End of Line

As I'm out of class now and hilarity doesn't ensue daily, I'm closing down this active blog.

Thanks for following!

First Day in the "Real World"

Today was pretty calm. Taking people back to the exam rooms, vitals, faxes, software. Pretty chill atmosphere.

:)

Extern starts tomorrow

Well, after 9 months of class, 3 vaccine titer tests, 2 tb skin tests and 6 vaccines I'm now cleared to start work as an extern at a clinic near me tomorrow.

I only work 4 days, so that's cool with me. Perhaps I'll try looking for work that would be good to do on the Monday.

I'm worried about being on my feet all day, of screwing up, of pissing patients off.

Hopefully I'll be good.

The End of Class

Well,  this is my final week of class. I have a couple of tests but I am all checked out and have a place to do my extern practice at.

I'll be learning for 5 weeks at a clinic that's just a little over 1 mile from my front door!  No more commute!  (well for 5 wks anyway).

Overall, I'm very proud of what I've accomplished, and am ready to start this new chapter of my life.

Getting Close to the End!

I have 6 days of class left. I'm a 4.0 student. I'm getting to extern at my own clinic 1.5 miles away.

I am excited!

The List

I thought I'd make a list of all the stuff I can do now that I couldn't do 6 months ago.

• Give Injections:
• Intradermal, Subq, Delt, Glut, and Z track
• Understand when each of them are appropriate
• Draw blood with a standard needle and butterfly needle from the arm and with the butterfly from the hand
• Understand how different vials for collecting blood have different additives, what order they need to be used in so not to contaminate each other and what to do with them.
• Obtain a urine specimen, spin the sediment out of it, and look at it under a microscope for identification.
• Perform an EKG and verify the heart rate by calculating from the reading.
• Look up Diagnosis and procedure codes in medical books for insurance reimbursement
• Use Electronic record software with confidence.
• Understand and calculate medications for dispensing.
• Create sterile packaging for medical tools
• Sterilize the tools using an autoclave
• Perform surgical hand washing and sterile gown/glove for surgery
• Irrigate and close a wound
• Remove sutures and surgical staples
• Bandage anything on the body using a variety of materials and techniques
• Create a sterile field for surgery
• Drape and prep a patient for minor surgeries
• Identify a wide variety of surgical instruments
• Do a Tuberculin skin test and interpret the results
• Catheterize a patient

I'm pretty proud of this list!

Speak up, please

We sometimes get matched up with lab partners via playing cards. Sets of cards are passed out and if you and another person have the same card then you're partners for the day.

Last term, the clique-y seniors would 'forget' they had my matching card, or other peoples. Irritating.

Today, I got my card. A 9.  


"Hey, who has 9?"

.....


"HEY, who has 9?"


..............

"Anyone got NINE?"

I hear a puff of air at my elbow. It's this big dude J, who doesn't take notes but instead says everything the teacher says under his breath.  He shows me his card.   9.

"Why didn't you say so?"
(whispers) "I was standing right there"

"Next time could you say something before I yell over the class 3 times?"

whisper "But I was right there...."

Ok.......
So I gave him 3 injections.

Quick Studies

Day #2 and my 4 are doing lots better at injections. They will probably be bored of it in a week.

"Junior" sequence

We started #2 of 3 back office classes today.  This time I was the teacher. I had 4 folks who were learning injections from me, and they did well.

I kept my word to myself to be open, kind, and welcoming. 

It was fun having people to tell what to do again. It's been a while!

This sequence is primarily injections, lab work, and lots of pharmacology.  I'm gonna be bizzy!

4.0 Secure

I've finished my third sequence, with a solid 97.3%.  Next sequence I'll be a junior (which is hilarious to me), and I'll have some new people with me that I'll be needing to tutor.

Since my experience coming into back office was a little strange, I'm going to make every effort to be welcoming and friendly to the new people. I remember how the clicky 'cool kids' just kind of stared at me.  I won't be doing that.

Time to cultivate that bubbly personality I've been hearing so much about!

Almost through 3rd Sequence

This 6 weeks has just flown by. Very busy, and I've learned so many great things!  Next sequence I'll be learning Urinalysis, EKGs, and other lab tests.

Bring it!

I got my first employment ping from a Dr. office today!  Woohoo!

Just when I thought it was safe....

So, my blood drawing is going better, learning new things, all is well.

There are a group of seniors - ones on their last sequence - that are in class with me.  Today we were being lectured on sterile technique and the subject of medical waste came up.

A senior asked what happens to all the needles and bloody gauze and things.  The teacher told us that it's all labeled medical waste,  and shipped to a facility where it's incinerated.

That same girl said "But, when it's burnt, if there is HIV or AIDS in it, and it goes up the chimney can't it get in the air and hurt people that way?"

WHAT!?!

This girl has been certified to have gone through HIV/AIDS certification! We all have had to watch videos, participate in lectures, take tests.... all of us.

I am aghast.

Language and Time Barrier

So, today the teacher was telling us how to set up the exam room for a complete head to toe physical.  Tools blah blah, pap smear, ok,  etc.

She said "The doctor may, depending on the age of a male patient, decide to do a digital rectal exam."

A bunch of the younger students looked confused  "How?"

Teacher "The doctor inserts a finger into the rectum to feel the prostate"

Student "How is that digital?"  I could see the student thought like a digital clock kind of thing

The teacher holds up her hand "These are called DIGITS"

Finally, injections!

Today, day 2 of my 3rd sequence, I finally got to do some injections!

I did 3,  an Intra Muscular, a Subcutaneous, and an Intradermal.

It's strange to do this with all of the protective equipment and new techniques, but the teacher commented that it was good that I have no fear.

What could make me afraid about sticking a little needle in someone?

I got my 3 shots too, we all had to do them all and so it's only right.  The good news is that I can only get 3 per day.

I'll post photos of it tomorrow.

Just for the taste of it.

So, start of a new sequence today, in the lab, with lots more students and 2 teachers. Time flew by and it was great to take vitals.

Tons of homework. OY.

LOL of the day, our teacher asked  "What's the difference between oral and rectal thermometers, aside from the taste"

EWWWWWWWW

Still A all the way

This is the final week of my 2nd sequence. I still have 98% or better on all of my grades, and am done with all of the work required for this class.

I'm excited to move on to the next sequence.  I think needles are in my forecast!

Tough Stuff

Some of my classmates are going through some really hard stuff.  Spousal abandonment, eviction, etc.

I'm sorry for them, I wish I could do something.

Tedious Term

This term is dreadfully tedious. All about the business side of medicine.  Insurance, coding, billing, filing, answering the phones.....omg.

BUT  there are only 4 of us in class, so we can gloss over things that all of us know (phones) and do more of the other stuff - like the electronic medical records that everyone has to be compliant with in 2014.

I still hear snippets of the people that made me crazy last term...... and shake my head.  Happy for snippets.

Long Lost Friend

Today was day 3 of my new sequence, which is mostly the administrative stuff of medical office life.  Our little class is just 4 of us, and the teacher is trying valiantly to stay on track even though it seems more like 5 ladies chatting than anything else.

Still homework and tests loom.

My old classmates were back in the main building today after their first 2 days in the animal annex. One of them spotted me and ran and hugged me like I was her birth mother or kidney donor.

I didn't think I'd left that much of an impression.

It was cute.

Done with Sequence 1

I will be so glad to put some of this extreme silliness behind me.

I was OVER IT. today.

Look at all these books

Now we'll see if you can teach an old dog new tricks!

CPR = Chronic Pain for Really old student

Today was 4 hours of CPR certification. On my knees and the floor.  My bendy bones don't enjoy this position at this time.

I can save your life, just give me a few days to recuperate!

Arrogant, Insecure, and Arrogant more

We finished up our presentations today, but not until the one I call "Too Cool For School" gets up and said:

'I didn't want to do a power point or a poster because that's just lame'

(nearly everyone before this one did either a power point or a poster)

"I did this in about 20 minutes last night so...."


Then we were treated to a video of two crudely made sock puppets in front of a white board. Talking about skin. For 5 full minutes.


I know what grade I would have given.

F-

A little bonus!

Before our final my teacher pulled me aside and told me that he showed my presentation to the school director, and many of the other teachers and staff saw it.  They were all very impressed. The director told my teacher that he really wanted to do something for me to show how amazed he was, and the teacher handed me a starbucks card!

How Nice!

Anyway, here are the photos of my work.  The Anatomy and Physiology final was today, I did well!

Presentation

My presentation went really well. The class participated, people laughed and were serious, and at the end come came up and told me about friends or family they had that needed help with alcohol.

The teacher asked me if he could keep it so he could show it to the director of the school.  That made me feel good.

:)