October 31, 2012

Halloween

Work today...I wonder how many patients will be going in wearing costumes?

October 30, 2012

If you were affected by the hurricane, I hope you are safe.

My parents are OK.  No power, lots of trees down, some buildings in the neighborhood damaged and surprisingly, no street flooding, given that they live one block away from the mandatory evacuation zone.  Subways are flooded though so my mom isn't going to be going to work anytime soon...hopefully she won't get too stir-crazy in the house.

As for me, the leg still hurts and I'm bored of being at home.  I do have to limp out for groceries as the cupboards are bare, but that won't be for a few hours.  After my coffee, I'll tackle my history lectures, then the grocery store.  I'm trying very hard to be back up to full speed so I can go back to work tomorrow.

October 29, 2012

Update

Muscle pull, rest for two days, keep the APAP coming.

Just called off of work.  I suppose now I have no excuse not to be up-to-date on my history homework.

In which Meriwhen is waiting on the nurse/doctor to call her back

No, it's not critical:  otherwise I'd already be in L&D.  Unresolved unilateral leg pain that came on Thursday, is minimally relieved by analgesics, and is NOT a DVT.  Or if it is, it's a very atypical one because I have no other signs of a possible clot:  leg color matches the other, not warm to the touch, not swollen, and a negative Homan's sign (though we all know how reliable that is when it comes to predicting clots).

So I put in a call and now I'm waiting.

October 21, 2012

OK, I really have to stop this slacking

I decided that just now, I really needed to have copies of all of my CEUs together both for my license renewal next year as well as for my certifications.  So I just killed a tree in doing so.  Then I came here. I'm nowhere closer to getting my homework done.  It's also not helping that today it is actually raining here, so I'm excited.  I'd rather be outside on the porch, wrapped in my shawl and reading a book as the mist comes down.  Plus this is excellent napping weather, something which really appeals to me as a pregnant woman.

If it were nice and sunny, I'd have no problem doing homework.

This CEUs for California thing is a mixed blessing.  On one hand, I am forced to work on my continuing education, which I feel that every state BON should encourage to some degree.  My last BON couldn't give a damn about education.  Actually, it didn't seem like they gave a damn about a lot of things...that reminds me, I need to renew my license for that state as well.  Bah.

And to be honest, with maintaining the ANCC certification (and possibly obtaining the CARN certification if I decide to jump for it), I easily rack up 30+ CEUs in a year...and not all of them have to be psych!  Only 51% do.  So it's not as though taking the CEUs is big inconvenience to me.

On the other hand, I have to maintain paperwork for 7 years.  I have memberships at nurse.com and NursingCenter so that covers a good part of the CEU cost, but l still have to pay out of pocket for the really good CEUs.

Four days of work this week:  two half, two full.  It'll pay for the next nursing class that I need to register for...and a whole bunch more of those darn CEUs.

Blah

I am SO unmotivated to work on my management homework.  Two assignments due Monday morning...and since I have a very early OB appointment tomorrow, I don't have the luxury of staying up late tonight.  So if I were intelligent--which I like to think that I am, at times anyway--I'd be doing all I can to get this stuff done ASAP.

Well, no.

Almost done with the shadowing assignment.  Overall, shadowing was disappointing...not through the fault of my nurse leader though.  The timing just wasn't in the cards for me to get some good experiences in.  The other assignment involves handling something according to Texas' Safe Harbor law.  What a beautiful law, wish we had one of those out here...but hey, we have ratios so it's not entirely bad.

I just can't force myself to sit down and do these two assignments.  I am just not in the mood.

Meanwhile, History Part 2 is held up through technical difficulties on the part of the school, so I pretty much have a free pass as far as that's concerned today.  Still, I'd at least like to get my hands on the syllabus so I can start entering all the due dates into iCal.

Oh well.  Back to the grind I (try to) go.

October 18, 2012

I traded in one of my old physical assessment books, which covered most of the cost of the additional textbook I have to buy for the next history class.  I only had to lay out $5 when all was said and done.  Yes, I did have the option of e-book access which would have cost much less...but we all know how I feel about e-books that aren't on Kindle.

Oh well.  I keep telling myself, "May 2013:  BSN, RN."  It's almost over.

I discovered that the APNA now offers a mentor/mentee service.  I can sign up looking for a mentor to assist me in my psychiatric nursing career, or I can volunteer to serve as a mentor for someone else.  I can go to the website, plug in all of the criteria that I am looking for, and poof:  they will match me up with potential mentors/mentees.

I don't think I am experienced enough just yet to serve as an effective PMH nurse mentor.  So when I get all of my homework done, I'm going to sign up as "Mentee seeking Mentor."  It'll be interesting to see if anyone wants to take me under their wing.  Maybe I'll even find one in my area.

October 11, 2012

It's my week off of work.  I got three separate requests asking if I was available to work this week.

Granted, it is October, month of Halloween.  Unfortunately, I am working on Halloween, but given that it's outpatient that day, it shouldn't be too crazy...still can't risk wearing a costume though.  Never a good idea to wear a costume when working in a psychiatric facility.

Remind me to check when the full moon is so I can NOT work that day.

October 10, 2012

Fall finally arrived

Well, California's version of fall:  73 and partly cloudy.  While I'm not quite digging out the wool shawl just yet, I'll take whatever I can get.  I'm glad I'm off today, even though I'm chained to the computer.  I have the windows and the screen door open to catch the nice breeze.  The little one is at school, so the house is tranquil.  Even my history paper has become less of an ordeal...OK, knowing that I've pretty much got the B has helped with that more than the weather has.

It's nice to be able to switch the A/C off for a while, especially since only last week it was in the high 90s, even 100s.

Got to spend the morning with my sister and my two nephews.  Her five-month old has transformed from a grumpy angry baby (GERD, colic both to blame) to an entirely different baby altogether.  He's now smiles and laughter and eager to show off his mad rolling skills.  I could not put him down...well, I did when I wanted to see him show off his mad rolling skills.  It's kind of gotten me excited for what I'll have in store with my own baby...granted, it will be at least a year before he's in the mad rolling skills stage.  But I have to admit I'm getting more excited about his impending arrival.

I thought about postponing the last nursing class of the semester until next year, so I could just relax and  focus solely on History Part 2 for the rest of the year.  But unfortunately, the next time this nursing class is offered is right around my due date, and I can't risk the timing.  Oh well.

Back to my paper...it's not going to write itself!

October 9, 2012

OK...

All my outstanding history assignments have been graded...I've officially passed the class.  I am currently 20 points out from a B, which between two assignments, a paper and a test should be no problem to accrue.   This is good, as this final paper is driving me to the edge of madness.  I'm half-tempted to say "screw it!" and not turn in anything...but I can't bring myself to do that.

October 8, 2012

Every time I debate about whether I should go and get some non-psych experience, I have something that happens at work that reminds me of why I love psych.  It was a busy week but very fulfilling.  Started shadowing my nurse manager and got some good experiences for my project.  Saw a few new psychiatric presentations who were assigned to great MDs who did not mind my asking them questions.  I had a couple of problem children that I felt like I was really able to make a connection with.  While I'm no fool and I know I haven't solved their addiction issues once and for all, I was able to get both of them the help they needed right now.  And I got invited by a unit to work on it.  It's a nice unit too...I told them after I have the baby, I will apply at the first job posting they list.

Some moments of frustration though, such as one doctor who thinks they're God and acts like a complete jerk, and a few patients who'd go missing whenever I'd need to find them for whatever reason.  A couple of fake urine attempts (I just sigh, log the test and let the staff know).  But overall a good week.

I also saw someone with a .35 BAC that you would swear was as sober as a monk under a vow of abstinence.  Functional, did not act impaired in the least, didn't even smell of drink.  But something about the patient triggered the doctor to call for a breathalyzer test.  So I swooped in...and the doctor and charge nurse were just as surprised as I when we gathered around the breathalyzer to see what the result would be.  If it wasn't for the patient's past (and well-known) ETOH history, I would have sworn the breathalyzer was in error and done a retest.

So now I'm off for a few days.  Which is good as I have several major school projects this week.  History Part 1 wraps up, thank God.  Besides the usual assignments there is also a comprehensive essay and the last and thankfully non-cumulative exam.  I should get the official word that I've passed the class in the next day or two, depending on when the last set of projects are graded.  As long as I pull a 50% on both the essay and final, I should have a B.  I refuse to think of what I'd need to get an A:  if it happens, it happens.  So I've decided to focus on the exam because all through the class I've done better on the exams, and not kill myself over the essay.

Meanwhile, in management, I have a presentation and a weekly assignment due.  Fortunately, it's not due until Monday; since all of the history stuff is due by Saturday night, I have all of Sunday to work on this project.  I don't plan to procrastinate on it though.  I did some preliminary research last week for the presentation; I'll start beating drafts together this week.

Then next week, it's just management class and shadowing.  The week after is the final week of management and the start of History Part 2.  Week after, just History.  Then after that, the final nursing class of 2012:  Vulnerable Populations...which rumor has it is probably the hardest and most unfair class in the program.  But I try not to put too much stock in rumors.

The end of this BSN feels like it's finally coming in sight.