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!