Wanna straght A !

Today Biochemistry exam paper was returned. This time I was not sure if I pass or not.
I was so lucky I passed but this time I was not take A. Never mind! I will study harder!

Start over!

The class has started with an exam.
This is imcomprehensible biochemistry. Till the end of the class, I comprehend none of the words. Can you believe this? I am a Japanese and Japanese is my first language and the class was conducted by sololy in Japanese. But the instructor just read the textbook aloud. It seems like we are sitting for a corresponding course, even I asked for some other book for reference the instructor told that the textbook is the best book ever. "Huh?" Since then, I spent half of the summer vacation to follow and study a guide book with simple explanations. But I do not think I learned a lot. Some of my classmates told me that if this is a private short qualification course, many of the students would ask for refunds. I think it is true. Besides, our course is four year course and the national exam is still 2 and half year away and the tuition is only USD 150 per month. Probably we can not ask too much. But I still feel so unfair. Other nursing students in Japan may have better instructors and have better marks and we all will sit for the same national exam. Wow, I started with complaint. I should be more positive!

Pathology exam

Yesterday I sat for Pathology exam. I feel relief to finish it. But one more exam is comming up next week. Geriatric nursing theory. I am a kind of person to write to momorize. But my wrists are painful with tendovaginitis especilly under the rainy weather. Meteological agency announced Metropolitan area are in the rainy front. It means the rainy season has started and my hands are aching for a month. Funny, I now can understand the patients feelings or the eldery complain about their arthritis pain. My joints are aching, too, in wet season. The best treatment is not use hands. But how can I do without using hands!?
Anyway...

Mask !Panic buying!?

These days I spent quite a bit of time to do several homework. The pharmacology teacher gave us English to Japanese translation of one of WHO website regarding Swine flu. I enjoys doing it. As you know, Japan has over 200 patients. It seems slowing down the epidemic in Japan. Believe or not, there is no disposable masks on the shelves in stores. Some of my friends working in medical fields are suffering, because no more stock even in hospitals.Luckily, I bought some this spring while pollenosis or hey fever season to reduce allergic reactions. I even bought some boxes from my daughter's school. This phenomena reminds me of the time of " Oil shock" in 70's. I was only four or five years old then, I lined up que for a supermarket cashier to buy some toilet rolls and packets of sugar. That time some rumors like " No more toilet rolls on the shelves!" made us panic buying. This mask incident seems so much alike to me. Maybe I am wrong. But funny I rarely see passengers on commuter trains wear masks. Hummm.....

Scary!

Back to school life, this week was a bit tough for me. Struggling with jet lag, facing to quiz and practical session in the same day. Handling a syringe and needle seems real nurse's job to me, but in real life I was so frightened to sting even grapefruit skin.
Without license, not supposed to sting a real skin, but even for grapefruit, my hand was trembling with fear when I tried an intramuscular injection. My mind was full of ifs....
If I sting nerves or wrong spot,... I really need to study hard anatomy again! I played hard last 10days! It's time for studying! Yes!

One after another

It's been nearly two months since last time I posted here.
January, I had clinical practicum,then submitted reports. Then term end exam lasted till today. I learned a lot in the hospital. Just happened to have many opportunities to care for the patient. Taking Vital signs and using Pulseoximeter to check SPO2 etc. My patience was old and had hypostatic pneumonia,cellulitis,rheumatism,and NBM.I was so scared to stretch the paticent's bent arm to take BP because of the pain complaint.The last day I had changed dipers all in the morning three times. From that morning finally the patient had bowel movement stared and had diarrhea with blood after 14days of no movement. The patience was lonely, skinny, bony person. What I was able to do was just listen. When I touched him in every occasion, I did it with tender loving feeling towards the patient. Seemed lonely person had rare visitors.
The patient conditions changed everyday and the last day was the worst conditions with low oxygen level( applied O2) with high fever. I just felt so attached. Even at home while writing care plan, I could not help thinking of.
What I learned there most is, I now have confident that the way I chose in last year to be a nurse was correct and I am in a right path. I love patients. I love to learn more to help patients professionally.

3 month to go!

This week class has started with microbiology test.
During winter holidays I hardly had time for myself to concentrate on my study.
New year days are supposed to be busy for housewives here. I am not the exception.
I sometimes feel that I can not cope with my aging. I feel fatigue and joints are aching. Besides I have been suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and ganglion pushing my left palm nerve for more than 5 years. Since I gave birth to my daughter the pain started and it never cease. The nursing plan for a virtual patient report suppose to be handwritten but my hands could not stand with hardwork of housechores and homework, I finally decided to use PC and type it.
Anyway...
We will have group presentation of the plan before we go to the clinical practicum in two weeks time. I was selected as a groupleader without my consent, and I don't like it. I am not the leader type. I am just older than my group leader and it does not mean I can act as a leader. I know this is a challenge. Lord, please help me.