Yesterday

Yesterday was one of those days. I began the morning on very little sleep (not uncommon, but still unpleasant). As you may know I am in nursing school. This semester my Mondays start bright and early with a clinical on a post-operation floor. This Monday started as any other until medication time. As a nursing student I am authorized to give meds to patients as long as my instructor oversees the entire process. There I am in the med room, I have a vial of medication in one hand and I am filling it with a little air from a syringe in my other hand. As I'm applying pressure to the plunger of the syringe my instructor tells me to draw it out. I think she's referring to the needle (she wasn't) so without releasing pressure (Pam I know you're cringing right now) I pull out the needle and medication sprays all over the front of me. Strike one.

Now I am in a patient's room. I am attempting to flush her g-tube (a tube for feeding and med administration that's inserted into her digestive tract through her abdomen). I have filled a needleless syringe with water, but there's too much air inside. I did the right thing, I turned away from the patient, but I applied too much force and shot water at her grandfather. Strike two.

I'm desperately trying not to die of embarrassment. I have attached the syringe to the g-tube port and I am beginning to flush the tube with water. Again, I apply too much pressure, and now the patient and I are drenched. Strike three, you're out.

Miserable and wet I finish my task and walk out into the hall where my instructor gives me a hug and a pep talk and sends me off to do paperwork.