Where did 2009 go?
My Christmas week off was fabulous, a much needed break and gave me a chance to catch up on sleep! Spring semester officially started yesterday and clinicals now consist of regular 7-3 days, 11am-7pm days (which is what I did today), call shifts (3pm-7am), my first of which is tomorrow, and weekend shifts. Our two classes for the semester are Advanced Pathophysiology (Wednesdays 1:30-3:30 with online lectures) and Advanced Principles of Anesthesia on Mondays from 3:30-5:30 (makes for some loooong Mondays!!).
Clinicals are getting better...there's still so much to learn but the basics are finally starting to feel routine. Until today I was 0-3 on inserting arterial lines, but now my record is 1-3. It ended up being pretty much like my first intubation....once I got it in, I was too stunned to know what to do next. Although we are basically working a full-time job (for free) and taking 2 classes, we get off time for call shifts and weekend shifts, so we have a little more time to relax.
For anyone interested in UTC's anesthesia program, I thought I'd pass on this information I received in an email recently:
"There will be a general informational session about the program on February 4, 2010 at 5:30 pm (EST) on the UTC campus-Metro Building 231 (518 Oak Street, 37403). We will provide info on the admission process, overview of the program, and there will be time for questions from interested applicants. Anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in nurse anesthesia is encouraged to attend."
