Nursing Placement Woes

[miniGMgoit]

So today while I was wiping an old mans shitty arse and making his piles bleed I found myself wondering if this is what I want to do with my life?

Any nurses out there want to tell me its all going to be alright?

 

[FiFi]

You're a Student Nurse, yes?
Hang in there, it gets a lot better when you get the chance to specialise in an area you have an interest in.

And remember, elder care can be a very interesting specialism if you give it a chance.
Chat to folk while you're dressing their leg ulcers- you can hear some fantastic stories of the past!

 

[moonsi til]

It's going to be alright.. In my first year I was on a elderly medical ward for 8 days (4 each week) and was put on toilet duty for most of it. They got me to stand in the corridor and respond to patient buzzers. When I went home I could smell the ward on my skin...all the poo and liquid lunches. All the nurses were grumpy and would forget to give me a break. I will say that in the 10 years I have been a nurse helping people to look after themselves in areas such as bath/shower etc has always felt right/comfortable I think there is something very human and gentle about assisting someone to meet their basic care needs. I have over the years often learnt more about patients when assisting with tasks like this.

^^ very much agree with above.

 

[ice-is-forming]

it'll be ok

in my 3.5 years psych nurse training we did 12 weeks on one type of ward then back into school for 2 weeks, then onto another type of ward etc... if your not enjoying your placement then know that it will end so while there take from it something special that you can only learn in that enviroment. perhaps the frailness and mortality of us all. the inevitable end and the dignity , compassion, care that needs to go with the winter of life? I dunno.

we had some great placements...

addmission for urban london
admission for suburbia
medium term
long term( for inmates that had been there forever....some evn born there to un wed mothers in the early part of the C19!!!
theraputic communities
day hosptital (shooters hill)
emergency
locked ward
forensic
drug unit
alcohol unit
CPN placement at plumstead/thamesmead
psych unit at greenwich
and general hospital

It was awesome. When i was on elderly (and i was used to it cos i'd spent a few years doing it as a teenager.i'd laid many people out and returned prolapsed uteruses to their rightfull place by the age of 13) its good to get interested in having a cuppa and a chat if your doing medical elderly, good spirits keeps elderly people well. Mind you back then thjere was a divide between general and psyche students and they didn't allways get our methods...and they always seemed to be engaged to police men..If your on elderly psych try and put something in place like memory recall, signage, music, aroma, therapy. in between washing bums that it

and I very much agree with Moonsitil I think there is something very human and gentle about assisting someone to meet their basic care needs. I have over the years often learnt more about patients when assisting with tasks like this.

 

[miniGMgoit]

I had to deal with a prolapse today
monsi til. Your comments rang clear with me. There is something very special about being able to assist someone with basic care needs. I am surprised with my levels of comfort when bathing patients. I have no problems with it at all and am able to make interesting conversation with ease. Today I had to bed bath 2 elderly male patients who were sharing a room. They spent the whole time telling each other jokes and reciting Rudyard Kipling. It was all very casual and dare I see enjoyable.
Wounds are fascinating and I take every opportunity to see, clean and dress them I can.

I'm just having real trouble dealing with shit. It makes me gag. My eyes water and a gasp. It is getting easier. Hopefully soon I'll be able to deal with it without batting an eyelid. I'm really lucky because everyone on the ward I'm working in is very supportive and understanding. They all appear to like working with students and have very much let me take things at my own pace. My own pace has been to face and deal with all the things I find unpleasent and to do it as often as possible. Its just very hard work.
I mean, Its actually shit!

 

[miniGMgoit]

oh.

Just to add, I'm working in an orth ward. Its divided mainly into hip and femur fractures, assaults, and vehicle accidents. Most people are stuck on their back in bed for many weeks. Lots of big scars, plates, pins and wires inserted all over the place. It feels like a very good ward to get experience in as well deal with all sorts of stuff. Everyone is dosed up on Endone and generally in a good mood if not slightly bored.

Thanks for your words of encouragement.

 

[ice-is-forming]

i don't mind shit but the thing that starts my gag reflex off is snot *shudders*

sorry you caught the prolapse today but in 2 days you seem to have adapted well and be seeing things in a better way

 

[FiFi]

My bugbear was teeth.
And this was 20+ years agowhen everyone over 55/60 had false teeth.
All those Falsies in mugs on the bedside lockers every night!

 

[moonsi til]

I hear they used to write in a black marker on the false teeth due to being put in the same pot overnight and that patients despite this often got given the wrong teeth!

 

[miniGMgoit]

False teeth don't bother me although I was clearing a patients table the other day for his breakfast and I picked up a cup and it smiled back at me which made me jump.

Prolapse!

 

[ice-is-forming]

PTPD

post traumatic prolapse disorder