OBjectivity

"The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one."

-Malcolm Forbes

I'm halfway through Spring block 1, waist-deep in the foreign world of Obstetrics and Labor and Delivery nursing.  I'm enjoying it more than I though I would, although there are some things about the culture of the environment that make me uneasy.

Clearly, there are ethical and moral dilemmas and questions in every field of medicine/nursing.  However, I find the lines of right and wrong and safe and just to be a little...mushy...in OB.  A large focus of our curriculum is to adjust delivery of care to patient preference including cultural and religious diversity.  But no other area of study has caused me to question my own values and feelings so much in order to provide patient care, because there are two patients instead of one. Decisions made by the mother and her family will affect the unborn child as well.

Some examples of the issues I am referring to are:  home birth, "lay" midwives, elective abortion, elective cesarean section, no prenatal care, prenatal genetic testing, illicit drug use and/or cigarette and alcohol use during pregnancy, homelessness during and after pregnancy...just to name a few. 

I have strong feelings about most of these things - as I'm sure you all do.  But what do you do with that?  How do you provide the necessary education to a patient without passing judgment on their decisions?  How do you care for a mother when all you want to do is shake her and say, "Are you crazy!?  Don't you know what you are doing to your child?"

Clearly, I have much to learn about objectivity.  Maybe OB nursing is not the field for me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I must be the luckiest girl.  I have the best family, friends, boyfriend and dog a girl could ask for.  And even though it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day for me to know that, it is a nice reminder of how loved I am and how many things I have to be thankful for.

And I will keep reminding myself of this as I am resting from today's clinical rotation to prepare for tomorrow's.

I know that Valentine's Day can be a "greeting card holiday".  I know that it can be fun and romantic for some, and lonely for others.  But never forget to count your blessings and be thankful for love - from wherever it comes.

And share it! 

Where there is love there is life.
-Gandhi

Super {Bowl} Sunday

I'm sure most of you know that last weekend was the Super Bowl.

 

I love the Super Bowl, even when my beloved Broncos are not participating.  Most of all, I love the Super Bowl parties!  This year, J, Lena and I had our own little party on a budget, and celebrated the win of the Green Bay Packers in our own little apartment.

And no homework was accomplished.

 

 

We snuggled on the couch and hid from the snowy Denver Day.

No hot wings and nachos for us - a Super Bowl Salad instead.  I got a little creative and crafted this yummy chef salad for our snacking pleasure. 

J did his best to explain the strategy of the game to me.

 

Notice the tribute to the fallen Denver Broncos.  Here's to next season!

Coming Up For Air

Whew!  What a long week!

In my accelerated nursing program, our clinical courses are structured with "frontloading."  For the first two weeks of the course we have class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  For the remaining six weeks, we have clinical shifts one or two days a week with classes on Friday.  

This semester is the only semester (thank goodness) in which I have dual clinical courses.  So for the last two weeks I have had class from 0800-1700 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  This week, in addition, I had orientation for my Peds clinical rotation on Monday from 0900-1500, and my first OB rotation from 0630-1900, and my first OB exam in class on Friday morning.  

Yikes!

At least I had paid enough attention in class to do well on my exam without much study time...

As scared as I was about my first twelve hour shift on a labor and delivery floor, I had a really great experience.  I got to meet the most lovely couple who were having their second child.  I wasn't sure the baby would come before my shift ended, but he did decide to make his appearance at the last minute, and I got to help his Mom and Dad celebrate his very first birthday.  It was incredible.

So now, here I am taking full advantage of my Saturday, sleeping in and lounging around while I take a minute to breathe.

While catching up on my reading list, I found a couple of things I would like to share with you, and I think I might try to make it a weekly Saturday thing to share some interesting bits with you.  Any ideas for naming such a weekly segment?

First this week is a few "Survival Tips for Every Nurse" from Nursing Link.  I think it is very applicable to nursing students, like myself, as well as new nurses and experienced nurses.  I especially like the section called, "When You Want To Run - Stop and Stand Still" because I think it will come in handy for me with these two rotations!

 

Second, this is the most adorable video of a puppy bath, set to the music of Ingrid Michaelson (who, as you know, is one of my faves).  It's good for a smile and a laugh.  Five points for cuteness.

Speaking of dogs, here is some interesting and compelling news from NPR Health about dogs and their ability to "sniff out" cancer.  Intriguing, although I'm not sure what the real-life implications of this could be...yet.

Last but not least, the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) has recently recognized five hospitals that exhibit extraordinary nursing quality.  I would like to point out proudly that three of the five hospitals are in Colorado!  This article describes four key traits exhibited by all five hospitals that help to make their nursing care extraordinary.  Food for thought in your current or future nursing careers.

Thanks for tuning in.  I hope you all had a great week and are taking advantage of the winter weekend!