Not about Quinlynne, but about me

So, I have to tell you, I'm waiting to hear if I was accepted into nursing school. I'm doubting I was- but still, I'm getting a little impatient. So, please keep your fingers crossed for me..or say a prayer!

I worked 3-11 tonight at St. John's. I went to the staffing office and checked in and they told me I was going to be working on 10 West until 6:30, then going to 3 East. I was all sorts of excited. 3 East was a surgical ICU, but now it is CVICU (Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit). The staffing office said they'd asked for me. The only times I've been down there are when I've been sitting with a patient and I had to pick them up there.

So, I get to the CVICU and I'm the only nurse aide. That's fine because the nurses say they are elated to even have a nurse aide. They apparently don't usually have one. I kind of felt useless because I didn't have to take vitals, empty foleys, change poopy beds, etc. I did take blood sugars and helped with a CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft and just referred to as CABG- or Cabbage patients) patient who had had his surgery today, discovered some cool betadine remover lotion, had a lady bust loose her clot from her angio something and the best thing..... watched a chest tube be placed.

I will admit that I kind of felt like I was going to pass out. However, it was NOT because I was grossed out or anything like that. 1) There were 14 people in the room, including the doctor and the patient. 2) It was stuffy in the room and hot- no circulating air. 3) I have had a terrible, irritating cough for over a month now from my allergies and I was trying to suppress the cough since the patient had an incision. 4) I was starving and hadn't eaten anything since the bowl of soup I'd had 8 hours previously. 5) I had to poop badly. So, I started sweating and feeling like I was going o pass out. So, I excused myself and used the excuse that I really had to cough. I in fact went to the bathroom and did my business, then ate. I felt much better. STILL- it was very interesting to watch the chest tube be placed. This fluid started shooting out of the guy's Pleural cavity, until the tube could be hooked into the chest tube drainage box thingy. I hope I get to work CVICU more often- I really enjoyed getting to learn so many new things.