Oh the horror

Last week was a nightmare.  Looking back on it, it seems to have lasted forever.  I had two exams on Monday, another on Wednesday, and a validation on Friday.  I spent all weekend studying, and then all week studying for my validation.  Validation is when you are given a scenario that you have to perform in front of your professor.  The scenario will have specific lab skills like taking a nasal culture, taking a patient's blood sugar, etc.  This was our last validation before our clinicals start.  I was mega stressed from all the tests and then from practicing the scenarios.  Of course I got the hardest one and I made a complete fool of myself.  My lab instructor must get a hoot out of watching all us crazy birds try to do skills while stressed and nervous.  My scenario included putting on PPE (think Ebola and protecting yourself from contagious diseases), changing and packing a LARGE pressure ulcer (bed sore), and putting on bilateral restraints.  The pressure ulcer was huge and it needed to be irrigated and packed and measured and bandaged.  Ugg.  And all with my PPE on.  It was a disaster.  I won't tell you about every detail but I'll tell you about my fabulous start and you can use you imagination to picture how the rest went.  The order for putting on PPE is gown first, then face mask, then gloves.  And before all that you need to wash your hands.  So, I put in my gown and then my gloves.  Then I realize that I forgot to wash my hands so I took the gloves off and washed my hands.  Then I put the gloves back on.  Then I realize that I need a face mask so I have to take my gloves off again and put my face mask on, then the gloves again.  Except then I realize that my mask is tied so tight I can't open my right eye.  But to adjust the mast I have to take my gloves off again, so I decide to just do everything with one eye partially closed.  Fabulous.

And that was just my first five minutes.

The important thing here is that I passed.  It was just pass/fail so no grade or anything.  Nursing school is stressful!  Not only is it a bunch of exams, it's a bunch of skill tests too.  It's never ending.  And we are already getting ready to register for next semester.  Where has the time gone??

This past weekend we took a break and went to Baltimore ZooBoo!  So fun!!  We took my nieces too and they had a blast.

They dressed up in costumes and we walked around the little Halloween fair where they had arts and crafts, candy, jumpy-towers, and food.  Then we took the little shuttle to the actual zoo part and looked at animals.  The zoo just opened a new pinguin exhibit that was so fun.  The kids loved it.

They stood there and watched the pinguins swim by over and over again. Then we headed to see the polar bear and the chimpanzees.  And then that was about it.  The zoo closed at 4pm and we didn't get there until 2ish so we didn't have much time.  It was perfect though because the kids were getting tired.

The weather was perfect though and since we are members it doesn't cost so we don't care so much that we were only there for a couple hours.

I also accomplished my one goal for the weekend.  Clean out the sink drains.  Yes.  Disgusting.  When we moved into this house all the drains were clogged and it took forever for the water to drain.  I hated it.  We bought some natural drain-o and some real drain-o, but nothing worked.  I realied that I was actually going to need to clean them out.  Which is gross to me.  Especially since it had been clogged for a while so who knows what was down there.  So, I YouTubed how to do it and I did it.  I didn't take pictures because it was too gross but I was pretty pleased with myself.  I had to unscrew things and take pipes apart and drains apart and put it back together...and clean really gross sludge.  But now the sink drains so well!!  And I am so happy!!  

So that was my weekend.  And the last week.  Nothing too exciting.  Friday is Halloween and my mom made Evan the cutest costume in the world.  You will want to check back here and see it.  He cannot get any cuter!!

Hope you are having a great week.  

What things have you learned through YouTubed??