so here i am at the school. hard at work studying. alright, alright, looking at jokes sites and reading fan fiction. but i really was doing some studying. some brilliant idiot decided to pull the firealarm. prolly right in the middle of an exam. so they had to evacuate all the students, call in the fire department, and make us wait...in the pouring rain. i'm soaked!!!

today was the last day of my clinical rotation on Ward 293. it was actually quite sad. my clinical tutor bought in 2 boxes of tim horton's donuts for the nurses as a 'thank-you' gift. however, because they were a 'thank-you' gift, we students didn't get any. there were boston creme donuts in there. my favorite. but apparently it would have defeated the purpose. whatever. not fair!! i work hard and i deserve a reward.

but it would figure that today, being the last day, would be my hardest. it starts off with the fact that 2 of my patient's didn't speak english. so i'm trying to figure out what they want, and yet, no one told me they were drugged up. and, end of the day i spend a good 20 min trying to get a woman set up on her badpan. i ended up getting out of there 19 min late. grrrr. you know, you can really build up a sweat setting someone up on one of those things.

and to top it all off, i forgot myy locker combination. oh, i had it written down: in my wallet, which was in my bag, which was in my FRICKIN LOCKER!!! *sigh* so there's 3 of us nurses trying to figure out how to open it. we looked quite funny listening to it with our stethoscopes. i ended up having it sawed off.

thank goodness my clinical tutor ordered red wine with lunch.

now i just have to get through night class.

people have no respect for other people. i had my last driving lesson today. and despite the fact that i had that monstrous sign on top of the car screaming to the other roadsters that i am a new unexperienced driver and they should beware, they just kept on cutting me off. and driving in my blindspot. and giving me rude gestures becuase i am driving the speed limit. why? what is the point? i came to the red light at the same time as the girl who was speeding and cutting people off in her $70,000 SUV! she made no progress at all! it was actually a really nice SUV. but i think i would want a Hummer instead. now that's the type of car to cut people off in. no one would argue with a giant Hummer pulling up in front of them.

anyways, the point of my rant is that..well i have no point. i just like to complain.

why is it that the vast majority of the world is composed of people who shouldn't be allowed to breathe?

Another school semester draws to a close and i find myself writing a reflection that is supposed to, in three pages, summarize my entire clinical experience. i am a student nurse. and this is what i must do for a pass. not a mark, a pass. i don't actually get graded on my performance in my clinical rotation. nor do i get graded on any of the many assignments i hand in. rather my entire career hangs on the subjective opinion of my clinical tutor. and all i can think is "thank goodness she likes me".

now, doesn't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy (and dare i say, safe) to know that the graduating nursing class of 2006 (the ones who will be wiping your a$$ when you're in the nursing home) don't get graded on their performance in the most critical aspect of their academic lives?

but i digress. my point was to point out the utter stupidity of trying to summarize my entire clinical experience in 3 pages. i have 2. and i am finished. blah! what do i do for another page? let me give you an example of what is in this "reflection":

"Being able to communicate with patients is such a valuable tool. Communication the tool by which a nurse can build mutuality and foster trust. I learned that being able to talk to my patient and learn more about them really gave me an understanding of where they were coming from. As well, I was able to take care of them better because I felt I knew a bit about them. They went from being a complete stranger to being a real person with feelings and emotions. I learned how to relate to my patients and in doing so, I was able to provide them with better care."

i am sure i will have to do a little time in purgatory for that small pile of BS. at any rate, i am sure my clinical tutor will have a fun time reading this reflection over a glass of wine. chardonnay perhaps.

maybe my problem is that i'm too cynical. but at any rate, i'm nicer than most of the nurses i've met. which isn't saying much.

~the cynical student