It’s been a long couple of days.  On Wednesday, we had our first exam.   We had to be on West Campus (35-40 minutes away at that time of morning) and in our seats by 0650. Ria arrived at my house at 0520 and Jennifer Ria and I left my house at 0530.  We arrived on campus at 0615.

The exam was given in a computer classroom in the library. It was 80 questions and included two dosage calculations. I think I did okay.  I know that I got 4 wrong for sure.  The pharmacology wasn’t as bad as I anticipated and I got the dosage calculations right.   Some people in my class think they did bad.  I doubt it. Grades will be posted on Friday and I won’t stress about it until I get my grade.

After the exam, we had orientation for the Orlando Health.  We had our orientation with the generic track nursing students so it was pretty elementary stuff for them I believe because this will be there first clinical rotation.  For us advanced standing students  who all already have hospital careers know all this stuff already.   So it was pretty boring.   We got our hospital uniforms after orientation. We all had to try them on. We were all in one room laughing and stripping and trying on those white nursing uniforms.  It was kind of fun.  We actually got out of there at noon as scheduled.

I came home to work on school stuff and I worked until about 11pm and still everything is not done!! I don’t think that since I’ve started this program I am ever just DONE.

This morning I got up early 0640 (although late compared to yesterday.)  and was in the lab by 0845 for my check off at 0930.  The check off this week was Spike prime and time a primary and secondary infusion.  (piggy back).  We had to calculate drops per minute for each line. Easy peesy. We also had to talk about what drug class the drug we were administering Zosyn (Penicillin,  antibiotic)  What do do if the patient has an anaphaylactic reaction.  (stop the infusion and call the doctor.)  In the afternoon, I did my learning assistant check off which was Insertion, irrigation removal and luckily I was also able to do my enteral feeding and med admistration (via NG tube) check off too.  So now I  only have one learning assistant check off left and two weeks to do it.  So that’s awesome.

We had a practice dosage exam. They were mostly word problems which is my weakness.   So I am nervous about that exam which is next Thursday.  My faculty check off next Thursday is Medication adminstration.  PO, IM and Sub Q route. Sounds easy right?  Not so much.  Have to know and locate  all the sites that you can administer the different routes.  The drugs (our manikins actually have charts with orders and stuff.  Pretty neat) we are administering if they will interact with each other, timing etc.  I practiced my IM and sub Q today on the Inject-a-pad with the teacher today. She picked me because I had never injected anything (except lidocaine just under the skin). I kept getting corrected and I did it many many times both IM and Sub Q.

Today I became the curriculum concern representative  for my CRN (our class is separated into 2 CRN’s- 03 and 04, I am in 03).  So when it comes time to review the curriculum I bring my classes concerns to her.

I am taking a break from school work tonight.  I am bone tired.