First things first...

I really should put updating down somewhere on my list of things to do.

Okay - end of peds! Sim went really well. I was the bedside nurse for one of the scenarios and I felt like I knew what I was doing (kind of) and it wasn't too intimidating having someone watch me though a 2-way mirror. It was strange, though, getting to make all the decisions that we can only suggest when we're on the floor and then actually implementing an intervention (like medications or oxygen). I thought I was super great because I made a Barbie sticker covered incentive spirometer! Anyway- PICU! Jack and I were there all day and even past our shift's end! We went on rounds with the residents to see how care planning worked. It was neat since the nurse assigned to the patient we rounded on sat in as much as she could throughout the conversation and interjected with updates or suggestions. It definitely showed me that I didn't want to be a doctor since all they thought about was the right med dosing and vent settings. They really didn't take into consideration anything about the stress on the family or the child if they were old enough to communicate that. Kind of a bummer, really. So then we went to the PCICU (cardiac side) and it was really neat. Unfortunately there had been a code on the floor, so everyone was a little on edge and upset about that, but my nurse was fabulous about teaching me about hypoplastic left ventricle syndrome, which my little patient had. He had his chest still opened, but covered with a gortex dressing, to make sure that if he needed to swell after surgery (a shunt to redirect blood flow) his heart wouldn't get over loaded. So, after waiting all day, the surgeon came up at the end of our shift and decided to close the chest. Of course, I wanted to watch and had already asked if I could come back the following day to see the closure if it happened then. IT WAS AWESOME. I saw, in the flesh, a tiny, 10 day old repaired heart and little tiny pink lungs working inside of a baby. WHAT?! It was so amazing to see what his little body could do!

So, pretty much, that made my life.

Psyc is okay so far, but a little too much talk for me. I'm on a general adult floor so we can see any type of mental illness at any time. We had a few borderline personality disorders and bipolar manics last week, so time will tell what we'll see on Friday since we have sim on Saturday. I had a really great patient this past week who had no reservations about any part of her illness. She vividly described her delusions, hallucinations and behaviors. It was kind of incredible to listen to. She told me later that I should be a psyc nurse (an NP haha) because I was a good listener, organized and very bright. She was a lot better than when she had come on to the unit, so I think it was a good way to bring me into the rotation. I'm not totally sold on it, but I guess it's really only 7 more days on the floor.

I'm prepared to do a lot of busy work now that I'm in psyc (oh the perils of previously being a psyc major) so my plan is to get it done as soon as possible. I have an assessment paper due on Saturday or Monday and a care plan due after Thanksgiving, but I would really like to get them both done by Wednesday or Thursday since I'm doing them on the same patient. We do weekly journals (yay.) and have to do a write up for our alternative site and then a group support meeting. I've already been to AA for psychopharm, so I'd really like to try another group. We'll see how that goes again.

Finally time for bed! It was a great weekend, though, even if I did spend entirely too much money on clothes (some of them for psyc!) and brunch. But hey, there are only so many all you can eat/all you can drink mimosa brunches in the world, right?

Oops.

So apparently all I want to do when I have free time is go on adventures, watch movies or play by play on MLB.com (Really? What? Girls like baseball?). Pretty much I've left peds in the dust at this point which is super sad. We have SIM Wednesday and then I'm in PICU Thursday, so I don't even go back to my floor! The nurses were more than awesome and were great at teaching us what we needed to know. A week from today I'll have taken my last peds test and will be (not so excited but) ready to start psyc. Making a sticker hunt in an isoltation room is much more fun than reliving psychopharm and abnormal, but we all have to pay our dues I guess.

Our Halloween costumes were amazing on Friday! The Hocus Pocus witches were the center of attention :) I think Cassie's costum for Sarah came out the best since she actually looked like her, but the three of us as a unit were actually recognizable. Cassie and I got crafty and stitched things together (she made a skirt while I added extra sleeve and skirt bits) which was really rewarding... except for when I sewed it to myself. I blame that on my distress during Game 1. After adding those things on to the costume, though, I really should make time for the rest of my crafts! It was relaxing once I was focusing on my task. It somehow still seems easier to unwind with an otter pop and Mean Girls...

Wine tour last weekend was fantastic! I'm so happy I went because a) I love foliage and b) I love wine. We had great weather and lots of fun tasting different types of wine, some of which I purchased even though I can't pronounce (I'm not made to speak German). After we got back from wine-central, we went out to watch the Bears game (epic loss) and have pizza. The pub crawl with the men's rugby team(s) last Saturday made me want pizza more than ever after drinking wine and eating weird crackers all day.

3 weeks until Thanksgiving - yippie!