Just finished my first year!

Published Jul 6, 2008

37 Posts

I'm a postin' fool this morning!!! LOL! Forgive me, but I haven't been able to post since I started in Sept., so I'm very inquisitive this morning!

How was everyone's first year? or second?

Aside from the normal nursing school gripes, it wasn't too bad. My first year went like this(probably similar to yours):

First semester: fundamentals, pharmacology, Assessement class, Skills lab/lecture (how to insert foleys, NG tubes, sterile technique, etc) Clinicals: 5 week rotation at LTC, 5 week med/surg rotation; Sat with a pt while he died! :sniff: It was a heart-wrenching experience!

Second semester: Classes: Pathophysiology, OB, Med-surg. Clinicals: 5 weeks OB! LOVED LOVED LOVED this rotation, I got to "baby catch" 6 times! (That's the term we used, don't know it's universal or not; just means I got to assess, weigh, measure, vax, and do all paperwork on baby) 5 weeks of med/surg rotation: did alot of sterile dressings, monitoring of chest tubes/NG tubes. 2 weeks OR (:chair: not my cup of tea, I was one of those students that gets nauseous easily)

Third Semester. spring: 1 class, med-surg. Clinical: Med-surg: got quite alot of experience with ostomy care, took care of a pt with an abd. fistula, lots and lots of diabetes care, and not yet one cath placement!!!!

So all in all, a good first year I think. Our class has already lost over 45 students and counting. So that's kind of sad.

We don't get to do ANYTHING with IV"s until last semester, so I'll be patiently waiting for that. I'm getting better with care plans though. But I'd like to insert a foley cath sometime this century!:chuckle

What about you?