The nurse volunteers in the hospital just got hired. I am happy for them. Really. I even congratulated and teased them to treat us for lunch.

I can’t wait to get teased in the future… Err. Double meaning. LOL

Rephrase. Rephrase.

I can’t wait to get hired!

FACT: It is a nurse’s responsibility to check the prescribed flow rate of intravenous fluids.

QUESTION: How will you react if you found out that there’s a “nurse” who continually regulates the flow rate of IV’s on a very fast drip?

FACT: Hospitals never ran out of ghosts and wandering spirits…

FACT: Yes, the fast drip nurse is not human.

We were on our night shift when the staff nurses told us ghost stories in the hospital. What really freaked me out is the so-called fast drip nurse.

Here’s the story: A nurse regulated the IV flow rate of the patient to 10 drops per minute. The next day, the doctor shouted and asked who the hell regulated the IV and put it on a fast drip. The nurse who regulated the IV said that it was she who did it but it was on a KVO (Keep Veins Open). When the doctor asked the patient and his/her relatives, they said that it was the old nurse who did it, not the young nurse on duty. There’s no old nurse in that hospital. The oldest is in her 40s. The relatives’ description was like in her 60s.  Who could be that fast drip nurse that almost killed the patient?

Creepy.

*Credits to thermal-angel.net for the pic.

I received this quote and I find it very helpful so I am sharing it with you.

Nice isn’t it?

Applying what I have shared doesn’t hurt, so why not try it? I wish I could apply them too because I have noticed that I am getting impatient for the past few days. Haha!

Happy Birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday, Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to me!

Yey! I am officially 23! I am getting old, and unfortunately, I can’t hide it! But I am flattered that people tell me that I don’t look like my age! I look younger according to them. Oha oha! :P

I spent the first six hours of my birthday in the hospital. I was on a night duty yesterday. My shift is from 6pm to 6am. We were supposed to have a mini-party at the ER but too bad, I was pulled out in Pedia Ward because the trainees assigned there didn’t show up. And what do you expect? The trainees who came suffered, including me!

Despite our frustrations, I still enjoyed my birthday there. I brought pancit bijon for the nurses and doctors. My mom actually insisted me to bring food there for a little celebration. And yeah, we had fun! We even took pictures! (See my multiply account for the pics.)

This evening, I’ll be attending the mass to thank God for giving me another year. I’ll be attending the mass with my boyfriend. (That’s why I am blogging right now because I am currently waiting for him. Hehe!)

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all the people who greeted me thru text, forum threads, emails, etc. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that you remembered my special day.

Hmm. What else? Oh yeah, birthday wish! I wish that I’ll get hired soon! Wish wish wish!!

Why are there some staff nurses who often take advantage of their trainees? Yeah, it’s okay to ask us (trainees) a favor to do something for them especially if they are really busy but not to the extent that we will do everything for them while they are sitting pretty on their seats, and texting whoever they are texting with.

Some staff nurses/on call nurses are really getting into my nerves for the past few days but I just remained quiet because, what can I do, I am just a trainee.

Once I get absorbed in that hospital, I promise not to do the same thing.

Last Saturday, I was really lazy to go to the hospital but I still woke up early because I don’t want to be late in my training. As soon as I stepped my foot in the pediatric ward, I was surprised to see a girl in a stretcher being transferred to the PICU. She has so many contraptions - one on each extremity. I asked my senior what the case is and he told me, it’s Dengue Stage 4.

The hospital where I am undergoing training is said to be the dengue center of the Philippines - meaning, most of the cases there are dengue. Actually, I’ve proven that since the case I usually handle is dengue, if not leukemia.

Mosquitos do not choose who they will suck. Anyone can be a victim of dengue but the kids are mostly affected by this.

If we are responsible enough, we will do anything to prevent ourselves from acquiring dengue. Sanity is number one on the list. Mosquito repellants don’t hurt so why not try putting some on your body especially if you’re in a rural area or you’re going out on a trip.

Yes, at a very young age, the girl died. I didn’t want to see her relatives because I knew that I am going to cry. I actually controlled my tears from falling… I saved it up until I got home and talked to TJ and told him what happened.

When she was being revived by the doctors and her father was shouting and crying outside the intensive care unit, I really prayed hard. I told God to prolong the life of the patient because I know that she deserves to live, to see and to experience what life is. I am not saying that God did not answer my prayer… Maybe, that’s what God plans for her. It’s hard to accept that especially for her family, but what can we do? Hanggang dun na lang talaga siya… It’s frustrating to not to know the reason behind that God’s plan, but like what I always say in my entries, we should only have trust and faith to the Lord.

Let’s all thank God for the oxygen we are inhaling right now.

Amen.

Hmm. All I can say is that I am gradually granting my birthday wish list! Teehee! I already got my new bag and flip flops! I still want to buy a new book. I am actually thinking if I’ll save for the Twilight series or just buy Paulo Coelho’s Brida first. I saw Brida in a bookstore last week and I think it’s another fantastic work of Coelho. My sister’s friends pronounce it as COOLIO. Of course, they’re just joking around.

Other things that I would love to have for my birthday are e-cards/greetings, a new top and a new pair of sandals. Anyone wants to grant it? Hehe! And oh, I am also saving up for a scrapbook kit for some reasons. Hihi!

And now, here’s one of my wishlist… a new layout. What do you think of it? Comments, anyone?

It’s just a simple layout. As usual, I do not overdesign my layouts because I don’t want my reader/s to get fed up with my blog because of a bonggang-bonggang design. I will put the credits here prolly within this week. I still need time to look for all the sites where I got my resources. Sorry for the delay!

About my training, today was my last day in Pedia ward. It was neither fun nor boring. Just a so-so day. This week, we will be assigned in ER… where all the action starts! Lol. I am just kidding. But I’d love to have some action!

Hmmm, this is a non-sense entry. Sorry!

Thanks again to those people who keep/kept on greeting me about the Blog Awards. Thank youuuu! I can’t wait to meet my co-bloggers in person.

Oh well, this is such a randomshitty post. Bye for now.

Till my next entry!

You know what I hate in the nursing world? It’s not the hectic schedule nor the night duties that cause me to have zits every now and then. It’s dealing with the snob and air head doctors.

Grrr.

I was assigned in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) last week. I was so happy because I really love working in the intensive care unit. I always gain knowledge every exposure in the ICU. I just got pissed when a doctor saw me inside the PICU and said, “Who is she? What is she doing here? Diba I told you not to assign trainees here?!” Wtf. I felt humiliated.

I encountered a number of doctors who are really snob but I am thankful that there are still doctors who are very accommodating and friendly.

I was wondering, haven’t they undergone training when they were still junior interns or students? How will we, trainees, learn if they kept on assigning us to do vital signs? Wtf. Vital signs. I can do that even with my eyes closed! We want action. We want challenge. If you, doctors, want to work with competitive nurses, you should give us the chance to handle cases we haven’t handled before. You should teach us and give us the inspiration to do our best and not scare us away every time we assist you.

If only I have pursued my dream to be a doctor, I assure you that I will treat the nurses and the patients right.

Sorry for the rant. Sorry! Teehee!

On the lighter note, I just want to announce that I won in the People’s Choice category in the 2008 Candy Teen Blog Awards. =) Thank you for supporting me. I really owe it to you guys. *hugsssss*

I have a new haircut, by the way. I am back to my short short hair. LOL. It’s still a bob cut but it’s shorter than my usual bob.

Oh yes, I am back to blogging! I have so many stories to tell that I actually do not know how to start. HAHA. But I’ll just make this entry simple and concise.

On my first day, I handled three pediatric patients. One has Burkitt’s Lymphoma, the other one has Thalassemia and the last one has Dengue Fever. I pitied my patient with Burkitt’s Lymphoma. He’s so young to have that kind of disease. Actually, I do not know what kind of disease it was until I got home and researched for it. It’s a cancer of the lymphatic system. I knew that he has cancer because he’s moon faced (prolly caused by the Prednisone he was taking) and bald which is most likely caused by his chemotherapy. His sister is sooo jolly and every time I come inside their room, she always took pictures of me. HAHA! I asked his sister why she didn’t come to school. She said that she wants to be with her kuya. Aww. What a sweet girl.

I find my Thalassemia patient very funny. Actually, he is already for discharge. But because of lack of funds, they can’t pay their hospital bills. Sad but true. He knows all the doctors and nurses there. He even knows what time his vital signs will be taken. My thalassemic patient is really pale with very large abdominal circumference. Thalassemia is a problem in production of the proteins of hemoglobin in the blood. Most of the patients with thalassemia have severe anemia that is why they are required to have blood transfusion regularly. It’s just sad to hear that my patient can’t undergo blood transfusion regularly because they do not have the money for cross matching. I had a lot of funny experiences with this patient. One of those is when I took his blood pressure. And you know what he told me? “90/60 nanaman yan. Ate, dito mo lagay yan… (while putting the diaphragm of the stethoscope on his arm)” Hahaha! Another one is when he asked me if I have a cellphone because he was so eager to call his father and ask him to buy him a food.

Him: Ate, may cellphone ka ba?
Me: Oo, bakit?
Him: Globe or Smart?
Me: Globe. Bakit?
Him: Text mo nga papa ko. Nagugutom na kase ako!

Hahaha! Ang kuliiiittttt!

My third patient, the one with dengue fever, is a nursing graduate who just recently took the board exam. Now I know the feeling of having a patient who’s also a nurse. I kinda got conscious of what I was doing since I know that she is aware of why I am doing such interventions. I realized that I should not be worried with what I am doing if I know that what I am doing is right. And I also realized that nurses should not only be conscious if the patient has knowledge in nursing or in any medical field but also in all other patients because patients are patients and they all deserve the right kind of treatment and nursing care we should render.

On my second day, I handled toxic patients because I had to monitor them hourly. I handled two very young patients. One has an unknown viral infection (yet) and the other one has acute leukemia. I got really sad for my leukemic patient. She’s a sweet girl. I know that God has plans for her even though deep inside my heart I know that a girl like her doesn’t deserve this. I was on a graveyard shift and surprisingly, I was awake for the first 9 hours. Haha! Our shift is from 6pm to 6am. Thanks to caffeine and to my toxic patients.

Like what I said in my previous post, I am thankful that I grew up normally with little health problems (you know how sickly I am. Hehe!). I just wish and hope that when I bear my own child, he/she won’t get sick like my patients because I know how hard it is for my future child. I’d rather bear my endometriosis for life rather than see my future child suffer.

You know, when I told my mom about my patients, she said “Thank you Lord” upon hearing my story. I know that a suffering of a child is duplicated with a tormenting feeling on the part of the parent/s. That is why even if you’re sick of what I am saying how thankful I am, I keep on blogging about this because this is one of the ways I can express my gratitude to the Lord.

Another thing that makes me thankful is that my parents are celebrating their 27th anniversary tomorrow. They have undergone so many trials when this year started but their relationship and their love for each other remained strong. As a tribute for my parents, I made this simple art to show my love for them. Happy Anniversary Mama and Papa!

Now, let me ask you… Sino kamukha ko?! HEHE!

Wow. Time flies by so fast. I am turning 23 in 30 days! Four years to go and I will finally get married! HAHA. Joke. Seriously speaking, I plan to get married on my 27th year… Let’s just wait for TJ to propose to make my dream come true. Hehehe.

I like this work of mine. It’s so cute. =D Credits to Google, Deviantart and other digital scrapbooking sites. I forgot where I got them because I just randomly downloaded kits in every sites I visited. I promise to put my resources soon!

Yesterday, we talked about Leukemia as part of our training orientation. The doctor who lectured said that there is a little percentage of survival for leukemia unless these leukemic patients comply with their chemotherapy. Rich leukemic patients do survive because they have the money to pay for the said treatment… but for the poor ones, most of them just wait for someone with a good heart to donate funds for their treatment because they can not afford it, or worse, just deal with the disease and die.

I suddenly remembered my patients in a public hospital when I was in my senior year in Nursing. I had three leukemic indigent patients… Where are they now? Are they still alive?

You see, I really do not like in a pediatric ward because I hate stubborn kids, especially when it comes to administering medications (Haha!) but still, part of me wants to make them happy and to give them time that they deserve especially these kind of patients. These patients are deprived of living a normal life because of their limitations in activities. Seeing these kids makes me thankful that I did not experience what they are going through right now. I must be thankful that even though my mom did not buy me a doll house that I have always wanted, at least I had a normal life when I was a child - I enjoyed running on the streets, trying to climb a tree, playing with my neighbors, and etc.

I remember what the doctor said about the Leukemia Foundation she endorsed to us. “You don’t have to give money to these patients… Time is enough for them to make them happy...” So as part of my birthday plans, I decided to volunteer for the Leukemia Foundation (I do not know what it is called but it is a organization that aims to help children with leukemia.) I will be inquiring tomorrow after my duty. I plan to go there on my off days. I have thought that by doing this, I am not just being productive in my life but also, I am helping kids by giving them the support and attention that they need.

Before I’ll sign off, I would like to share you the last message that the doctor told us. This message is for the student nurses and nurses who are reading my blog. (Not in exact words) “You must be thankful for your patients because they are the ones who teach you. You learn from them. So treat them right and give them the nursing care that they deserve….“