oneofHIs

About 5 years ago I was a CNA. There was a large woman on my floor that had both legs amputated due to DM. Being the size she was and not very healthy, she had really given up on life in general. She hit the call bell to be put on a bedpan. Needless to say the pan disappeared under her size, but that's not the bad part. When I came back to take her off, she was so large she could not wipe herself (#2), so I, being the pleasant CNA I was, proceeded to clean her. She was a dark skinned African American lady so I did not notice the "raw" area around her rectum. When I wiped she yelled and clenched her butt cheeks, which lodged my hand in there!!!!! Her "gluteal cleft" was so "deep" that my whole hand seemed to disappear, all the way up to the edge of the glove!!!!! I had to quickly pat her thigh with my other hand and tell her "OK sweetie, you're going to have to relax and take some deep breaths and let me have my hand back." I was so scared the glove was going to be sucked off and I was going to have to go in after it. Well, she relaxed, I got my hand back (glove and all), and have been much more careful to notice any raw spots on anyone's bottom!!!

I'm in my first year of nursing school, and these are all great advice. Keep it up, I'm rolling on the floor over here.

You made me laugh out loud! My children look at me the same way. Shoot, my husband looks at me the same way when I try to tell him how to make a bed!!!

I will be 39 in 2009 when I finish with my ADN, then I plan to get my BSN and even my masters. When I graduate in May '09, it will be almost 20 years to the day I graduated High School. Life has a funny way of taking detours!!!

Our school has a pinning ceremony a few days before the actual graduation ceremony. I haven't been to one, just heard about it. I do know that during the pinning we are supposed to wear the traditional white dress for women and all white for males, with the nursing hats ( I loves those studid little hats, they are so cute). There is something to do with lamps and "ceremonial lighting of the lamps"? I am President of my class and was told I have a part in this ceremony (they didn't tell me what, though). Just last week, I finally met the Pres. of the outgoing class and asked her what I'm supposed to do? She told me all I have to do is give a speech!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me???????????????? Anyway, since I'm an officer, we are the marshalls for this year's ceremony, so I'll get to see what it's all about.

Thanks. Advice taken. Although as a CNA I had helped this same wound nurse several times do these wound VAC's. The ER doc's had originally thought the incidenced were connected, but as I passed out on the way home with no wound VAC in sight, they decided to admit me for further tests. I was afraid the two were connected, even though I didn't feel like the "sight" bothered me. I was afraid I woudl not be able to handle these types of things as a nurse, knowing the responsibility was mine now, not just a CNA helping. I am drawn to ER nursing and would love to end up there. Thanks for answering my thread.

I'm not a nurse (yet) and I haven't witnessed a "code" but I have helped with postmortem care as a CNA. My first time was in clinical, our instructor came and gathered about 6 of us to watch postmortem care. I had never seen a dead body except in a casket at a funeral. I felt very strange walking past the family standing in the hall while we filed in the room. They were cleaning her up and changing clothes and linens while they were talking to us students. The Pt was literally "flopping" around as they moved her to change linens. Her arm slipped off the bed and I reached to put it back on, when I felt how cold she was. I did not expect to feel that emotional about it. I instantly thought "this woman is standing before God at this very moment". I started to well up with tears so I stepped out of the room so my instructor would not see me. As I stepped into the hall, the family was standing right there. The daughter (probably in her 40's) said to me "Aww, she's crying. Is that your first dead body honey?" I was floored! I did not answer and went to the break room as quick as possible. Later, my instructor told me I needed to be more "professional about these things. Then, about 2 years later, I had a sweet elderly woman pass away while I was working night shift. Her family was expecting it and they were all gathered around her bed and singing her favorite hymns. We could hear them at the nurse's desk at 2 o'clock in the morning. They came out and told us she opened her eyes (which she had not done in a week) and looked up, smiled, then passed. The nurse and I went in to "prepare" her as the family left to make phone calls. That nurse was so caring! We gently changed her clothes, removed all tubes, changed her linens, combed her hair, positioned her peacefully, lowered the lights, removed everything but the bed, brought in more chairs for the family, and we talked about what a wonderful life she must have led to have so many loving people around her at her death. So far, those are my only two experiences with death in the hospital setting.

Just thought I'd respond to you since you used the word ya"ll. I'm a Southern Belle at heart. I see you're from Michigan. Not too many ya"ll users up there. I'm new to this chat room and forum thing. I like to read what others post also. Good to know it's going well for you. I just finished my first semester of nursing school. All A's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, 2 A's, I only had 2 classes, but all A's sounds better!! My advice... take every class you can BEFORE you get in, that way you only have nursing classes left. That's what I did. So far so good. Later...

Does anyone else have a first day story like this? My first day of clinical, I was standing at the end of a Pt's bed, watching a wound VAC procedure, and I passed out cold. The student next to me caught me so I didn't hit the floor, but they weren't sure if I had had a seizure. So I ended up in the ER, where I heard people whispering, and some actually came and asked me "Are you the nursing student that passed out?" I ended up staying 2 days because they had released me to go home and my husband was driving, on the way home I passed out again. Five minutes after leaving the ER I was back. After 2 days and $10,000 later they told me I had vaso vagal syncope and orthostatic hypotension aggrivated by dehydration and not eating that morning. Moral of the story? Eat breakfast and drink lots of fluid before clinicals.

I think I'm getting a PDA for Christmas from my husband. I'm starting my second semester and so many people have them. I don't know what to do with it or what I need to have on it. I'm not even sure I know how to use it? Any suggestions?

Hey, I'm new to this nurses.com thing. This is my first reply. I did get an A in A&P 1 and A&P 2. I also tutored A&P 1. It was suggested to me to take A&P before I got in the program so that is what I did. Thank God!! Because that was some of the hardest studying I ever did! Some of my friends got C's though and they got in just the same as I did. They did have good grades and a good GPA from other courses though. If you have a high C, I wouldn't take it again (as long as you feel like you learned the material and maybe you just didn't test well). I hope you get in. I'm getting ready to start my second semester (all A's the first semester!!!!!!!!!!!!)I love it. I've waited so long for this.I'm started a whole new career. I'm old enough to be a mom to some of the people in my class.