Today was lab orientation.  We went over the entire lab manuel and got loads more information thrown at us. My brain is on serious overload right now.

We were introduced to the labs today.  There are several “patient rooms” that are set up like old wards with 4 patients to a room.  One had a tracheostomy with a trach collar, and an abdominal wound.  One had a nasal cannula with an abdominal wound, another had just a stoma, was reading a book and had  red painted fingernails and the last had an NG tube (nasal gastric).  There are three or four other such rooms in the lab.

We already have a check off on Monday.  We learned how to do a wound dressing change. (wet/ dry).  I volunteered to go first and I got that old feeling of “holy crap, I don’t know how to do this!” I could feel my ears get red and my face get hot with each criticism of my technique.  I was very nervous too. I don’t know why I expected myself to be perfect on my first try.  I have too high expectations of my self all the time. I don’t know if I will ever be able to let that go.  It’s just who I am. I have made plans with another classmate to practice wound dressing change for a deep wound.  I need to practice several more times.  I have also about 60 additional pages to read just about wounds and some videos to watch.

Thankfully, we have gotten a group together to do learning questions in the modules (for both nursing and pharmacology)  as a group by dividing them up and sharing the answers so we have  a good study guide for exams (of which there are only two) That will help.

I really felt overwhelmed at lunch time to the point where I was near tears wondering if I would be able to do this.  Thankfully we all sat together at lunch and chatted and laughed.  Great pressure releaser.

I feel really bad because I was scheduled to work this Monday and Ihad to tell my employer that I couldn’t work because I had to be in lab.  It was on my calendar but I guess we both forgot and I got scheduled.  I feel bad because they are now short and now someone else will have to pick up my slack.

One thing I learned on the first day that I forgot to mention is that while I have two classes this semester, Transition to Professional nursing and Maternal Child Health, It is only Transition to Professional Nursing for the first 6 weeks and then Maternal child health for the remainder of the time.  We have to pass 13 skills check offs in the next 6 weeks before we start clinical.  So fast!