Saturday, October 6, 2007

Another Week Survived!

Hooray for another week completed! I survived my Pedi exam (although not as spectacularly as my previous two exams). But still a victory. And tonight I had a great time at pedi clinical. My patient was an adorable little girl who was so sweet. At report, I was told that she did not like any of the nurses and wouldn't let any of them near her without screaming. But I managed to win her over and she even let me take her to the playroom so I could give Mom and Dad a well-deserved rest. (Don't get me wrong - she still screamed when i had to take her vital signs, but after they were done, she was all smiles and giggles.)

This morning in lab it was drilled into us just how scary it is to give meds to children. Because they are so tiny, just the smallest dosage or timing error can have huge ramifications. It was good, because you know, we weren't scared enough already. No exams next week, thank god, but the following two weeks are absolutely insane: 3 midterms, plus 2 papers. Plus all the clincial papers and the accompanying paperwork. Oh and a quiz in Med Surg. I don't expect to sleep next week.

But that's okay, cuz today I made a little girl smile, and that made it all worth it.

3 comments:

Joan said...

Hi Julie,

You make me SMILE too! Children know who they can trust, usually and who their friends are. Instinct takes over.

You have a very calming manner about you on the outside, that is projected.

Congratulation Betsy!

Love ya!

Kathleen said...

I, too, scream and cry when nurses take my vitals. Nothing is worse than those blood pressure thingies that work by themselves... especially when they are attached to the same arm as your IV. Can you say "OUCH?"

Jules said...

Oh..we are told to avoiding hooking up the BP machines on the same arm as an IV site!!! Next time they try to do this, remind the nurse that your IV is on that arm, and ask if she can take your BP on the other arm. You SHOULDN'T have to be in pain for that!