Ostomy Pride

Well, I've never written two posts in one day but as I was sitting here studying for a test I have on Monday, I came across this picture of a sexy lady with an ostomy.

This sort of reminds me of something you'd see in San Francisco where diversity of EVERY kind is celebrated. It's got to be mighty difficult living with one of these.

Nurses are Bitches

I don't think many people know how mean nurses can be to each other and to students. It's been a few weeks since I've come across one, but there are some really angry nurses out there. If you don't believe me, look around for yourself, there are entire books dedicated to the topic. As students, we see a lot of this (I'm hoping more of it than we will as RN's).

I had a classmate get a pen thrown at her by an angry nurse on our OB rotation and I've spent the day with plenty who would not even introduce themselves to me. It's been FUN! Whenever I come across these people, I can't help but think, "You weren't BORN a nurse! What is your problem?" We've talked about it in class and our instructors know the story. "Don't they remember being students??" we cry, and their reply is always, "No, they don't."

End of Life

My patient this week was in his 9th decade -a WW II veteran from the Marine Corps who'd been all over the world. I got my first shot at shaving a patient with him, which was scary and also kind of funny. I didn't cut him, thank god, but he looked kind of like a mangy puppy after I finished. He was so happy though, he just kept telling me what a great job I'd done even though he had no idea what he looked like. 

I was so surprised at how lucid he was when I met him. I like how he called his hearing aids his "ears", his glasses his "eyes", and his oxygen cannula his "breathers."

Thinking about how he was reaching the end of his life made me a little sad. I don't think he's going to make it too much longer. Even though he's had a long life and a pretty good one judging by his spirit, it's still an end none-the-less. He'll have some time now to look over his life and think about everything he's done and seen, and when he's gone someone will have lost their dad, their husband, their buddy... It's like the end of an era. Makes ya feel a little melancholy...

Neurosurgical Floor

This week my clinical group moves from a general Medical/Surgical floor to a Neurosurgical floor. I've heard really great things about this unit from classmates who spent their first 5 weeks of the Med/Surg rotation there. This means I'm half way through the Med/Surg rotation!! I'll be singing and dancing when April comes (not only will I be done with Med/Surg but I hear Winter will be over by then...).

I skipped my 8am class today to study for a damn Med/Surg test I'm taking this afternoon. This is the first class I have missed during this entire program (yes, I'm a nerd)!!!

The "make anyone ugly" hat!

I had to wear one of these all day today. I never realized how one accessory could make so many people look so unattractive. This hair covering, shower cap, whatever you want to call it is truly an equal opportunity homely-making machine. If you're ever having one of those days where you're feeling a little down about your looks, I recommend you take a stroll through the operating room department at your local hospital.