#1-Its always...ASSESS!

For the past four weeks we have been learning skills in the lab from proper hand washing (gel in…gel out) and taking vital signs to making an occupied bed but most of all our favorite…peri care (graphic movie included)! There have been many laughs and a few broken blood vessels from taking each other’s blood pressures over and over. I have learned that my stethoscope can be turned “off” or “on” and a blood pressure cuff is also called a sphygmomanometer. We’ve learned how to properly and safely administer medications while saying the 6 rights over and over again in our heads (right patient, right dosage, right time, right drug, right route, and right documentation)! 


I have also figured out that the answer to ever question the professor asks is typically going to be ASSESS! This coming from ADPIE which is THE nuring process: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Intervention, and Evaluation (which is really just assessment again)!

We've been introduced to the wonderful NCLEX type questions which are that all the answers are correct but the “correct correct” answer is the one that is “MOST” correct! I have taken countless quizzes in pharmacology and passed my first big exam in fundamentals!

But the real fear, anxiety, and excitement will set in at about 0530 Wednesday morning as I get up and get ready for my first long term care rotation! I get to finally put my hard work of studying until the wee hours of the morning and taking blood pressure on a fake arm to good use!

Let the games begin……..