Week Four of Clinicals

This week begins week four of clinicals. I'm not sure why, but I never sleep well Tuesday night. I guess I'm anticipating a new week at the hospital, and I'm still overwhelmed but what I'm doing. I dreamed last night that I left the hospital while I still had all my patients on nebulizer treatments, plus I forgot to chart. I was frantic in my dream. So besides being anxious, and the dreaming I had Buster licking my nose at 2:15 in the morning. Geez, he's not even my dog.

Today was a good day at the hospital. I was able to work on a different floor. I was on IMC - Intermediate Care - and instead of working with elderly sick men I worked with elderly sick women. Much better. They were so cute, and so eager to just gab about everything. I had to tell them to be quiet and breath in their treatment - they didn't listen tho, they just wanted to talk. So I listened.

One lady was so cute - I thought she was in her 60's,but she was 83. I couldn't believe it. However, she was very ill, and I felt so bad for her. Another lady was 77 and she asked me, "you know what the bad part about getting old is? Losing your independence! The doctors leave my room to ask my daughters questions about me, and I want to say, "hey, I'm right here - you can ask me! I know all about myself!"" She was so funny. There definitely is a difference between the men and the women. The women are fiesty and zesty and the men are just lethargic and blah. I wonder why that is?

I better get to bed. I get home at 7:00 and need to be in bed by 8:30 so I have the stamina to get through 12 hours tomorrow. Getting up at 4:30 is just plain painful.