Share your highlights of the semester!!!

[alexillytom]

I just finished my first semester of nursing school. I failed my first exam, got B's on the next two. After agonizing for two days, I just found out I got an 85 on the final. That brings my final grade to 84.9 which is a B. I'll take it. The hardest part of this first semester was giving up on an A. School, in general, has been very easy for me but nursing school was a wake up call. I fought hard for every grade I got. So, I am more proud of this B than any A I've gotten in my other classes. I learned ALOT and am looking forward to Peds/OB next semester.

Now for my highlights:

1. Being assigned a pt. w/ end stage renal failure, double leg amputee, diabetes, hypertension, severe pain, and depression. I was very intimidated because he was in so much pain but I convinced his nurse that he needed the morphine that the doctor ordered instead of the acetaminophen she decided would work. He was dying and was grateful that someone cared about his comfort.

2. My 92 yr. old pt, dx pneumonia, DNR, DNI died right after I went in to check on him. Prior to his dying I got to suction him. Everything was just like the simulator until I saw the sputum. For some reason I didn't think it would be that green/yellowish color. I almost lost my breakfast. On a high note, the family and chaplain thanked me for being so available for whatever they needed after he died. I was also able to participate in post-mortem care.

3. The last day of clinical, I helped with an 88 year old man who fell. His wife was there and they had only been married for 6 years. Before she left for the day she started talking dirty to her husband. When I tried to excuse myself, she pulled me into the conversation. She talked about them making love for eight hours. He said she was going to kill him. I told him, that he would die happy. She said, "So will I."

[Soon-to-be-NurseJess]

I actually just finished my ADN program, and this is the highlight of my entire clinical career.

I had a 65 yr old pt in on the medsurg unit (can't remember his diagnosis for this particular hospitalization) but he had had a stroke in 1989 and had expressive aphasia (could understand everything you said but couldn't express himself verbally) and he had virtually no use of the right side of his body. The only words he could say was Morning, Yes, and Sh*t (pretty funny actually). He was the kindest man tho. You could carry on a 45 minute conversation with him just by watching his facial expressions as he said 'Mornin, Mornin, Mornin, Sh*t Mornin'. I had him 2 days the week he was there and on my last day I told him that that was the last day I would be working with him, he was being discharged the next morning and he got his wife to hand him a folder. He gave me a picture he had drawn of a gas station that had been down the road from his house when he was 8 years old. Since his stroke in 1989 he had been able to very clearly recollect buildings and places from his childhood and he drew these beautiful, detailed ink drawings of them with his left hand (his previously nondominant hand). He 'told' me in his own way that he only gave away his drawings to the nurses that took good care of him and that he liked. Thats one of the days I left clinical and said to myself "this is why I want to be a nurse" It was really a lovely gesture.

Other highlights include all the times a pt or family member stops me in the hall or before I leave to let me know they think I'm going to be a great nurse and to thank me for my care.

[BunnyRN]

Other highlights include all the times a pt or family member stops me in the hall or before I leave to let me know they think I'm going to be a great nurse and to thank me for my care.

That's what nursing is all about. Congrats on graduating!!!

[MMARN, BSN, RN]

I actually just finished my ADN program, and this is the highlight of my entire clinical career.

I had a 65 yr old pt in on the medsurg unit (can't remember his diagnosis for this particular hospitalization) but he had had a stroke in 1989 and had expressive aphasia (could understand everything you said but couldn't express himself verbally) and he had virtually no use of the right side of his body. The only words he could say was Morning, Yes, and Sh*t (pretty funny actually). He was the kindest man tho. You could carry on a 45 minute conversation with him just by watching his facial expressions as he said 'Mornin, Mornin, Mornin, Sh*t Mornin'. I had him 2 days the week he was there and on my last day I told him that that was the last day I would be working with him, he was being discharged the next morning and he got his wife to hand him a folder. He gave me a picture he had drawn of a gas station that had been down the road from his house when he was 8 years old. Since his stroke in 1989 he had been able to very clearly recollect buildings and places from his childhood and he drew these beautiful, detailed ink drawings of them with his left hand (his previously nondominant hand). He 'told' me in his own way that he only gave away his drawings to the nurses that took good care of him and that he liked. Thats one of the days I left clinical and said to myself "this is why I want to be a nurse" It was really a lovely gesture.

Other highlights include all the times a pt or family member stops me in the hall or before I leave to let me know they think I'm going to be a great nurse and to thank me for my care.

It's highlights like these that reaffirm my calling and goal to become a nurse!!!!!! :nurse: :nurse: :nurse: