The last day of clinical

Though I am quite proficient at complaining, I cannot find much to complain about in being done with clinicals. All the early frigid mornings, the endless patient preparations, and the pre- and post-clinical wrap-ups are officially at an end. The next time I take care of a patient, I expect I will be getting paid for it.

As far as last days go, it was about as uneventful a day as you could ask for. The hardest part was not staring gape mouthed at the clock for the entirety of the shift. My patient had plenty that was/is wrong with her, but none of it was affecting her in any discernible manner on this day, so she was being discharged (eventually.....getting discharged from the hospital is akin to waiting on cable repair, there is a broad range of time when it might happen). Her mother took care of her feeding, washing, and changing. I was left to do little more than collect vital signs (twice) and check in periodically to see if anything had gone awry. Thankfully, nothing did. I am sure this did little to impress my clinical instructor, but aside from hiding out under my patient's crib I didn't see much way around moseying about the nurses station with my chart in my hand.

Tomorrow will be a simulation day. Well, mostly. It will involve a few hours of simulation and a few hours of lecture and a few hours of post conference and............well, and who gives a shit its over!!! The chapter officially closes on PEDs this coming week with a Monday exam and a midweek NCLEX style challenge for extra points. There are plenty of other things to do, but it is a HUGE relief that clinicals will not be one of them. Would I have liked to deal with full patient loads and other things that would better prepare me? Absolutely! But, UR places more emphasis on other things. Hopefully that emphasis will not prove misplaced.

The fire sale continues on our belongings and, happily, are selling briskly. We may yet condense our belongings enough. It remains to be seen of course, but optimism abounds until you actually start trying to pack it all. I will truly loathe that part. Tia's chinchilla cage weighs more than an offensive lineman and is just as big. Maybe we can strap it to the top of the trailer?

Off to some Nyquil dreams (my allergies will be the death of me yet).