What's the coolest thing you have done or seen so far?

[Nepenthe Sea]

I was just wanting to hear from you guys about the coolest things that you have seen or done since starting clinicals. I am almost finished with my first semester of nursing school, but we don't do clinicals in the Intro classes. I am scared s%^&less sometimes when I read your accounts of clinicals days! I wanted to balance that with some good, fun stories. I realize that clinicals are going to be overwhelming and stressful alot, but I know there have got to be some good moments. And I would like to hear about them :).

TIA!

[scrublifenurse10, LPN]

most interesting thing i've seen so far was a lung biopsy....also got to se a patient put on a ventilator...it was interesting, but sad too.

[motyandproudofit]

idaho Murse2b - I understand what you mean by awesome!! I have been in situations, too that as awful as they are it is amazing to be there witnessing all that is going on.

[drugstorecowgirl214]

I had a peds neuro doc bet me that I wouldn't sit in on one of his cases. I showed him!!! He let me watch a case of a 10 year old girl who'd had an untreated sinus infection which went into her brain. I was "rubbin' elbows" with him on that craniotomy! It was incredible to watch. I've also watched the heart docs do a closure on a 7 year olds chest.

Exciting stuff man!

[Idaho Murse]

I'm sorry, but how in the world is it "awesome" when someone codes??

Wow.

Well when you are learning and you get to do something for the first time. When that patient lived, and you had a direct influence one the outcome albeit a small one. Well damn it, it made you feel good. So please remove yourself from your soap box. Thanks!

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Well when you are learning and you get to do something for the first time. When that patient lived, and you had a direct influence one the outcome albeit a small one. Well damn it, it made you feel good. So please remove yourself from your soap box. Thanks!

WOAH! Chill.

Your post said NOTHING about the pt surviving...

Of course it is awesome to have an influence on something so powerful and amazing.

And no.. I'm not on a soapbox as you put it. Just being realistic.

Congrats on saving the pt.

Cheers,

Diane

[pooptacular]

well, i was going to say c-section...until recently.

lemme tell you about some interesting things i've gotten to see, before i get to the most interesting:

incision and drainage on a baby with a gnarly (that's medical jargon, right!?) abcess

2 atrial valve replacements (obviously separate pts.!)

paracentesis due to cirrhosis/hepatitis

put in a foley (always quite exciting for us nursing students)

remove some drains

post-op after testicular torsion

and here's the really interesting thing (circumstances are quite unfortunate, but i'm glad we could see this):

an almost 4lb. infant born w/ intrauterine growth retardation. the baby's genitalia was uhm, ambiguous (creative paperwork ensued). it looked somewhat like a member, but no foreskin. there was no scrotum, let alone testes. also, not only were the fontanels huge, but the opening started at the bridge of the nose and went all the way to the back of the head. the plates only came up about 3/4" above the ear. it was really tough, but a very intersting day.

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

well, i was going to say c-section...until recently.

lemme tell you about some interesting things i've gotten to see, before i get to the most interesting:

incision and drainage on a baby with a gnarly (that's medical jargon, right!?) abcess

2 atrial valve replacements (obviously separate pts.!)

paracentesis due to cirrhosis/hepatitis

put in a foley (always quite exciting for us nursing students)

remove some drains

post-op after testicular torsion

and here's the really interesting thing (circumstances are quite unfortunate, but i'm glad we could see this):

an almost 4lb. infant born w/ intrauterine growth retardation. the baby's genitalia was uhm, ambiguous (creative paperwork ensued). it looked somewhat like a member, but no foreskin. there was no scrotum, let alone testes. also, not only were the fontanels huge, but the opening started at the bridge of the nose and went all the way to the back of the head. the plates only came up about 3/4" above the ear. it was really tough, but a very intersting day.

LOL- Lovin' the screen name :)

[missjennmb]

The most shocking, amazing, horrifying, nightmare-causing, saddening thing I have seen so far... a bone/skin/tendon/cornea tissue donation on a man that died the night before. I can't even discuss details because it makes me so sad, and yet when I was in there, I can only say my adrenalin kicked in or something, because I was very eager to see and do and learn as much as I could from the experience. But now, looking back, I am physically ill to consider going to another of those procedures.

I have not been part of a code, but I am not looking forward to it. Perhaps its the knowledge of what comes next that has sobered me, but I am positive that my first code (nor that procedure that I witnessed), will ever turn up in my "coolest" book. I often wish that I was younger when I did this, so that my feeling of invincibility was still surrounding me. These days, I don't feel anywhere near invincible, and I can't help but look at my family and see their vulnerability in a way I never could before, as a result of my experiences.

For me, the coolest thing that I have ever done? Taken a disabled overweight elderly woman who was seldom taken out of bed due to staff cutbacks/lazyness/whatever, get her a bath, breakfast, into her wheelchair, and rolled her out into the sunlight for the first time in as long as she can remember, then snuck a half hour away from clinicals to sit with her and listen to her tell me about her life, and thank me for letting her sit in the beautiful sunshine. (she also had a mean recipe for homemade southern apple pie)

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

For me, the coolest thing that I have ever done? Taken a disabled overweight elderly woman who was seldom taken out of bed due to staff cutbacks/lazyness/whatever, get her a bath, breakfast, into her wheelchair, and rolled her out into the sunlight for the first time in as long as she can remember, then snuck a half hour away from clinicals to sit with her and listen to her tell me about her life, and thank me for letting her sit in the beautiful sunshine. (she also had a mean recipe for homemade southern apple pie)

:yeah:

[CBsMommy]

I'm with DarkRainyDays. The coolest part of nursing is connecting with the patients and getting to know them as people.

Although, I can say that I am eager to see and do everything in ALMOST any situation that should come my way. And, even though situations are sometimes really sad, I still think that it's okay to be excited about learning how to help those people and people that come along in the same type of situations. Can't wait to see more!

[Nepenthe Sea]

I had a peds neuro doc bet me that I wouldn't sit in on one of his cases. I showed him!!! He let me watch a case of a 10 year old girl who'd had an untreated sinus infection which went into her brain. I was "rubbin' elbows" with him on that craniotomy! It was incredible to watch. I've also watched the heart docs do a closure on a 7 year olds chest.

Exciting stuff man!

I would LOVE to watch stuff like that. I hope a doc bets ME I won't, because I'll be there in a heartbeat!

Love your name, too, btw.

[Nepenthe Sea]

idaho Murse2b - I understand what you mean by awesome!! I have been in situations, too that as awful as they are it is amazing to be there witnessing all that is going on.

One time I was talking about necrotizing fasciitis, and my boyfriend says "You know, sometimes I think that you WANT to see that". I told him it's not that I would wish anything horrible on a person, but if a person happens to come along with some crazy condition, then, yeah, I wouldn't mind taking a look or being a part of it. Especially if you can help them.