hi internet, you are my partner now.  one of the things i am really missing in life, and have been missing for quite sometime, is someone i can share my day with.  i want to come home, sit on the couch (or at the dinner table) and share our days.  so you get to be my partner now.  minus the couch.

had my first day at the VA.  i felt like it went really well, at least i felt good about it.  i did my assessment, and though i missed some things, i did…i just went into the clients room and did it.  and i am proud of myself for that.  i felt comfortable too.  i think that is almost more important.  before now i have always been apprehensive and nervous.  out there on that cardiac floor, where i have little background (because we haven’t had cardio in school yet) i still felt good.  i felt like i could check on my client.  i have this classmate that is fast as lightening and i am thinking of asking her how she marches through things so easily and quickly.  maybe she has a trick.  there was TONS of info we got.  tons of history documentation, diet info (mine was incomplete), med info.  and we had a short period of time to review it.  but i felt good about it.  i read it and it was completely greek.  in this way, it was a good day.  on the other hand, our clinical instructor announced she was mad at us because we didn’t do what she told us.  well, THAT annoyed me.  sure, i got things wrong, but that is because all of this is new.  YES, i have done assessments before, but not like this.  no, i have not been shown how to check the carotid pulse using a stethoscope.  but, yes, i did think i knew what i was doing, now i know where i was wrong.  doesn’t seem logical to get mad at me because i didn’t interpret what you said the way you intended it.  i wasn’t the only one, you know.  she keeps saying “what can i do to help you” (though she says it in a very aggressive voice, not an encouraging one) and i want to say back “let me learn.  understand that i am ramping up.  if i don’t get better, then get mad.  don’t get mad because i am not perfect out of the gate”.  but i am smart enough not to say that.  i don’t just back down, but i also haven’t pushed back quite that hard.  all in all, i feel good about today, and i expect to learn a lot at this facility.  that makes me happy.  how was your day honey?