The Last Week of School

One final down, one to go, and then the graduation ceremony is on Thursday.

What a semester this has been! I have had the opportunity to explore nursing in the community, as well as complete my preceptorship in an ICU. I really enjoyed both experiences--particularly the preceptorship--because I felt like it gave me the opportunity to complete my transition from student to novice nurse.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Magic of Learning

My preceptor met me with a smile the first day. She oriented me to the unit, assessed my general knowledge, supervised my opening notes, etc. But as the day wore on, I noticed she was sneaking candy from her pockets.

"What'cha eating?" I asked.

She looked at me askance. "You're totally into Harry Potter, right?" I put a question mark there, but in reality she spoke the words more like a statement of undeniable fact. Luckily, I was, in fact, a Harry Potter fan. I know for a fact my lot would have been different and dire if I had answered her in the negative.

"Of course..." I said. Whereupon she produced several packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Bloodpops, Chocolate Frogs, and other Potter candies from her pockets. For the rest of the summer, Potter became a constant default discussion topic in the lulls between my educational experiences. She showed me a book she was reading that speculated on the symbolism behind the Potter series. She showed me the costume she had made for her child for the midnight release party. She held her hands over her ears and yelled "lalalalala" as soon as I mentioned that the book had leaked over the Internet. A true fan. (Or addict?)

I wouldn't say that Harry Potter conversations were the most memorable thing about my preceptorship. I learned so much about the day-to-day routine, policies, procedures, computer charting, teamwork... the experience was invaluable. However, I found it refreshing to be paired with someone who was young and at least as nerdy as I am.

I lamented the fact that she took vacation around the book release date, so I could not see her in the last days of clinicals. My classmate and I brought food for the rest of the staff, but I couldn't let this woman's semester of efforts go unrewarded. I agonized over what kind of Potter trinket would be appropriate for a thank-you gift. I felt certain she'd already have anything that could be bought in a store... so I finally decided on something home-made.

The nearest thing to nurses Harry Potter's world are the lime-cloaked Healers of St. Mungo's Hospital. (And trust me, I wouldn't have known this if she'd not told me about the costume she was sewing). As a gift, I painted a small wooden plaque green with the symbol of the hospital, and emblazoned the words "St. Mungo's Award for Distinguished Healer Mentor" on the front. I left it in her locker for discovery. I hope she likes it.

Memorable Quote of the Semester

"One time a student was working in the ER. And she told us that a woman came in with gonorrhea. She was a prostitute, and she had an ostomy. In fact, she was prostituting the ostomy... and I know none of you are going to forget the concept of 'portal of entry' after that story."

~~~

Alright, that's all I have time for at the moment. One more final to study for. Expect an update after graduation.