Mary's Pad

So after much contemplation, discussion, waffling, gnashing of teeth, groaning and sighing, school is on! I am formally matriculated in the APN-F (Advanced Practice Nurse – Family) aka FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) at Temple University’s College of Health Professions.  I have officially placed my sanity in the mincer for the next couple of years or [...]

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Because all health care treatment and decisions are made based on the data you gather during assessment, it is paramount that your assessment be factual and complete. Jarvis, C (2008). Physical Examination & Health Assessment No pressure there, no pressure whatsoever! So classes have started with a bang! I am currently taking three classes at [...]

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First and foremost, if you’ve never taken a CPR class, please do. It may be one of the most useful things you ever learn to do. Second, if you don’t know the classic Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive”, learn it. The American Heart Association recommends that to revive a stopped heart, you should perform CPR [...]

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Last night was the weirdest night of my career so far. Everything about it was weird. The patients, situations, ebb and flow, end results, stories, lab results… everything about the night was just a tad off. At first I thought it was just me, but by 3am we had a consensus that this was indeed [...]

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Remember a few weeks ago I had a diamond kind of day? Well, last night was one of the “stone” kind of days. It wasn’t exceptionally busy, but I just didn’t seem to be able to catch up. I’d like to think there were mitigating circumstances, like patient acuity, the fact that I hadn’t rested [...]

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