Last day of older adults clinical

Yesterday was the last day of our first clinical. Everyone was really happy and our instructor brought in donuts, so everyone got a stomach ache, but even that couldn't get us down. I don't think most of us enjoyed that clinical very much so we were kind of excited to move on to other types of clinical settings that we had more interest in. To me, nursing homes are really sad.

I think there is a handful of special nurses who truly feel called to geriatric nursing and I am not one of them. I was excited to be done with this clinical, but surprised myself with how sad I felt leaving my residents. Most of them are very dependent on the CNAs for all their daily activities and due to problems in the entire system (money, cost, time, people, etc.), they're basically just left alone all the time.  Say each CNA has 8 residents at a time. On an 8 hour shift, the aid would average 1 hour with each resident. In a 24 hour day, each resident would only have 3 total hours of help from a CNA. Imagine being completely dependent on someone for everything: to stand up, to go to the bathroom, to push your wheelchair, to eat, and you only had that person there 3 hours everyday. It leads to isolation and depression which just exacerbates existing  health issues. For this clinical, I didn't really feel like I did much physical 'nursing', just assessments and keeping the residents company. I felt like I made the biggest difference just sitting and holding old ladies' hands. But this extra time with each resident is only possible when you have a group of 10 students dropped off at your facility on top of your paid CNAs, RNs and admins. But if I was actually a nurse or CNA working at the facility, I would never have time to sit with a resident and talk to them about anything. It's not about finding more caring RNs and CNAs: its about fixing a system and finding or making more resources.

Anyway, this week felt like a milestone: finishing our first clinical with our med-surg clinical on the horizon. I'm pretty excited to get into the hospital next quarter and see new things.

Most important decision of the day: which donut to eat

Before I got into nursing school, I'd always see these pictures of groups of girls in scrubs who were in nursing school and I thought they were the coolest. This is one of those pictures, but I don't feel as cool as I imagined those girls were...

Coincidences + Cuffs

Today a cool coincidence happened! I love coincidences because they give me a sense of destiny and faith and yada yada yada. Just kidding, I just love coincidences because they are fun!

So this morning, Seattle experienced it's first sunny day in probably two weeks. I went to Starbucks to get studying for my test on Friday, and I got a text from my favorite future nurse ever, Jenny, commenting on how there was so much cute clothes at Gap... Gap like 5 stores down from me?!!!?!?! So I told her to come find me and she did! And what did she have with her? All her stuff to study for pharm with me!!!  I know see this girl for a full day pretty much every other day, but I even surprised myself with how excited I was to see her. Yay for unexpected coincidences!


Also, I am noticing (partly due to Jenny) that cuffed jeans are the newest trend, so I cuffed my jeans today. I must say it makes me feel cool, but also short. This is what Gap's website looks like right now. Cuffs people, yay or nay?

STRESSED OUT

I am so stressed! My second pharmacology test is on Friday and it basically requires me to memorize 25+ drugs with scientific names that I can't break down, drug classes, mechanisms of action, uses and side effects. W.T.F. This is one of those stresses that I dread and dread and dread from at least a week ahead of time, and it consumes my whole life until the test is actually over! What I should really be doing is studying, but when I look at my notes, I'm just overloaded. Then I shut down and lie in bed and nap (I think I have taken a nap everyday since last Wednesday). Eventually when studying actually becomes cramming, I'll get down to it and just do it. It's easy for other people to tell me that they're sure I'll be fine- that's because I'm the one that has to study, not them! 

When I get stressed about school, I get stressed in all parts of my life!! So I'm a nervous wreck over here. Maybe if I get above a 95% on this test, I'll buy myself these or these... Just kidding. They're so beautiful, but I am too poor. Have a good week everybody.

Natalie Dee will always understand me

John visited [part 2]

So I was in such a rush the other day, that I know my post did not do the weekend as much justice as it should have. I had a fab-u-lous weekend. I don't think I've been that happy since last time John was in town. I was so excited to wake up every morning to get my day started and I wanted everyday not to end. It feels to nice to just forget everything and spend some good old time with your boo. I had giant virtual pile of pictures on my phone so I got to looking through them and found a bunch more I wanted to share.



But of course, it was time to get back to real life. Just yesterday I started reorienting myself back into school work and I got really stressed out and just wished it was the weekend again. I'll basically be full on school mode, no messing around until spring break. At least the distance gives me my own time to study. Here's to long distance relationships! and the soon-to-come end of winter!!

President's day weekend... with John!

What a weekend, packed full of John! I had a fabulously long weekend that is finally just ending now. I just dropped John off that the airport and I have just less than an hour before I have to leave for work and get back to real life. It's always such a blast when John comes because I basically throw school and work out the window and it feels like a vacation for the both of us.

We rode the ducks on the rainiest day ever, but John had been wanting to go ever since he moved away (because he is considered a tourist here now...?) so we braved the storm and actually learned a bunch of new things about the city. Also when John comes, we eat out all weekend long at goooooood places so we can hang out with his friends and family. We went to a Brazilian buffet steakhouse and it was so good and expensive. I felt bad for eating so much meat, but hey, once and never again! John's bro even took us to the range and I shot a gun for the first time. It was one of those traumatizing events that I don't remember well even though it was less than 24 hours ago. I also took my only photo of John ever at the airport, usually because we're so sad to be leaving that we don't take pictures or we're so happy to see each other, we forget to take them. In it he is crying because he is so sad he is going to miss me! Poor guy. Send this guy home! This entry is haphazard because I am overwhelmed and in a rush. I think these pictures will be much more enjoyable than my awful writing.


ps. he is crying because he is going to miss me so much.

John visits tomorrow!

John visits tomorrow! I'm so excited. With our busy schedules, and the fact that, uh, we live 2000 miles away from each other, I am really ready to have a big fat weekend full of John!! Our Skype sessions lately have been less than ideal. With the time difference and each others' crazy sleep schedules, we have basically been taking turns watching each other sleep. Also, taking pictures of each other sleeping because it is funny. See you soon, sweet John!

omg my parents like each other

Last Sunday, I went on my weekly pilgrimage to my parents’ for lunch. None of my sisters made it home, so I sat across the table from both of them while my dad was telling me a story about the guy who invented Botox. I question the accuracy of his story, but the story goes that Botox was originally intended for face lifts for functional reasons, not cosmetic. So some old lady had drooping eyes and couldn't see, so a doctor injected her face with botox and it lifted her eyelids so she could see. To tell this story, my dad physically raised his brows which scrunched his forehead and made like 7 distinct wrinkles cross his entire forehead. My mom started giggling and stared at his wrinkles for a sec before reaching for his forehead as if smoothing out the wrinkles. My dad didn't even notice and kept telling the story, and my mom looked at my dad in a sweet way that was like, “aww, dad is getting old”.

 I don’t know why it surprised me so much. I have never seen any sort of PDA from my parents and I've never heard them say ever use ‘love’ and ‘you’ in the same sentence (in neither Vietnamese nor English). I've always thought they married each other for survival in the US, but I guess I’m just realizing they fell in love with each other afterward. I'm torn between feeling like, "Gross, parents..." and, "aww, my parents have feelings". At the same time, I think if you’re around someone enough, you just start to like them.

Anyway, this is an old picture of my parents that I love! They look so cool and retro. I can't wait til I have pictures like this. I have no idea when this was taken, possibly before any of us were born. They look so young, I can't believe they had 4 children. I can see me and Kim in my mom, and Liza and Linda in my dad. Am I right?
 

Happy

I usually have the most vivid dreams and remember a lot of it when I wake up. I think I have been really stressed out lately because I have been waking up with this horrible feeling in my stomach and really hot. I haven't remembered any of my dreams either which means I'm probably having bad dreams. I hate those kinds of days. It really gets my day off to the wrong start and it feels like I have a little gray cloud hanging over my head the whole day. Anyway, I listened to Pharrell's Happy and I couldn't help but feel happy.

Uh, on another note, Pharrell is 40?! Good work Pharrell. You can also go to www.24hoursofhappy.com to watch people dance and sing for 24 hours. I'm watching the red head in the zebra skirt (9:16 am) dance down the street like she doesn't give a crap and it is awesome. I seriously do feel really happy. Happy Tuesday everybody!

Christmas in February

Yesterday I left work  at 9:15 pm to be greeted by a crazy snow shower! IN FEBRUARY. IN SEATTLE. It probably only snowed for a couple hours, but by then the temperatures had dropped to below freezing and that stuff was sticking til morning! It was very pretty looking outside this morning, and I was secretly hoping for the snow fiesta we had 2 years ago where campus was closed for 3 days (unheard of!), but no, it's almost all melted now. Anyway, go away snow, because John is coming this weekend so fingers crossed, no delayed flights this weekend.

p.s. this is global warming and we should all be very concerned

pokes, sticks, injections

After getting stuck

For the past week, we've been learning how to do injections and practicing it on each other! It's actually a blast and we feel super cool and nurse-y. We practiced intradermal and subcutaneous injections on hot dogs and oranges, before practicing on each other. We did intramuscular on each other and it seemed like everyone just closed their eyes, held their breath and "darted" the needle. Yes, that was the actual term they used to describe how to stick each other. Today we did blood glucose testing and that there is my actual blood glucose level an hour after lunch!  Even though we're all holding our breath and my blood pressure is crazy high all lab, doing all these things for the first time is so exciting!!! It feels good just to get the first one out of the way so that when we actually do it on patients, it is a little less intimidating, but I'm sure we'll all still be freaking out then.

On another note, can I just mention the weather right now? The last couple days has been below freezing. It has literally been 25 degrees and my face is permanently frozen. I think my toes are semi-permanently discolored too. Spring please come soon.

View from my commute

Pity party

Do you ever feel like everyone is against you some times? Not like everyone is purposely working together to work against you, but things in completely separate parts of your life are not as good as they could be, and collectively you just feel like one big bucket of low self-esteem? That's how I feel right now.

I hate this feeling and I rarely have serious pity parties. I'm usually not super worried or stressed out about the things that I'm worried about right now so it makes this pity party even less worthy of it becoming a party. Here is my list of things I need to do to become happier:

1. Quit one of my jobs
2. Live drive-able distance away from boyfriend
3. Get a haircut
4. Go on vacation
5. Lie in bed and not wake up to an alarm tomorrow morning

Until I can get any of those things done, here is a picture of cute cats wrapped up like human babies. Alright, no pity party for a long time.

It is 24 degrees right now in Seattle. Bundle up.

Over the weekend...

As I mentioned previously, my good friend from high school visited over the weekend. Sooah is the only one of my girlfriends from high school who doesn't live in the area and there's a not-so-secret-love-octagon between us so all of us basically pushed aside all our work and life plans for an evening to go hang out with her. I'm pretty sure she is the most loved one and I am completely jealous.

All of us really grew up together through grade school and I really do think we are a special little bunch. Since high school, we've slowly become more independent from each other, but at the same time more dependent on each other in other ways. Does that even make sense? Whenever we see each other we always pick up right where we left off. Even if I don't talk to these girls in a while, I feel like they understand my soul. Like when they think of me, they think of the soul that makes up me, not my face or what I did last week. At least that's how I feel about them.

Pleased with myself cuz I got me a bowl of pho...

Also over the weekend, the Seahawks won their first Super Bowl championship! I was planning to watch it at my parents' house because it would have been calm and I would have gotten to study a little bit, but I was watching pregame coverage and got so excited that I ended up going to a Super Bowl party. No one expected it to be a blow out, but the Seahawks won 43-8! The city was basically rioting last night with people mobbing the streets and cars honking like mad men. There was so much traffic for 8 pm on a Sunday and I think the city was literally on fire.

Boyfriend was in New York for the weekend attending all the Seahawk festivities and he made it onto the Seahawks archive! Honestly, I think it's about time. He's been traveling to all the away games from Kentucky. That's one good thing about long distance. It's his tiny claim to fame and now he will forever be a part of the Seahawks franchise... Dream come true.

L O B

Youngest QB EVER to win the SB... love you Russell Wilson...

[Seahawk pictures courtesy of Google]

Super Bowl 48

Happy Super Bowl! Go Hawks!