Amy

This was not a very productive week for me. I spent the week in Helena aiding for a representative, so I was so busy doing that and not necessarily my homework. I was, however, able to sit in on a bill about nursing in the Business and Labor hearing committee, and that was very interesting. Being gone for an entire week really got me off schedule and I wasn't able to accomplish all that I wanted to, but I hope to get back on track this next week. I watched a few videos on injections and learned some handy techniques that I can use. There are many things a nurse can do to make the injection process easier, but I think it all depends on the nurse and what they are comfortable with. One video I watched showed an animation of the needle going through the different skin and muscle layers and I think that was very helpful to associate the types of injections and where they go.   I also was able to watch a simulation lab and see how those simulations work. The lab was fun to watch and

I have been having a great time this week going to the classes and reading up on the medical sciences. I can't believe how much I am learning, but if it is something you really enjoy you are more likely to learn more than something you don't enjoy. Even though its been busy for me, I am glad I am able to find enough time to work on my project. So far this week, I have learned about the legal rights of nurses and patients, which is really interesting. One thing I learned is that when you are a nurse, you need to chart every detail about everything you do with a patient in order to prevent any lawsuits. This is not only to protect  yourself, but to also protect coworkers and the hospital.  I have also learned about how drugs work in you nervous system. This is very interesting for me especially since I am learning about the nervous system in A&P. Its great to see how these classes are overlapping and it is really beneficial. I am really excited about how much I am lea

Retractable needle This has been another productive week for me and I am very excited about it! I have started to learn about how to decide what patients need in certain conditions and more about injections. This week I took on intramuscular and z-track injections. An intramuscular injection is just simply an injection in the muscle, commonly given in the upper arm. A z-track is a special type of intramuscular injection usually given in the upper thigh. The difference is that when you give a z-track you displace the tissue by pulling the skin to the side and then insert the needle. When you do this, it keeps the medication deep in the muscle and prevents it from resurfacing to the skin. Another difference is that when you z-track, you must aspirate to insure you have not hit a blood vessel.  Safety needle I also was able to figure out how to use different types of needles and syringes. One syringe I used would retract the needle when you pushed hard enough on the plu