14 Shifts in 3 weeks

14 shifts! That comes out to 168 hours! (12 hour shifts, remember?) In only 3 weeks. That's like 4 weeks of work in 3 weeks. Wow! I feel more important or responsible or something like that... And I'm not that tired today either, but my mood has been a bit labile (up and down)... but that could be the mocha I had from Starbucks.

So, great news! I just officially signed up for my nurse externship class with Alvarado Hospital in the DOU/ICU. I'll have 2 months in the DOU and 2 months in the ICU. When I finish with this, I'll go into a New Grad nursing program in the ICU for about 3 months or less and then start a full-time job in the ICU on night shifts. I'm totally excited. A little scared too, but excited. I know it's a lot of experience for only a year's worth of nursing experience, but I feel like I'll be ready.

So far I've done 6 days on the telemetry floor in Sharp Grossmont. Telemetry means that the patients are on heart monitors because they either have rhythm irregularities or came into the hospital with chest pain. I've learned a lot about this stuff too. For example, any patient who experiences A-fib (atria of the heart don't beat in a regular pattern) will have to be on anti-coagulant therapy, Wafarin (Coumadin). I've also learned some more medications and the parameters under which to give them. I feel so smart! Yah me!... ahem. I mean, Praise God! :D

I started another successful IV also. And I've taken out 2 foley catheters.... from women! :
Monday begins our re-entry into school for this last semester. We'll have some skill reviews, orientation for maternal-child and a review on EKGs, for the Telemetry floors that we're on. I hope to learn a lot from that day because I only understand the basics right now. (If there's no P-wave, then the patient is in A-fib/A-flutter; if there's more than 10 normal QRS complexes with P and T waves, then it's Sinus Tachycardia, etc.) I still don't understand PVCs very well or what V-Tach looks like on the monitor (but I do know that V-Tach is when the ventricles are beating independent of the Sinoatrial node, which is fairly dangerous).

Monday also is Shannon's next scheduled appointment for an ultrasound. Yah! I'm so excited to see my unborn child. It's been awesome to see Shannon's belly grow. She just started to feel it kick this last week. By now it's practically fully developed. All the organs exist and most of the neural connections are complete. Everything just needs to mature and the bones need to develop from the existing cartilage (pre-bone) I think.

Now... add all of what I said to the fact that we're moving this next weekend and, hopefully, you'll feel so compassionate that you'll volunteer to help us move. We're planning on Saturday, but might do it on Sunday if our friends move on Saturday also. So please, come help. New address: 4496 1/2 48th St. Yah!!!!! a 2 Bedroom, just for baby McMahon. Thank you Jesus!