She asked alot of questions about breastfeeding and thank goodness Mrs. Phelps was right there with me to guide me along. I also learned different ways to help with breast tenderness and cracking and shared this with my patient. The nurses I had were very helpful and reassuring to have. Overall, good experience. I can't wait to see a birth this week!!!

AWESOME CLINICAL

I had an awesome time in clinicals this week. Now there is no dought in my mind this is the field that I should be in. Eventhough I didn't actually get to do alot this week I still loved every minute of it! I can't wait to see an actual birth! I was in Labor/Delivery and I got the chance to follow the nurse and see how they monitor the mom and baby, I just wish I could have stayed to see the baby be born, but I did get to play with the babies in the nursery on friday! I am excited to see what next week has in store for me!

Ashton McDaniel

Thank you Mrs. Ward

I was lucky enough to be assigned the lab this week. It was very helpful in jogging my memory of many things from past semesters as well as reinforcing things from this one. It was a great week and I hope that it helped as I prepare for NEMC this week!

I love babies!!!!!

This week I got to work in the nursery. when we started there were no babies so I went with the nurses to help out in labor and delivery. They had 2 imminent births and 2 preterm labors being monitored. Finally I got a baby. I saw him born and the nurse and I did the assessment in the room, then we took him to the nursery and I got to bathe him. This was the mothers first baby and she needed alot of teaching about breastfeeding. I answered all of her questions and showed her how to get the baby to latch on correctly and how to use the breast pump. I really enjoyed helping her. I feel like I actually helped her. I can't wait till next week.
Jessica

1st week of clinicals

I went to SPA on Tuesday from 2-6. It was interesting to see the nurses in action with all the children and kind of funny to see how to children reacted. As soon as the door would go shut and the nurse would approach the child to crying would begin. I saw different types of blood work and tests (such as the mono test and strep test).
Then I had Thursday off! I slept in! That was awesome..then I planted some flowers!
Friday I was in labor/delivery. I got to see a woman get checked to see how many centimeters she was dilated. That was it. No babies were born while I was there. I was kind of disappointed and I hope that I get another opportunity to maybe get some more action!!!


Lauren Dayvault

Clinical-Lab Simulation

This week on 5/31 and 6/1 I was in the lab simulation. I found this to be a very exciting and helpful experience. I was able to practice some skills that I haven't done in a while. I practiced starting foley catheters, mixing medications, and the pediatric calcutations. I gained some very helpful, and much needed practice. I look for to going to SPA and NEMC next week.

Ashley Andrews

Mother & Baby at NEMC

My client, a 25 yo mother, was C-sected at midnight and had no c/o pain. On post-partum assessment, the fundus felt just like the tennis ball in the dummy!! Her FC had been removed at 11 am and she was encouraged to void (RN to measure x3, in/out cath if no void by 6 pm). Baby was healthy with red marks on the back of the neck, mongolian spots on sacrum, and a nice large formed green/gray mixed stool during examination:) Day 2 she was moving great with no c/o pain. I was able to teach her about newborn and post-partum care during discharge. Mother and baby went home at 3:30. I went to Nursery Duty, gave a shot of Hbig to a 4 1/2 lb baby and watched another get her tummy suctioned. Overall a good experience.

I spent one day at Salisbury Pediatrics, and one day at NEMC. It was interesting.

RRMC

My first week back to clinical was great. Thursday I was in the newborn nursery, and I loved it!!Then Friday I had a postpartum mom. I enjoyed talking with her because she was very open. I did not get to give many meds. just PO pain meds. The only comment that I have for the week is I have to concept maps due!! but I have till Monday so I think I will live!:(

SPA and RRMC

Well, SPA was really interesting. I don't know what I expected, but that place is huge. People really worked well together, helping each other out. You got to see two different kinds of nursing there. Telephone triage was where you saw the most patient education going on. Patient care, giving meds, comforting, went on for the patients appointment area. I didn't see a lot of hand washing going on, so infection would be my biggest concern there.
RRMC was a totally different experience. My patient was well, so about all I could do was assess and do a little patient education. I was able to observe while the lactation specialist helped the new mom. She said that if the baby is breast fed at birth, then it is instinctual. Any time after birth, breast feeding needs to be taught. I also found out that with bottle feeding, you need to change positions to train the babies eyes. I also observed the RN new mother education, which was quite comprehensive. Jennifer did an exceptional job teaching, I was very impressed. My patient did not talk much and I was a little concerned about her holding her child, but her mother seemed to be very supportive and hopefully she will be able to have the help she needs.
Sue Rigot