Wow, sorry it's been so long since I blogged. It's just been the last thing on my mind since exams finished, LOL.
I got a few of my results back a while a go:
Acute Care:
Assignment # 1: 62%
Assignment # 2: 92%
Practical Exam (Venepuncture): 100%!!
Total grade for Acute Care: 75 (B)
Pretty happy with that.
Community Nursing:
Group Assignment: 90%
Team oral presentation: 95%
Online quiz: 85%
Assignment # 1: 55% (everyone I know got this mark or lower . . . WTF??)
Assignment # 2: don't know
Total grade for Community Nursing: 69 (C) . . . why couldn't I get just one more point??? Then it would be B instead of a C. Oh well.
I haven't completed my clinical placement or my assignment (based on the placement) yet so I don't know what my grade is for that subject is and I can't even find out what mark I got for the exam worth 50%.
I'm leaving for Canberra at the end of this week, staying there for one month to do my mental health placement. I've actually been reading up in the last week or so - drug abuse, schizophrenia, self-harm, bi-polar etc.
Also enrolled in next year's subjects. I'm already half way through my course and this time next year I'll be finished, I'll be ready to get out there and start my career as a registered nurse! How time flies. It's wonderful to set goals and slowly see yourself achieving them.
2011 THIRD YEAR NURSING SUBJECTS:
Semester 1:
Complex Care Nursing
Nursing Older People
Professional Transition in Nursing
Semester 2:
Interactions in Nursing
Clinical Practice Consolidation
Managing Chronic Conditions
That's all for now. Will definitely be blogging more often this month while I'm on my placement. No doubt I will have some very interesting stories from the psych ward!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
I got venepuncture!
Yay! I think I did pretty well, I hope so because it is worth 25%. Now just have Acute Care multiple choice exam to go. Only 30 questions and worth 15%.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Acute Care Practical Exam prep
Mental Health was not too bad, I think I definitely got at least three quarters of the answers right and the rest I made an educated guess. The most annoying thing about the exam was that quite a few questions were repeated and there were loads of typo and grammatical errors which they interrupted us at least 5 or 6 times during the exam to correct them. I don't think the exam was proofread until after it had been printed.
Anyway, that's out of the way now. For today's Acute Care Practical Skills exam I have to be prepared to perform and talk about these three skills: venepuncture, wound packing, and oxygen therapy. I will only do one skill in the exam but won't know which one it is until I get there.
To prepare I have done the following:
Reading:
• Oxygen therapy via nasal cannula or various masks
• Complex wounds – packing a wound
• Venipuncture
• Aseptic dressing technique
• Assessment of breathing
• Positioning a breathless patient
• Administering humidified oxygen
• Measuring peak expiratory flow rate
• Measuring pulse oximetry (oxygen saturation)
Youtube Videos:
• Oxygen therapy skills demonstration (20 minutes)
• Performing Venipuncture - taking blood (7 minutes)
• Wound Irrigation, Packing and dressing (7 minutes)
I also invited my (new) boyfriend around to practice venepuncture and wound packing procedure on him (just pretend of course, but using the actual equipment to build up my psychomotor skills), and he even gave me some constructive feedback. I hope I get to do venepuncture in the exam because of the three I think it's the most straight forward, uncomplicated and I've had quite a bit of practice doing it both in the labs with the fake arm, and on clinical placements.
Anyway, that's out of the way now. For today's Acute Care Practical Skills exam I have to be prepared to perform and talk about these three skills: venepuncture, wound packing, and oxygen therapy. I will only do one skill in the exam but won't know which one it is until I get there.
To prepare I have done the following:
Reading:
• Oxygen therapy via nasal cannula or various masks
• Complex wounds – packing a wound
• Venipuncture
• Aseptic dressing technique
• Assessment of breathing
• Positioning a breathless patient
• Administering humidified oxygen
• Measuring peak expiratory flow rate
• Measuring pulse oximetry (oxygen saturation)
Youtube Videos:
• Oxygen therapy skills demonstration (20 minutes)
• Performing Venipuncture - taking blood (7 minutes)
• Wound Irrigation, Packing and dressing (7 minutes)
I also invited my (new) boyfriend around to practice venepuncture and wound packing procedure on him (just pretend of course, but using the actual equipment to build up my psychomotor skills), and he even gave me some constructive feedback. I hope I get to do venepuncture in the exam because of the three I think it's the most straight forward, uncomplicated and I've had quite a bit of practice doing it both in the labs with the fake arm, and on clinical placements.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Mental Health Exam Prep ctd
Reviewed all mental health drugs in the following categories:
• Antianxiety agents (benzodiazepines) – eg. Alprazolam a.k.a “Xanax”, Diazepam a.k.a “Valium” and Oxazepam a.k.a “Serapax”.
• Antidepressants – Tricyclic (eg. Amitriptyline a.k.a “Endep”), Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (eg. Escitalopram a.k.a “Lexapro”, Fluoxetine a.k.a “Prozac” and Sertraline a.k.a “Zoloft”), serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (eg. duloxetine a.k.a “Cymbalta” and Venlafaxine a.k.a “Efexor”), and atypical antidepressants (eg. Mirtazapine a.k.a “Avanza/Sol Tab”).
• Antipsychotics/Neuroleptics – eg. Carbamazepine, Chlorpromazine a.k.a “Largactil”, Clozapine, Olanzapine a.k.a “Zyprexa”, and Quetiapine a.k.a “Seroquel”.
• Sedatives – eg. Temazepam a.k.a “Normison”, Zopliclone a.k.a “Imovane”, and Zolpidem a.k.a “Stilnox / Ambien”
The examples are ones that I consider to be the most well known . . . how many have you heard of?
Read Australian Clinical Practice Guideline Summaries for:
• adult deliberate self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Anorexia nervosa
• Schizophrenia
• Panic disorder and phobias
Then I did the short answer section of a past exam that a classmate emailed to me. Although this exam is open answer instead of multiple choice it’s a good indication of the types of questions that might come up in the exam.
1. List the components considered to comprise a comprehensive psychiatric assessment.
2. Name the key components of a mental status examination.
3. Name five risk factors that indicate increased risk of suicide.
4. With regard to schizophrenia name:
a. Three types of hallucination
b. Two types of delusional thinking
5. List five key signs of clinical depression.
6. List five key signs of bi-polar disorder in the acute phase of illness.
7. List four common side effects of anti-psychotic medications.
8. Name the five criteria for involuntary treatment as prescribed in the Mental Health Act:
9. What are the key elements of seclusion as described by the Mental Health Act.
10. List the forms of non medical psychological treatment used in the treatment for a person with a mental illness.
11. Name the three major themes identified by VIC HEALTH for priority action in Mental Health Promotion.
12. Within communication skills, what are the two types of questions utilised to elicit information from clients.
• Antianxiety agents (benzodiazepines) – eg. Alprazolam a.k.a “Xanax”, Diazepam a.k.a “Valium” and Oxazepam a.k.a “Serapax”.
• Antidepressants – Tricyclic (eg. Amitriptyline a.k.a “Endep”), Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (eg. Escitalopram a.k.a “Lexapro”, Fluoxetine a.k.a “Prozac” and Sertraline a.k.a “Zoloft”), serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (eg. duloxetine a.k.a “Cymbalta” and Venlafaxine a.k.a “Efexor”), and atypical antidepressants (eg. Mirtazapine a.k.a “Avanza/Sol Tab”).
• Antipsychotics/Neuroleptics – eg. Carbamazepine, Chlorpromazine a.k.a “Largactil”, Clozapine, Olanzapine a.k.a “Zyprexa”, and Quetiapine a.k.a “Seroquel”.
• Sedatives – eg. Temazepam a.k.a “Normison”, Zopliclone a.k.a “Imovane”, and Zolpidem a.k.a “Stilnox / Ambien”
The examples are ones that I consider to be the most well known . . . how many have you heard of?
Read Australian Clinical Practice Guideline Summaries for:
• adult deliberate self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Anorexia nervosa
• Schizophrenia
• Panic disorder and phobias
Then I did the short answer section of a past exam that a classmate emailed to me. Although this exam is open answer instead of multiple choice it’s a good indication of the types of questions that might come up in the exam.
1. List the components considered to comprise a comprehensive psychiatric assessment.
2. Name the key components of a mental status examination.
3. Name five risk factors that indicate increased risk of suicide.
4. With regard to schizophrenia name:
a. Three types of hallucination
b. Two types of delusional thinking
5. List five key signs of clinical depression.
6. List five key signs of bi-polar disorder in the acute phase of illness.
7. List four common side effects of anti-psychotic medications.
8. Name the five criteria for involuntary treatment as prescribed in the Mental Health Act:
9. What are the key elements of seclusion as described by the Mental Health Act.
10. List the forms of non medical psychological treatment used in the treatment for a person with a mental illness.
11. Name the three major themes identified by VIC HEALTH for priority action in Mental Health Promotion.
12. Within communication skills, what are the two types of questions utilised to elicit information from clients.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Mental Health Exam Prep
My first exam is for Mental Health Nursing at 9am this Wednesday. It's going to be 100 multiple choice questions and worth 50% of the total grade for the subject, so basically I'm just reviewing everything they've thrown at us in the form of lectures and reading. This is what I've covered in the last few days:
Lectures:
• The Nursing Considerations of a Patient with Mental Illness in the General Ward.
• Therapeutic Relationships
• Psychopharmacology
• Mental Status Examination
• Mini mental examination
• Mental Health Assessment
Reading:
• Procedure for making a request and recommendation for involuntary treatment as an inpatient or in the community under the Mental Health Act.
• Mental Health Assessment and Care Planning`
• Applying the recovery model of intervention
• Recovering from Chronic Mental Illness Guidelines
• National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce
• National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Health Survey Summary of Findings
• Cultural Considerations and Communication Techniques Guidelines for Providing Mental Health First Aid to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Person
• Anthropology in the Clinic: The Problem with Cultural Competency
• Metabolic Syndrome
Lectures:
• The Nursing Considerations of a Patient with Mental Illness in the General Ward.
• Therapeutic Relationships
• Psychopharmacology
• Mental Status Examination
• Mini mental examination
• Mental Health Assessment
Reading:
• Procedure for making a request and recommendation for involuntary treatment as an inpatient or in the community under the Mental Health Act.
• Mental Health Assessment and Care Planning`
• Applying the recovery model of intervention
• Recovering from Chronic Mental Illness Guidelines
• National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce
• National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Health Survey Summary of Findings
• Cultural Considerations and Communication Techniques Guidelines for Providing Mental Health First Aid to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Person
• Anthropology in the Clinic: The Problem with Cultural Competency
• Metabolic Syndrome
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Reading – Drug Use in Australia: Preventing Harm
I started reading this book just before I had my clinical placement in the detox centre and have found it really interesting and well-written. These are the chapters that I've read through so far:
• Psychological theories of drug use and dependence
• The Social Context of Drug Use
• Alcohol and Aboriginal Society Heavy Drinking and Allied Responses
• Women and Drugs
• Adolescent Substance Abuse
• Addressing Drug Problems: the case for harm minimisation
• The problem with grand theories of drug use – this chapter was about how society tends to villainise and stereotype drug users as sinners, sick people and social victims. Furthermore, a drug user’s socioeconomic status and physical appearance will determine how society and the justice system view them. For example, users who come from poor families, are unemployed, need to commit crimes to pay for drugs, or have sores on their skin get labelled as “junkies”, whereas users who are well-heeled (think Matthew Newton, Kate Moss, Lindsey Lohan and Ben Cousins) are merely people who “have some issues with drugs/alcohol” or are “troubled” and “need some time off to get help and deal with their demons”. Because of their beautiful appearances, high profile jobs and bank balances they can avoid criminal convictions and harsh labels, and instead they go to rehab centres which are extremely expensive and inaccessible to the average person. Similarly, kids from the poor side of town who drink and take drugs in the park or at the train station get called “nuisances” and “delinquents” wasting their lives, whereas rich kids who drink and take drugs at parties in posh homes are “party animals” just having a good time and letting off steam at the weekend (after studying so hard during the week). The reality is that drug users come from all walks of life, and have different reasons for using drugs. Some are addicted or use excessively which seriously affects their lives and those around them in a negative way, while others are social users who do not have any problems. Some are physically addicted, while others are only psychologically addicted (ie. Their mind really wants it but they’re not getting the shakes or feeling sick if they don’t have it). Some use every day while others wait till the weekend then binge, and even those people are not necessarily addicts, just like people who go out drinking every weekend, or who have a glass of wine or two with dinner every night are not necessarily alcoholics. All in all, broad generalisations and being quick to judge is dangerous and counter-effective to fixing the problem.
I also read two books that I found in my school library:
• The Truth about Heroin Addiction and Treatment
• Alcoholism and the Family
• Psychological theories of drug use and dependence
• The Social Context of Drug Use
• Alcohol and Aboriginal Society Heavy Drinking and Allied Responses
• Women and Drugs
• Adolescent Substance Abuse
• Addressing Drug Problems: the case for harm minimisation
• The problem with grand theories of drug use – this chapter was about how society tends to villainise and stereotype drug users as sinners, sick people and social victims. Furthermore, a drug user’s socioeconomic status and physical appearance will determine how society and the justice system view them. For example, users who come from poor families, are unemployed, need to commit crimes to pay for drugs, or have sores on their skin get labelled as “junkies”, whereas users who are well-heeled (think Matthew Newton, Kate Moss, Lindsey Lohan and Ben Cousins) are merely people who “have some issues with drugs/alcohol” or are “troubled” and “need some time off to get help and deal with their demons”. Because of their beautiful appearances, high profile jobs and bank balances they can avoid criminal convictions and harsh labels, and instead they go to rehab centres which are extremely expensive and inaccessible to the average person. Similarly, kids from the poor side of town who drink and take drugs in the park or at the train station get called “nuisances” and “delinquents” wasting their lives, whereas rich kids who drink and take drugs at parties in posh homes are “party animals” just having a good time and letting off steam at the weekend (after studying so hard during the week). The reality is that drug users come from all walks of life, and have different reasons for using drugs. Some are addicted or use excessively which seriously affects their lives and those around them in a negative way, while others are social users who do not have any problems. Some are physically addicted, while others are only psychologically addicted (ie. Their mind really wants it but they’re not getting the shakes or feeling sick if they don’t have it). Some use every day while others wait till the weekend then binge, and even those people are not necessarily addicts, just like people who go out drinking every weekend, or who have a glass of wine or two with dinner every night are not necessarily alcoholics. All in all, broad generalisations and being quick to judge is dangerous and counter-effective to fixing the problem.
I also read two books that I found in my school library:
• The Truth about Heroin Addiction and Treatment
• Alcoholism and the Family
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