Suzanne Nosko

NUR2811C
Prof: Dr. Yates
July 19, 2015

Journal Entry #6

For some reason I felt very energized at clinical all day today. It was
like I had this boost of adrenaline from I have no idea where. Somehow
though, I knew it had to do with having passed HESI and my nursing program
coming near to a successful end. I was finally feeling like I was near the end
of the beginning of something that I had long worked for. I had another
nursed today named Marie. I was very lucky because Marie was very kind
and patient as well. She had a very calm demeanor yet was exceptionally
skilled. It was no surprise when she told me she was a nurse for over 15
years. She had been a Med-Surge nurse before coming to the CCU floor. I
liked how she easily developed positive relationships with the patients and
family.
During the day, the V-fib alarm went off and upon investigation it was
just the patient moving about. I remembered learning that when I was
preparing for my HESI exam. The nurse explained some of the machinery
and procedures on some of the patients such as the Impella on one patient
and the Swan on several others. I even got to observe as one of the doctors
removed the Swan on a patient. I also had the opportunity to observe a
dialysis treatment on a kidney failure patient. It wasnt until this moment
that I actually realized how big the needles used to access the fistula really
were. The patient was not new to dialysis treatment at all and I could see
how much the needle pinch hurt even after having it done so often. I could
see scarring from the number of times he was stuck for dialysis. I was able to
feel the thrill on his fistula and auscultate the bruit. The nurse offered a brief
explanation about the dialysis machine and the procedure.
Later on, we had a new admission and I assisted in getting everything
settled. My nurse also explained to me as she navigated through the charting
system to document correctly for the patients. I measured the urine output
for all her patients and brought her the data. I learned a lot from Marie, and
like my other clinical days, there was plenty to do and learn about.