CO/ Hazmat Drill/ Alumni Weekend

This week/weekend was very busy! This week we checked off on the abdomen. For the abdomen we inspect, auscultate, percuss and then palpate, usually for each system you inspect, palpate, percuss, then auscultate. I thought it was cool to listen to the stomach with the stethoscope, it makes some funny sounds.

On Wednesday, the nursing department was participating in a simulation for Virginia Baptist Hospital and Lynchburg General Hospital. About 20 girls from the nursing program participated in the hazmat drill (hazardous material). We were told we were on a bus and got into an accident with a chemical truck. Each of the students got a card that read what happened to them in the accident, so that the people at the hospital could respond with the right medical treatment.

Our scenario was "My feet and legs are burning."Brittney's was "Victim is unresponsive."
Overall both hospitals did a great job taking care of us. When we got to the hospital they had warm blankets ready for us (it was really cold on Wednesday). Some of the girls were sprayed down because they had "chemicals" (Gatorade) on them, luckily I wasn't one of the ones to be sprayed down! It was interesting to see what the nurses and doctors would do in a situation like this. This simulation was a lot of fun and I hope I'll be able to participate in something like this again!

On Friday night my friend, Hannah, from MD came down to Liberty with her mom. Hannah's Mom was here for alumni weekend. She was amazed at how much LU has changed since she graduated. On Friday night we walked around campus, then Hannah was able to stay in my dorm for the night.

Below is a picture of Hannah and me with Michael Tait (singer from DC talk). He was staying at the same hotel as Hannah and her mom. DC talk was the first CD I owned. He was a really nice guy and did the half time show for LU's football game.
On Saturday, we went to the Vines Center (below) and watched a volleyball game. Of course we had to walk through the tunnel.Then we walked around Demoss (main building for classes). The Nursing Department is also located in Demoss. Hannah is a freshman, studying nursing also! I had a blast showing her around the nursing lab! I really enjoyed having them here at LU.

Here are some fun pictures that we took on our way to the football game!Hannah's sister Lauren drove up on Saturday with her friend, Rachel, who graduated from LU this past May. It is such a small world!Liberty University Football Game!After the game, we all went to Doc's Diner (on campus), it is dedicated to Jerry Falwell Sr. How kind of God for such a great weekend with friends!

CPR

Today I had a CPR class. The sophomore nursing students are required to learn CPR before we start going into the hospital. I was able to take it with a couple of friends too! The class was from 3-6pm and we were able to practice CPR on an "adult" and "child"(mannequins) We did mouth to mouth, but also got to use the ambu bag (a bag filled with air that you squeeze, so that you don't have to breath into the person). Also as a part of the course we learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver on an adult and a baby (very different procedures for each). So at the end of the class you are required to take a 20 question test of things that you have already practiced. It is not very difficult. Each of us had either test A or B (doesn't really matter). Then when we were finished we were suppose to go to the front of the room and grade it. (You are only allowed to miss 4) I went up to grade my test and I got number 1 wrong, and number 2, and number 3, and number 4, right in a row! My face was so red, I couldn't believe I missed that many already! So I continue and I look at number 5 and I got that wrong too! Then I realized I was looking at the wrong grading sheet. I took test B and was looking at the answer sheet for test A. I ended up just missing one question, much better than all 20! I had to laugh!

I strongly recommend taking a CPR class, individually or as a family, it's not only interesting, but you can be prepared to help someone, even a family member and save a life.

Scrub Day/Heart

Tuesday was Scrub Day at school. All the nursing students wear their scrubs to classes every 2nd Tuesday of the month. Here is my friend Brittney and me. Also, I checked off on the Heart . For the heart we inspect, palpate and auscultate. The heart is an amazing muscle. The way it constantly beats even when we are unaware is amazing.
There are many references in the Bible that refer to the heart. Romans 10:9 "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved" When I was little I asked Jesus into my "Heart" but not my literal heart. This means that what His words says should shape the way I live my life, in my thoughts, words and actions. Again the heart is a powerful muscle that is crucial to life. Praise be to God for a physical heart and for his power to save my life eternally.

4

Only Four

Four Places I go over and over:
Class
Nursing lab
church
home

Four People Who Email Me Regularly:
Mom
Dad
Britt
DD

Four places I would rather be right now:
Cayman Islands
at home
in FL
In San Antonio

Four TV shows I watch:
Greys Anatomy
Lost
The Office
House

Four things I have for breakfast:
nothing
a protein bar
snack
water

Four Animals I like best:
none
none
none
none

Four Beaches I've been to:
Cayman Islands
OBX
FL
?

Four people to tag?
Karen
Britt
MOM
Jen

CO: Chest and Lungs

Today I had my CO on the Chest and Lungs. For this system we Inspect, Palpate, Percuss (strike or tap with hand over body, sounds over the lungs should be resonant when percussing) and Auscultate. This is a picture of the posterior (back), lateral (sides), and anterior (chest) regions where you would percuss and auscultate. If you notice the right side of the body you assess differently than the left side. The right side makes a "Z" shape because your right lung has three lobes, to hear the middle lobe you have to follow the "Z" pattern. The left side makes a "C" shape and only has two lobes. I thought that was very interesting.

Assessing the Chest and Lungs is crucial for any medical profession. Breathing is essential for life. I'm reminded of when God created man in Genesis 2:7 "then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." Christ not only gives us air to breath physically, but gives us life spiritually. As important as breathing air is to life, being alive in Christ is most important. I'm so thankful that He has made us with intricate parts. I so often take for granted that we can breath and we are able to use our lungs from the most strenuous activities to resting at night. Once again I am in awe of how God has created us.

As I promised, I was able to take a short video of the nursing lab. This is just what a typically room looks like. There are about 8 examining rooms that all look the same.

Nursing Ribbon Ceremony

Yesterday night was our official ribbon ceremony for the Sophomores and Junior Nursing Students. Sophomores received blue ribbons and the Juniors received red ribbons. The teachers called us all by name and lit a candle. (I am not too fond of fire and the candles made me a little nervous). Once everyone had their candles lit we sang a song that we have been practicing in our Health Assessment class. It was a great ceremony! The sophomore class has 116 students, 9 of them which are guys.
Here is a picture of Chelsea and me. We are in the same clinical groups this year. The next picture is Megan, Jordan, Steph, and I. This group of girls and I constantly studied for Pathophysiology together last semester. It's so great to see how far we have all come since last year! We have been waiting for this moment!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

My niece Katelyn was born on my 14th Birthday. Today she turned 6! She is the best present I've ever gotten for my birthday! I'm so blessed to be able to share my birthday with her! Today was a busy day at school, but I was able to go out to eat with some friends! All my friends made today very special for me, including announcing my birthday during Convocation (chapel). Ha Ha.

Here are pictures from tonight from my birthday dinner at La Villa, an Italian restaurant in Lynchburg. The food was amazing and the service was great!

Over the weekend, my friend Monique made a Birthday Cake for me! It was such a nice surprise.

Psalm 150: 2 "Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!"

I'm grateful to God for another year. First and foremost, He has saved my life! He has taught me so much this year and has blessed me in numerous ways!

Ears, Nose, and Throat

As part of my devotions, I am reading the book of Mark. Today I read Mark 7: 31-37 about Jesus healing a deaf man who had trouble with his speech. I thought that was too cool, since this week in Health Assessment we are learning about the ears, nose and throat. In this story, a deaf man was brought to Jesus. Jesus put his fingers in this deaf man's ears and then touched the man's tongue after spitting. This man was restored of his hearing and speaking.

"He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." Mark 7:37 (ESV)

Christ never ceases to amaze me. I often forget his miraculous healing power! This is not just a story but truth. I'm amazed at how Christ shows love to all kinds of people in need. How humble of Christ to take time to care for others. I want to follow his example of looking to the needs of others not only as a nurse but as a child of God. Having fun with my camera in the nursing lab.

What I am holding in my hand is a jar of bacon bits. We used this to test the sense of smell. Cranial Nerve #1 is the Olfactory Nerve testing sense of smell. We also had a jar of coffee beans, too. Here Chelsea is holding the tuning fork on the midline of her head. This test bone conduction, the patient SHOULD hear the high pitched sound in both ears equally, but some people don't. Also I was able to use the Otoscope and look into Chelsea's tympanic membrane in her ear! It was awesome! Once again we are having a blast in the lab! I'll have to take a video sometime.

Eyes

Proverbs 4:25 "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you."

This week we checked off on the Eyes. To assess the eyes, we inspect and palpate (the lacrimal gland which is under the eyebrow and above the eyelid). In the nursing lab we were able to use the ophthalmoscope (instrument for examining the internal eye). It was so amazing to look inside each others eyes, even though it may not have been fun for the person we were practicing on. I was able to see some of the internal structures of the eye like the retina, but it was hard to see anything other than that.




Internal structures of the eye.


The eyes are amazing structures that God has blessed us with. The word "eye" is used a lot in the Bible. I am reminded of Jesus who healed the blind man in John 9. This man was born blind, Jesus spat in the mud and covered the man's eyes with it. He then told the man to wash his eyes off in the water and his sight was restored. Often eyes are used as a symbol to represent salvation. In this story the man not only got his sight back but was able to be saved from judgment. I'm grateful that Christ has opened my eyes to this glorious news of salvation. His works are visible for us to see let us not become blind to them.

Head, Neck and Lymphatic System

Check offs (CO) for this week included:

Head
Neck
Lymphatic System

For these systems we Inspect (observe), Palpate (feel with fingers), and Auscultate (listen with the stethoscope).

Here Chelsea is auscultating my temporal artery for bruits (obstructions in blood flow), no bruits for me.

This is a picture in my pocket sized examination book that covers the lymph nodes, this week we were responsible for finding these on our lab partners. I found this to be a little difficult and this week during check offs two of the Jr lab assistants hammered us with questions about the lymphatic system. It was a little overwhelming, but I appreciate their imput and how they wanted us to understand why we do the things we do when we are evaluating a patient.

This is the check off list that is specific to each system we are learning about. The lab assistants make sure that we cover everything on this list.

Here is what our CO list looks like from week to week. I'm so excited to learn more! God has been so good.

LU's Nursing Program

Last night, all the nursing students at Liberty University had an ATI meeting, which will help us prepare for NCLEX (Stateboards test for Nurses). Here is a video that they showed us at the beginning of the meeting about Liberty University's Nursing Program.



I can't wait to see what God will teach us this year! I am excited!

First Visit to the Lynchburg Hospital

Today my nursing friends Chelsea, Jessica and I drove down to Lynchburg General Hospital to have our pictures taken for our badges.
Jessica and Chelsea
In front of the hospital.

This will be our home for the next 3 years !

We had a blast taking pictures outside of the hospital!

Also, today was my 2nd week for Check offs and it went really well! This week focused on :
Skin
Hair
Nail

I practiced on my "patient" and good friend Chelsea this time. We love learning new things each week.