things I'm learning

***I'm in my first semester of nursing school. I am at the bottom of the totem pole...exactly where I belong. Sometimes I think thoughts that are irrational and a little bit odd when we learn things. I might tell you about them.***

Skills, skills, skills. I'm gathering skills like I'm in a strawberry patch at the beginning of summer. mmmmmm....strawberries.

We're starting off with some basics: I can take a BP! I can make a bed! I can put on sterile gloves! I can wash my hands! [And some of the more difficult: Nursing diagnosis? Uhh...]

Last week we learned about catheters. See, the thing is, as nurses/nursing students we tell patients, "Your physician has ordered a catheter for you, I'm going to place it." "Will it hurt?" "It's uncomfortable and you'll feel pressure, but it shouldn't be painful."

I don't know if I believe it. I want to, but in my imagination it doesn't sound merely "uncomfortable." Obviously someone has been catheterized and has shared how it feels, and this is the information I'm being told to provide. The thing is until I experience the tube going through my urethral meatus up my urethra and into my bladder, I will not be convinced that it's just an "uncomfortable" procedure. Of course, I can't wait to get out of lab and work on a non-plastic, real-live, heart-beating human. Or at least watch the procedure because we all know I'm not just going to get directly in the saddle on this one; I shall carefully observe first.

So, I kinda want to be catheterized so I can know for sure. I'm all about experiential learning.

What's new with you?

PS: This is the catheter kit that I received to practice sterile technique at home. Since it's opened, it's not sterile rendering it unacceptable for actual catheterization. [i.e. I can't use it on myself.] The balloon you see holds the catheter in place when you inflate it in the bladder. If you want to see more just YouTube it.

PPS: Everything is on YouTube.