For the last two weeks I've been on my Nursing Older People Clinical placement. It was at a smaller suburban hospital in a geriatric rehab ward and I really enjoyed it. The nurses and patients were very nice and it was general medical and rehab nursing care, so the focus is on systems and functioning - renal, gastrointestinal, mobility and so on. Lots of tests like blood tests, urine tests, faecal specimens, xrays, CT scans and ultrasounds. I got to go with a patient for her CT brain scan and bladder/kidney ultrasound which was interesting. Unfortunately there was an outbreak of the Noro virus (a gastro bug) which I caught and had to stay home for two days. I had diarrhea and severe vomiting for about 18 hours but I wasn't allowed to come back until 48 hours after my last symptom. So I'll have to make up two days later on. Luckily I was better in time for my team's presentation on the last day which was worth 20% of our assessment. This weekend I'm trying to get an assignment done that's due on Monday, and then I've got another one due on Friday, and another one on the following Friday. Then it'll be time to study for the final exam and start doing grad year job applications.

Assessments:
• Team Presentation on preventing falls in acute care facilities
• Discussion board research postings (about 1000 words)- Clopidogrel (an antiplatelet drug) and Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement Post-procedure nursing care

Reading:
• Palliative Care Therapeutic Guidelines
• Advances in palliative care relevant to the wider delivery of healthcare
• Heart Disease – Health gums and a health heart: the perio-cardio connection

Lectures:(online)
• The Role of a Clinical Nurse Manager in ICU (Operations)
• The Role of a Clinical Nurse Manager in ICU (Quality & Risk)
• Mental Health: the state of the nation part 1
• National Legislation for Registration & Professional Development
• Preventing falls and functional decline