The new Change of Shift is up and has the usual hodge-podge of entertaining reads. I also urge readers to hoof it over to March of the Platypi, which is a fab blog I just navigated to (why did I not find it before?). I’m now 30 minutes behind in my schedule because I’ve been glued to my laptop reading all these great nursing stories (and, having gotten THAT far behind, I might as well post…see the logic?).
I’ve just got that “I’m so exhausted I’m numb and not sure how I stay upright” feeling lately. I have had extra clinical gems to attend this week so I’ve had almost no time to study, and it’s that time of the semester when exams, papers, and projects are descending fast and furious. I also have my dreaded health assessment check-offs (child next weekend, adult the Friday after that). These are head-to-toe (200-some check points) physical exams done in front of the teacher, who, agonizingly, check-check-checks the points as you go. They’re quite thorough. I’m petrified I’ll forget something major (like the heart). Will I ever use these skills? I shadowed a hospice nurse this week (see “clinical gems,” above), and after watching me have a listen to a patient’s heart she ridiculed me for listening to all five auscultation points (APE To Man!). “No one does that.” Bummer.
As usual my teachers are trying to scare us, and it’s working. I guess the powers that be are “increading the rigor” of the NCLEX. Can someone please explain to me why, when there is a terrible nursing shortage, it is so freaking difficult to (1) get IN to nursing school, (2) get THROUGH nursing school, and (3) get your license? Why are they ramping up the difficulty? Gah! I was talking to a CMA at my clinical site who tried three times to get in to the program I’m in. She has years of experience and a 3.0 GPA (and a great personality, as evidenced by her lack of vicious hatred of us students, who DID get in to the program), but she gave up trying to be an RN. I know for sure that some worse students sit beside me every day in class, and they have no clinical experience. It just seems so random to me. I’m trying to use that vignette to improve my outlook when I’m tired like I am (other people REALLY WANT to be where I am, so I’d best not complain).
Yeah, my clinical instructor told us the other day that nurses should “shine” while doing their assessment because that is what WE are known for. Haven’t seen an example of that yet, but apparently I am supposed to BE that example when all is said in done. One of my fellow students told me a correct full-physical nursing exam takes about an hour-HA! Not in the real world, baby.