Today is the last day I will have placements at Canterbury Hospital. I cannot help but feel alot more autonomous and more able to do things. I managed to do bed baths and showers by myself, but my bed making skills remain undeveloped.
We got our practical test results back too.. I got 9.4/10 which is quite amazing considering anything 'hands on' is a weakness of mine.
Next stop is at the RPA, starting in July. I'd need to wake up 4am to get there.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Mona Stressed
We got 3/4 assignments back this week. It's been very hard on us because many of the students (approximately 40%) have failed. I have been told by many colleagues that they are on the verge of withdrawing and giving up. It cannot be denied that the markers are really difficult to satisfy, as I can honestly say I have never worked hard on any document and get rewarded with crappy marks ( I used to rake in high distinctions easily if I put the effort).
I really tried this time, and I am sure my colleagues tried hard too. At the moment, my quest to get a high distinction average maybe impossible now; much to stupid Peikei's satisfaction.
My results are: 23/30
24/30
11/20 < -- shocking.
But given the fact that my marks are one of the highest in the course , I should not be complaining but be appreciative.. however, I do feel bad for those who did not make it.
On the bright side though, all the assignments are over and done with and now we can finally focus on the finals. The happiness brought along by this thought is equivalent of an orgasm.
●█〓██▄▄▄▄▄▄ AMAOWA●●●●●●顶>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
▄▅██████▅▄▃▂
██████████████
◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲◤
Isn't the piece of art interesting? That's me on the top left hand corner, and my explosive jizz coming out. I used a tank to express and symbolize the power and force of my orgasmic power. I call it... Mona Orgasm.
I really tried this time, and I am sure my colleagues tried hard too. At the moment, my quest to get a high distinction average maybe impossible now; much to stupid Peikei's satisfaction.
My results are: 23/30
24/30
11/20 < -- shocking.
But given the fact that my marks are one of the highest in the course , I should not be complaining but be appreciative.. however, I do feel bad for those who did not make it.
On the bright side though, all the assignments are over and done with and now we can finally focus on the finals. The happiness brought along by this thought is equivalent of an orgasm.
●█〓██▄▄▄▄▄▄ AMAOWA●●●●●●顶>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
▄▅██████▅▄▃▂
██████████████
◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲◤
Isn't the piece of art interesting? That's me on the top left hand corner, and my explosive jizz coming out. I used a tank to express and symbolize the power and force of my orgasmic power. I call it... Mona Orgasm.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Clinical Practice #3
Yesterday was my third time at the hospital. I feel that I am starting to familiarize myself with my future work environment. I realize that I am becoming more competent at all the small things such as bed making, charting observations and communicating with patients.
I had a really great time giving patients company when there was spare time. Sometimes when there is not much work to do, I go to one of the lonely patients and chat with them about random things. Sometime we chat about soccer ( I think he told me Man U v Chelsea are on tonight) and sometimes we talk about their experiences as a sick patient. Not only does this help them pass the time when they are alone, I think it makes them feel better as a whole to be able to express their feelings and concerns. But one thing that I can be sure of is that they really appreciate the company that we give them.
I am glad I made the shift from a businessman to a nurse.
I had a really great time giving patients company when there was spare time. Sometimes when there is not much work to do, I go to one of the lonely patients and chat with them about random things. Sometime we chat about soccer ( I think he told me Man U v Chelsea are on tonight) and sometimes we talk about their experiences as a sick patient. Not only does this help them pass the time when they are alone, I think it makes them feel better as a whole to be able to express their feelings and concerns. But one thing that I can be sure of is that they really appreciate the company that we give them.
I am glad I made the shift from a businessman to a nurse.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Issues
It is sad what capitalism and greed has morphed humans into. We are becoming increasingly materialistic in this dangerous and cynical world where the rich and powerful exploit and abuse those who are weak and poor.
In this society where we are encouraged to become individualistic people with materialistic dreams, an ever distancing hierarchy of power and wealth is created. Loyalty and dedication towards employers and even friends is becoming increasingly rare, as who we identify as friends one day could be sacrificed for a quick buck.
In the rat race to accumulating so called "glory" through money and power, we tend to forget that money is only an artificial happiness that will fade as soon as it's all used up. Does being in the '100 richest men' on the latest issue of TIME magazine determine success? Does the newest and fastest Ferrari or BMW determine your status? I don't think so.
Being successful involves ethical and moral conducts. If you are a rich and powerful figure, are you able to look yourself in the mirror and say that you are true to yourself and everybody around you? Why and how have you become a who you are? Most importantly, what have you done to contribute to society?
The wealth that has been accumulated most probably came from society itself. The way you became rich was either by hoarding the wealth or exploiting the weak to generate greater incomes. The richer and more powerful people are able to gain their status by simply not contributing to society - after all, if these people donate every single penny that is not used for essential needs, there would be no hierarchy. Even so, donating is not a true way of contributing back to society; but merely a repayment of what society has given us.
Society as a whole helped create us. The society molds us into who we are; be it the schools we went to, friends and families in neighborhood, the public service workers who provide safety and security. It is very easy to forget about the input society has in our lives, as they are taken for granted.
It is far too easy to lust for the newest computer games, or complain about the highly paid office job we are working at - but more thought should be given to those who are less fortunate than we are.
Personally I don't need a religious order to tell me what is right and what is wrong. I do not need to believe in certain ideologies for reassurance that I will be able to pass on peacefully. As long as I am able to tell myself and everybody around me that I am doing my best to make a positive contribution to the world, I will not lose sleep over anything - be it for my next life or the one after that. Perhaps this is the reason why I chose to do nursing - it is because I want to make a contribution to the world as a whole and to at least attempt to make a difference to this dangerous and cynical world we are living in at the moment.
It is we who are able to read, write and make differences to this world who are responsible for the future. And it is also we who will ultimately destroy humanity if we do not take actions to change the current issues with our society.
In this society where we are encouraged to become individualistic people with materialistic dreams, an ever distancing hierarchy of power and wealth is created. Loyalty and dedication towards employers and even friends is becoming increasingly rare, as who we identify as friends one day could be sacrificed for a quick buck.
In the rat race to accumulating so called "glory" through money and power, we tend to forget that money is only an artificial happiness that will fade as soon as it's all used up. Does being in the '100 richest men' on the latest issue of TIME magazine determine success? Does the newest and fastest Ferrari or BMW determine your status? I don't think so.
Being successful involves ethical and moral conducts. If you are a rich and powerful figure, are you able to look yourself in the mirror and say that you are true to yourself and everybody around you? Why and how have you become a who you are? Most importantly, what have you done to contribute to society?
The wealth that has been accumulated most probably came from society itself. The way you became rich was either by hoarding the wealth or exploiting the weak to generate greater incomes. The richer and more powerful people are able to gain their status by simply not contributing to society - after all, if these people donate every single penny that is not used for essential needs, there would be no hierarchy. Even so, donating is not a true way of contributing back to society; but merely a repayment of what society has given us.
Society as a whole helped create us. The society molds us into who we are; be it the schools we went to, friends and families in neighborhood, the public service workers who provide safety and security. It is very easy to forget about the input society has in our lives, as they are taken for granted.
It is far too easy to lust for the newest computer games, or complain about the highly paid office job we are working at - but more thought should be given to those who are less fortunate than we are.
Personally I don't need a religious order to tell me what is right and what is wrong. I do not need to believe in certain ideologies for reassurance that I will be able to pass on peacefully. As long as I am able to tell myself and everybody around me that I am doing my best to make a positive contribution to the world, I will not lose sleep over anything - be it for my next life or the one after that. Perhaps this is the reason why I chose to do nursing - it is because I want to make a contribution to the world as a whole and to at least attempt to make a difference to this dangerous and cynical world we are living in at the moment.
It is we who are able to read, write and make differences to this world who are responsible for the future. And it is also we who will ultimately destroy humanity if we do not take actions to change the current issues with our society.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Graduation Day
I am officially a UTS Business Graduate (with credit) !
Screw you guys, I'm going to sleep.
Screw you guys, I'm going to sleep.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Clinical Practice #2
Unlike the first week at clinical practice, today's clinical was full on. I was exposed to many situations/emotions which I never thought possible. We were given a lot ( perhaps too much) of autonomy this time by the nurse in charge of us. She was out and about and just ordered us to do things and left me and my other student friend handling the patients.
The first thing we were told to do was feed patients. I was delegated to a frail elderly woman with mild dementia. She was very uncooperative because she would not eat off my spoon. I talked to her and told her to open her mouth; and when she replied 'ok' the spoon entering her mouth was met with her teeth's resistance. It was really frustrating because it was only my first day and I was given the responsibility to deal with someone with confusion while my colleague was given a 'normal' patient.
It took me approximately 30 minutes to feed her one small tub of porridge and after that I was told to help her up for cleaning. Again she was uncooperative so we tried to give her a bed bath. I got the warm water ready and started wiping her... but the nurse saw what I was doing and reminded me that I needed to strip everything off of her. Although I have always known that I will see naked elderly people, I never expected it to be so in-my-face. I'm not sure if any words could express my feeling of the sight.
What made it doubly worse was that when her nappy was unwrapped, there was a stench of dead babies (or what I imagine dead babies to smell like). She had diarrhea wrapped up like a subway sandwich with a whole load of urinal sauce to top it off. The nurse came in and told us immediately that a change of plan was needed and decided bed bath was not the best idea. We put her onto a commode chair and tried to wheel her in to the shower room. She was again not co operating and resisted getting onto the chair. It took 3 of us to lift her up and help her onto it. The nurse left right after this again and it was up to us two. On the way to the shower, she defecated a whole lot of anal gravy onto the floor and we had to put her onto the toilet asap. It stunk up the whole room (which had 3 other patients in it).
However, she ran out of gravy by the time we got her onto the toilets. I kept an eye on her while my friend asked the nurse what we should do in such a situation. My partner came back and told me we should continue with the shower and leave the faeces on the floor for the cleaner. So there we were in the small shower room; two guys, a demented granny and a few pieces of faeces smudged on the floor.
To be honest, the smell was really horrible. The steam from the shower evaporated the moisture from the faeces and it felt like we were being incubated inside this shit hole. I volunteered to the control the hose for the warm water while my friend did the hands on cleaning. We then got her dressed up again and put her back on the bed. For some reason I can still smell her 'morning glory' after taking a big bath and washing my hands multiple hundred times.
In the end she seemed very happy... which in the end made me feel all the effort helping her was worth it. We did much more.. but that was probably the main event of the day. I think now that we have somewhat of a grasp of what to do, nurses will expect and delegate more tasks for us next week.
I guess that I was a bit taken back because the exposure to the nursing practice was too sudden, as I thought that the nastier stuff would be more gradual .
Although I may sound like I was disgusted with the process, it was actually ok for me. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a helpless person smile in appreciation of your efforts.
The first thing we were told to do was feed patients. I was delegated to a frail elderly woman with mild dementia. She was very uncooperative because she would not eat off my spoon. I talked to her and told her to open her mouth; and when she replied 'ok' the spoon entering her mouth was met with her teeth's resistance. It was really frustrating because it was only my first day and I was given the responsibility to deal with someone with confusion while my colleague was given a 'normal' patient.
It took me approximately 30 minutes to feed her one small tub of porridge and after that I was told to help her up for cleaning. Again she was uncooperative so we tried to give her a bed bath. I got the warm water ready and started wiping her... but the nurse saw what I was doing and reminded me that I needed to strip everything off of her. Although I have always known that I will see naked elderly people, I never expected it to be so in-my-face. I'm not sure if any words could express my feeling of the sight.
What made it doubly worse was that when her nappy was unwrapped, there was a stench of dead babies (or what I imagine dead babies to smell like). She had diarrhea wrapped up like a subway sandwich with a whole load of urinal sauce to top it off. The nurse came in and told us immediately that a change of plan was needed and decided bed bath was not the best idea. We put her onto a commode chair and tried to wheel her in to the shower room. She was again not co operating and resisted getting onto the chair. It took 3 of us to lift her up and help her onto it. The nurse left right after this again and it was up to us two. On the way to the shower, she defecated a whole lot of anal gravy onto the floor and we had to put her onto the toilet asap. It stunk up the whole room (which had 3 other patients in it).
However, she ran out of gravy by the time we got her onto the toilets. I kept an eye on her while my friend asked the nurse what we should do in such a situation. My partner came back and told me we should continue with the shower and leave the faeces on the floor for the cleaner. So there we were in the small shower room; two guys, a demented granny and a few pieces of faeces smudged on the floor.
To be honest, the smell was really horrible. The steam from the shower evaporated the moisture from the faeces and it felt like we were being incubated inside this shit hole. I volunteered to the control the hose for the warm water while my friend did the hands on cleaning. We then got her dressed up again and put her back on the bed. For some reason I can still smell her 'morning glory' after taking a big bath and washing my hands multiple hundred times.
In the end she seemed very happy... which in the end made me feel all the effort helping her was worth it. We did much more.. but that was probably the main event of the day. I think now that we have somewhat of a grasp of what to do, nurses will expect and delegate more tasks for us next week.
I guess that I was a bit taken back because the exposure to the nursing practice was too sudden, as I thought that the nastier stuff would be more gradual .
Although I may sound like I was disgusted with the process, it was actually ok for me. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a helpless person smile in appreciation of your efforts.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Femininity/ Masculinity
Our lecture today was based masculinity and femininity. What is seen as feminine or masculine is socially constructed by society itself.
When we think of masculinity we often relate to words like strong, rugged, handsome, rational, intelligent. Femininity on the other hand is affiliated with words like emotional, nurturing, caring, tender. We are able to easily define male and female with anatomical terms, however the femininity and masculinity is a totally different matter- it is semiotic.
Social movement starting from the late 70's have revolutionized how society portrays femininity and masculinity. Some changes that have occurred include:
As we can see, the feminine/masculine values change over time. What hasn't changed is that heterosexuality still determines boundary limits . We portray weak pansy male florists as masculine and muscular tanned women wrestlers as feminine, but once they pass the boundary limits of being heterosexual, they fall into the line of what is called deviance.
This means that a man with all the masculine values such as strong, well built, deep voice, hairy body etc who turns out to be homosexual will be shunned by society as an outcast. He will not be seen as a true male, but a male that fits somewhere between the boundaries of male and female. The same applies for homosexual women.
Male/Female bisexuals on the other hand, have been termed by doctors as males/females that have sex with other males/females respectively. These people are still considered men or women.This is because they still have interest in the opposite sex. Surprisingly this is a very similar case to the ancient Greeks and Romans engaging in bisexual sex acts.
Anyhow, I found the lecture very enlightening, because as I probably know this already, but I was able to have that knowledge reaffirmed. This brings me to my main point.
It is those who are uneducated or cannot keep up with changes in society who are usually stuck with the perception that certain jobs and professions are feminine/masculine. It really is a shame to hear people tell me how much nursing is for women and how much of the proportion of male nurses are gay. This is a very outdated mode of portrayal, however the good news is that the ignorant views attached to certain professions are slowly fading.
The Modern society is more readily able to accept working under a female CEO, visiting a female doctor, working with female construction builders and of course.. being cared for by a male nurse.
When we think of masculinity we often relate to words like strong, rugged, handsome, rational, intelligent. Femininity on the other hand is affiliated with words like emotional, nurturing, caring, tender. We are able to easily define male and female with anatomical terms, however the femininity and masculinity is a totally different matter- it is semiotic.
Social movement starting from the late 70's have revolutionized how society portrays femininity and masculinity. Some changes that have occurred include:
- Women entering the workforce
- Feminist movements ( gender equality)
- Gay and Lesbian Activism
- Reduction of hegemonic masculinity
- SNAGs ( sensitive new age guys)
- Metrosexuals
As we can see, the feminine/masculine values change over time. What hasn't changed is that heterosexuality still determines boundary limits . We portray weak pansy male florists as masculine and muscular tanned women wrestlers as feminine, but once they pass the boundary limits of being heterosexual, they fall into the line of what is called deviance.
This means that a man with all the masculine values such as strong, well built, deep voice, hairy body etc who turns out to be homosexual will be shunned by society as an outcast. He will not be seen as a true male, but a male that fits somewhere between the boundaries of male and female. The same applies for homosexual women.
Male/Female bisexuals on the other hand, have been termed by doctors as males/females that have sex with other males/females respectively. These people are still considered men or women.This is because they still have interest in the opposite sex. Surprisingly this is a very similar case to the ancient Greeks and Romans engaging in bisexual sex acts.
Anyhow, I found the lecture very enlightening, because as I probably know this already, but I was able to have that knowledge reaffirmed. This brings me to my main point.
It is those who are uneducated or cannot keep up with changes in society who are usually stuck with the perception that certain jobs and professions are feminine/masculine. It really is a shame to hear people tell me how much nursing is for women and how much of the proportion of male nurses are gay. This is a very outdated mode of portrayal, however the good news is that the ignorant views attached to certain professions are slowly fading.
The Modern society is more readily able to accept working under a female CEO, visiting a female doctor, working with female construction builders and of course.. being cared for by a male nurse.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Clinical Day One
Seeing how the week was going for me, I kind of expected to be sent home without being able to do my clinicals today because I did not do my skin test. As luck would have it, there was some trouble in the organization of the day and they totally forgot to check our vaccination cards.
I'll be honest; it was a shit day. No one was prepared for us due to some bad planning on the university's behalf and we were tailing nurses around like stray dogs. We did not learn anything and most of our day consisted of standing around corridors whilst people were shuffling around us.
Yes, this means no showering, wiping bums or milking of breasts.
The nurse who was responsible for us clearly didn't give a shit about us because she said we couldn't help anyway, so it made it all the more frustrating when I learnt other students got to do hands on stuff on their first day. Next week gets worse as we have to arrive by 7am.
Only good thing about today was that I made 4 new friends in my course. I feel somewhat glad that I'm not the only one living near the Campbelltown/East Hills line.
From what I learnt today, not all nurses are glamorous care workers. They see patients as bacteria factories who were items of interest. The nurse was telling us the diseases certain MRSA patients had and was telling us how to protect against them within hearing range of the patients who were bed bound. This is unethical practice because
1) each and every patient has the right to have their privacy and she openly breached it with no one to stop her and
2) she was openly discriminating one patient from another. (breach of universal precaution)
Overall I was a bit shocked, but maybe I was expecting too much from the start.
I'll be honest; it was a shit day. No one was prepared for us due to some bad planning on the university's behalf and we were tailing nurses around like stray dogs. We did not learn anything and most of our day consisted of standing around corridors whilst people were shuffling around us.
Yes, this means no showering, wiping bums or milking of breasts.
The nurse who was responsible for us clearly didn't give a shit about us because she said we couldn't help anyway, so it made it all the more frustrating when I learnt other students got to do hands on stuff on their first day. Next week gets worse as we have to arrive by 7am.
Only good thing about today was that I made 4 new friends in my course. I feel somewhat glad that I'm not the only one living near the Campbelltown/East Hills line.
From what I learnt today, not all nurses are glamorous care workers. They see patients as bacteria factories who were items of interest. The nurse was telling us the diseases certain MRSA patients had and was telling us how to protect against them within hearing range of the patients who were bed bound. This is unethical practice because
1) each and every patient has the right to have their privacy and she openly breached it with no one to stop her and
2) she was openly discriminating one patient from another. (breach of universal precaution)
Overall I was a bit shocked, but maybe I was expecting too much from the start.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Rianne Samson
University is so different without Rianne. I could never tell how significant her presence was when she was still with me a week ago before she withdrew. Its all those minor things she does which accumulates into a big impact.
Here's a short list of the things that I took for granted when she was still here.
1. I miss her waiting for me when I was late for the bus.
2.I miss waiting for her when she was late for the bus
3.I miss giving her money to pay the bus driver.
4.I miss chatting with her on the bus.
5.I miss confirming with her when to press the button to get off the bus.
6.I miss blabbing about how my weekend was.
7.I miss making her open the university door because I feared static shocks.
8.I miss having someone to sit with in lectures.
9.I miss not having someone next to me writing notes just in case I missed something.
10.I miss not being the only one who is confused about wtf was happening.
11.I miss having someone to eat lunch with me.
12.I miss having someone to walk back to central with me for leisure.
13.I miss having someone annoy me with stupid questions
14. I miss annoying her with my own stupid questions
15. I miss needing to explain to her how to approach assingment questions
16. I miss those morning wake up calls
17.I miss those random sms throughout the day
18. I miss someone waiting for me to finish class when hers finished before mine
19. I miss making fun of her when she couldn't hand her work in
20.I miss her as a colleague
We started the course together, we studied together and we traveled together. Yet, halfway through the course, she withdrew and I find myself trying to adapt without her. I always imagined university life with her, because in a way I saw her as a part of university life . In a sense, she acted as my security blanket because university life seems to have lost its essence without her presence.
She even sent me a sms asking me my day was at uni today. I'm very lucky to have met this caring and thoughtful friend.
The semester won't pass as fast now that she is gone.
Here's a short list of the things that I took for granted when she was still here.
1. I miss her waiting for me when I was late for the bus.
2.I miss waiting for her when she was late for the bus
3.I miss giving her money to pay the bus driver.
4.I miss chatting with her on the bus.
5.I miss confirming with her when to press the button to get off the bus.
6.I miss blabbing about how my weekend was.
7.I miss making her open the university door because I feared static shocks.
8.I miss having someone to sit with in lectures.
9.I miss not having someone next to me writing notes just in case I missed something.
10.I miss not being the only one who is confused about wtf was happening.
11.I miss having someone to eat lunch with me.
12.I miss having someone to walk back to central with me for leisure.
13.I miss having someone annoy me with stupid questions
14. I miss annoying her with my own stupid questions
15. I miss needing to explain to her how to approach assingment questions
16. I miss those morning wake up calls
17.I miss those random sms throughout the day
18. I miss someone waiting for me to finish class when hers finished before mine
19. I miss making fun of her when she couldn't hand her work in
20.I miss her as a colleague
We started the course together, we studied together and we traveled together. Yet, halfway through the course, she withdrew and I find myself trying to adapt without her. I always imagined university life with her, because in a way I saw her as a part of university life . In a sense, she acted as my security blanket because university life seems to have lost its essence without her presence.
She even sent me a sms asking me my day was at uni today. I'm very lucky to have met this caring and thoughtful friend.
The semester won't pass as fast now that she is gone.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Slumberjack
I can't sleep. My mind keeps thinking of many many random and stupid things when I lie down on the bed. I wish I could just lie down and fall into a slumber some some of my friends can, because they seem to take that gift for granted.
I rang my girlfriend to tell her I really miss her. Her reaction was one of shock; " did you do something wrong behind my back?" was her reply. She was euphoric when she heard me say that I missed her; albeit a bit confused.
Am I that bad of a boyfriend? Is it so strange for me to say that I miss her without me being guilty of anything? Do I not deserve her trust? Or is this all a part of me just thinking too much?
After that call I felt extremely depressed. There's only 7 months left to our relationship, and I am already worrying about her leaving me forever. I don't want to let go... I don't think I can let go. If I am considered a successful person at this very moment, she is the woman behind me - supporting me from every single aspect of my life. I really cannot imagine life without her at this very moment. I would literally die for her.
But I have to be able to cope with loss as a nurse, don't I? Am I not meant to try to learn something from this experience I am suffering from? Is this what patients with expected terminal illnesses experience? Or am I just being too immature about it all?
It's going to be a long week.
I rang my girlfriend to tell her I really miss her. Her reaction was one of shock; " did you do something wrong behind my back?" was her reply. She was euphoric when she heard me say that I missed her; albeit a bit confused.
Am I that bad of a boyfriend? Is it so strange for me to say that I miss her without me being guilty of anything? Do I not deserve her trust? Or is this all a part of me just thinking too much?
After that call I felt extremely depressed. There's only 7 months left to our relationship, and I am already worrying about her leaving me forever. I don't want to let go... I don't think I can let go. If I am considered a successful person at this very moment, she is the woman behind me - supporting me from every single aspect of my life. I really cannot imagine life without her at this very moment. I would literally die for her.
But I have to be able to cope with loss as a nurse, don't I? Am I not meant to try to learn something from this experience I am suffering from? Is this what patients with expected terminal illnesses experience? Or am I just being too immature about it all?
It's going to be a long week.
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