All I can say is EEEEEEKKKKK!!!!!

PHTLS · Sep 27, 2004

I am a little freaked out right now. I had my first pt ever and I am a freshman in the nursing program. We were put on telemetry and I hear that usually only sr's get telemetry. But since they are trying to keep instructors on same units everytime and my instructor got the freshmen this yr, we are on telelmtry. Others that have other instructors got easier places like rehab and such. It is really crazy. Some of my friends on other units hve a pt with only 1 problem with them and no HX of other stuff. My first pt has had heart and lung problems and on 20 meds and I have to emmorize each drug and make up drug cards for each. I am so bogged down with reading to do for lecture and sim lab that I feel like I am going to pass out from exaughstion. I am kinda glad to be doing the hard unit right off the bat as It will better prepare me but it is also not fair that we have 3 times or more the homework and stuff as other students. grrrr!
thanks for letting me vent. I needed that. :)

Those stupid drug cards! I had a shoe box full of em' by the end of my LPN program in the army.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 27, 2004

Thanks for sharing. Tele patients are multi-system patients, and that of course means more work for you. Ugh.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Sep 27, 2004

Awww.... I know it's hard, but look at the brighter side--you'll be so much better prepared than the students who had easy patients!

talaxandra · Sep 27, 2004

I know this doesn't help with the exhaustion, but previous posters are right - you'll be much better prepared, not only for class but also for life as a nurse.

A lot of grads have trouble getting their heads around complex patients which, if you end up working in a an acute area, is pretty much all you'll see! Having a complex patient means that when you have classes about some of the issue he has, you have a tangible case to refer to, which will also help all the theory stick. An important part of nursing is being able to put apparently disparate things together in your head - if he's dehydrated and hypotensive, why are his legs oedematous? for example - and this is the only way to get a handle on that. It also means that treatment is more challenging - how do you rehydrate, to avoid that acute renal failure become chronic, without sending him into congestive cardiac failure - which is more interesting.

Given you're a freshman, don't be too hard on yourself if you don't know everything about every aspect of this patient - that's the case in real life too! Good luck!

Maggie in NC · Sep 27, 2004

One of the nursing students in the student forum has drug cards premade on a yahoo website, that may help. Can you print them and use them? The site is:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/allnursesstudents/files/

Hope that helps...a little!

Agnus · Sep 27, 2004

I am a little freaked out right now. I had my first pt ever and I am a freshman in the nursing program. We were put on telemetry and I hear that usually only sr's get telemetry. But since they are trying to keep instructors on same units everytime and my instructor got the freshmen this yr, we are on telelmtry. Others that have other instructors got easier places like rehab and such. It is really crazy. Some of my friends on other units hve a pt with only 1 problem with them and no HX of other stuff. My first pt has had heart and lung problems and on 20 meds and I have to emmorize each drug and make up drug cards for each. I am so bogged down with reading to do for lecture and sim lab that I feel like I am going to pass out from exaughstion. I am kinda glad to be doing the hard unit right off the bat as It will better prepare me but it is also not fair that we have 3 times or more the homework and stuff as other students. grrrr!
thanks for letting me vent. I needed that. :)

When I was in school I deliberately sought out the more compex patient as there was much more to learn from them. It seems like a lot now but it will pay off in better critical thinking skills.

KibbsRNstudent · Sep 29, 2004

I know this doesn't help with the exhaustion, but previous posters are right - you'll be much better prepared, not only for class but also for life as a nurse.
A lot of grads have trouble getting their heads around complex patients which, if you end up working in a an acute area, is pretty much all you'll see! Having a complex patient means that when you have classes about some of the issue he has, you have a tangible case to refer to, which will also help all the theory stick. An important part of nursing is being able to put apparently disparate things together in your head - if he's dehydrated and hypotensive, why are his legs oedematous? for example - and this is the only way to get a handle on that. It also means that treatment is more challenging - how do you rehydrate, to avoid that acute renal failure become chronic, without sending him into congestive cardiac failure - which is more interesting.
Given you're a freshman, don't be too hard on yourself if you don't know everything about every aspect of this patient - that's the case in real life too! Good luck!

:rotfl: Oh man! You nailed it on the head when it comes to me fright! All that stuff you said, I only knew what you were talking about with half of it!:rotfl: That is what I mean by eek! lol. I just want to do well and I wnat to do good by the pt and I have another hard one tomorrow. I do not wnat to mess up and last week the nurse taht had the pt taht I had did nto help me out at all. Yet some students in my group had thier nurse shadow them and even teach them some stuff. I rarely saw mine ever. I hope I gte a good nurse tomorrow that likes to teach the students.

KibbsRNstudent · Sep 29, 2004

One of the nursing students in the student forum has drug cards premade on a yahoo website, that may help. Can you print them and use them? The site is:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/allnursesstudents/files/
Hope that helps...a little!

OO thanks for that. There are specific things we need ot have on the drug cards and we need ot emmorize all the specific stuff too. I have ordered the Mosby drug cards from Borders.com and I will def. go check out the site you gave. Thanks!!

KibbsRNstudent · Sep 29, 2004

When I was in school I deliberately sought out the more compex patient as there was much more to learn from them. It seems like a lot now but it will pay off in better critical thinking skills.

did you get to pick your pt's? I have to take what the prof gives us. I am nto sure if I shoudl feel flattered or not but I got my assignment for tomorrow and I have the hardest out of all the students in my group. (the prof sent all the assignments in one e-mail to all of us so I got to see who everyone else got) Not sure if the prof thinks I can handle this one or if she is testing my wits. lol

Shed13911 · Sep 29, 2004

You need to get to bed so that you can think clearer than you are typing tonight, LOL!! I know you are stressed but wake up with a smile and remember that you WILL get through the day with more knowledge than you went in with. Good luck!! :rolleyes:

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Sep 29, 2004

I guess the grass is always greener. My first clinical rotation was an a SNF--skilled nursing, like rehab for geezers.

At first, we felt like the unloved stepchild. Everybody else had something exciting--med/surg, ortho..... Before long, I came to love my assignment, as I did every assignment afterward.

One thing I did notice is that at the beginning, I knew very little, so learning all those meds and lab norms seemed like a lot. But later patients had many of the same meds, and the lab norms pretty much stayed the same--so the big work was done!

I suspect it may be a matter of personal attitude. If you look at something and think "ugh," you are not going to be very enthused. But if you look at a challenging patient and think, "oh, boy, today I get to do nursing," you will probably be much happier.

I suspect you will also learn more and get a higher grade. You will also probably be a better nurse.

Good luck! Enjoy those clinicals!