Nursing "Skills"

o.k. everyone, now I may have referenced once or twice that the nursing skills class that I am taking is sordof......a brainless activity. I mean, ooohhhh! We made beds! and, ahhhhhh! We gave bed baths!

(o.k., we stressed a bit ((a lot)) for our check-offs)

But tonight, they dangled nursing opportunities in our faces that had us all giddy and excited. Well, the giddy part comes later. I'll explain.

blood pressures, y'all. We were taking blood pressures. And anyone seeking health care in about 3 years should be worried about my class. Because we're a bunch of yo-yo's. Oh, it seems so simple to find a pulse and take a blood pressure....right?

wrong. because we're a bunch of yo-yo's.

At one point, I was trying to find a pulse on my partner's foot and I believe I came to the rational that the fault of not finding one could not be mine. I asked if she ate brains. And then I diagnosed her as zombie.

I don't know if anyone has ever noticed the cuffs and valves and meters involved with blood pressure taking. oh, it sounds so technical now. And it was. I was paired with Marjana who was a nurse in another country before she moved here. She's got this all down. I don't. So, she went first and took my pulse and what not and breezed through my blood pressure and 10 seconds later it was my turn. Get comfortable, Marjana. Get comfortable. This is gonna be a long, hard ride.

And it was.

My first attempt went smooth until I stretched with my itty bitty thumb attached to my itty bitty hand to turn the valve on the pump and release the air in the cuff. The valve that Marjana had tightened just before my turn.

y'all.

I am now looking into her former carreer. Because heavy weight/body building nursing may have been it. I don't know for sure. I do know that I couldn't release that valve to save my life. Or hers.

Marjana released the valve for me. I don't think it was pity so much but that her hand was about to fall off.

Take Two.

I had it down. I had the cuff on nice and snug. I had felt the brachial artery and had placed my stethoscope atop of it. I had pumped up that bad boy and was releasing the pressure oh. so. slowly.

It was sweet Carolina. or whatever you want to call it. The needle on my meter was dropping steadily. Not too fast, not too slow. It was THE perfect blood pressure taking of my LIFE.

And then I realized that the ear pieces to my stethoscope were still wrapped around my neck.



Take three went all right. But I believe that Marjana probably went home and curled up into the fetal position. She was a great sport. And I'm sure she is quite happy that we were not cannulating veins tonight.

Her, and me.

disclaimer**when I mention the bunch of yo-yo's in my class, I am looking in one of those 3-view mirrors**