Nursing theory

I had to write a paper about nursing theory. The paper had to be, as all papers for this particular class have to be, 2 pages single-spaced in APA format. The point of the paper was to show how the theory you chose applied to care of patients. The point of the class, much like the point of the paper, seems to be to suck what hours it can from actually relevant classes. Not trying to be bitter, but not all classes seem to hold the same level of relevance when you are cramming them in like crab legs at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

My classes are as such:
9 credits of pathophysiology - teaching us how the body reacts to stresses like trauma or medication. The complexities of the course are beyond my explanation because they are beyond my comprehension at this point, but, for a point of reference: If a patient is on an anti-parkinsonian drugs -
1. what does that mean? Well, the body is producing too much acetylcholine (ACh) and/or not enough dopamine which is a problem because ACh is a stimulant causing all your nerves to fire continuously leading to the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
2. What do you do? You have to up the dopamine levels which ought to balance out the ACh, but it cannot cross the Blood Brain Barrier so it L-dopa is usually combined with carbidopa (for those of you who REALLY know this stuff, sorry for any errors). The process works for awhile but is not a fix. When it stops working and the dopamine levels and GABA levels cannot counterbalance the ACh, then you try to lower the ACh production with anticholinergenics. The problem with anicholinergenics is that they have effects systemically leading to sympathetic stress responses (fight-or-flight) such as lower GI motility and secretions, dilated pupils, higher blood pressure, and the like.

This is the kind of thing we are learning for all diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimers, and depression. How the body responds to these stresses and how those responses lead to other responses and ad-infinitum down the line. It is some incredibly dense material taught to us at speeds that cause me a personal stress response. My brain feels a lot like the movie Memento because I have to keep working backwards to get to the answers.

Assessment - teaches us how to work up a patient in the most general to the more specific manners. Everything from taking pulses and BP to neurological and musculoskeletal examinations. Things we will need to know but have a hard time studying because of pathophys. It still feels a lot like a game of dress up. I cannot believe we will be doing this stuff for real so soon.

Genetics - learning how to do 3-generational punnets (like Gregor Mendal and his peas) to figure out how cousin Emma happened to get blue eyes and/or Marphan syndrome. Thankfully the class is kind of like a buffet (seems to be the theme)......try to get as much on your plate as you can, but dont think for a second you are getting it all in one trip.

Nursing Science - kind of about nursing history, theory, and various related affairs but mostly about the aforementioned papers. One of those classes that might well be interesting, but kind of like the show King of Queens. If you have time and its on, I will watch it and be amused, but when you dont have time to watch it, it wouldnt phase you at all to miss it. In this scenario, my other classes kind of feel like they are all on at the same time as King of Queens and all are shows that require I pay attention more. I wish I could wait to do this class during summer reruns.

So, those are my classes. They might not seem like a lot to some, but they take up an inordinate amount of time and my head often hurts worse than GW's after trying to pronounce the world nuclear. I can see why they tell us not to work. Some people do manage to juggle school and work (part-time) effectively, but that is for now while the clinicals remain in the distance.

As far as life outside of school, things are moving along. The schedule has finally normalized and that helps in planning studying, etc. It also allows for Tia and I to have some down time to relax and do some fun things. I met a girl who said she was giving up movies, TV, hanging out with friends etc. for the duration of the program, to which I could only smile knowing full well that she will be one of the patients we end up treating soon after we graduate. It is a balance and not an even one, but if you let life whither and die while you are in the program, you wont have a lot to look forward to when the program is done.

I need to get back to my books. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Do something relaxing on my behalf.