Mechanical Ventilation

Another week in Respiratory Care is over! Yay and Nay! I am really enjoying this program. Thursday during lab we started mechanical ventilation. You know in shows like House and Grey's Anatomy, doctors or nurses are using this purple or blue bag and delivering Oxygen to patients. Come to find out Respiratory Therapists do the majority of bagging patients. Today we got to try out the big purple bag on manikins. 

Meet our patient, Mr. Mani Kin. 

And this one looks like Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. My teacher calls him basketball head. Not my favorite manikin, but he does the job.

Next, we learned how to put these tubes in their mouth. This would be used when the tongue is flopping around in the mouth and we can't get proper airflow to the lungs. We place this into the mouth and BAM! airflow into the lungs. 

Or we use one of these tubes that goes into the nose. 

These help us to be able to suction out secretions and that in turn, helps the patient breath better. That is the whole goal of Respiratory Care.

These ladies make lab worth going to every Tuesday and Thursday. Don't worry ladies clinical's start soon. 

Trip to New Jersey

Most of you know that Brian (my brother) is a UKC certified judge for dock jumping. He also gets the fun job of traveling everywhere for his job. Hence the reason I went to NJ. He needed a secretary for his event. You also know that I am in school and I was nervous I wasn't going to get my homework done, or I wouldn't be ready for my test on Monday. I decided to go anyway, mostly because I wanted to fly on a plane again. I hadn't been on a plane in 5 years! I love airplanes, especially take off and landing. This was my first time flying alone. My dad walked into the airport with me and I did the rest alone! (I felt like an adult, it was wonderful.) I even got a whole row of seats to myself!

This is where I sat, and they gave us PEANUTS! I was kinda shocked but they were really good.

When I landed in Baltimore, it took almost three hours for Brian and I to get back to the event. This meant lots of quality brother-sister time. Lots of looking out the window and lots of country music.

We went over many rivers and through hills but my favorite part of the drive was when we went under a river. That's right, UNDER a RIVER. The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel.

The drive was beautiful.

When you drive so much you eventually need gas. Fun fact: In New Jersey you are not allowed to pump your own gasoline. (Diesel is an exception.) It was like stepping backwards in time. These men would stand outside and wait for cars to pull in and they would pump your gas for you. This would be useful come winter in Michigan.

The event was held next to a sod farm. I didn't know there was such a thing. I knew about sod and what it was, I just never realized it was a place like this. It was pretty. Green grass for miles. 

(The windows were really dirty)

This was my first time as a secretary for UAD, I did okay. As long as everything was done on time, Brian didn't complain. He did a good job as always, and there were so many people and dogs! We had over 30 dogs in one splash!

All in all it was a good weekend. I finished all my homework, and Brian and I didn't get in any fights. We were even provided with a beautiful sunset to end our trip to New Jersey.

Respiratory Care Lab

I have been meaning to write a blog for awhile, and I finally got a quick minute to write about school.

As of right now, I love the program. I finally feel like I am going somewhere in school, instead of running circles in the introductory classes. 

This semester I have Anatomy and Physiology of Cardiopulmonary, Respiratory Procedures, Respiratory Procedures Lab,  Intro to Respiratory Care and Respiratory Pharmacology. 

 I actually learned how to do a lot of these things at work. I can not explain how helpful work has been while taking these classes, or how much taking an upper level A&P has helped.
My favorite class so far is probably Respiratory Procedures Lab. Mostly because we get to play with a bunch of very cool instruments.

For example, the one above is a vest that fills up with air and starts to shake you. It is not violent and I think it feels like a big hug that shakes you internally. We spend the majority of lab practicing our new found skills on each other. The instrument seen below is called an Acapella. You breathe into it and helps loosen the mucous from your lungs. This is normally done before you do a nebulizer treatment.

Lab is serious business for the majority of the time. Except, on Thursday, we all seem to get a little slap happy from such a long week of continuous studying. 

As for me, I tend to study a lot. Mostly because I am waiting for the bus, and I need to keep up in my classes. In the library my desk normally looks like this.

I have my computer, books, folders, notebooks, binders, homework, workbooks, power cords, and a whole lot of notecards. If I get a study room with a whiteboard my rooms looks more like this. (I do love whiteboards.)

Sometimes you just need to take a break from school and get coffee. Since, I don't have a coffee maker at school, I tend to go to Starbucks and get an afternoon coffee, because without it I would not make it home awake.

Time to get back to studying, I have midterms next week.

First Day Jitters

I don't know about you, but first days make me quite nervous.

 I tend to find a quiet place where no one will talk to me or I bury myself in homework. 

 

I get so worked up about the first classes, first tests, first homework assignments, first rides on the bus, first new friends, first day alone anywhere. Out of these first days come better ones. Like meeting new friends on the bus (whom I actually like) 

 

or new classmates that will keep you company as you wait for classes to start. Those first couple of weeks will be tough, I need to look at the small light in the tunnel, because at the end of the tunnel my dream job awaits.

Happy studying to all my fellow classmates.

Alien Invasion

Do you remember the movie Signs? It was about a family that finds a crop circle on the farm? Earlier this week my family found this in our front yard.

 

It is a mushroom circle, and in two days it turned into this!

The majority were bigger than a human foot! 

Or bigger than a human hand.  

 

My dad and I cut these fungi out of the yard and the next day there was a circle of flowers that grew in there place.  (This is a really bad picture.)

 

I think the aliens are out to get the Butler house.

Lessons From Work: How to Stay Awake

Another lesson from work, learning how to stay awake on third shift. According to one of my coworkers, I never look tired. Well, I haven't gotten used to this shift and sleeping during the day isn't my cup of tea. So, here are my simple steps to trying to stay awake during the graveyard shift.

Step 1: Do your job. If a resident pulls the call light you better get that! Frankly, do all of your chores before getting bored. 

Step 2: Find friends to talk to on Facebook or text. Or write a funny story using the stickers on Facebook. Or write an encouraging message to someone, it can really make there day. :) 

Step 3: Drink caffeine! I tend to drink coffee, or the occasional coke.

Step 4: Ride a stationary bike. We are lucky enough to have one of these at work. Actually had time to ride it last week.

Step 5: Write a blog post. That is what I did.

Lessons From Work: Forgive and Forget

In my last post, (seen here) I told you that this summer I have learned patience. Well, I have also learned that in order to get the elderly to cooperate you must not get upset or frustrated. It doesn't do any good.

I have always had a temper. It just doesn't come out in public very often. It is a really bad habit that must change, but change takes time.

The other day, I had a resident tell me that I was a horrible nurse, and there was no way that she was going to cooperate with me that day. At first, I was quite angry and a little upset. I went home and complained to my family. I am not even in nursing school yet, and you tell me that I am a horrible nurse? That is a really mean thing to say about someone you don't even know.

After weeks of thinking about this comment (yes, weeks), I have come to the realization that she is kind of right. As hard as it is to admit, I don't know as much as I should. I am still learning the ropes here at work. I am not always sure what to tell the residents when they are upset or irritated. I guess the best thing about working at an assisted living center is that if your lucky, the residents won't remember you the next morning.

Lessons From Work : Patients is a Virtue

As most of you know, I work at an assisted living center. This summer I have the opportunity to work 11-7, three times or more a week! I love this job. My coworkers are nice and the majority of the residents are super sweet. 

I have learned a lot from these elderly people. The first thing I have learned is patience. My shift begins quite slow, I answer buzzers, and check on residents for the first 5 hours! But then the morning rush hits. This rush consists of passing pills, answering buzzers, waking residents up, doing blood sugars, weighing residents, answering questions, and trying to make the residents day a little bit brighter. As morning hits, the more work there is to do. 

(I don't really get that stressed)

 

Don't get me wrong, I like being busy, just ask my family, but I don't like waiting. As we get older we tend to do things a little slower and we learn to take time and smell the roses, think about days gone bye and old friends that have passed. 

As a young whipper snapper, I would like to walk into the room, do my job and move on to the next resident, but these men and women are teaching me patience. As I wake up the residents, they tend to move a little slower that I would like. I am learning that even though I have so much to do, the work will always be there. The residents will not get mad if you walk in a little late, and if you leave five minutes late. It's going to be okay.
Maybe taking a minute to think about how grateful we are for another day, month, or year, is good for us. 

Just thoughts from a college student.

A Weekend Without Parents

A weekend with parents - every teenage and twenty somethings dream! So what did I do? Here is just a glimpse.

I packed up all my stuff and drove to Traverse City with Star. I drove and she slept.