Thank goodness ~ I can say that my nursing assessment class is finished! This whole semester has been a tough one for both the pathophysiology class and the assessment class were taught by one of the directors of our program and her expectation of us is very high. Her exams were some of the hardest I have ever taken...I would have failed them if she had made us take them in class. We begged to take them at home so that we could actually 'learn something' by having to look up the answers vs. just taking the exam in class, probably missing answers and never really learning anything (because really...do people go home and re-study exams to learn the things they miss?? Why would you when said exam is done and over??)
Our final was a hands on assessment. My partner and I ended up being the last ones to perform ours. We had a potluck in class to keep us occupied as each pair went off to do their assessment. I was nervous. Oh, why didn't we just go first and get it over with? I was prepared with lots of information in my head. Now I know you may be thinking..."you are a nurse already, don't you do assessments everyday?" Well, yes I do but they aren't as full of an exam as we were learning in class. Once you are out practicing you tend to taylor your assessments to the people you are caring for. I deliver babies. I can do a perfect vaginal exam and can tell what position your baby is in but I haven't looked in an ear since I was up at Hume Lake practicing camp nursing. I have never even looked in an eye to see the optic disc....hello, I only found it once during this class!! Thank God I don't have to check yours!!
By the time my partner and I got to our assessment I was tired and just ready to get it over with. Happily I think we rocked it. I think going last might have worked in our favor. The otoscope light had burnt out by the time it was our turn, so we didn't really have to look in the ear or the eye. We just had to go through the motions. I think our instructor was probably as tired as we were and let us skip minor things. As long as we acted like we knew what we were doing she was not super hard on us. She asked us some pertinent questions and signed us off pretty quick. I'm sure we passed. Relieved we left and went out to celebrate :)
Whoo hoo!! Only four more classes to go. That is only 32 weeks. Our next class is a culture sensitivity one. I am looking forward to a bit of a switch in direction and hopefully a bit of a breather before we have to do community health later in the summer. I can't believe that I am one more class closer to being done. This has been a long journey but I know that the end is in sight...
Debbie
No comments:
Post a Comment