Transition in Transitions

When I started my rotation this semester in my Transition to Professional Practice clinical, I knew that at the half way point of the semester I would be switching units.  What I didn't know was that I would be madly in love with the Emergency Department!!!!!  So Friday was my last day in the ED and I almost cried about it.  I wanted to stay!  Unfortunately, they only allow 2 students per rotation, and 2 other students want the experience so I got ousted.  Boohoo!

So I am moving on to the post surgical floor which still should be interesting, it just won't be the ER.  I think I liked the ER because you get to see a little bit of everything, and it's always different.  I do really enjoy post-surgical stuff also, so I am looking forward to it.  The more experience I can get the better!!!  If there are some nice surgical wounds for me to dress than I will be a happy girl.

Community clinical has me feeling a little bit bored.  I was able to do some home visits last week with a Home Care nurse which was interesting, and I enjoyed myself, I am just not sure that it is for me.  The part that I like is that you get to see the same patients for a longer period of time and therefore you can see a little bit more progress.  The part I don't like is that some of these people live in conditions that are really not god for a patient who is trying to get better from an illness.  A lot of the patients are on Medicaid and are low income, which is reflected in where they live.  It's hard to visualize someone healing in a non-healing environment.  The list of pros and cons goes on, and I can't say that I will never want to do home care, but right now I don't think it is for me.

We are also working on our public policy presentation (the whole clinical, 8 students does the project together).  We are presenting "The Benefits of Integrating Primary Health Care and Behavioral Health Care".  Our goal is to show that early detection of mental illness can reduce tragic occurrences like suicide and homicide (Newtown,CT; Navy Yard Shooting).   Eight of us work on it and we have to identify a public policy that could help solve the problem.  It's an interesting project, but working with large group like that is always a challenge.

Lastly is my septic shock case study.  It has been consuming my life for the last 10 days!  This is another group project (4 students this time) and the presentation has to be between 2 1/2 hrs and 2 hrs 50 min!  It's a long project and required a TON of work.  It seems to be finally coming together and I hope to get a good grade.  Two groups have presented already (each group does a different case study) and they have both gotten Bs. I am hoping to be the first group to pull off an A-, at least.  With the amount of work we have put in I think we deserve it!  The presentation is Wednesday evening and I hope we have a grade by the weekend.

This past week represented by "semester-ly" nervous breakdown.  The part where I freak out and think there is no way I am ever going to get all this stuff done!  The intense anxiety has passed at this point, and I think God definitely had a hand in giving me strength, and confidence in myself.  Not sure how I would have made it through nursing school without a lot of Divine Intervention. . .  

Seems like I am officially at the half way point now.  Transitions clinical ends on 11/22, HESI (our Exit exam) is 12/2 and our public policy presentation is 12/5.  Then it's just a wrap of the semster with one ATI that doesn't count and one final exam.  I am visualizing the finish line and I CANNOT WAIT TO CROSS IT!!!!