ICU week 2

           So I have finished my second week in the ICU. This week I actually had 12 hour shifts.The time flies when you are busy. Hours go by extremely fast. When things are slow time sort of slows down but there is always something to be done to keep busy or something new to see/learn. I have seen a lot of things not talked about during classroom teaching and heard terms that I have no idea what they mean. Its always good and OK to look up something you do not know or do not understand. Do not try to pretend you know something you do not. Just be honest. I have gone to codes, assisted Dr's intubating, transported patients, administered medications, taking blood gases, did patient planning, performed CPR, suctioned patients, analysed x-rays, checked lab values, adjusted ventilation settings as per blood gas results, discussed patients plans with Doctors, set up otpi-flow, did trach care, watched seminars, wrote reports, charted correctly, signed arrest reports, and a whole lot of other things while continuously being quizzed by preceptors, csc's, doctors. 

           When I was told by previous student RT's that clinical makes you feel stupid and it's like hell because you don't really have a life while in clinical may turn out to be right and may not. During the week it is tough as you work from 7-7. Having to be up by 5-5:30 and leaving for work by 6am. Then leaving work around 7:15pm and getting home around 8pm. If you want 8 hours of sleep you need to be asleep at 9pm. That would give you 1 hour to have a life/study/do homework. This is why us clinical students do not get the recommended 8 hours of sleep and probably get on average 4-5 hours of sleep during the week. Going out for dinner saves you time on making it and you can go with friends/family. But you also need to make your lunch and break meals for the next day as well. There is always the weekends to catch up on things such as sleep, friends, studying, homework, normal everyday things. Some of that weekend time gets taken away if you work during clinical year like I do. But it is always good to have some money coming in because school costs money and so does living.