Nursing School: Been There, Done That #2

No PUKING Please

If you're planning to take up nursing or any medical related course, heed my warning: Prepare for something GROSS because working in the health care field requires a tough gut. Stool samples, oozing blood and wound abscess are just part of the tip of the iceberg, baby. So if you do not have a brave tummy, then I guess you might want to look at some pictures of gory stuff first. That might somehow give you an I'm-used-to-seeing-that confidence. However; the sad thing is (and let's face it) a picture, no matter how real it may look, can never substitute the real thing. So, the only remedy to this is to experience first-hand the look, the smell and the feel of the gore itself. Don't worry. You're allowed to freak out a little bit if it's you're first time. You'll get used to it in the long run anyway.

As for me, I don't mind blood and gore. My appetite wouldn't care if there's an eviscerated surgical wound in front of me. But what ticks me off is the sound of a suction machine especially if it starts to suck in phlegm. Do not get me wrong here. The sight of phlegm no matter what color or odor it has doesn't bother me at all. But God! When the catheter sucks in that sticky goo and starts to make that awful sound, it's downright disgusting to my ears. It even came to a point before that whenever I hear a loud slurp-like noise, even if it's not the suction machine working, my gag reflex just goes berserk. It's a good thing that I can stop myself from puking whenever I perform such nursing skill; it requires a great of effort, sweat, saliva and tears though. Just don't ask me how I do it. And Alleluia for face masks! Or else, my patient and my patient's relatives would surely see me make that shit-it's-so-fucking-gross-I-can't-help-but-puke face. But I am after all a mere human being. I guess I'm allowed to react that way. LOL.

If only I can wear earplugs whenever I use this, I most definitely WOULD.
http://jsmedsupply.com/respiratory.html

One thing is for sure though; let's keep our reactions to ourselves in times like this one. We do not want to offend the patient or his "bantay", do we?

Nursing School: Been There, Done That

It's a shame that I didn't have the chance to write about my life as a nursing student as it started, happened, progressed and commenced. Was I really that busy? Or was I just one of the many who took the experience for granted and never really realized that being in a nursing school is a four-year endeavor worth the risk? Nevertheless, I believe it is not too late to share what I have been through as a student nurse. Besides, after a year of being officially out of school, I never really realized that it would actually feel good to reminisce those days of immaculate white uniforms and all the things that went with and through it. So here I go..

Nursing School: Been There, Done That #1

Something Smells... BAD!

Whether it be lochia, stool, or gangrene, there will always be that something that leaves an unpleasant stench in a student nurse's nostrils.

 I remember that time when I was on duty at the Delivery Room of this certain hospital when I was a third year nursing student. I don't know if my Olfactory nerve is severely damaged or if the whole area just stinks so bad that even if I got rid of my scrubs and bathed in my body spray after my duty, I can still smell the formidable combined odor of a century-old lochia and a perineum that haven't been washed with soap and water for a millennium.

And here's the thing.

YOU CAN'T HELP BUT BREATHE IN THE STINKING ODOR. Unless of course if it's possible for you hold your breath the entire time you're rendering care to your patient or if you're just so lucky you have colds the entire rotation.

What to do?

Do not forget your face mask!

DEAL WITH IT. It's not your fault it stinks. BUT IT'S NOT THE PATIENT'S FAULT TOO. So, do not ever complain out loud that it smells awful and do not ever say that you can't do anything about it. You can, however; teach your patient good personal hygiene practices or attend to his wounds and lesions (if this is where it stinks). You can also advise patients to adhere to their treatment regimen since some disease conditions are primarily the reason for the ill-smelling body discharges. And DO NOT EVER FORGET TO WEAR YOUR FACE MASK if you do not want to be nauseated by the overwhelmingly foul odor. In instances where the odor still seeps through the barrier of your face mask, you can use two instead of one. But if unfortunately you happen to have only one, then here's what you should do: Pour a small amount of cologne in a handkerchief and carefully place it in between your nose and your face mask. It will add an extra barrier so that stink won't reach your nostrils. Just hide the hankie well underneath the mask because some patients are born with an extra peel of sensitivity and might find this offensive.

That's it for now. Will be writing more soon!

I'm Just Saying

Out of boredom I decided to check my blog. Gosh. It has been a while since I last posted something in here. I suddenly miss venting out my thoughts no matter how silly or nonsense they may seem. But that's the point of blogging, right? It's a chance to tell the world what you think when no one is interested to listen. It doesn't matter if you whine, you rant or you rave. The point is you speak your mind. And here lies my problem.

Most people I know say things out loud specially in the boiling point of their temperament that they forget to think before they speak and I'm no exception. In my case, I write/blog before I consider my choice of words. And before I know it, three things happen: One; I've harmed someone even if it really is not my intention. Two; people seem to think I'm some tactless bitch and three; I make a fool out of myself by saying things that I haven't really given much thought of.

HERE ARE THREE THINGS I WOULD SAY TO THAT: One; I do believe that man by nature is good and that whatever wrongdoing he has done was brought about by factors beyond his control. If he is angered by something and says something bad, I would like to believe that as a conscious being, he does not mean to hurt through his words. It's his anger that clouds his judgement talking there and not him as a person. Two; people can call me tactless and all that shit, but if I feel like ranting, I think I have the right to do so. You would find my posts irrelevant and you would find my thoughts a nuisance in the World Wide Web, but nobody is forcing you to read my blog. You are free to leave my page. And three; if I ever make a fool out of myself by saying things, then so be it. I really don't give a damn what others would think.

BUT THERE IS ONE THING I THINK I SHOULD DO NOW. Since I cannot part with my writing/blogging habit and I can never stop myself from ranting, I think that now is the perfect time for a change in the way that I speak my mind. Change is the only constant thing in this world so, why not go with the flow and adapt some modifications eh?